Manila Standard - 2017 December 02 - Saturday by Manila Standard

DENGUE VACCINE ON HOLD, DANGER RAISED Sereno told: Defend self in Congress, not in media

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By Maricel V. Cruz

CHRISTMAS LANTERNS.

Men and women in Metro Manila’s Las Piñas City have started the countdown to the making of Christmas lanterns, which symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, the bright celestial body which guided, according to theological accounts, the three kings during the birth of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Lino Santos

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday urged Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to appear at the impeachment proceedings against her by the House committee on justice to defend herself instead of using the media. Alvarez made the statement after Sereno on Thursday attended a Mass at the Parish of Holy Sacriﬁce in Quezon City and later a youth forum at the University of the Philippines, where she vowed to resist the calls for her resignation and insisted that she had done nothing wrong. Her statements in both events were reported in the media. “Ang sinasabi ko, dahil nga hindi siya nag-a-appear doon sa hearing, talagang paano niya didepensahan yung sarili niya hindi ba? Tapos maglalabas na lang siya ng mga statement sa media, hindi naman Next page

Du30: Soft spot for military men PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Friday only he and then President Ferdinand Marcos cared much for the country’s soldiers, as he renewed his promise to give a comfortable life for troops who have been on the frontlines of the government’s war against terrorists and communist insurgents. “There were only two presidents, only two,

who paid attention to the needs of soldiers. The two are me and Marcos,” Duterte said in a mix of Filipino and English in his speech in Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu. Duterte is a known friend of the Marcoses. Duterte’s father Vicente served in the Marcos Cabinet before the declaration of martial law in 1972, which he lifted in JanuNext page ary 1981.

VOL. XXXI • NO. 288 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

IS mass hiring bared Recruits promised fabulous pay; Lanao solon seeks ML extension

Davao bishop named CBCP head By Vito Barcelo THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has named Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, who is said to be close to President Rodrigo Duterte, as its new president, replacing Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, whose term ended Nov. 30. Born in Maribojoc, Bohol, Valles has been Davao archbishop since May 2012.

‘Noy’s men being held liable for MRT mess’ THE Aquino Cabinet officials are simply being made accountable for their incompetence rather than being made “scapegoats” for the woes plaguing the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, Malacañang insisted Friday. Responding to Vice President Leni Robredo’s criticism that the filing of the charges against the Aquino officials were meant to pass on the blame for MRT 3’s woes, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the current administration had been dealing with the MRT 3 mess that he said started in the past administration. “We find the Vice President’s remarks unfortunate. Next page

A graduate of the Pontiﬁcio Ateneo Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, he has been a Catholic priest in Mindanao for the last four decades. Before the Pope appointed him Davao archbishop in 2012, he became bishop of Kidapawan in 1997 then archbishop of Zamboanga in 2007. Sources in the clergy said the new CBCP president would likely take a different approach from Villegas, who was openly critical of Duterte’s Next page bloody war on drugs.

By John Paolo Bencito

LOCAL ofﬁcial on Friday warned that Islamic State-afﬁliated groups were still recruiting people to their cause of building up a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Archbishop Romulo Valles

Dengue vaccine on hold, danger raised By Macon RamosAraneta THE Health department said Friday it has suspended use of a landmark vaccine for the potentially deadly dengue virus after its manufacturer warned it could worsen the disease in some cases.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanoﬁ announced Wednesday that its worldﬁrst dengue vaccine could lead to more severe symptoms for people who had not previously been infected. The Philippines has vaccinated more than 700,000 children with Dengvaxia

since 2016 when it became the ﬁrst country to start using it on a mass scale. But it said Friday the program had been suspended. “In the light of this new analysis, the DoH [Department of Health] will place the dengue vaccination program

“There are several reports we have been receiving that the recruitment activity is now ongoing in some other towns,” Lanao del Sur Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong said in a Palace news

brieﬁng Friday. Those who would join were offered as much as P100,000 to lure them in continuing the ﬁght, Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said, as he backed

calls by the military to have the imposition of martial law in Mindanao extended during the rehabilitation phase of Marawi City. The Marawi siege had prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the entire Mindanao under martial law on May 23. The period was extended until the end of the year after the lapse of the 60-day limit imposed by the Constitution. Del Rosario said the information came from barangays where recruitment is taking Next page place.

FIRST TO ABDICATE. Japan’s much-loved Emperor Akihito will stand down on April 30, 2019, becoming the first Japanese monarch to abdicate his post in two centuries. The decision was made at a meeting of the Imperial House Council and announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday. Crown Prince Naruhito, who has already assumed some of his father’s duties, will take on the role on May 1, 2019, becoming the 126th Emperor to ascend to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. AFP

House, Senate lock horns over 2018 budget on changes on the House-approved version of P3.767 trilSPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez lion national budget for 2018. Alvarez issued the warnon Friday warned of a reenacted ing after expressing his irribudget should the Senate insist

By Maricel V. Cruz ANTI-DENGUE. The government Friday says it has suspended use of a landmark vaccine for the potentially deadly dengue virus after its manufacturer warned it could worsen the disease in some cases. French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced Wednesday its world-first dengue vaccine could lead to more severe symptoms for people who had not previously been infected. AFP

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tation over the way senators were throwing tantrums over matters that had already been discussed throughly in the House. Next page

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Leni gains access to contested ballots By Rio N. Araja THE camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday said they scored another victory when the Presidential Electoral Tribunal allowed them to gain access to soft copies of ballots. Romulo Macalintal, Robredo’s legal counsel, said the PET granted their petition to secure soft copies of ballots and other reports from the decrypted secured digital or SD cards. “We welcome the PET’s decision because it will provide us with an additional blanket of security to the votes received by VP Leni as they decrypt the contents of the SD cards,” Macalintal said. Earlier, Robredo asked the PET that she be furnished soft copies of the ballot images and reports from the decrypted SD cards from the provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental, the three pilot provinces designated by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his election protest. Marcos claims he was cheated in the vice presidential election in 2016. Macalintal said the soft copies would help both parties protect their rights and interest in the election protest. Marcos sought to prevent Robredo from having access to the decryption proceedings. “With the PET’s decision, VP Leni can now coordinate with the Commission on Elections on the procedure and supplies needed for the soft copies. Comelec, for its part, said it is capable of providing soft copies to both parties,” Macalintal said.

Sereno... From A1

valid yun,” Alvarez said in a radio interview. He said it would be best for Sereno to appear before the House justice committee, which he said was the proper forum to disprove the allegations against her. “Kaya kailangan talaga siyang pumunta doon para i-disprove yung mga allegations at yung mga ebidensya na inilahad laban sa kanya. Alam naman niya yan dahil abugado rin iyan, nagpapractice,” Alvarez said. The House leadership earlier said it would respect Sereno’s right as a respondent whether or not she attended the impeachment proceedings. Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, the complainant against Sereno, has expressed confidence the testimony of Associate Justice Teresita de Castro is enough to warrant Sereno’s impeachment. De Castro on Wednesday testified at the House justice committee hearing and confirmed that Sereno not only altered a Temporary Restraining Order but also created the Judicial Decentralized Office in Region 7 contrary to the resolutions the high court had approved. Alvarez declined to make a personal assessment of the weight of De Castro’s testimony and that of Court Administrator Midas Marquez, but he said the justice committee would proceed with its job of evaluating the additional evidence against Sereno. “Maganda naman ang testimonya ni Justice Teresita de Castro at ni Administrator Midas Marquez. At marami pa rin kaming ipapatawag po na testigo at isu-subpoena na mga dokumento,” Alvarez said. But Alvarez said the proceedings in the House justice committee would grind to a halt if Sereno resigned.

De Lima bucks 3rd arrest order By Macon Ramos-Araneta

ENATOR Leila de Lima on Friday asked a lower court to dismiss what she described as trumped-up drug charges ﬁled against her by the Duterte administration and to recall her third warrant of arrest.

She asked the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 to defer her arraignment on Dec. 8 pending the final outcome of her Supreme Court petition that directly affects a similar case in RTC Branch 204. “It is incumbent upon this Court [RTC Branch 206] to hold in abeyance the scheduled arraignment,” De Lima says in her

motion for reconsideration. “Otherwise, such an act would be tantamount to this Court preempting the Supreme Court and arrogating unto herself the authority to have a final say on the jurisprudential effect of the Supreme Court’s decision.” RTC Branch 206 Judge Patria Manalastas-De Leon issued on Nov. 16 an arrest

warrant against De Lima along with her co-accused― former Bureau of Corrections Director Franklin Bucayu, National Bilibid Prison inmates Jaybee Sebastian, Wilfredo Elli and De Lima’s former aides Joenel Sanchez and Ronnie Dayan, and one Jose Dera. The allegations against De Lima―which made use of perjured testimonies from convicted felons during a Congressional hearing―focused on her illegal drug trading allegedly committed from 2012 to 2013 when De Lima was Justice secretary. De Lima, whom many consider as a victim of po-

SWS: 10.9-m families say they’re poor THE percentage of Filipinos believing they are poor increased by three points to 47 percent or an estimated 10.9 million families, the third quarter Social Weather Stations survey said. The latest survey, fielded among 1,500 adults, found the three-percentage-point increase from June 2017. Of those who rated themselves poor, three-fourths have always been poor— accounting for 36 percent of Filipino families overall. The 3-point nationwide increase in the self-rated poverty rate came from Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, while the same declined in Mindanao and the Visayas, the survey company said. In Balance Luzon, self-rated poverty increased sharply by 16 points from 34 percent in

June 2017 to 50 percent in September 2017. It rose by three points in Metro Manila, from 28 percent in June to 31 percent in September. Self-rated poverty dropped 12 points in Mindanao, from 57 percent in June to 45 percent in September, and 8 points in the Visayas, from 64 percent in June to 56 percent in September. The September 2017 survey also found 32 percent, or an estimated 7.4 million of families rated themselves as “foodpoor.” This was the same as the previous quarter, but below the 35 percent in March. For one not to be considered as “poor,” the same survey said a family needs a monthly budget of P10,000, which has been the median self-rated poverty threshold since September 2016.

Davao... From A1

But Villegas said he is confident that the new CBCP leader would be more than capable of steering the group in a time of “unique challenges” to the Catholic Church. Valles said he envisions a clergy of renewed servant-leaders “who care most especially for the least, the lost and the last.” He said activities throughout 2018 will be dedicated to the promotion and recognition of priestly and religious vocations.

Du30:... From A1 Marcos, a former soldier and who fought as a guerrilla during the second world war, had a strong grip on the military until his government was toppled by a Catholic Church-backed revolt in 1986, on the week he was proclaimed by the Commission on Elections and the Batasang Pambansa as the winner in the 1986 snap elections in February. Duterte has repeatedly promised to improve living conditions of soldiers by increasing their pay and providing proper health care for those maimed while fighting government enemies. “I have told you, if you have a

Dengue... From A1 on hold while review and consultation is ongoing with experts, key stakeholders, and the WHO [World Health Organization],” a government statement said. Sanofi had initially said its Dengvaxia vaccine was “critical” in the fight against dengue, the world’s most common mosquito-borne virus. It said Wednesday that a new study has confirmed Dengvaxia’s benefits for “those who had prior infection.” “For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” Sanofi said. The government said it had not yet received reports of any problems with Dengvaxia. “Currently, there is no reported case of severe dengue infection among those who received the vaccine,” its statement said. More than 1,000 people in

The September 2017 survey also found that the median self-rated poverty gap, or the amount poor families lack in monthly home expenses relative to their stated threshold, was unchanged at P5,000, or half of the selfrated poverty threshold. Meanwhile, the national median self-rated food poverty threshold, or the monthly budget that a foodpoor household needs for food expenses so as not to be considered food was P5,000. The September 2017 survey found that an average Filipino household spend a median of P1,000 on monthly transportation. The survey, conducted from September 23-27 had sampling error margins at ±2.5 percent for national percentages. John Paolo Bencito

“We aim towards the integral renewal of the values, mind-sets, behavior and lifestyles of the clergy and consecrated persons,” Valles said in his first pastoral statement. “It will be a year, too, of revisiting ways of seminary and religious formation and the collaboration with the laity in the work of mission and ministry,” he said. The new pastoral letter will be read in all Masses on Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent. Villegas, 57, served as CBCP president for two two-year terms, being elected in 2013 and reelected in 2015. The outspoken archbishop was a protégé of the late Manila Archbishop

problem. I give you my number. If you cannot solve your problem here or you cannot solve it, just call me,” he told the troops before him. In a related development in Manila, Malacañang said Friday soldiers would have no choice but “to shoot” or “be shot” by armed members of the communist New People’s Army, as it defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s “shoot-kill” orders to security forces. “No armed NPA will surrender to authorities. The options are to shoot at an armed rebel or for our men in uniform to be shot at by them,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a text message to reporters. Some administration critics, including Vice President Leni Robredo, had voiced concern the Philippines died from dengue last year, out of 211,000 suspected cases, according to the government. Senator Nancy Binay called on the DoH and Sanofi to launch a nationwide medical advisory and information drive to reach out to parents whose children have taken the vaccine. “The latest medical report issued by Sanofi Pasteur is deeply shocking and disturbing, especially to any parent whose children have received the vaccine,” she said. Binay said the public--particularly the parents--need to know the circumstances surrounding the vaccine, what symptoms should be monitored, precautions, indications, contra-indications, side effects and possible adverse effects. In 2016, the DoH launched the dengue vaccination initiative in three highly endemic regions (Regions III, IV-A and NCR) with over 700,000 individuals receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. This immunization program is in line with the recommendation of the WHO for mass vaccination in highly endemic countries.

litical persecution under the Duterte regime, said the court should also review what she called “fatal deficiency” or infirmity in the information or charge sheet filed against her. “The Information, Complaint-Affidavit, and Attached Affidavits, and TSNs, all miserably fail to provide the existence of drugs that were allegedly attempted to be sold or were actually sold by the accused,” De Lima said. “Hence, the corpus delicti in the instant case is lacking―a matter that is readily admitted by the DoJ Panel in its Comment.”

IS...

From A1

Adiong also supported calls to extend martial law in Mindanao, citing persistent threats from terrorists. This happened as a widow of a slain Islamist militant leader will be charged for allegedly using social media to recruit IS sympathizers to join the five-month siege of Marawi, authorities said. Hundreds of local and foreign gunmen who had pledged allegiance to IS rampaged through Marawi starting in May, sparking the nation’s longest urban war that claimed more than 1,100 lives. Karen Hamidon faces charges of inciting to rebellion for allegedly urging IS followers to travel to Marawi to fight troops in the nation’s first case of terrorism committed through online networks, senior state

Jaime Cardinal Sin, who helped mount the 1986 People Power Revolution that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. During his term, Villegas pushed for reforms within the Catholic Church, saying it was “a scandal for a priest to die a rich man.” He has been openly critical of both former President Benigno Aquino III and Duterte, calling out the former on its controversial Disbursement Accele r at ion Program, and denouncing the latter’s “reign of terror” in poor communities where thousands of drug suspects have been killed. Father Ranhilio Aquino, dean of the San Beda Graduate School of Law,

over the President’s order to shoot armed NPAs, saying that was against the law and the constitution. Robredo stressed there were processes to determine if the charges were true, and to mete out appropriate penalties. Roque, however, stressed the NPA was an armed fighter who remained to be a “valid military target” engaged in armed rebellion which is a crime.” In a speech in Sual, Pangasinan, on Wednesday, Duterte said government troops should “shoot” and “kill” members of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing, the New People’s Army, whom he earlier tagged as “terrorists.” He said he didn’t mind if there would be condemnation from human rights groups, say-

Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever are acute viral infections that affect infants, young children, and adults. It is transmitted by a bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue serotypes: Den-1, Den-2, Den-3 and Den-4. An average of 200,000 cases of Dengue are reported every year. Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, expressed alarm over Sanofi’s announcement. He said an official of the WHO had warned that the vaccine had not been given pre-qualification approval as it had not yet been tested on at least 200 children first, at the time it was procured by the administration of then President Benigno Aquino III. “This admission by Sanofi that the Dengvaxia poses risks shows that when the Aquino administration procured it and the DoH proceeded to inoculate 280,000 children initially, the vaccine was not yet ready for distribution. Now we have the evidence on that,” the senator said.

De Lima said the Information failed to identify the actual seller of the illegal drugs, the identity of the buyer, the kind and quantity of the illegal drugs sold or traded, the consideration and the delivery of the illegal drugs, and the actual payment. “Without these elements alleged in the Information, the actual sale or trade of dangerous drugs can never be established,” De Lima said. “It is impossible for the Honorable Court to determine the existence of probable cause for the issuance of a warrant of arrest since the prosecutor Peter Ong said. “[Hamidon] wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously incite(d) others to rise publicly and take arms against the Philippine government,” Ong said in a copy of the charge sheet, which he said was set to be filed before a local court this month. Government investigators conducting undercover work and a forensic examination had accused Hamidon of using messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp, where they said she was “prolific in her recruitment and promotion activities for ISIS,” another name for IS. “The Islamic State invites you to join in the Philippines. We note that the door to immigration is open to the cities of Marawi and [the southern region of] Mindanao,” state investigators quoted Hamidon as saying in a Telegram post. Hamidon had denied the allegations, telling reporters last month she was an Islamic mis-

described Villegas as “the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines who did not hesitate to maintain bold positions and to express them with clarity, who was pilloried, maligned, and shamed.” “Why then is he so frequently bashed? It can only be largely because he touched raw nerves by speaking out on such issues as extrajudicial killings, human rights, and the moral obligations of government,” Aquino said. “Only the jaundiced will find partisanship in those acts. He was beholden to none; but he was not going to be silenced, because his consecration was sacred to him,” he added.

ing he would claim responsibility for their actions. Meanwhile, two more insurgents were killed and dozens believed to have wounded in two separate clashes between New People’s Army rebels and government troops in the Visayas and Mindanao Friday as the government increased its hunt for communist terrorist. Military reports said the renewed fighting with the NPAs occurred at the outskirts of Sarangani and Leyte province as ground troops increased their pressure against lawless elements. The first clash in Sitio Balataan, Barangay Pag-asa, Alabel, Sarangani occurred when army troops from the 73rd Infantry Battalion responded to the reported presence of the armed group extorting and in-

House,... From A1 “I’m getting really annoyed,” Alvarez said in Filipino. “We have discussed everything well [in the House] but when it reaches them [the Senate], so many are throwing tantrums.” Alvarez said the House would stand pat on its version of the 2018 national budget and defend it in the bicameral conference committee, even at the risk of having a reenacted budget for next year. Under a reenacted budget, the government will operate next year on this year’s budget of P3.35 trillion. The President has the authority to declare the capital outlays in the current budget as savings and use the funds as he pleases, including releasing funds for the pet projects of “cooperative” legislators. The deliberation of the bicameral conference committee on Thursday hit a snag over the conflicting provisions in the House and Senate versions of the budget. In a bid to settle the issue, the bicameral conference panel decided to create two small groups to discuss the contentious provisions. Among the contentious issues

timidating residents. Maj. Gen. Noel Clement said soldiers were immediately dispatched to the area to validate the veracity of the report. While the troops were approaching, they were fired upon by the rebels, prompting them to retaliate. killing two rebels in an ensuing fight, the military said. Clement said the government suffered no casualties during the clash while the rebels sustained more wounded comrades as evidence of blood stains on their retreat route. He said the rebels left behind five high-powered firearms, personal belongings and several war materiel at the scene of fighting. With John Paolo Bencito and Francisco Tuyay was the Senate’s removal of the proposed P50 billion budget under the Department of Public Works and Highways for right-ofway acquisitions. The House also opposed the Senate’s realignment of the P900 million budget for Oplan Double Barrel for the Philippine National Police, which it allocated instead for housing projects for the police and the military. Alvarez said that if the two sides cannot agree on the contentious issues before Congress takes its Christmas break, it is possible that the government may operate next year on a reenacted 2017 budget. The last day of session of Congress for 2017 is on Dec. 13. He noted that the House has conducted a thorough deliberation of the budget and are not just about to relent to the demands of some senators. Alvarez said a reenacted budget would actually be advantageous to the executive department because it can then use the funds for the purposes it may deem necessary. However, Alvarez said it is still possible that the House and the Senate bicameral panel may reach a consensus within the next few days.

Information is deficient of any of the essential elements charged.” De Lima said that in the two other cases pending with RTC Branches 204 and 205, the DoJ filed separate motions to admit amended Informations that sought to change the offense charged against her from one of drug trading to mere conspiracy to trade drugs. She said this meant a shift in the theory and narrative of the prosecution from an original charge that she allegedly traded drugs to an accusation that she merely allegedly decided and agreed to trade drugs. sionary who had used social media for religious purposes. Hamidon was arrested in a Manila suburb in October and has since been detained in the capital. She was married to Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, founder and leader of Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP), a pro-IS militant group in the restive south which authori in the city of Davao that killed 15 people last year. Troops said they had killed Maguid in January this year. The military said militants loyal to IS, including those allied with AKP, had attacked Marawi in a bid to establish a Southeast Asian caliphate there. Hamidon is also accused of recruiting Indians to join IS and the Indian government had asked the Philippines for help in investigating that case, according to a Justice department resolution. With AFP

‘Noy’s... From A1

With all due respect to Vice President Robredo, the MRT-3 issue is not about covering up shortcomings. The administration has faced the MRT 3 mess squarely,” Roque said in a statement. “We cannot simply sweep the sins of incompetence and corruption under the rug with the harsh reality of half-a-million daily suffering riding public staring us in the face.” Roque said the officials facilitated the negotiated procurement of long-term maintenance contracts to Busan Universal Rail Inc. or BURI. He said the Supplemental Complaint Affidavit filed by the Department of Transportation said that BURI “turned the DoTC [Department of Transportation and Communications] to a bottomless cash cow entering into one anomalous procurement project. “We cannot deny the fact that these are cumulative problems that the Administration inherited and the long-suffering commuters of Metro Manila have known for years how the past government destroyed the MRT.” “The filing of the plunder complaint against the officials of the previous administration was to make them accountable.” Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte himself had apologized over a recent train mishap. “The President has even apologized over a recent train mishap and transport officials admitted that while they cannot solve the problems overnight, they are working double time to restore the convenience and reliability of the MRT 3 by getting a proven maintenance firm and buying needed parts.” The Department of Transportation recently filed plunder raps before the Office of the Ombudsman against nine Aquino Cabinet members over the alleged anomalous contract for the maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit 3, including former Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II. John Paolo Bencito

News PISTON president charged THE Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office on Friday ordered the filing of violation of Section 20 of the Commonwealth Act No. 146 or The Public Service Law against George San Mateo, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) chairperson, with the Metropolitan Trial Court. “That on or about the 27th day of February 2017 in Quezon City, the said accused in his capacity as the national president of Piston, did, then and there unlawfully cause, participate, advice, solicit, persuade, or knowingly and willfully instruct, direct or order on any officer, agent, or members of Piston and/or other public transport utility companies, corporations or organizations to conduct a nationwide transport strike, which was actually held on Feb. 27 in violation of the law,” the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office’s resolution read. City Prosecutor Donald Lee approved the Assistant City Prosecutor Marvelous Madamba’s recommendation to elevate the case to the lower court. “After a careful evaluation of the pieces of evidence presented which were all uncontroverted, the undersigned finds probable cause to charge the respondent for violation of Section 20(k) in relation to Section 24 of Commonwealth Act No. 146 or The Public Service Act,” Madamba said. Rio N. Araja

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Don’t stigmatize people with HIV virus—Palace By John Paolo Bencito

HE Palace on Friday called on Filipinos not to stigmatize people living with the human immunodeﬁciency virus (HIV), which continues to pose “signiﬁcant threat” to Filipino families.

In a statement, Palace Spokesman Harry Roque urged the public to “work as one” in increasing the capacity of the country for early warning, risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks, including HIV/AIDS. “We urge all Filipinos to help end the stigma of HIV/AIDS and contribute to prevent the spread of the disease. Together, let us support the government in this endeavor,” Roque, who was

among the principal authors of House Bill 6617, or Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act while he was still a legislator, said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque likewise urged Filipinos to be sensitive to the feelings of those living with HIV. “We have to be sensitive also to their feelings at alam naman natin na malalim na ang kanilang problema. Huwag na nating dadagdagan pa ito sa paraan na malal-

agay sila sa kahihiyan [We already know that they have a big problem. Let us not add to their problems by placing them in an embarrassing situation],” he told reporters. “Let’s not stigmatize our people suffering from HIV/ AIDS,” he added. Duque also urged people living with HIV to gain access to antiretroviral therapy. “We urge those who are diagnosed with to come forward and access the lifesaving antiretroviral drugs in all our DoH-designated HIV treatment facilities,” he said. Roque said that the government recognizes the need “to halt the epidemic of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) /acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the country, and is finally taking significant steps to avert the spread of the disease.” “We have much left to do. We have to strengthen

the stigma reduction mechanisms of existing laws and guarantees that the country’s HIV and AIDS response is premised on the respect, recognition, and promotion of human dignity.” “On a larger scale, government needs to address not just the health issues themselves but also the social determinants of health that contribute signiﬁcantly to the persistence of these communicable diseases.” While the prevalence rate of HIV in the Philippines remains at less than one percent, Duque said, the number of HIV cases reported is expected to go up to 142,000 by year 2022. Since 1984 to August 2017, Duque said a total of 46,985 HIV cases have been reported to the Department of Health. Most of reported HIV cases are concentrated in key populations who engage in

“risky behavior,” with 2 in 3 new cases coming from the age group of 15 to 24 years old, he said. From January to August 2017, majority or 84 percent of reported HIV cases are males who engaged in sexual activity with males, Duque said. Roque said that the passage of the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act “will serve to strengthen the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Act given that the UHC covers preventive health services.” “The proposed law provides for policies and programs to prevent the spread of HIV and deliver treatment, care, and support services to Filipinos living with HIV in accordance with evidence-based strategies and approaches that follow the principles of human rights, gender equality, and meaningful participation of communities affected by the epidemic.”

PH praises late Thai envoy THE Philippines on Friday paid tribute to former Thai Foreign Minister and Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan who passed away due to acute heart attack on Thursday. In a statement from Hong Kong, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano recalled Secretary General Pitsuwan’s signiﬁcant contributions to Asean. “He will be forever remembered for his efforts in strengthening the capacity of the Asean Secretariat as the nerve center of Asean during his term as Asean secretary-general,” he said. The Secretary also noted that Pitsuwan’s considerable success in raising public awareness of Asean’s contributions to peace and prosperity. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

BI intercepts, deports Somali national IMMIGRATION officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted a Somali national who attempted to go to the United Kingdom by posing as a Swedish citizen and used Manila as a transit point. The foreign impostor, Abdinajah Mohamoud Aden arrived at the Naia Terminal 2 a Philippine Airlines flight from Dubai, as a transit passenger. He was supposed to board his connecting flight to London, when he was accosted by members of the BI travel control and enforcement unit. The passenger was later booked on the first available flight to his port of origin, according to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente. The incident was also relayed to officers of the British Embassy in Manila for their information. Vito Barcelo

SEEING RED. Health officials led, by DoH Secretary Francisco Duque III (center), pin red ribbons on their chests to express their commitment to the campaign against HIV-AIDS during a press conference at the DoH Building in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Based on DoH records, the country has a total of 46,985 HIV positive cases as of August 2017. The number is estimated to reach 142,000 by 2022, and 313,000 by 2031. Norman Cruz

Pro-Duterte’s mass actions a flop—militant group MASS actions by President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters across the country urging him to declare a revolutionary government was a complete failure, critics of President Duterte said Friday as they warned of increased attacks by the administration against human rights defenders, critics, and activists.

“The much-hyped nationwide ‘RevGov’ rallies yesterday turned out into a grand ﬂop. Clearly, the vast majority of Filipinos do not support President Duterte’s and his supporters’ illusions of dictatorship and one-man rule,” the Movement Against Tyranny said Friday in response to pro-government

rallies with dismal crowds showing up in streets despite Thursday’s holiday. The group also accused “the Presidential Communications Operations Office [PCOO] and its troll army, along with the Presidential Office for Participatory Governance [OPG],” of being “busy creating an artificial clamor for a

revolutionary government.” “We call on our people to be vigilant and to act now to prevent Duterte’s dictatorship from happening,” the group added. The group warned against “ominous signs” of a looming dictatorship, including “continuous attacks on the judiciary and system of checks and

balances,” “increasing harassment and physical attacks on human rights defenders,” “increasing viliﬁcation and trumped up charges against known activists and government critics,” and plans to extend martial law, push for federalism and revive Oplan Tokhang, among others. John Paolo Bencito

Gatchalian urges DoE to implement retail competition circular SENATOR Win Gatchalian is calling on the Department of Energy to fast-track the implementation of the Retail Competition and Open Access circular to mitigate the effects of projected electric-

ity rate hikes in the event that the huge increase in the excise tax on coal becomes law. The circular, which seeks to finally implement the RCOA provision of the 16-year-old

Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), is expected to foster competition among electricity suppliers by giving consumers the freedom to select from where and what the kind

of electricity to purchase. Gatchalian said this is expected to drive down electricity costs and promote transparency in the energy sector. “With the coal tax in place, all the more that

we need to implement RCOA to democratize our power sector. The RCOA will help lower costs to protect consumers from the inflationary effects of the coal tax,” he said.

Prosecution blocks Napoles’ motion to contest evidence

NAKED PROTEST. Nude members of a university fraternity participate in an ’Oblation

Run’ to protest against the government’s war on drugs campaign and the crackdown of activists, at the campus of the University of the Philippines in Manila on Dec. 1, 2017. The protest took place a day after thousands of supporters and critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte staged rallies on Nov. 30 for and against his threat to declare a ‘revolutionary government,’ which has fueled fears of a looming dictatorship. AFP

ALLEGED pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles’ motion to contest the sufficiency of evidence against her as coaccused in plunder case of detained former Senator Ramon ‘‘Bong’’ Revilla Jr. was blocked by government prosecutors. In a 14-page comment, the prosecution asked the Sandiganbayan First Division to junk the motion for leave to file demurrer to evidence of Napoles, saying it is premature for the anti-graft court to grant the motion when there is sufficient proof against the accused.

“Given the sufﬁciency of the testimonial and documentary evidence against all the accused, it would, therefore, be premature at this stage of the proceedings to conclude that the prosecution’s evidence failed to establish their participation in the alleged conspiracy to commit the crime,” the prosecution said. In her motion, Napoles said the plunder law prosecutes a public ofﬁcer and not a private individual like her. Napoles is accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth worth at least P50 million from the scam.

Police chiefs told to solve indiscriminate firing in 24 hrs By Francisco Tuyay THE Philippine National Police on Friday issued a “one-strike policy” among chiefs of police in Metro Manila warning them that they would be automatically relieved from their respective posts should they fail to address indiscriminate firing of guns within 24 hours of the incident. Senior Supt. Rudolph Dimas, chief of the PNP Public Safety Division of the Directorate for Operations, said the issuance of the “one-strike policy” to police chiefs in Metro Manila on indiscriminate firing is necessary to prevent any potential incidence of stray bullets during the Christmas holidays. “The one-strike policy regarding death or injury due to indiscriminate firing will be implemented to commanders and chiefs of police. Henceforth, they will be relieved if the case is not solved within 24 hours,” Dimas said. He added that the PNP had also sent memorandums to lower units directing, especially those who have recorded cases of indiscriminate firing in the past years, to conduct patrols in order to prevent such incidents from happening again. The “one-strike policy” memorandum to all police chiefs strictly mandated them to arrest a suspect in the illegal discharge of firearm within 24 hours after the incident, otherwise the concerned police official who has jurisdiction over the area will be automatically relieved. Last year, authorities recorded at least 22 incident of indiscriminate firing of guns covering the period of Dec. 16 to Jan. 4, 2017, which resulted in the death of at least one civilian. The PNP hierarchy also ordered all COPs to closely monitor all previous sites of indiscriminate firing incidents to deter it from happening again. Likewise, the PNP underscored the need to closely coordinate with barangay officials in monitoring residents especially those with undesirable records.

DILG, DoJ adopt uniform manual on inmates By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice and Department of the Interior and Local Government on Friday adopted for the ﬁrst time a uniform guideline that standardize the computation of good conduct and time allowances and service of sentence for persons deprived of liberty (PDL). Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said that the uniform manual augurs very well for the reformation aspect of our justice system. “It harmonizes the policies and the interpretation of the law on the computation of Good Conduct Time Allowances [GCTA] and other time allowances under R.A. No. 10592,’’ Aguirre said, in his speech. “Uniformity eliminates fragmentation and it imposes order amidst confusions. Unity is essential for the effective administration of justice in all of its aspects,” Aguirre added.

Opinion

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

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EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

A general afﬂiction

ORLD AIDS Day was marked Friday, Dec. 1, under conditions starkly different from when it was ﬁrst observed 30 years ago. Then, not much was known about AIDS and a diagnosis was equated to a death sentence. A person found to have the disease could not expect to live very long. Worse, whatever remained of this life would be wretched. The body withered away, helpless against countless attacks from enemies from which it could not defend itself. These days, advances in medicine and technology have

given rise to a new category of patients: People Living With HIV—the virus, not the disease. And indeed, a person diagnosed with the virus can, with consistent medication, expect to live as though he or she did not have it. Around the world, trends vary. Many societies have successfully lowered the number of new cases over the years through a successful information and education campaign.

People have been given guidance on pursuing their lifestyle of choice while protecting themselves from the risks that came with them. Those aware that their conditions or behavior may have put them in danger of contracting the virus are encouraged to get themselves tested. With knowledge and acceptance came the responsibility to act accordingly, responsibly, and without judgment. This is not true for other countries. In the Philippines, for instance, the numbers have remained high, not only in the capital but in key cities and provinces. Authorities have

long been stumped on how to arrest this trend. Unfortunately, while technology has occasioned significant changes in patients, the stigma remains. Just this week we were reminded of how many Filipinos continue to regard those living with the virus. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, in the course of arresting 11 suspects in a buy-bust operation at a hotel in Taguig City, revealed that one of those arrested was HIV-positive. The agency did apologize for its blunder, saying it was driven to do so out of its zeal to warn the populace on the

effects of so-called passion parties and how some behaviors contribute to the high prevalence of HIV. There was no intention to be insensitive or discriminatory, the PDEA said. Still, what this exposes is the implicit moral judgment— something shared, consciously or not, by many others. This is likely why not all who practice at-risk behaviors do not protect themselves or others, or get themselves tested. They would not want to be stigmatized when they reveal themselves, only to be branded as different—deviant, even. And so the cycle continues. HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Understanding the impeachment process (Part 2)

Divorce bills 101 POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO THE time for the re-enactment of a divorce law has come. I say reenactment because many do not know that divorce is not new here despite the fact that now, the Philippines is the only country in the whole world that does not have such a national law. Before Magellan “discovered” the Philippines, divorce-like practices were recognized by our ancestors. Some of the known communities that practiced these were the Tagbanwas of Palawan; Gadang of Nueva Vizcaya; Igorots of the Cordilleras; and the Manobos, Bila-an, and Muslims of Visayas

and Mindanao. Spain scrapped these practices and replaced them with “Siete Partidas” or legal separation which does not dissolve the marriage. In 1917, the Americans replaced Siete Partidas with Act 2710, or the divorce law that had two (2) grounds, adultery on the woman’s part and concubinage on the man’s. During the Japanese occupation, Act 1917 was replaced by Executive Order (EO) No. 141 that had ten (10) grounds through which one could divorce a spouse. After defeating the Japanese, the US reinstated Act 2710. Nonetheless, divorce was still legal. This was implemented until 1950 when it was invalidated by the Civil Code of the Philippines

which brought the country back to Spanish-era policy of legal separation. The present Family Code added declaration of nullity of marriage and annulment

It would appear that there is political will in passing a divorce bill at least in the House. to legal separation. Thus, presently, we do not have a national divorce law. This does not mean, however, that there is no divorce in the country. Divorce among Muslims

is valid and recognized by our laws. Also, some of our indigenous peoples still have divorce-like practices. Therefore, there is still divorce here but not for all Filipinos. Bills on divorce have been filed from as early as the Eleventh Congress but these never moved even at the committee level. For this Congress, several bills are now lodged with the House of Representatives (HOR) Committee on Population and Family Relations chaired by Laguna Representative Sol Aragones. To date, four public hearings have already been called by the Committee, two outside of the country, involving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong and Japan, and two recent ones, last November 27

and 29, at the House of Representatives involving civil society organizations (CSOs) and government agencies. It would appear that there is political will in passing a divorce bill at least in the House. There are seven (7) divorce-related bills that are under consideration by the Committee. These are: House Bill No. 116, “An Act Instituting Absolute Divorce in the Philippines and for Other Purposes”; HBN 1062, “An Act Amending Title I, Chapter 3, of Executive Order No. 209 Otherwise Known as the Family Code of the Philippines, Prescribing additional Ground for Annulment”; HBN 1629, “An Act Legalizing Church Annulment or Dissolution of Certain Marriages and for Other

Purposes”; HBN 2380, “An Act Introducing Divorce in the Philippines Amending for the Purpose Articles 26, 55 to 66 and Repealing Article 36 Under Title II of Executive Order No. 209, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Family Code of the Philippines, and for Other Purposes”; HBN 3705, “An Act Recognizing the Civil Effects of Church Declaration of Nullity, Annulment, and Dissolution of Marriages and for Other Purposes”; HBN 6227, “An Act Providing for Grounds for the Dissolution of Marriage”; and HBN 6446, “An Act Recognizing the Capacity of the Filipino Spouse to Remarry When the Alien Spouse has Obtained a Foreign Judicial Decree of Absolute

SURPRISINGLY, the jurisprudence on impeachment proceedings appears to favor form rather than substance. In other words, once an impeachment case is officially initiated by the House against an impeachable official, and there are not enough votes in the House to sustain the filing of articles of impeachment, the official concerned may not be the subject of another impeachment complaint for a whole year thereafter—if a literal interpretation of Section 3(5), Article XI of the Constitution is entertained. The one-year bar against impeachment found in Section 3(5), Article XI, if interpreted literally as current jurisprudence does, is vulnerable to abuse and circumvention. For instance, an impeachable official who has good reason to believe that an impeachment complaint against him or her will be filed in the House any time soon, can easily pre-empt everything by having a friendly congressman immediately file an impeachment complaint against him or her, citing flimsy or hollow reasons of a nature that no person in his right mind will consider as sufficient to warrant further proceedings. Legally speaking, the dismissal may be invoked by the erring official as a ground to ward off the real, legitimate impeachment complaint that should have been filed against him or her. That would be very unfortunate, indeed. Being so, the rational and logical interpretation should posit that the oneyear bar recited in Section 3(5), Article XI should contemplate a bona fide or legitimate impeachment complaint Last week, at the proceedings before the justice committee of the House, lawyers of Chief Justice Sereno insisted

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Opinion The case for talks with North Korea WITH its latest weapons test, North Korea says, Washington is now in range of its missiles. The test may also put talks with Washington in reach. The North’s announcement that it had “finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force” may indicate some willingness to discuss pausing its weapons research. It’s important to be clear about the conditions under which talks would proceed, and not to credit North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s inevitable portrayal of them as some kind of victory. The privation he has inflicted on his fellow citizens, and the disregard he shows the international community, are far graver sins than a few intemperate tweets or juvenile insults. It’s also important to note that negotiations would come after sanctions levied by the US and United Nations are beginning to bite. China, which accounts for 90 percent of the North’s international trade, appears to have cracked down more intensely than before on that trade. The US Congress is readying even more powerful sanctions to be used against Chinese and other companies that continue to do business with the North, while the State Department has recently convinced several nations to cut off trade ties. As with negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, talks with the North need not be accompanied by any relaxation of current sanctions—and the UN, which called an emergency session to discuss the latest North Korean test, can always do more to tighten loopholes. The US should continue to ratchet up pressure on third countries, especially China, to end all proscribed relations with the North. By the same token, China, Russia and South Korea shouldn’t overplay any signs of flexibility from the North and demand immediate concessions from the US as a sign of goodwill. The US needs to play its hand carefully. Any talks would be long and frustrating. The US will have to keep up all of its current efforts, and maintain discipline from the president on down, if negotiations are to have any hope of success. Making long-overdue appointments for a US ambassador to South Korea and an assistant secretary for East Asia wouldn’t hurt, either. Kim has vowed never to bargain away his nuclear capability, and he’s certainly not going to reverse himself before entering talks. That shouldn’t be a barrier to preliminary discussions. What’s crucial now is to see if there’s a way to freeze the North’s technological progress —and to gauge what exactly Kim wants in return. It’s entirely possible, even likely, that Kim’s latest provocation is just that. But it would be foolish not to try and find out. Bloomberg

Understanding... From A4

on subjecting the complainant and his witnesses to cross examination which, according to them, is a right recognized under Rule 115 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure applicable in courts. When their request was disallowed, the lawyers walked out and decried that the right of their client to due process was violated. Sereno herself has branded the proceedings as an “attack against democracy” because House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has an ax to grind against her. When she was a private lawyer, she allegedly testified against an airport contract when Alvarez was still the airport chief. Although the arguments raised by the camp of the chief justice have a legal nicety to them, they are completely misplaced in impeachment proceedings. The right to due process of law is a constitutional right, but it may be invoked only when it is so allowed by the Constitution itself. Due process of law is mentioned only twice in Article III or the Bill of Rights of the Constitution—in Section 1, which states that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law,” and in Section 14(1), which provides that “no person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law.” Under Section 1, due process may be invoked only when a person stands to lose his or her life, liberty, or property pursuant to an official act to be taken against him or her by the government. The converse is also true: due process has no place in proceedings where the person concerned does not stand to lose his or her life, liberty, or property. In conducting the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Sereno, the House has no power to sentence her to death, or to order her detention, or to make her pay a fine, or to confiscate any of her properties. In other words, since there is no threat to her life, liberty, or property in the impeachment proceedings, Sereno’s lawyers’ arguments regarding due process are misplaced. Both Section 14(1), Article III of the Constitution and Rule 115 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure invoked by Sereno’s lawyers apply only to criminal cases. For obvious reasons, impeachment proceedings in the House are not synonymous to criminal proceedings where the accused stands to be either acquitted or convicted. Acquittal or conviction only takes place after the trial conducted by the Senate. Due process of law may be invoked for Chief Justice Sereno, not in the impeachment stage of the proceedings, but in the trial before the Senate. Since it is the Senate, and not the House, which has the power to remove Sereno from office, due process of law may be invoked during the trial, and not during the impeachment proceedings. Moreover, the impeachment proceedings in the House is like the preliminary investigation stage of a complaint filed with the Department of Justice. If the investigating prosecutor finds probable cause against the respondent, he files the corresponding criminal case against the respondent in court. During the preliminary investigation, however, the respondent and his lawyers are not allowed to subject the complainant or his witnesses to cross examination. The right to cross examine witnesses begins at the actual trial of the criminal case. Putting it more succinctly, since the investigating prosecutor has no power to order the execution or the arrest of the respondent, or to order the respondent to pay a fine, the cross examination of the complainant and his witnesses under such circumstances is not mandated by the Constitution or by law. Due process is not violated. Whether or not Speaker Alvarez has an ax to grind against Chief Justice Sereno is immaterial. Impeachment proceedings are undertaken by the House as a body, and not by Alvarez alone. Alvarez may be the head of the House, but that does not necessarily mean that the House will readily do his bidding. The fact that there are representatives who are against the impeachment complaint is an indication that Alvarez is not the House. In the event that articles of impeachment are filed against Chief Justice Sereno in the Senate, she is better off defending herself there than in the media, as her spokesmen are currently doing. Since Sereno herself expressed her intention to defend herself in the Senate, then her lawyers should focus their attention to what many anticipate to be a very interesting trial there.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

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Waiting in hope TOMORROW, the First Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning of a period of preparation for the coming the birth of Christ, our Saviour, on Christmas Day. The readings during this season exhort us to prepare ourselves to welcome him with clean and pure hearts; to anchor ourselves to the love of God through Jesus Christ who became flesh and was made man. His infinite love for us is such that he offered himself to die on the cross, but had to endure the humiliation of becoming like one of his creatures in all respects but sin. This is a profound message of unrelenting love from Jesus Christ, our redeemer. The Gospel (Mark 13:3337) for this First Sunday of Advent advises us most urgently to “Be alert and watch, for you don’t know when the time will come.” This urgency is not borne out of fear much like the

master instils in his slave but one impelled by God’s intense love for his beloved creatures. He lavishes us with love of indescribable intensity such that he sends us a very strong message asking us with loving kindness to “stay awake, for you don’t know when the Lord of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, when the cock crows or before dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him catch you asleep.” The Gospel was written by Apostle Mark not to instil fear among the faithful but to inspire, but to inspire hope in God’s ultimate triumph over evil forces. This was written at a time when the early Christians were suffering persecution. The words of the Apostle is as true during his time as it is today. At present, untold millions are being persecuted in all corners of the world because of their faith, their principles and because they stand up for the truth. Last Nov. 22, the Philippine Catholic Church participated in the Red

Wednesday Campaign by celebrating masses in selected parishes throughout the country to bring to mind the martyrdom of Christians as they battle religious persecution in many parts of the world. This is in response to the Holy Father’s call for urgent prayers for the persecuted Christians. “How many of our brothers and sisters in faith suffer abuse, violence, and are hated for Jesus’ sake! I’ll tell you something. The martyrs of today are greater in number than those of the first centuries,” the Pope said during last year’s Feast of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. “Today too, this happens before the whole world, with the complicit silence of many powerful leaders who could stop it,” the Pope added in a separate event. While religious persecution is most prevalent in the Middle East and other intolerant societies around the world, we have also witnessed how this can happen in our part of the world. We have seen how

violent terrorism and extremism reared their ugly heads to destroy communities and displace thousands of families in Marawi. However, persecution comes in many forms. While religious persecution is one of the more dominant and virulent forms, it may also manifest itself in other forms like political and social oppression, poverty and human exploitation, to name a few. The plight of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar is an example of political, religious and ethnic persecution. But when truth is suppressed, when human rights are curtailed, when human lives are snuffed out without due process, these may as well be ugly forms of persecution. The extrajudicial killing of thousands on the pretext of stamping out the drug menace is a barefaced reminder to all of us that we are not insulated from this evil. Sadly, even in a predominantly Catholic country such as ours, persecution and oppression remain a gnawing reality.

Yet in this troubled times, the Gospel of Mark is a welcome relief. He is inviting us to “wait in joyful hope” for the Lord’s coming in each and every day of our lives. He tells us not to give up, for God is always near! To live in constant hope and preparation. Stay awake! Do something good for others especially the less fortunate, the oppressed and the poor. For, even in the most troubled times God is a faithful God who never abandons His faithful. How are we preparing for His coming? Jesus wants us to focus more on Him and our relationship with Him even in the midst of tribulations. Only in fixing our minds and hearts on Him can we say that we are truly awake and prepared for His coming. As the Gospel reminds us —we do not know the day of His coming. As we begin this Advent time, God invites all of us to reflect on our readiness to bring the Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, to a world full of ferment.

Blind and misguided nationalism BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN Part I BLINDED and misguided nationalism has made many Filipinos unreasonable that they become unpatriotic in opposing the very virtue they are supposed to defend. The oligarchs and their traditional henchmen—the Church and the US imperialist—always extol the same rhetoric that what belongs to us should be kept by us, and he who does not subscribe to this is not a nationalist or worse, a traitor. What most do not realize is that the nationalistic provisions in the poorlycrafted 1987 Constitution were not really meant to assure that our national patrimony will be under our control to allow us to bequeath to the next generation the bounties of our land. Such is a grandiose deception because those limitations on foreign investment and ownership have been used by the oligarchy, and their foreign confederates to allow them to exclusively own those businesses. Even our rascal leftists have joined them in denouncing any move to deregulate investment, unmindful that such endorsement is contrary to the spirit of internationalism and solidarity with the working class. Among these limitations, mostly found in Article XII on National Economy and Patrimony, are: SECTION 2. All lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum, and other mineral oils, all forces of potential

Divorce... From A4

Divorce, Amending for the Purpose Executive Order No. 209, Otherwise Known as the Family Code of the Philippines.” Of the seven, four (4) are about divorce, HBNs 116, 2380, 6027, and 6446. One, HBN 1962 proposes to add de facto separation for at least five (5) years as a ground for annulment; and two (2), HBNs 1629 and 3705 seek to recognize as legal church annulment and declaration

energy, fisheries, forests or timber, wildlife, flora and fauna, and other natural resources are owned by the State. With the exception of agricultural lands, all other natural resources shall not be alienated. The exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State. The State may directly undertake such activities, or it may enter into coproduction, joint venture, or production-sharing agreements with Filipino citizens, or corporations or associations at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens. Such agreements may be for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and under such terms and conditions as may be provided by law. In cases of water rights for irrigation, water supply, fisheries, or industrial uses other than the development of water power, beneficial use may be the measure and limit of the grant. The State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens. The Congress may, by law, allow small-scale utilization of natural resources by Filipino citizens, as well as cooperative fish farming, with priority to subsistence fishermen and fish workers in rivers, lakes, bays, and lagoons. The President may enter into agreements with foreign-owned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large-scale exploration, development, and utiliza-

tion of minerals, petroleum, and other mineral oils according to the general terms and conditions provided by law, based on real contributions to the economic growth and general welfare of the country. In such agreements, the State shall promote the development and use of local scientific and technical resources. X x x. SECTION 3. x x x Private corporations or associations may not hold such alienable lands of the public domain except by lease, for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and not to exceed one thousand hectares in area. Citizens of the Philippines may lease not more than five hundred hectares, or acquire not more than twelve hectares thereof by purchase, homestead, or grant. X x x, the Congress shall determine, by law, the size of lands of the public domain which may be acquired, developed, held, or leased and the conditions therefor. SECTION 7. Save in cases of hereditary succession, no private lands shall be transferred or conveyed except to individuals, corporations, or associations qualified to acquire or hold lands of the public domain. SECTION 8. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7 of this Article, a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his Philippine citizenship may be a transferee of private lands, subject to limitations provided by law. SECTION 10. The Congress shall, upon recommendation of the economic and planning agency, when the national interest

dictates, reserve to citizens of the Philippines or to corporations or associations at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens, or such higher percentage as Congress may prescribe, certain areas of investments. The Congress shall enact measures that will encourage the formation and operation of enterprises whose capital is wholly owned by Filipinos. In the grant of rights, privileges, and concessions covering the national economy and patrimony, the State shall give preference to qualified Filipinos. The State shall regulate and exercise authority over foreign investments within its national jurisdiction and in accordance with its national goals and priorities. SECTION 11. No franchise, certificate, or any other form of authorization for the operation of a public utility shall be granted except to citizens of the Philippines or to corporations or associations organized under the laws of the Philippines at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens, nor shall such franchise, certificate, or authorization be exclusive in character or for a longer period than fifty years. Neither shall any such franchise or right be granted except under the condition that it shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress when the common good so requires. The State shall encourage equity participation in public utilities by the general public. The participation of foreign investors in the governing body of any public utility enterprise shall be limited to their

proportionate share in its capital, and all the executive and managing officers of such corporation or association must be citizens of the Philippines. SECTION 12. x x x. The practice of all professions in the Philippines shall be limited to Filipino citizens, save in cases prescribed by law. If Karl Marx were alive today, he would have denounced the so-called “nationalist oligarchy” as short-sighted. Even if he hated capitalism and became his magnum opus to castigate that system, he realized that at a certain stage in its development, capital has its productive value. Capital is inseparable to production which the workers, though admittedly remain exploited, has to lean on to capital to finance production to give them employment. Foreign investment is the relocation of surplus capital to countries where they are needed. Investors make use of that accumulated surplus to promote employment and equally for them to earn more. But let us focus on how surplus capital is converted to working capital that leads to the opening of more factories and jobs to our people. Unreasonable nationalism should not override the basic needs of our people. Many of us were proud that in the 50s, the country ranked second to Japan in industrial development. But when the oligarchy started drumbeating nationalism, they did not explain that economic democracy or the democratization of wealth is a precondition to make nationalism work to put meat to our political rights.

of nullity. Of the four divorce bills, one, HBN 6446 filed by Rep. Pia Cayetano seeks to make legal here divorces acquired by foreign spouses in other countries, thus, granting the Filipino spouse the right to remarry. Of the three (3) remaining bills, HBNs 116 (Edcel Lagman); 2380 (Gabriela); and 6446 (Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Pantaleon Alvarez, etc.) the first two are similar as they both adopt grounds for legal separation and annulment as also grounds for divorce.

The main difference lies in the additional grounds that the authors put in. The Lagman bill has added divorce acquired outside of the Philippines; canonical divorce or Catholic declaration of nullity of marriage; undergoing gender reassignment surgery; and irreconcilable differences as grounds for divorce. On the other hand, Gabriela’s has similar additional grounds but has also included “de facto separation from spouse for at least five years” as another. The last bill, HBN 6027 is the no-fault divorce bill

filed in the House. This bill says that “A marriage may be dissolved based on irreconcilable differences, or severe and chronic unhappiness of the spouses which shall have caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage.” The bill also allows for the filing by the spouses a joint petition for divorce. This means that both parties agree to the divorce and there should not be any need to prove abuse or neglect on the part of any of the spouses. These bills are in the House of Representatives

and according to Committee insiders, the passage of a divorce law is one of their priorities. This is good news. However, we need for the Senate to also act on divorce and we hope that progressive senators will file their bills and also process these expeditiously. After the long wait, the country may be at the verge of again having a divorce law.

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News

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘No pension for half of elderly’ By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

VER half of the elderly in the Philippines have no pension, and 40 percent are left without income security, a report by the International Labor Organization said Friday. Overall, more than half of the world's elderly also have to income protection at all, the ILO's World Social Protection Report 2017-2019, released Nov. 29 but only made available yesterday,

added. Despite progress in recent years, the Philippines’ social protection system retains serious gaps, the report added. Most of the country's elderly do not have a pension, de-

spite a significant increase in allocation, in contrast to countries like China, Thailand, Mongolia, Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste, which have considerably expanded their coverage through the use of universal tax funded pensions, the ILO noted. “ILO’s new report shows many countries, regionally and across the world, are prioritizing their social protection systems. We think this is a good time for Philippines to follow the same path and

extend protection to its elderly through the launch of a universal pension," Khalid Hassan, Director of ILO Manila Country Office, said. The pension gap is happening at the same time that life expectancy for Filipinos is rising on average, the report added. Between years 2000 and 2015, life expectancy rose by five years, the fastest increase since the 1960s. "This makes the low pension coverage a particularly troubling problem, creating

additional financial burdens for family, as the ratio between elderly parents and adult children rise," the ILO lamented. In 2017, the Philippine government made efforts to increase benefit levels of senior citizens receiving contributory pension, and to increase the social pension coverage of indigent senior citizens, the United Nations labor agency added. "However, around 40 percent of Filipino senior citizens are still left without in-

come security," it said. On the positive side, social protection remains one of the major agenda in the country, as reflected in the Philippine Development Plan 20172022, launched in January 2017, the ILO noted. The plan has identified adopting and institutionalizing the Social Protection Floor as one of the strategies to achieve universal social protection under the Strategic framework to reduce vulnerability of individuals and families.

Gordon eyes more funds for military By Macon R. Araneta TO ENSURE a credible military that would be able to defend the country from external and internal threats, Senator Richard J. Gordon on Friday proposed to allocate a portion of the tax to be collected from the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act to the armed forces. During the deliberation for the proposed tax reform program, Gordon said that aside from earmarking funds for infrastructure and social amelioration, an allocation should be made yearly for the military’s modernization program. “I am all in favor of infrastructure and some social amelioration, but we cannot disregard and allow our military and national security military to be prostrate [to foreign threats]. We really should try to put something for the military. I just want to make sure that we make a statement here,” said Gordon.

Warehouse owner asks to dismiss shabu raps By Rey E. Requejo THE owner of the warehouse where a shipment of P6.4 billion worth of the illegal drug shabu had been found, which had escaped scrutiny at the Bureau of Customs, has asked the Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court to dismiss the charges against him. In his five-page urgent omnibus motion, Richard Tan or Chen Ju Long asked the Valenzuela RTC Branch 171 to defer issuing an arrest warrant pending resolution of his bid to dismiss the case for violation of Section 4, which penalizes importation of dangerous drugs, of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. Tan’s motion stated that the Valenzuela court has no jurisdiction over the case filed because under the law, “the place where the crime was committed determines not only venue of the action but is an essential element of jurisdiction.” Tan argued that the proper venue for his case is the courts in the city of Manila. He stressed that Under Section 1202 of the Tariff and Customs Code importation begins when the carrying vessel or aircraft enters the Philippine jurisdiction and ends upon payment of the duties, taxes and other charges at the port of entry. In this case, the port of entry was Manila. “Verily, considering that the alleged importation of dangerous drugs charged in the assailed Information [charge sheet] began and was terminated in the Port of Manila, jurisdiction cannot be acquired by this Honorable Court,” Tan insisted. “In light of the foregoing circumstances, the accused respectfully moves for this Honorable Court to quash [dismiss] the assailed Information for lack of jurisdiction,” the motion stated.

He said this is something Congress must pay attention to every year, “so we could really have some form of measure of protection for our country.” The senator initially proposed allocating 15 percent of tax collection from TRAIN to the military, but later reduced his proposal to 13 percent. Gordon stressed that the Philippines has remained the “Sick Man of Asia” militarily, as no improvement has happened to local forces 25 years after the Bases Conversion and Development Act had been passed. Under that law, funds were supposed to be allocated to the military’s modernization program. “We’re relying on trainer jets for our air force, we have no radar or hardly, if any, we have no literal navy, when other countries, even Argentina, had a submarine, even if it sunk. Even Indonesia beats us, even Singapore, a small city-state the size of Subic beats us. We cannot forever be like this,” he added.

LEADERS of various women’s groups on Friday called for the end of sexual harassment in the streets of Manila at a recent forum in the capital city. Speak Up Manileña Assembly launched a campaign to advocate for intervention programs and redress mechanisms to address catcalling and other forms of harassment against women and girls in public spaces of Manila. In her keynote address, Jerika Ejercito, program director of Initiatives for Life and Actions of Women (ILAW) ng Maynila, highlighted the theme of the assembly, “Iba ang Manileña, Pambabastos Hindi Pinapalusot” (The Manileña doesn't let harassment pass).

PCCI forms Bangon Marawi Chamber arm TO HELP rebuild the war-torn city of Marawi, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry consulted with a core group of the business community to form the Bangon Marawi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Most of the rehabilitation must be done by Marawi residents themselves, the chamber said. A Bangon Marawi Chamber affiliated with the PCCI was critical to the Marawi business community to effectively and efficiently form networks with investors (local and foreign), international and domestic fellow chambers, and partnerships with local government and the national state agencies, it added. The PCCI is the country's largest business organization and is recognized as the "Voice of Philippine Business." Its leaders and members advocate for an economic environment that enables companies to compete for and transform opportunities for creating more employment, further increasing their revenues, and sharing the benefits of economic growth.

5.1 quake hits Wao town in Lanao Sur

POISED TO STRIKE. A public utility jeepney plies its route in Quezon City on Friday as two major transport groups, the No to Jeepney Phaseout Coalition and the Pinagkaisahang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide or Piston, announced they would hold a coordinated strike on Dec. 4 and 5. The Department of Transportation had warned the public utility vehicles operators and drivers their franchises and licenses would be revoked should they participate in the two-day strike. Manny Palmero

Manileñas speak out vs. catcalling, public harassment By Bill Casas

IN BRIEF

“We, as Manileñas, will not be coerced into keeping our mouth shut over these evil acts. We need to stand together with all the victims of sexual harassment who cannot fight back or are powerless to do so, and make sure they are not silenced,” she said. As a women’s rights advocate, Ejercito said Manileñas must lead the way in sending a message that there is no dishonor in being a victim or a survivor of sexual violence “as the shame will always be on the perpetrator.” “We have to have the courage to tell people when their behavior or the way they talk or treat us makes us uncomfortable,” the daughter of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada added. Community women leaders from the Linangan at

Lakas ng Aktibong Kababaihan (LILAK), stressed that incidence of sexual harassment against women and girls in public spaces is widespread in the city. “Many Manileñas experience lewdness and harassment when they leave their homes. They get wolf whistles and are told salacious jokes while walking the streets. Many get fondled on overpasses and when they ride the bus or LRT. A man even flashed his penis at my daughter on the jeep she rode,” Raquel Tolentiono of LILAK said. The speakers pointed out that sexual harassment in public spaces has profound effects on women’s wellbeing, mobility and sense of security. “Because of harassment, many women are nervous

and fearful when they are outside. It affects their disposition and confidence. There are times when the simple act of walking to school or work is a struggle because of the fear of being humiliated,” stressed Carmela Aguirre of LILAK. Ruzelle Camposano of the Sulong Kabataan Network explained that as young women, they are often told to just ignore catcalling and harassment in public spaces, while Cherry Barnuevo of Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api (DAMPA) warned against the tendency of women to tolerate harassment. UN Women’s Officer Charisse "Chang" Jordan, National Project Officer of the Safe Cities Metro Manila Programme, underscored the importance of the responsibility of duty-bearers

and stakeholders to make and keep public spaces safe, and harassment and violence free. “This will promote women’s and girls’ freedom of movement. It will improve their ability to participate in school, work and public life. It will facilitate their access to essential services and their enjoyment of cultural and recreational opportunities. It will also impact positively on their health and well-being.” Manila Police District’s Secretary of the Directorial Staff Col. Marissa “Blu” Bruno expressed solidarity and commitment to address sexual harassment in public spaces. They pledged to cooperate with the women’s groups in developing and proposing prevention and intervention programs specially redress mechanisms.

Piñol: 40,000 chickens culled in latest bird flu outbreak THE avian influenza virus has hit a poultry farm in Nueva Ecija, but the disease is under control and the virus has not affected humans in the town of Cabiao, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said Friday. Piñol confirmed this in Cabanatuan City where he attended a party,

and clarified that the Department of Agriculture had the bird flu incident under control. He also admitted that the culling of 40,000 chickens from the Cabiao farm on Nov. 21 was purposely kept from the media, as the animals were immediately buried, to avoid raising

alarm akin to a similar outbreak last August in San Isidro, a neighboring town also in Nueva Ecija. That town was quarantine after 30,000 chickens there were put down, said Piñol, but the damage arising from that report had already shaken the poultry industry in Cen-

tral Luzon. To keep the virus from spreading, Piñol said the DA is working with Cabiao's government in watching poultry products going in and out of the town. Tests are also being done on the town's farms to determine if the virus has spread to the local livestock.

A MILD 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Wao, Lanao del Sur early on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported. The epicenter was east northeast of Wao and was tectonic in origin, with a depth of 9 kilometers, Phivolcs added. Intensity 5 was felt in nearby Kadingilan town, Intensity 4 in Pangantukan town, and Intensity 3 in Maramag town, all in Bukidnon province. Intensity 2 was felt in Cagayan de Oro City, Misami Oriental. No damage was expected from the quake, Phivolcs said, but it warned residents of possible aftershocks.

PPTF at 50 holds golden Christmas bash ON THE heels of its grand golden anniversary celebration last July comes the Philippine Printing Technical Foundation’s fabulous Christmas Party on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m at the New Gloria Maris Sharks Fin Restaurant, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City. Building on its continuing success, the association goes full speed ahead with its chosen theme: “PPTF’s Heroes of Christmas: Surpassing the Challenges of the Past 50 Years … and Beyond.” This reflecting PPTF’s sincere desire to exceptionally serve its members, patrons and suppliers with excellence. Highlighting the theme is a “Best in Hero Costume” contest. Participants can come dressed in their favorite hero or heroine and unleash their inner crimefighting alter ego—from Batman to Superman, Darna to Wonder Woman.

P23.7m in drugs burned in Davao By Rio N. Araja

CRYSTAL SPECTACLE. People gather at the Bonifacio High Street Global City in Taguig to witness the ceremonial lighting of the Light and Sound show ensemble to celebrate the holidays. The ensemble comes in gift box-shaped lights surrounded by crystals shining bright like diamonds, and will run until Jan. 7, 2018. Manny Palmero

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Friday said P23.7 million worth of illegal drugs and expired controlled drugs have been destroyed in Davao City. Director general Aaron Aquino said a total of 1,824.2 grams of shabu, 18,468.9 grams of dried marijuana leaves, four pieces of Ecstacy tablets, and assorted kinds of surrendered expired controlled drugs were burned in Barangay Ilang, Tibungco.

Judges Carlos Espero II of the Regional Trial Court Branch 9 and Rowena Apao Adlawan of Branch 13 joined the PDEA in the destruction ceremony of the drug evidence turned over by authorities. “PDEA continues to regularly destroy illegal drugs right before the public, allaying any misconception that these pieces of drug and nondrug evidence are being recycled or peddled back in the streets," Aquino said. Meanwhile, PDEA

seized P2.5 million worth of suspected shabu from a watch-listed drug personality and alleged member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and cohort during a buybust operation in North Cotabato last Nov. 28. Aquino identified the suspects as Mohamad Macalimpas, 47, an alleged member of the 15th Brigade, EMF, 105th Base Command of the MILF, who was on the PDEA watchlist; Samsodin Balolong Kato, 30; and Noraida Samaon Alamada, 20.

Sports R. Lapid’s barges into Marikina cage finals NOT even the presence of reigning NCAA Most Valuable Player CJ Perez and his frontline partner Mike Nzesseu of Lyceum can spark FEU NRMF in getting past the more determined R. Lapid’s/Tito Rex. With five players finishing in double figures, R. Lapid’s/Tito Rex upstaged FEU NRMF, 89-85, to enter the championship round of the Marikina City Basketball League at the Marikina Sports Center. R.Lapid’s/Tito Rex will face early qualifier NLEXSCTEX, which has a twiceto-beat advantage in the finals. Ryan Costello led the way for R. Lapid’s/Tito Rex with 24 points followed by Allen Bulanadi’s 19 markers. Alex Jakhite contributed 16, Soulmane Chabi Yo chipped in 13 and Francis Camacho had 10. But while balance production has been the calling card of R.Lapid’s/Tito Rex, the team had to rely on Bulanadi and Chabi Yo down the stretch to repulse the heavy favored FEU NRMF. Bulanadi, a vital cog from San Sebastian, shattered the game’s final deadlock with a triple in the last 40 seconds to give R. Lapid’s /Tito Rex an 88-85 advantage. After coming up big in the previous offensive play, R. Lapid’s was able to make stops. Ex-pro Roider Cabrera’s potential game-tying triple misfired, allowing Bulanadi to get the defensive rebound. FEU NRMF saw another opening of tying the game after Costelo was called for a traveling in R.Lapid’s/Tito Rex’s next offensive thrust.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Philracom Chairman’s Cup set A NOTHER huge racing schedule awaits fans this weekend as the Philippine Racing Commission presents a 24-race extravaganza, highlighted by the Philracom Chairman’s Cup and and the 3YO Imported Fillies Championship on Sunday at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite. Five stakes races, 18 rating-based handicapping system ones and a two-year-old race comprise Philracom’s offering, led by the Chairman’s

Cup, held in honor of former Philracom Chairman Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II, who spearheaded the racing body from 2008 to 2011.

Multi-titled owner Hermie Esguerra has two entries in the 2,000-meter Chairman’s Cup, namely Metamorphosis, to be ridden by jockey FM Racquel, and Salt and Pepper, which will be steered by jockey Pat Dilema, who is coming off a nice win atop Speedmatic in the Philracom Juvenile Stakes Races at the San Lazaro Park. Out to stop the Esguerra duo are Benjamin Abalos III’s Boxmeer (Jockey MM Gonzales), Leonardo Javier

Jr.’s Electric Truth (MA Alvarez), Wilbert Tan’s Pangalusian Island (KB Abobo), Benjamin Abalos Jr.’s Shining Vic (JB Hernandez) and Roberto Inigo’s Smokin Saturday (JT Zarate). The seven-horse cast in the Chairman’s Cup, which boasts of a total of P2 million in prizes, will shoot for the top purse of P1.2 million, with the runner-up taking P450,000. Third and fourth placers get P250,000 and P100,000, with P70,000 allotted to the breeder of the

winning horse. The cast for the Philracom 3YO Imported Fillies, which will also be run in 2,000 meters, isn’t pushover either, with SC Stockfarm hoping to stretch its amazing run with its coupled entries of Already Feisty (Jockey JA Guce) and Brilliance (KB Abobo). Joining the fray in the 3YO race, which offers a total prize of P1.5 million, are Cerveza Rosas (JB Hernandez) of Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Naughty Girl (Val

James leads Cavaliers to no. 10; Kyrie shines

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks to pass as he is guarded by the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins (left) and Dennis Schroder at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

LOS ANGELES—LeBron James conjured a doubledouble and a defensive masterclass as the Cleveland Cavaliers notched a 10th straight win on Thursday while Kyrie Irving got Boston back in the groove with a 36-point display. Two days after being tossed out of a game for the first time in his career, James scored 24 points with 12 assists in a 121114 win over Atlanta. The Cavs’ 10th victory in a row saw them improve to 15-7 in the Eastern Conference standings, their early season woes an increasingly distant memory. James was backed by Kevin Love, who also had a double-double with 25 points and 16 rebounds. But it was James’ defensive display in subduing the threat of Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder which dominated the postgame discussion. Schroder finished with 27 points, which included a burst of scoring that took the Hawks into a 67-58 lead in the first half. James however stepped up to halt Schroder’s flow of

AFP Cavaliers stun defending champion PNP Responders TWO-TIME champion AFP Cavaliers defeated defending title holder PNP Responders, 10092, during their recent faceoff in the UNTV Cup Season 6 at the Pasig Sports Center. In the first two quarters, the policemen dominated the game, led by Olan Omiping, Japeth Cabahug and Anton Tolentino with a halftime score of 52-47. But in the third quarter, things started to turn around in favor of the Armed Forces, producing a 33-point quarter score

Games on Sunday

(Olivarez Gym, Parañaque City) 2 p.m. - Senate Defenders vs. COA Enablers 3:30 p.m. - BFP Firefighters vs. GSIS Furies 5:30 p.m. - NHA Builders vs. DOJ Justice Boosters

compared to just 21 PNP points. The Cavaliers’ Jerry Lumongsod, Jeffry Quiambao, Boyet Bautista and Roger Araneta were among the frontliners, who controlled the situation until the final buzzer sounded en route to the eight-point win.

In the other games, the Judiciary Magis routed the PDEA Drug Busters, 126-82. The overwhelming victory was led by the former professional basketball players Chester Tolomia (24 points), Warren Ybanez (23 points) and Don Camaso (15 points). Justice Midas Marquez also scored a season-best of 14 points for the Magis. On the other side, Robert Sanz, Brillos Rizon, Marlon Basco and Emerson Rosales shone for Team PDEA.

Meanwhile, the lastquarter rally of the Torionless DA Food Masters fell short as the NHA had built a lead just enough to take a 87-81 win. Former MVP Antonio Lustestica and Marvin Mercado led the team with 16 points a piece. The Department of Agriculture was carried by Christian Dematera with 27 points and Marvin Martinez with 21 points. Watch the telecast of these games on Dec. 17 at UNTV.

AFP Cavaliers’ (14) Boyet Bautista escapes the defense of PNP Responders’ Japhet Cabahug during their UNTV Cup Season 6 at the Pasig City Sports Center.

Asia’s top mixed martial arts fights exclusively on KIX

Kunlun Fighting MMA will be one of the premier fight organizations to be featured by KIX.

THE Philippines is considered to be the home of the biggest mixed martial arts fan base in the world. Wherever there are MMA fight events in the country, there would be loud, passionate fans in the crowd. They catch all the fights they can and just simply can’t get enough of the sport. This December, KIX, the ultimate destination for action entertainment, brings in the best holiday gift for them! Every Tuesday night of December, aficionados of this exciting sport can now watch some of the most epic and thrilling Asian battles in two new and exclusive programs, Kunlun Fighting MMA and Road Fighting Championship. If you want the spine-tingling experience of Korean MMA, Road FC is for you! A Korean MMA event where legends shine, rookies thrill and epic

battles happen. It is held in major cities across Korea featuring famous Korean and international MMA fighters. Through KIX, you’ll get to watch their first ever all-women’s MMA league, Road FC 037 XX, on Dec. 5, Tuesday at 10 p.m. Here, the young and reckless Jin-Hee Kang faces accomplished boxer Raika Emiko in the flyweight division. You can also catch the premiere of Road FC 043 on Dec. 12, Tuesday at 10 p.m. Old rivals Kim Hoon and Choi Young will fight for interim middleweight title at the Jangching Arena in Seoul. For a feel of the rising global phenomenon, Chinese MMA, watch Kunlun Fighting MMA. Since its debut in 2014, Kunlun Fight rose to fame with the addition of fearless international kickboxing and MMA superstars to its ros-

8 universities vie for UAAP cheerdance crown SCHOOL spirit will be in full blast once again from inside the Mall of Asia Arena to Filipino households and social media, when all eight universities in the UAAP take the mat in the 2017 UAAP Cheerdance Competition on Saturday at 2 p.m. Nikko Ramos, Gretchen Ho, and Angelique Manto will be hosting the country’s most-anticipated cheerdance contest, which will air LIVE on S+A and S+A HD and streamed live on sports.abs-cbn.com. This year, National Uni-

Dilema) of Narciso Morales. A top purse of P900,000 awaits the champion of the 3YO race, with the runnerup getting P337,000 and the third and fourth placers, pocketing P187,500 and P75,000, respectively. “We expect another exciting day at the racetrack,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez. “Some of the industry’s best runners are running and so we can anticipate another good show for all Filipino racing fans.”

versity hopes to repeat, if not exceed its near-flawless run in 2016 to get its fifth consecutive cheerdance crown. Hoping to stand in its way are the De La Salle Animo Squad, the Adamson Pep Squad, the FEU Cheering Squad, the UE Pep Squad, the returning UP Pep Squad, the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, and the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion. Up for grabs this year are special awards “Yamaha Toss Winner” for the clients’ choice Best Toss in the competition, the “Jollibee Inex-

trahan Pyramid” for the clients’ choice Best Pyramid in the field, and “UAAP Group Stunts champion” for the squad with the best group stunt performance. The second-runner up of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition will get P140,000 and medals from the UAAP, plus P20,000 from Yamaha; the first-runner up will get P200,000 and medals from the UAAP, plus P25,000 from Yamaha; and the champion will get P340,000 and medals from UAAP plus P30,000 from

Yamaha, and P25,000 from Jollibee. Last year, over 17,000 people trooped to the MoA Arena to watch the competition, which was won by NU with a seamless and highly technical futuristic routine. It also saw great performances from FEU, ADU, UST, UE, DLSU, and ADMU. With known cheerdance powerhouse UP returning to the fold this year, and the other Pep Squads improving each year, fans can expect a wonderful and inspiring show from all eight squads in the UAAP.

ter. On Dec. 19, Tuesday at 10 p.m., watch China-born Weili Zhang take on Marilia Santos in an exciting showdown for the 115-pound women’s championship in Kunlun Fighting MMA 14. On Dec. 26, Tuesday, 10 p.m., treat yourself to Kunlun Fighting MMA 15, where Brazil’s Rodrigo Caporal and China’s Lipeng Zhang battle it out for the 170-pound championship fight. If you’re an MMA fan, then you don’t want to miss this great lineup of programs. Treat yourself this December with exciting and jaw-dropping KIX Asian MMA every Tuesday at 10 p.m.! You can catch KIX on Cablelink Ch. 31, Cignal TV Ch. 264, Destiny Cable Ch. 10, Gsat Ch. 117, and SKYcable SD Ch. 63 and HD Ch. 242. For more information, you can log on to www. KIX-TV.com.

points, enabling the Cavaliers to regain the lead at 99-90 heading into the final quarter. “I take a lot of pride in my defensive abilities no matter if I’m guarding a point guard, a power forward, a center or a small forward. I take the challenge,” James said. “My teammates wanted me to take the challenge and I wanted to take the challenge.” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue also praised James’ defensive effort in successfully shackling Schroder. “LeBron did an unbelievable job. One of the best I’ve seen all year,” Lue said. “That was big time for us, for him to guard Schroder. He got some big stops.” ‘Irving M-V-P’ In Boston, meanwhile, James’ former Cavs team-mate Irving once again came to the Celtics’ rescue with a dazzling display of scoring to overpower the Philadelphia 76ers. Irving’s 36-point haul at the TD Garden had the Boston crowd chanting “M-V-P” in appreciation of another standout showing. AFP

F2 battles Iriga, tries to get back on track in PSL F2 Logistics Games Today tries to get (Filoil Flying V Centre) back on track 4 p.m. – Cignal vs Victoria Sports-UST and formalize its claim on the 6 p.m. – Iriga City vs F2 Logistics top spot when it battles Iriga City today in the Chooks to GoPhilippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan. Action kicks off at 6 p.m. with the Cargo Movers looking for an impressive win that will serve for extra motivation in their quarterfinals campaign in this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Mikasa, Grand Sport, Senoh, Mueller, Island Rose, Cloudfone and UCPB Gen. Also gunning for an important victory is Cignal, which will collide with lowly Victoria Sports-UST in the 4 p.m. appetizer of this tourney that also has Gerflor and Gold’s Gym as technical sponsors and ESPN5 as broadcast partner. The HD Spikers are at fourth spot with a 3-5 win-loss card, but prevailing over the Tigresses will be a major challenge especially with top hitters Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachel Anne Daquis at the sidelines. Gonzaga suffered a knee injury while Daquis was diagnosed with symptoms of dengue fever. Two-time champion Foton and Petron are still sitting on top of the leaderboard after finishing the single-round eliminations with a 7-1 win-loss card, but F2 Logistics is still tipped to gain the top spot provided that it prevails over the Lady Oragons after posting a superior quotient. If they win, the Cargo Movers would clash with the eighth-seeded Lady Oragons anew in the sudden-death quarterfinals for a chance to advance to the semifinals. The Blaze Spikers, meanwhile, will take the second seed while the Tornadoes will be third in the quarterfinal showdown that starts on Tuesday.

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

Sports

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

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Romero assures: PBA to open as scheduled By Jeric Lopez DESPITE the well-publicized dispute among member teams and the league’s stand on commissioner Chito Narvasa, the Philippine Basketball Association opens its new season as scheduled. That’s according to GlobalPort team owner Mikee Romero, the outgoing chairman of the league. In a speech in the PBA Press Corps Awards on Thursday night, Romero strongly stated that the league will settle its differences and disputes for the upcoming 43rd season, which opens on Dec. 17. According to him, the PBA will fix all its dilemmas soon. “We will fix everything by next week. Rest assured, the PBA will open on Dec. 17,” said Romero. He then went on to share that the PBA is planning something big on its scheduled opening day, while remaining mum on what’s currently happening between closed doors. “I don’t want to elaborate on what’s currently happening but the PBA is planning something big. As scheduled, the PBA will be business as usual,” Romero said. The league is still facing a crisis as the tenure of Narvasa is still hanging in the balance with member teams divided on their views. Due to that, despite the scheduled Dec. 17 opening date, the league is yet to release a complete schedule. The only specific game announced is the Christmas day meeting between rivals Barangay Ginebra and Star at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

POC okays criteria for Asiad athletes

SMB coach Leo Austria holds the Coach of the Year trophy awarded him by the PBA Press Corps. He is joined by his family and member scribes of the PBAPC.

Diaz bags silver, bronze at world lifting tourney By Randy Caluag

HREE-TIME Olympian Hidilyn Diaz showed that she remains a force to reckon with by bagging a silver and a bronze medal in the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation on Friday morning at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Hidilyn Diaz

Blu Girls rebound in Asian tilt THE Philippine Blu Girls rebounded from their opening day setback to world titlist Japan, trouncing the Hong Kong and South Korea sides to get back into the thick of things in the 11th Asian Women’s Softball Championship in Taichung City, Taiwan. The Pinay batters shut down the HK girls, 18-0, then rallied past the South Koreans, 6-4, to stay in the semifinal hunt in the event serving as the 2018 Asian Games qualifier and the World Championships. “The girls showed great determination and strong character in bouncing back from a tough loss against Japan. They’re really showing how prepared they are and how they really want to win in this tournament. This augurs well for our bid to qualify in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president Jean Henri Lhuillier. Against HK, the Blu Girls’ Arianne Vallestero went three-of-three at bat, capping her exploits with a homerun while Maryann Antolihao and Royevel Palma pitched for 4 and 3 strikeouts, respectively. With the Phl unassailably ahead at 18-0 on top of the third inning, the matched was halted based on an ISF rule stating the game will be stopped if a team leads by 15 runs on the third inning.

The Zamboanguena pride lifted 86 kgs in the snatch and 113 kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 199 points, placing third behind overall winner Sopita Tanasan of Thailand, who tallied 210 points (96-114) and second finisher Kristina Shermetova (91-113). Unlike in the Olympics where the weight category gives out only one medal for the overall score, the World tournaments also award a separate medal each for the snatch and clean and jerk. As a result, Diaz will also take home a silver medal for her lift of 113 kgs. in the clean and jerk. She and

Shermetova ended up with the same score, but the Filipina was rewarded for getting the tally in only her second attempt. Shermetova got it in her third. But the official ranking counts only the total finish. Diaz, who had to shed three kilos and barely made the cut in the 53kg category, was just a point ahead of fourth and fifth placers Supattra Kaewkhong of Thailand Joanna Lochowska of Poland, respectively. Supattra was the gold medalist in the 48 kgs division in Rio Olympics and just moved up in weight in this world tourney that is held

every two years. Going into the tournament, Diaz was focused on matching her personal best of 98 kgs in snatch and 118 kgs in clean and jerk— numbers that netted her the silver in last year’s Rio Olympics. She was coming off a bronzemedal finish in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan last September. Diaz earned decent points in her bid to qualify for the Olympics again in Tokyo in 2020. Hsu Shu-ching of Taipei was a big letdown when she failed to produce a score in the clean and jerk, putting to naught her top-charting 93 kgs in the snatch. After completing the snatch, Shu did not come out in her turn at the clean and jerk, suggesting an injury. Hsu, who was the gold medalist in the same event in Rio Olympics, ended up with five others at the bottom.

By Peter Atencio THE preparation of national athletes training to qualify for the 2018 Asian Games is expected to kick into high gear in the coming days. Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. said this after the POC board approved the criteria set by the national delegation’s Chef de Mission to the 18th Asiad. “National sports associations must focus on the strength conditioning and nutrition of their Asiad-bound athletes,” said Cojuangco. The NSAs are now in the process of selecting their athletes, who will form the Philippine team that will participate in the Games from Aug. 18 to Sep. 2, 2018 in Indonesia. One of the basis for selection are athletes, who are privately-funded for the Asian Games and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It also includes current Olympic Solidarity scholars and athletes with the best time, distance and scores. In the running, too, are athletes who finished in the Top 8 in the World Championship and World Cup. Also in the criteria are

athletes who were in the Top 4 of the 2015 Asiad, the Asian Championship and Asian Cup, plus gold and silver medalists in the 2017 Southeast Asian and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. On the other hand, those who miss the qualifying standard marginally, but could show potential to equal or surpass it in time for the Asiad are also part of the criteria. Lastly, athletes who are in compliance with all applicable anti-doping rules and requirements can also make the cut. The Games, composed of 40 sports, 67 disciplines and 462 events, will be held in two venues--Jakarta and Palembang. There 28 are Olympic sports, four new Olympic sports and eight non-Olympic sports. Jakarta will host 29 sports, while 11 sports will be played in Palembang. Athletics has 48 gold medals at stake, swimming offers 41 and diving has 10 golds. Other sports are archery, basketball, badminton, baseball, rugby, softball, volleyball (indoor and beach), fencing, kurash and sambo, hockey and weightlifting.

Tiger makes satisfying return with 3-under 69 at Hero World

Tiger Woods of the United States reacts to his birdie on the eighth green during the first round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, Bahamas in Nassau, Bahamas. AFP

MIAMI—Former world number one Tiger Woods made a satisfying return on Thursday in his latest comeback after a 10-month layoff punctuated by back surgery and personal problems. Woods, playing his first round of tournament golf in 301 days, fired a three-under-par 69 in the opening round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. The 41-year-old 14-time major champion carded five birdies and two bogeys in an encouraging first outing since injury forced his withdrawal at the Dubai Desert Classic in February. “I thought I did great,” said a smiling Woods, who is three shots back from leader Tommy Fleetwood, who posted a six-under-par 66. “I hadn’t played in a while after some difficulties, so to come out here and score like I did was nice,” Woods added. “It was fun to be out there and be part of a scorecard again.” Woods underwent back surgery in April in the latest of a series of injury setbacks which also forced him to miss the entire 2015-2016 season.

He admitted he had not known what to expect on his return to competitive golf. “I didn’t know what I could do. I’ve been playing golf, been playing a lot of holes at home,” Woods said. “But it’s a little different when you’ve got to tee it up in a tournament. I had a lot of adrenaline going there. “I had to dial it back a little bit. Those are the internal struggles I haven’t had for a while.” After narrowly missing with two birdie putts on the opening two holes, Woods made his first birdie of the day on the par-five third, reaching the green in two before two-putting. A further birdie on the eighth—when he drained a 20-foot putt—put him at two under before a botched chip led to a bogey on the ninth. ‘Very thankful’ However Woods came roaring back after the turn, with birdies on the 10th, 13th and 14th to move to four under before a bogey on 16 halted his momentum. Thursday’s round follows a difficult

year for Woods, who in addition to his injury problems has also battled demons in his private life. He was arrested for driving under the influence in May after being found asleep in his MercedesBenz by the side of the road near his home in Florida. Woods, who was found to have five drugs including the powerful opioid hydrocodone in his system, later revealed he had undergone professional treatment to help him manage his medications. Woods said he had paid a mental tribute to all those who had enabled him to return to the sport he once dominated before he teed off on Thursday. “I was very thankful this morning,” he said. “I was in my head thanking all the people that have really helped me and gave me a chance to come back and play this round again. “There were a lot of people that were instrumental in my life—friends, outside people I’ve never met before, obviously my surgeon—a lot of people. “I tried to make sure in my head I thanked every one of them.” AFP

Hot Quiban zeroes in on golf title with 67 TARLAC—Justin Quiban outgunned Clyde Mondilla in a frontside duel then bounced back from a bogey mishap on No. 12 with three birdies to card a 67 and storm ahead by five in the third round of the CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here yesterday. Toughened up by Top 6 finishes at Southwoods and Wack Wack the last four weeks where he figured in the title chase but faded when it mattered most, Quiban, 21, thus moved 18 holes away from nailing a breakthrough

victory with a 13-under 203, now confident of his shots and iron play. “I feel pretty solid—with my irons doing the most damage which enabled me to attack the pins with precision,” said Quiban, who hit all but one fairway and missed just two greens in hot condition with the format back to summer rules. Mondilla pulled to within two with back-to-back birdies from No. 11 but failed to match Quiban’s strong finishing kick of three birdies in the last six holes. He settled for a 71 and fell behind by five at 208.

Still, the 23-year-old winner of four Philippine Golf Tour legs this year, remained confident of his chances for a follow-up to his PGT Asia victory at Riviera last September but stressed the need to come up with a strong start in today’s final round. “It can still be done. I just need to have a good start tomorrow (today),” said Mondilla, who yielded to Quiban’s near-impeccable game that featured six birdies, half of which he drilled inside seven feet at the front, against one bogey. Just one up on the reigning

PGT Order of Merit winner after 36 holes, Quiban birdied the par-3 No. 2 for the second straight day, gained on a two-shot swing on No. 4 (birdie-bogey) and pulled away by five with a birdie on the ninth for a 33. Mondilla, who made the turn with a 37, fought back to within two with birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 coupled with a Quiban three-putt miscue on the 12th but the latter countered with a birdie on the next and regained a five-stroke lead with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 for that five-under card and a five-shot lead.

Behind solid iron play, Justin Quiban takes another crack at a maiden crown.

SM Store, Globe unit teaming up B2

Business

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

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

BSP: Employers less bullish on Q1 By Julito G. Rada

HE employment outlook for the ﬁrst quarter of 2018 is less bullish because some ﬁrms are not keen on expanding their operations during the period, results of a survey conducted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show Friday.

The fourth-quarter Business Expectations Survey showed the employment outlook index for the next quarter declined to 24.7 percent from 27.3 percent in the last quarter’s survey.

“This indicates that more ﬁrms will continue to hire new employees than those that indicated otherwise even as the number of ﬁrms with hiring intentions declined relative to a quarter

ago,” the survey said. The percentage of businesses with expansion plans in the industry sector for the ﬁrst quarter of 2018 decreased to 31.1 percent from 32.8 percent in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the average capacity utilization in the industry and construction sectors for the fourth quarter 2017 was slightly lower at 76 percent from 76.7 percent in the third quarter. The same survey showed that businesses are more bullish on the prospects of the Philippine economy in the fourth quarter this year compared to a quarter ago, driven by strong domestic and external de-

mand. Data showed that the overall business conﬁdence index during the period rose to 43.3 percent from 37.9 percent in the third quarter, showing that the number of optimists increased and outnumbered the number of pessimists during the period. Respondents cited the expected increase in orders and consumer purchases during the Christmas holidays, increasing number and expansion of businesses, higher government spending especially on infrastructure, favorable macroeconomic conditions and manageable inﬂation as the reasons behind the more buoyant outlook in the fourth

quarter. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said in a briefing the sentiment of businesses in the Philippines mirrored the more bullish business outlook in Australia, Canada, Germany, and Indonesia. Businesses also expect inflation to increase but to remain within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Inflation in the first 10 months averaged 3.1 percent, slightly up the midpoint of the target range. The peso, meanwhile, is seen to depreciate and interest rates to go up for the present and succeeding quarters. For the quarter ahead or the first

quarter of 2018, business outlook turned less optimistic with the confidence index declining to 39.7 percent from 51.3 percent in the previous quarter’s survey. Respondents pointed to the usual slowdown in demand after the holiday season, lag in business transactions at the start of the year, stiffer business competition, the impact of the new excise tax to the auto industry and accelerating inflation as the reasons for their less positive outlook on the economy. Among business types, exporters were the most bullish, maintaining a record-high confidence level at 50 percent.

Power trading more complex than stocks By Alena Mae S. Flores

STORY OF RESILIENCE. SM City Marikina, opened in 2008, has been a model for disaster resilience. SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia (left) shares SM City Marikina’s story of resilience with UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Dr. Robert Glasser. Withstanding Tropical Storm Ondoy, one of the strongest typhoons that hit country, SM City Marikina was showcased in the recently concluded 2017 Top Leaders Forum hosted by SM Prime Holdings Inc., UNISDR, and ARISE Philippines at the Conrad Manila hotel in Pasay City.

November inflation rate likely slowed to 3.2%, says Finance THE Department of Finance said Friday the inﬂation rate in November likely decelerated to 3.2 percent from its intra-year high of 3.5 percent in October due to more stable food prices after last month’s weather disturbance. The DoF said in an economic bulletin the stable prices of food might offset the faster increases in the prices of fuel and power rates for the month. Despite the expected

faster price increases, the DoF remained optimistic the country’s strong fundamentals, as shown in the manageable inﬂation levels, would help sustain rapid growth and investment in the country. “Adequate supply of goods from higher production will further dampen inﬂation rise in the future. This will likewise temper the rise in interest rates despite the ongoing Fed tightening,” the DoF said.

The DoF projected that all commodity groups likely registered slower increments in prices of 3.2 percent in November compared with 3.5 percent a month ago. The increase in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages is seen to be lower at 2.9 percent from 3.6 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 6.2 percent from 6.8 percent; and education, 2.2 percent from 2.3 percent. Meanwhile, other com-

modity groups were expected to post slight increases in prices for the month such as housing, utilities and fuels, 4.2 percent from 4 percent in October; furnishings, household equipment, 1.9 percent from 1.8 percent; recreation and culture, 1.6 percent from 1.5 percent; and restaurant and miscellaneous services, 2.7 percent from 2.6 percent. Meanwhile, increases in the prices of clothing and footwear (1.9 percent),

health (2.2 percent), transport (4.2 percent), and communication (0.4 percent) are expected to stay at the same level. The DoF data also showed that rate of Manila electric Co. per kilowatt hour for households consuming 200 kWh per month in November increased to P9.63 from P9.28 a month ago. Also, the price of diesel per liter increased to P35.37 from P34.51 in the National Capital Region.

IN BRIEF Anglo hikes Atlas stake to 28.64% ANGLO Philippine Holdings Corp. said it increased it stake in Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. to 28.64 percent by acquiring 845 million in additional shares for P3.7 billion. Anglo Philippine said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it bought the shares from the increase in the company’s authorized capital to P8.89 billion from P3 billion. The company said it subscribed to an additional 845 million Atlas Mining shares equivalent to a 23.74-percent stake in the company for P4.384 per share. The subscription price is based on the 90-day volume weighted average price preceding the Nov 16 pricing date. Prior to the deal, Anglo Philippine owned 4.9 percent of Atlas Mining. Anglo Philippine said the acquisition of additional shares in Atlas Mining was in line with its aim to increase ownership in the copper mining company. Atlas Mining widened its net loss in the ﬁrst three quarters of 2016 to P939 million from P470 million year-on-year due to the mark-tomarket loss provision for copper price hedging. Without a P400-million mark-to-market loss provision for copper price hedges, the net loss would have been P539 million compared with P470 million a year ago. However, improvements in production and copper price in the third quarter pushed the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for the nine-month period to P2.5 billion, up nine percent from a year ago. Jenniffer B. Austria

Philhydro seeking FIT extension PHILHYDRO Association Inc. is seeking approval from the Energy Department to complete the 250-megawatt installation target for hydro, saying the impact to consumers is very minimal. Philhydro president Jose Silvestre Natividad said the impact of allowing the extension of the feed-in tariff for hydro is just P0.01034 per kilowatt-hour to the feed-in tariff allowance (Fit-All) item under the power bill by 2020. The association sent letters of appeal to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, head of the committee on energy. Natividad asked Cusi to consider the position of the association as submitted to the National Renewable Energy Board. The FIT for hydro is set to expire by December 31, 2017. The department has not endorsed an extension to the Energy Regulatory Commission, raising concern from developers because of projects due for completion after December 2017. Natividad asked for a clariﬁcation, citing that the installation target had not been fully subscribed “due to factors beyond developers’ control.” Alena Mae S. Flores

DBP AWARD. Development Bank of the Philippines president and chief executive officer Cecilia Borromeo (sixth from left) receives the award of excellence from Governance Commission for GOCCs and the Institute of Corporate Directors officials during the awarding ceremony held recently in Makati City. With her are (from left) DBP first vice president Perla Melanie Caraan and DBP directors Miguel Abaya, Luis Bonguyan and Rogelio Garcia (first, second, third and fourth from left, respectively). DBP received the awarf for achieving one of the highest scores on the Corporate Governance Scorecard for government-owned and controlled corporations.

PHILIPPINE Electricity Market Corp. is not too keen on the prospect of the Philippine Stock Exchange operating the country’s electricity spot market. PEMC president Oscar Ala, who also sits as the head of the transition committee, said the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s trading floor of electricity, was very complex compared with other commodity exchanges. “First of all, compared to other commodities, (electricity’s) very complex. You can’t store it, although there are exemptions like hydro storage or battery energy storage,” Ala said. Ala said the WESM would also need a system operator, which in this case is the PEMC. Ala also said regulating the electricity market under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2091 was complicated. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is studying the proposal of the PSE to operate the country’s electricity spot market. “We are exploring all possible set-up that will be good for the industry and the consumers. It’s worth studying, we are studying it,” Cusi said. The PSE wants to diversify its portfolio and has engaged the department in talks to operate the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s trading floor of electricity. The PSE is a non-stock, non-profit entity aimed at creating a fair, efficient and effective market for the selling of stocks, warrants, bonds and other securities. PEMC presently operates the WESM, which started operating in 2006. The WESM was established to provide for a competitive, efficient, and reliable market for electricity.

BFAR warns public, lists coastal areas with red tide By Othel V. Campos THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources warned the public to refrain from consuming shellfishes collected from some coastal areas because of red tide. BFAR identified the coastal areas infected with red tide as Daram Island, Irong-Irong Bay, Maqueda Bay, Villareal Bay and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar; Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar; Carigara Bay in Leyte; Inner Malampaya Sound, Taytay in Palawan; Mandaon in Masbate; and Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal in Bataan. Agriculture Undersecretary Edaurdo Gongona said based on the recent laboratory results, all shellfishes and shrimp fry from these areas were still positive for paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit and, thus, are not safe for human consumption. Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for eating provided they are still fresh and washed thoroughly, and their internal organs removed before cooking. Meanwhile, many areas are

still safe from red tide. These areas include Cavite, Las Piñns, Parañaque, Navotas and Bulacan in Manila Bay; Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos, Sual and Wawa, Bani in Pangasinan; Masinloc Bay in Zambales; Milagros and Placer in Masbate; Juag Lagoon, Matnog and Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon; Honda and Puerto Princesa Bays in Palawan; Gigantes, Islands, Carles in Iloilo; Pilar Panay, President Roxas in Capiz and Sapian Bay; Mambuquiao and Camaci in Batan, Aklan; Batan Bay, Altavas and New Washington in Aklan,; Tambobo and Siit Bays, Siaton and Bais Bays in Negros Oriental; Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; San Pedro and Cancabato Bay, Tacloban City and Calubian and Leyte in Leyte; Biliran province; Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Tantanang Bay in Zamboanga Sibugay; Murclelagos Bay in Zamboana del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Taguines Lagoon, Benoni, Mahinog in Camaguin Island; Balite Bay, Mati in Davao Oriental; and, Hinatuan, Bislig and Llanga Bays in Surigao del Sur.

8990 Holdings set to launch 5 new projects worth P60b By Jenniffer B. Austria MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. plans to launch ﬁve new projects in 2018 with a total sales value of P60 billion. 8990 Holdings incoming president and chief executive Willibaldo Uy, in an interview following the listing of the company’s P5 billion worth of preferred shares at the Philippine Stock Exchange, said the ﬁrm had lined up two

projects in Davao City, one each in Iloilo and Cebu, and one in Ortigas Extension, Pasig. To avoid possible delays, Uy said the company was now securing permit that would enable it to timely launch the projects. The launching of some of the company’s projects in late 2016 and up to the ﬁrst half to 2017 were postponed because of the delay in securing permits from several local government

units. The mass housing developer also plans to issue next year the balance or P5 billion worth of preferred shares from its P10-billion shelf preferred shares offering. 8990 plans to use proceeds from the offering to reduce the company’s debts. The group earlier raised P5 billion from the maiden issuance of 50 million preferred shares at an offer price of P100 apiece and a dividend rate of 6.0263 per-

cent per annum. The offering was 1.3 times oversubscribed, indicating strong reception from the local investors. Meanwhile, 8990 director Lowell Yu said the company was on track to achieve P10 billion in revenues this year, the lower end of its P10 billion to P13 billion target for this year. Net income, however, are expected to increase 40 percent this year to P5.3 billion from P3.81 billion in 2016.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, December 1, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.3460

Japan

Yen

0.008887

0.4474

Pound

1.352800

68.1081

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128041

6.4464

Switzerland

Franc

1.016777

51.1907

Canada

Dollar

0.775254

39.0309

Singapore

Dollar

0.741620

37.3376

Australia

Dollar

0.756400

38.0817

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651113

133.4729

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

13.4253

Brunei

Dollar

0.738880

37.1997

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.030613

1.5412

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.7078

Euro

1.190400

59.9319

Korea

Won

0.000920

0.0463

China

Yuan

0.151309

7.6178

India

Rupee

0.015509

0.7808

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.244648

12.3170

New Zealand

Dollar

0.683500

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033316

34.4115 1.6773 Source: PDS Bridge

Business

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slumps; Meralco retreats T HE stock market dropped for the fourth day Friday as investors in the region shifted nervously as Donald Trump’s much-hyped tax-cut plans hung in the balance after a plan to push them through hit unexpected hurdles.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index plunged 110.01 points, or 1.3 percent, to 8,144.02 on a value turnover of P9.7 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 134 to 59, with 45 issues unchanged. Manila Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, retreated 3 percent to P305.40 on proﬁt-taking, while Megaworld Corp., the largest lessor of ofﬁce spaces, fell 2.8 percent to P5.19. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest lender in terms of assets, tumbled 3 percent to P92.90, while Bank

of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest bank, lost 2.6 percent to P100.20. The Dow, meanwhile, surged to new records on Wall Street as several key Republicans backed the controversial reforms, which the president says will ﬁre up the US economy, fueling hopes they could reach Trump’s desk for signing by year’s end. However, a new projection showing the measure would add $1 trillion to the federal deﬁcit—complicating Trump’s argument the cuts would pay for themselves—saw three senators—Bob Corker, Jeff Flake and Ron Johnson—withdraw their support until changes were made. Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 Senate majority and three defectors would kill the bill. Global equities have rallied this year on the back of hopes for Trump’s marketfriendly promises of tax cuts, infrastruc-

pected and factored into the prices,” Sukrit Vijayakar, founder of energy consultancy Trifecta Consultants, told AFP. “The new elements, if any, were that Libya and Nigeria would cap production, but since it did not involve any production cuts, that would not provide the market any ﬁllip,” he added. “The bearish factor, very carefully worded, is that the group would review in June 2018 whether it is necessary to loosen the cuts because the market is too tight. This takes care of the Russian desire to move early on production expansion.” On currency markets the dollar held steady against its major rivals as dealers track events in Washington but there are worries about further upheaval in the Trump administration with speculation he could replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. With AFP

ture spending and deregulation, but analysts warn of a sharp sell-off if the plans fall flat. Tokyo ended 0.4 percent higher, back near quarter-century highs after reversing early losses thanks to a weaker yen. Hong Kong fell 0.3 percent, extending its losing run into a fifth day, while Shanghai was marginally up. Sydney added 0.3 percent and Singapore rose 0.8 percent while Seoul and Wellington were both flat. Most energy firms rose but gains were muted after Opec and Russia agreed to extend a cap on oil output by a further nine months, until the end of next year. While the limit provided support for oil prices, the news had already been baked in, while there are also worries that they will not be continued into 2019. “Basically, the markets did not spike because most of what was announced was ex-

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.48 872,000 59 33,330 100.2 1,963,390 3.9 3,000 147 3,668,600 2.2 1,721,000 33.35 25,900 15.3 80,400 32.95 1,550,300 7.73 4,900 0.65 2,000 1.65 1,000 955 10 0.57 553,000 92.9 2,040,300 0.82 847,000 12.1 35,300 56.5 69,100 240 2,810 55.15 126,150 247 289,910 1,841 200 87 108,590 1.24 1,000

3,010,360 1,971,795 197,117,063 11,700 543,192,373 3,732,040 863,580 1,237,490 51,593,210 37,877 1,340 1,650 9,550 316,950 190,268,748 684,230 425,802 3,906,434 672,400 7,048,703 71,930,808 368,460 9,447,560.50 1,240

-6,840 1,470,473.50 -45,812,398 9,983,499 -150,015.00 11,967,845.00 7,804,181 -65,600 -1,573,262 -160,800 -619,361 -21,775,020 -92,000 -1,579,773.50 -

38.3 12.38 0.69 1.36 16.52 0.214 113.7 4.26 15.32 41.5 19.3 61.8 60 1.93 5.36 11 11 14.58 10.88 7.31 5.46 16.9 61 23.1 11.48 18.62 2.02 243.6 58.5 4.05 3.12 28.1 17.92 17.12 301 0.195 8.39 2.38 5.91 9.54 7.27 9.26 1.55 11.68 58.3 6.6 500 4.8 4.41 1.9 12.82 5.3 0.135 1.17 131.4 3.15 1.96 0.63

INDUSTRIAL 38.5 1,910,800 12.52 1,115,600 0.71 112,000 1.37 1,538,000 16.98 11,000 0.216 1,260,000 113.7 50 4.31 11,399,000 15.36 702,400 42.1 613,900 20.1 3,800 62 60 61.05 3,780 1.93 119,000 5.36 46,800 11.04 5,800 11.14 8,308,300 14.8 380,300 11.18 932,900 7.35 745,200 5.46 25,953,000 17 1,386,400 61.1 135,970 23.15 454,700 11.48 36,100 18.9 883,700 2.04 14,519,000 245.4 1,037,900 58.5 40 4.08 52,000 3.13 123,000 28.25 1,369,300 17.92 327,400 17.18 1,115,700 305.4 1,975,390 0.195 340,000 8.39 5,500 2.4 1,407,000 5.92 208,500 9.6 2,469,700 7.74 152,100 9.48 1,100 1.55 387,000 11.68 501,700 58.55 140,490 6.83 10,100 500 63,630 4.9 60,000 4.41 11,000 2.12 7,702,000 12.9 402,200 5.41 1,484,800 0.135 90,000 1.17 110,000 132 1,967,340 3.15 18,000 1.97 1,495,000 0.63 435,000

73,625,935 13,933,590 78,320 2,131,680 183,618 272,590 5,685 49,514,670 10,779,074 25,697,775 74,436 3,714 226,831.50 230,550 250,848 63,956 92,859,516 5,604,546 10,360,456 5,500,687 143,723,403 23,577,646 8,309,106 10,635,955 415,570 16,729,754 31,986,210 254,718,036 2,340 211,780 397,320 38,727,625 5,879,478 19,367,200 608,862,146 66,570 46,426 3,379,120 1,244,530 23,670,747 1,147,140 10,405 604,620 5,935,546 8,201,414.50 66,683 32,472,345 289,600 48,510 14,820,450 5,188,414 8,128,755 12,180 131,750 261,138,158 56,720 2,940,940 280,120

-25,774,530 584,062 6,450 9,419,870 2,087,278 20 61,391,170 2,355,758 -5,012,850 -459,691 -66,287,029 -4,229,414 -6,239,077 3,045,426 661,440 -35,885,660 -20,250 9,390 -15,839,070 1,838,672 -715,340 350,136,084 -381,550 14,072,050 764,012 4,710 -1,457,798 1,781,781.50 7,524,225 21,600 4,693,010 171,298 -13,125,069 35,460 -

0.33 70 15.84 0.98 7.06 0.395 0.395 1,024 7.5 14.98 7.96 5.1 1,158 7.9 68.8 5.25 0.62 5.65 19.48 6.69 3.59 0.047 1.22 2.05 111.8 3.06 979 1.86 286 0.229

0.31 67.9 15.46 0.97 7 0.375 0.37 1,000 7.4 14.46 7.8 5.1 1,131 7.9 66.8 5.24 0.61 5.53 19.02 6.43 3.39 0.045 1.1 2.05 109 2.61 957 1.74 281 0.229

HOLDING FIRMS 0.325 1,100,000 68.3 1,940,140 15.74 7,752,800 0.97 5,000 7.01 28,900 0.38 8,990,000 0.39 1,240,000 1,006 385,930 7.45 2,600,400 14.5 9,362,500 7.9 204,600 5.1 4,800 1,134 145,865 7.9 100 67.05 2,595,200 5.24 2,100 0.62 237,000 5.55 746,600 19.42 1,880,800 6.5 19,429,900 3.4 42,000 0.046 2,600,000 1.21 180,000 2.05 10,000 110 150,150 2.69 926,000 963 490,600 1.74 7,028,000 286 3,960 0.229 90,000

343,500 132,397,946.50 121,450,664 4,880 202,839 3,463,450 478,200 389,301,000 19,370,997 136,237,646 1,604,484 24,480 165,718,510 790 175,273,048 11,005 145,490 4,174,123 36,341,778 126,103,458 145,290 119,000 215,350 20,500 16,506,957 2,643,130 474,443,560 12,433,020 1,122,466 20,610

-31,226,738.50 33,481,190 42,000 -2,000 -149,510,740 -11,433,069 23,380,078 -39,092,145 -51,872,700.50 -251,312 9,338,578 -19,049,537 4,500 358,271 -146,962,025 121,990 14,160 -

5.64 1.03 10.98 2.42 0.9 43.1 3.73 5.01 5.45 0.47 1.18 1.17 0.214 0.47 37.7 0.67 0.144 1.82 1.41

5.5 0.98 10.74 2.34 0.89 42.1 3.61 4.75 5.36 0.46 1.15 1.16 0.207 0.46 37 0.67 0.144 1.77 1.38

510,686 12,835,110 36,546 44,690 1,800,110 645,924,715 18,529,490 13,029,820 190,257 1,330,400 6,930 43,040 3,900,030 853,900 5,450,835 25,460 1,440 10,232,670 13,940,030

56,350 -7,780 -76,133,325 -545,400 4,940 81,425 18,500 629,780 922,750 -4,771,200

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

3.55 59.75 101.4 3.9 147.8 2.2 33.55 15.7 33.55 7.73 0.69 1.65 955 0.58 95.25 0.82 12.1 58.4 238 56.5 252.8 1,840 87 1.24

3.8 59.75 102.9 3.9 150.4 2.32 33.55 15.7 34.1 7.73 0.69 1.65 955 0.58 95.55 0.82 12.1 58.4 240 56.5 253 1,845 87.3 1.24

3.31 59 99 3.9 146.4 2.08 33.3 15.3 32.9 7.73 0.65 1.65 955 0.57 92.8 0.8 11.92 56.3 238 55.15 246.6 1,840 87 1.24

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

39.25 12.54 0.71 1.39 16.98 0.219 113.7 4.36 15.48 41.8 19.6 61.8 60 1.93 5.36 11.04 11.2 14.8 10.98 7.35 5.64 17.4 61 23.5 11.52 19.38 2.25 244 58.5 4.05 3.37 28.8 18.02 17.42 317.6 0.197 8.5 2.41 6 9.6 7.27 9.26 1.55 11.8 58.3 6.6 521 4.8 4.41 2 12.82 5.64 0.136 1.17 133 3.16 1.96 0.65

39.25 12.56 0.71 1.4 17.1 0.219 113.7 4.38 15.48 42.1 20.1 62 61.05 1.96 5.36 11.04 11.26 14.8 11.18 7.47 5.7 17.4 61.6 23.8 11.78 19.38 2.38 246.6 58.5 4.1 3.44 28.85 18.02 17.6 317.6 0.197 8.5 2.45 6.04 9.6 7.79 9.48 1.57 12.1 58.55 6.83 525 4.9 4.41 2.17 12.92 5.65 0.136 1.2 134.5 3.16 1.98 0.66

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

0.33 70 15.62 0.98 7.06 0.375 0.37 1,015 7.45 14.98 7.96 5.1 1,150 7.9 68.8 5.25 0.62 5.62 19.48 6.6 3.59 0.045 1.1 2.05 111.8 2.82 970 1.85 285 0.229

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

5.5 0.98 10.74 2.34 0.9 42.75 3.73 4.95 5.45 0.47 1.18 1.16 0.213 0.46 37.45 0.67 0.144 1.82 1.41

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.76 5.35 0.41 0.405 0.56 6.21 22.85 2.47 3.2 35.8 1.01 0.82 6

0.76 5.36 0.41 0.405 0.6 6.73 22.85 2.59 3.2 36.3 1.02 0.86 6.01

0.72 5.15 0.35 0.37 0.55 6.21 21.55 2.16 3.18 35.45 1.01 0.82 5.84

0.74 5.19 0.355 0.37 0.57 6.66 21.95 2.17 3.18 35.8 1.02 0.84 5.91

1,680,000 61,858,400 410,030,000 7,650,000 38,372,000 4,784,400 2,325,900 14,851,000 789,000 11,943,600 818,000 43,000 3,920,500

1,245,090 324,771,623 156,183,600 2,964,750 22,088,780 31,564,920 50,878,545 35,235,980 2,523,820 426,910,240 828,090 36,340 23,174,128

-86,233,958 152,750 -63,350.00 -305,212 -6,198,305 271,610 -71,244,175 18,480 -2,474,862

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

16.9 35 1.43 0.47 0.047 11.2 4.95 10.62 0.079 101 8.81 7.06 2.76 1,000 1,800 5.92 18.1 4.36 2.39 104.3 8.36 0.144 1.35 3.17 15.06 3.75 1.19 21.45 4.3 7.43 3.92 15.8 3.03 148 9.15 1,482 1.31 0.33 49.05 97 5.91 3.25 1.73 3.92 1.07 8.31

17 35.5 1.49 0.47 0.047 11.2 4.95 10.62 0.079 101.9 8.81 7.06 2.85 1,000 1,806 5.92 18.12 4.85 2.39 108.7 8.36 0.144 1.37 3.2 15.2 3.81 1.24 21.45 4.47 7.43 3.92 15.8 3.03 149 9.4 1,500 1.31 0.345 49.1 97 5.91 3.33 1.73 3.92 1.09 8.44

16.34 34.9 1.4 0.465 0.046 11.2 4.95 10.42 0.07 99.3 8.68 6.65 2.6 1,000 1,790 5.77 17.24 4.23 2.39 104.3 8.35 0.141 1.35 3.07 15 3.57 1.19 21 4.11 7.07 3.88 15.8 2.86 145 8.85 1,451 1.3 0.325 47.95 93.15 5.78 3.18 1.65 3.82 1.01 8.31

SERVICES 16.4 35 1.4 0.465 0.046 11.2 4.95 10.5 0.072 100.3 8.74 7.06 2.6 1,000 1,796 5.78 18.12 4.34 2.39 106.5 8.36 0.142 1.36 3.17 15 3.59 1.19 21.05 4.21 7.37 3.9 15.8 2.87 145 8.98 1,464 1.3 0.345 48 96.95 5.8 3.32 1.68 3.87 1.01 8.33

63,500 50,200 301,000 840,000 53,500,000 1,500 2,000 4,444,000 75,000,000 267,360 1,300,200 155,200 260,000 10 245,210 165,700 31,500 51,005,000 4,000 2,001,140 326,000 4,740,000 45,000 44,000 33,700 2,949,000 878,000 2,325,100 4,296,000 18,607,200 611,000 900 7,012,000 7,540 3,695,200 183,705 908,000 240,000 406,600 94,510 401,000 1,070,000 20,092,000 879,000 15,314,000 10,762,200

1,050,754 1,757,900 427,850 390,700 2,479,100 16,800 9,900 46,643,766 5,471,920 26,812,057.50 11,365,013 1,071,317 705,520 10,000 440,479,525 963,346 553,588 232,193,140 9,560 213,765,631 2,725,335 674,770 61,310 138,560 506,328 10,852,620 1,060,660 49,110,370 18,241,060 136,880,271 2,385,810 14,220 20,484,620 1,102,546 33,871,622 268,953,430 1,181,030 78,500 19,645,190 9,108,107.50 2,331,917 3,519,510 33,709,360 3,400,120 15,859,490 89,776,373

3,300 -111,590 263,200 34,279,418.00 -4,560 9,641,818.50 132,022 15,649,885 1,875,850 26,270,480 -932,880 3,999,825 120,174,109 789,890 -744,430 -547,191 -4,642,969 -67,020,990 -272,920 -7,231,195 -1,345,212.50 769,247 -120,670 20,704,660 445,140 254,910 14,595,659

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

0.0024 1.66 5 1.71 1.72 1.61 0.31 7.21 2.69 0.22 0.15 0.15 0.011 0.01 1.7 6.1 1.52 0.45 0.87 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.3 5.95 10.86 36 0.007

0.0024 1.69 5 1.71 1.72 1.62 0.34 7.8 2.85 0.235 0.152 0.151 0.011 0.01 1.79 6.2 1.53 0.45 0.88 0.012 0.013 0.011 2.3 5.98 10.98 36.55 0.007

0.0023 1.65 4.8 1.7 1.65 1.6 0.3 7.01 2.66 0.219 0.15 0.15 0.011 0.01 1.64 6.09 1.44 0.45 0.85 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.1 5.8 9.58 35.2 0.007

MINING & OIL 0.0023 70,000,000 1.67 3,819,000 4.85 144,000 1.7 58,000 1.65 82,000 1.62 4,622,000 0.3 4,330,000 7.37 52,900 2.8 9,015,000 0.235 160,000 0.152 10,990,000 0.151 6,700,000 0.011 1,000,000 0.01 3,200,000 1.72 987,000 6.13 1,639,100 1.5 41,000 0.45 30,000 0.86 2,103,000 0.012 2,600,000 0.013 200,100,000 0.011 22,500,000 2.1 3,000 5.85 589,800 9.7 15,477,700 35.4 577,800 0.007 2,000,000

161,100 6,384,800 698,700 98,630 136,670 7,420,610 1,334,200 375,626 25,061,490 35,220 1,658,270 1,009,020 11,000 32,000 1,644,930 10,063,338 59,880 13,500 1,803,130 31,200 2,401,300 247,500 6,690 3,473,765 156,586,306 20,666,625 14,000

4,600 522,060 -14,550 -124,700 11,060 -64,430 231,000 2,823,146 27,580 -504,529 2,886,229 -6,444,845 -

ABS HLDG PDR DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2A PF PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

35 105.5 110 115.7 522 5.41 1,040 102 1.08 1,050 1,005 77 77 80.05 79.45 80.15

35 105.5 110 115.7 522 5.44 1,040 102.4 1.08 1,050 1,005 77.5 77 81 79.5 80.15

34.55 105.5 110 115.7 521.5 5.4 1,040 100 1.08 1,049 1,005 77 77 80.05 78.4 80.1

PREFERRED 34.75 183,300 105.5 20 110 100 115.7 80 521.5 8,700 5.4 153,900 1,040 105 100 208,550 1.08 58,000 1,049 5,000 1,005 530 77.5 820 77 18,600 81 30,240 78.4 69,300 80.1 125,100

6,335,905 2,110 11,000 9,256 4,537,100 832,673 109,200 21,146,980 62,640 5,249,500 532,650 63,490 1,432,200 2,439,940 5,469,930 10,020,760

0 -407,967 101,250 -

LR WARRANT

2.28

2.36

2.27

WARRANTS 2.27 405,000

932,850

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

11 3.06 3.66

11.48 3.3 3.66

10.58 3.05 3.51

SME 10.88 3.24 3.51

12,706,606 358,170 18,432,190

-14,258 -5,952,040

FIRST METRO ETF

125.5

124.7

11,299,118

-37,530

NAME

PROPERTY 5.55 1.02 10.98 2.35 0.89 42.2 3.66 4.85 5.44 0.465 1.15 1.17 0.208 0.47 37 0.67 0.144 1.8 1.39

91,900 12,710,000 3,400 19,000 2,017,000 15,202,300 5,128,000 2,656,000 35,300 2,870,000 6,000 37,000 18,630,000 1,850,000 145,500 38,000 10,000 5,692,000 10,044,000

T RADING S UMMARY FINANCIAL

1,151,900 113,000 5,144,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 124.7 90,520

VALUE

14,296,085

1,140,099,907.13

INDUSTRIAL

98,162,550

1,864,213,935.36

HOLDING FIRMS

74,055,953

2,899,712,925.67

PROPERTY

636,558,462

1,828,319,725.895

SERVICES

286,481,758

1,724,652,629.75

MINING & OIL

364,146,538

241,463,213.98

GRAND TOTAL

1,480,205,707

9,741,275,466.72

FINANCIAL 2,076.25 (down) 24.66 INDUSTRIAL 10,641.22 (down) 99.12 HOLDING FIRMS 8,278.66 (down) 123.48 PROPERTY 3,808.92 (down) 59.00 SERVICES 1,597.78 (down) 12.62 MINING & OIL 11,391.84 (down) 161.83 PSEI 8,144.02 (down) 110.01 All Shares Index 4,785.86 (down0 60.77 Gainers: 59; Losers: 134; Unchanged: 45; Total: 238

Personal spending to fuel PH economy By Julito G. Rada BRITISH banking giant Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. said consumption will remain a strong growth driver for the Philippines, with robust remittances from overseas Filipinos fuel spending. In a report titled “Asean Perspectives : Consider the consumer,” HSBC said private consumption encompasses 73.5 percent of GDP in the Philippines, higher than that of the US. “Consumption remains the primary anchor to Philippine economic growth, constituting over 70 percent of the country’s GDP. Private consumption has remained strong over the years due to robust remittances and a continued decline in the unemployment rate,” the bank said. Meanwhile, HSBC said increased public spending resulted not just in an acceleration of infrastructure spending but also a pickup in government consumption. It said taken together, Philippine domestic demand often largely offset the external sector’s (net exports) negative contribution to growth. “We believe this trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future, resulting in the Philippines remaining relatively insulated to external growth risks,” HSBC said. Citing government data, it said recent labor statistics suggested the country’s workforce was gradually shifting from agriculture to construction in an effort to take part in the government’s infrastructure push.

SM Store, Globe unit teaming up By Darwin G. Amojelar A SUBSIDIARY of Globe Telecom Inc. has teamed up with SM Store to accept cashless payments through the use of QR scanning via smartphones to all its stores nationwide. Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Mynt, the financial technology company owned by Globe Telecom, Ant Financial and Ayala Corp., said the company already began the rollout of the QR code acceptance . “We’re not installing a device but just a sticker with a QR code. The customer simply scans that sticker so no need for additional machines for transactions and there’s no cost to the machine but more benefits to the merchants. Cash is still convenient but there’s also the issue of security and handling. With GCash scan to pay feature, we’re bringing that down to the level where merchants can adapt,” Thomas said. The SM Store is the latest addition in a growing list of merchants which have embraced the GCash app scan to pay feature. Among the early adopters are Mercato Central in Bonifacio Global City and Ayala Malls, especially Glorietta. It also partnered with Davao’s homegrown retail chain, New City Commercial Corp., in promoting electronic payments in the country. With the addition of The SM Store, the use of the GCash scan to pay feature continues to gain support among the top malls and merchants in the country.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

World

TODAY

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Looking to pope to send them home B

ALUKHALI, Bangladesh―A group of Rohingya Muslim refugees due to meet the Pope in Bangladesh on Friday have high hopes the encounter will put them on the path back home to Myanmar.

PRESENT. Laura Gonzalez is seen on the Univision’s “Despierta America” at Univision Studios on in Miami, Florida. AFP

Obama digs at Trump over climate change NEW DELHI―Former US president Barack Obama launched a veiled barb at his successor Donald Trump on Friday, saying there is “a pause in American leadership” on climate change. Since leaving ofﬁce in January, Obama has been relatively restrained in his comments about Trump, who frequently ﬁres broadsides at his predecessor’s policies. But he took aim at the Republican president in a New Delhi speech over Trump’s threat to leave the 2015 Paris climate accord on slashing global carbon emissions. “It is an agreement that―even though we have a little bit of a pause in American leadership―is giv-

president did attack “destructive populism from the left or the right” that he called a threat to modern democracy. “The thing I love about America and I suspect the thing you love about India is just this cacophony of life and it throws up all kinds of variety,” Obama said in response to one attempt to force a comment on Trump. “There are political trends in American that I don’t agree with and abide by but I recognize as part of a running thread in American life.” The two-term leader said he had become “obsessed” with the way news was handled and consumed, particularly by the young. AFP

ing our children a ﬁghting chance,” Obama told a symposium organized by the Hindustan Times newspaper. “And the good news is that in the United States, there are states, companies and universities and cities that are continuing to work to make sure that America lives up to the agreements that we made in the Paris accords,” he added. Trump has threatened several times to withdraw from the Paris accord, saying it is crippling US business. He has called for the agreement to be renegotiated. Obama would not be drawn into other questions about the US administration during his appearance in New Delhi, but the former

Japanese Emperor Akihito to step down in April 2019 TOKYO―Japan’s Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019, the prime minister announced Friday, the ﬁrst retirement in more than two centuries in the world’s oldest imperial family. Shinzo Abe said he was “deeply moved” at the “smooth decision” taken at a special meeting of the Imperial Council to decide on the date for the popular 83-year-old to step down for health reasons. “The government will make utmost efforts to ensure that the Japanese people can celebrate the emperor’s abdication and the succession of the crown prince,” added Abe. Akihito’s eldest son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is expected to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne the next day. The news was splashed across the front pages of the evening papers, with the Sankei Shimbun distributing a special abdication edition.

The abdication will bring to an end the current Heisei era which has lasted the 30 years Akihito has been on the throne. The emperor shocked the country last year when he signalled his desire to take a back seat after nearly three decades, citing his age and health problems. There have been abdications in Japan’s long imperial history dating back more than 2,600 years but the last one was more than two centuries ago. Akihito is the 125th person to sit on the Chrysanthemum Throne since Emperor Jimmu, said to be a descendant of the legendary sun goddess Amaterasu. Emperors have played a crucial role in the country’s native Shinto religion, conducting various annual rites and prayers for the prosperity of the nation. There is no republican movement to speak of in Japan and the emperor and the royal family enjoy the admiration of the vast majority of the country. AFP

Bali volcano burns wedding dreams JAKARTA―Australian Tiarna Thompson had her dream Bali wedding all set, but there was one thing she did not count on: a volcano threatening its first major eruption in half a century. The 24-year-old and her fiance Justin saw their plans go up in smoke when Mount Agung rumbled to life, spewing ash and fumes that forced hundreds of flights to and from the island to be canceled. “It’s funny how a volcano can just turn our plans and our whole lives sort of upside down, just like that,” said Thompson from her home near Brisbane. The couple, who had planned to get hitched in the picturesque tropical paradise this week, have hurriedly switched their nuptials to Thailand.

“It had the last 50 years to do its thing and it waits until our wedding day,” she joked, referring to Agung’s last major eruption in 1963, which killed about 1,600 people. The volcano’s rumblings in the past week have pounded Bali’s lucrative tourism industry and its wider economy, squeezing everyone from wedding planners and dive shops to hotels and even some farmers duped into selling livestock at cut-rate prices. Indonesia’s tourism minister Arief Yahya warned this week that Bali could lose up to nine trillion rupiah ($665 million) in visitor-related revenue if Agung’s activity doesn’t die down before the end of the year. AFP

The 16, including two children and one woman, are among more than 600,000 who have ﬂed an armyled crackdown in their home state of Rakhine and sought safety in the squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh. They will have traveled nearly 480 kilometers overnight to reach the capital Dhaka, accompanied by armed police, and want to tell the head of the Catholic Church what has happened to their people. “When I meet him, I will tell him that in Myanmar they have killed us and tortured us,” said Mohammad Yunus, a 38-yearold father of three. “They treat us inhumanely. We left our property, land, our houses,” he said. “They have to take us back and give us proper citizenship. I would ask him to arrange these basic rights for us.” A stream of desperate humanity has poured over the border into Bangladesh since late August, bringing

with them stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar’s military and Buddhist mobs― a campaign the UN and US have called “ethnic cleansing”. Pope Francis, who called for “decisive” international action on the crisis as he arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday, has previously described the persecuted Rohingya as his “brothers and sisters” in an effort to ease their suffering. But despite pressure to confront the issue head on, the pontiff is yet to actually utter the word “Rohingya” in public during his South Asia tour. He was urged not to use the term during his visit to Buddhist-majority Myanmar—

where the group are dubbed “Bengali” migrants and not entitled to full citizenship―to avoid provoking hard-line Buddhists and making the country’s Catholics a target. Some of the refugees also noted it would have been “better” had he made it to the camps to see them. Nevertheless, Abul Fayaz, a community leader at the vast Balukhali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, said he looked forward to being embraced by the Argentine pontiff―a compassionate gesture he is known for. “He is such a big leader, I’m sure that when we meet him he will be able to assuage our fears and doubts. He will caress our heads with love and comfort us,” the 35-year-old said. In Myanmar, discrimination has curtailed the Rohingya’s rights to study, work, travel, marry and even to practice their religion. Access to health services and educa-

tion is limited and the group is also banned from voting and entering certain professions like medicine and law. “I’m really, very hopeful,” said Fayaz. “We want him to help us get Rohingya citizenship, ensure our safety, help us move freely wherever we want, whenever we want and most importantly, create a way so we can say our prayers with freedom like they (Buddhists) do.” The 16 are expected to come face to face with the Pope after attending an interfaith peace meeting in the garden of the archbishop of Dhaka. Mohammad Nurulla, an educated 37-year-old among the group, added he was “very happy” about the looming meeting. “Look, only Allah can solve our problem, but we can beneﬁt from meeting the Pope... he can act as a mediator to help get our rights back,” he said. AFP

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Notice of Loss of Sales Invoices Notice is hereby given to all that Procter & Gamble International Operations SAROHQ, with office address at 11F Net Park. 5th Avenue, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines 1634, with BIR TIN No. 406-931-778-000, had lost ten (10) manual bound booklets of Sales Invoices with serial number 0000501 to 0001000 covered by ATP No. 8AU0000368123 dated January 26, 2016 with validity period until January 25, 2021.

Advertising Department 832-5547

The General Public is warned that the Company will not be responsible for any misuse of the aforementioned lost Sales Invoices in any way whatsoever. ( M S - D E C . 2 & 5 , 2 0 17 )

BONIFACIO DRIVE, SOUTH HARBOR, PORT AREA, MANILA 1018, PHILIPPINES, P.O. BOX 436, MANILA, PHILIPPINES TEL. NO. (0632) 527-8356, FAX NO. (0632) 527-4855 HTTP://WWW.PPA.COM.PH

BONIFACIO DRIVE, SOUTH HARBOR, PORT AREA, MANILA 1018, PHILIPPINES P.O. BOX 436, MANILA, PHILIPPINES Tel. No. (0632) 527-8356, Fax. No. (0632) 527-4855 HTTP://WWW.PPA.COM.PH

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR THE CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE CONDUCT OF FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE PROPOSED PANGUIL-PAGADIAN WATERWAY PROJECT The Philippine Ports Authority, through its Corporate Budget for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of P37,894,170.00 Pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Consultancy Services for the Conduct of Feasibility Study for the Proposed Panguil-Pagadian Waterway Project (HOBAC-EP-CON 001-2017). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals. The Philippine Ports Authority now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the Preparation of the Feasibility Study, which includes the following: A. Survey/ Researches and Projection B. Proposed Development C. Economic Valuation D. Financial Evaluation E. Draft Final Report and Final Report F. Initial Environmental Examination. Eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat on or before 12 December 2017 at 1:00 p.m., at the BAC Office, 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila. Opening of Eligibility Documents is on 12 December 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Ports Authority’s Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 04 December 2017 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of P25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184) otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act,” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of not more than FIVE (5) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: 1.

Applicable experience of the consultant and members in case of joint ventures, considering both the overall experiences of the firm or, in the case of new firms, the individual experiences of the principal and key staff, including the times when employed by other consultants;

Qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-à-vis extent and complexity of the undertaking; and

Current workload relative to capacity.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. The Philippine Ports Authority shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation (QCBE) procedure. The weight to be allocated for the Technical Proposal is 80% while for the Financial Proposal, the weight is 20%. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders. The contract shall be completed within SEVEN (7) MONTHS. The Philippine Ports Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of R.A. 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to:

The Philippine Ports Authority, through its Corporate Budget for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of P25,048,170.00 Pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Consultancy Services for the Proposed Port with Integrated Shipyard Facility (HO-BAC-EP-CON 002-2017). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals. The Philippine Ports Authority now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for: A. Identify an ideal site for the construction of a port with integrated shipyard facility B. Determine parameters, costs and timelines for the construction of the proposed facility C. Evaluate the project’s overall feasibility D. Come up with at least two (2) alternative schemes of the proposed facility. Eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat on or before 12 December 2017 at 1:00 p.m., at the BAC Office, 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila. Opening of Eligibility Documents is on 12 December 2017 at 3:00 p.m. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Ports Authority’s Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 04 December 2017 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of P25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184) otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act,” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of not more than FIVE (5) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: 1.

Qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-à-vis extent and complexity of the undertaking; and

3. Current workload relative to capacity. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. The Philippine Ports Authority shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation (QCBE) procedure. The weight to be allocated for the Technical Proposal is 80% while for the Financial Proposal, the weight is 20%. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders. The contract shall be completed within SEVEN (7) MONTHS. The Philippine Ports Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of R.A. 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. Further information, please refer to:

BAC Secretariat, Philippine Ports Authority 5th Floor, PPA Bldg., A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila

BAC Secretariat, Philippine Ports Authority 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila Telephone/Fax No. 527-47-35

Telephone/Fax No. 527-47-35 527-83-56 to 83 loc. 539

527-83-56 loc. 539

PPA Website: www.ppa.com.ph •

FOR THE CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE PROPOSED PORT WITH INTEGRATED SHIPYARD FACILITY

PPA Website

Cost of Eligibility Documents : P 1,000.00

www.ppa.com.ph

Cost of Eligibility Documents:P 1,000.00

ANGELINA A. LLOSE Vice-Chairperson, PPA Head Office Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects

ANGELINA A. LLOSE Vice-Chairperson, PPA Head Office Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects Standard – Dec. 2, 2017

M. Standard – Dec. 2, 2017

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Trucks &Buses

Dino Ray Directo III, Editor

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Ford’s tough truck

conquers the North

Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

ITH sales of the Ford Ranger truck literally hitting the roof, Ford Group PH organized a ride and drive event late this week to highlight the features of their best seller and for the media to get a hands on feel on what the fuzz is all about. How come its competitors, the Toyota Hi-Lux, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Strada are having a hard time dislodging this Detroit muscle off its high horse?

With that in mind, select members of the motoring media who were brave enough to face the elements of nature and the limits of physical endurance drove for 12 hours up the tip of the country in Tugegarao. Our intrepid team of explorers drove off to a threeday adventure starting from its dealership in Balintawak, Quezon City. Our ﬁrst stop of the itenirary was in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, were Ford donated bags of cement to a Gawad Kalinga community. To test its payload capacity, each of the two Ford Ranger FX4’s and a Wildtrak variant hauled a ton of cement bags at the bed of the truck.

What impressed this writer about the FX4 was despite of the heavy load we were carrying at the back, the Ranger pick-up truck behaved as if we were hauling bags of cotton. Upon our arrival at Caen, members of the Gawad Kalinga warmly welcomed our convoy of three Rangers, two Everest units, and an Explorer SUV which had Ford Ph ofﬁcials Ej Francisco and Kat Lanot as its precious cargo. After a sumptous “boodle ﬁght” style lunch of Filipino dishes, we were off to Santiago, Isabela. Our convoy snaked their way through the main artery of the scenic North, as the rural

feel of the countryside was a welcome sight for urban bred mediamen. We were a sight to behold, as our convoy of hulking trucks and SUV’s were guided through safely by our lead Ranger truck with Chris Tan of Brand on Demand radioed when to pass and when to decelerate. The second day of our Northern adventure took us to the river rapids of Tabuk, Kalinga Apayao, where the participants tried out White Water Rafting. Being a veteran of three river rapids tour, I declined to join and opted to drive off road at the end point of the White Water Rafting tour. Driving the FX4 on the sand dunes is where you will appreciate the suspension and the 237mm ride height of this variant. The FX4 is an XLT dual cab version of the Ranger with special trims of matte black color at the hood and rear bed of the truck. First applied to Ford’s best selling F-150 as a special options package, the FX4 is equipped with a heavy duty suspension system, underbody protection and unique body accents. Its got a sturdy ladder-frame chassis that rides high on a long 3220mm wheelbase, and has an overall length of 5426mm and is 1860mm wide.

in Bulacan to complement its existing logistics facility in Southern Luzon. The new facility, located in the Plaridel Bypass Road, will have a cold storage, a dry warehouse and a container freight station. It is expected to open mid-2018 and will serve distribution needs in Mega Manila, and Northern and Central Luzon. The specialized logistics Company continues to invest heavily in its cold chain assets in order to meet the anticipated rise in demand for chilled and frozen food in the Philippines. President and Chief Executive Elmer Sarmiento noted more sophisticated food choices among Filipinos, which together with the growing population fuel demand in the food industry. “This continuous rise in demand and the corresponding food logistics requirements present opportunities for cold chain facilities. We’ve been

strengthening our in-house capability precisely to be able to provide reliable infrastructure and services for both storing and transporting foods,” he said. To differentiate itself, Royal Cargo offers end-toend supply chain services as opposed to selling independent services for cold storage only or just refrigerated deliveries. Confident of growth in the cold chain business in the next five years, the Company plans to put up more cold storage facilities and add more reefer vans to ensure delivery of quality, fresh foods to supermarkets and to the tables of Filipino consumers. “The business outlook is increasingly positive despite challenges such as traffic and port congestion and rising port costs. We will invest in more cold chain assets, particularly in the country’s highly urbanized areas to prepare for more demand,” Mr. Sarmiento added.

Ever wondered why the Royal Cargo reefer vans do not show the complete company name? Royal Cargo hopes to elicit interest among commuters with the brand name cut on the sides of its reefer vans.

Ford is an avid supporter of community development projects like Gawad Kalinga.

Aside from the Jet Black with Matte Black accents on its exteriors, what I appreciated most about the FX4 is that it can put a camel to shame when it comes to sipping diesel fuel. Our convoy was fast and we were pushing the 160 bhp, 2.2 liter Duratorque turbo-diesel to its mechanical tolerences. The six-speed automatic was smooth and power delivery down the wheels were excellent. We were able to go around for three days from Balintawak, Nueva Ecija, Isabela

and Kalinga Apayao on a full tank of diesel fuel! The only downside I see is that it is only available in 4x2 trim in the local market. Driving the FX4 was a great way for us to experience the beauty of the North. The only sad note to this event was the flight cancellation of our Cebu Pacific flight back to Manila. In a way, it proved to be a blessing in disguise because it meant more drive time for us with the Ranger FX4.

Metal FRESH

Royal Cargo equips reefer vans for Yuletide MANILA, Philippines Royal Cargo, a leading provider of high-quality and cost-efﬁcient specialized logistics services in the country, continues to strengthen its logistics and cold chain capabilities in preparation for the upcoming Christmas season. The Company’s more than 100 refrigerated vans are equipped to carry chilled and frozen products such as cold cuts, ice cream and concentrated juices that are in greater demand during the holiday season. The reefer vans ensure cool and stable temperatures during transport to extend product shelf life and minimize food spoilage, a risk further exacerbated by the heavier trafﬁc during Christmas. Besides expanding its transport network, Royal Cargo inaugurated the construction early this year of its new 15,000-pallet position cold storage facility

Mother Nature provides the perfect backdrop for Ford’s modern truck, the FX4.

ABMAP computes new Eco PUV net income: P46,000 a month advantage vs old jeepney THE AUTOMOTIVE Body Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (ABMAP), the official organization of truck body builders in the country, yesterday shared the computations on how operators will be able to afford the proposed new Eco PUVs being planned by the Department of Transportation, Department of Trade and Industry, Truck Manufacturers Association, Philippine Parts Maker Association, Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines and ABMAP. After consultation with 1Team which operates more than 100 PUJs today, numerous information were gathered and collated by ABMAP with respect to operational and financial results of fleet operations. As per assumptions and details provided by 1Team, ABMAP concludes that the operators will be able to afford the brand new, modern PUV. In a press statement, ABMAP said that the study validated that each jeepney route is unique and income generation varies from location to location, mostly dependent on passenger density. “The low-density, lower income jeepney routes generate about P1,500 per day which makes it difficult to generate a substantial take-home income with”, it said. “This passenger volume and rate of income would only be viable for tricycles and usually, routes that have this low passenger volume do have tricycles competing with them. For P1,500 a day operations, only tricycles with its low cost of capital and operations can afford plying these routes”. says Yuri Sarmiento the General Manager of 1Team. ABMAP explains that the higher-density, higher-end Jeepney routes would be the longer ones going towards outside of the city. “These would generate up to P6,000 pesos a day. But you have to understand that Jeepneys only make money when they are full of passengers. However, that only happens during rush hours from 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning and 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening. The rest of the day is nonpeak hours and it makes more sense for the drivers to just rest and wait for the rush hours again”. “In this case, it makes sense to track them with GPS and to have some kind of deployment system to only fields enough PUVS on the road at these hours to make sure that they run at full capacity and to lessen traffic congestion”. ABMAP explains that in the case of the current PUJ, the gross revenue of a typical daily

grind of a 1Team driver is on the average at P4,000 a day. “Expenses would be fuel at P1,000, operator boundary or driver salary at P600 (operating from 16 to 18 hours per day) and maintenance expenses of P400 a day. This will leave the driver with about P2,000 net per day”, it said. “But there will be major improvements in income once the driver or operator moves to a brand new Eco PUV”, ABMAP said. “Since the powertrain and all the parts and components will be brand new, fuel expense will be cut to only P570, driver salary remains at P600 (but operating at about only 10 hours a day) and maintenance will be signiﬁcantly lower at P100 a day. Then, since the modern Eco PUV will have a higher ceiling that allows for standing passengers, this will increase income by P200 per day. So the net income will increase to P2,930 a day”. Sarmiento notes that at a basic employee salary of P600 per day, their 1Team driver averaged from P23,000 to P25,000 per month with overtime last September 2017. “And today, they only have to drive for at about 10 hours compared to 16 to 18 hours in the past”. He notes that fuel expenses will be cut because the brand new engine will be more fuel efﬁcient, with the range extended from 4 km/liter to 7 km/liter. “Maintenance and repair costs will be very low because aside from the vehicle being covered by the standard auto industry warranty,

it is not expected to have a major break down at least in the first year of operations”. “Furthermore, the chassis will now be properly aligned. Did you notice that most jeepneys run diagonally and the drivers are not seated aligned with the steering wheel? This is because of the crudely-made and misaligned chassis frames. These cause major inefficiencies and tires that wear our unevenly and prematurely. There is less road traction and thus more fuel waste”. Sarmiento emphasizes that a major negative factor also for the old jeepneys is the downtime. “Due to their age, old jeepneys are broken or sidelined 50% of the time or for 15 days a month. Eleven days for maintenance and repairs and four days for number coding with maintenance and repairs. That is fifteen days a month downtime, fifteen days of extra net income lost for them amounting to P30,000 monthly”. ABMAP concludes that if we compute them all in all and compare, the old jeepney will generate a net income of only P30,000 a month (P2,000 a day times 15 working days) while the modern Eco PUVs will generate P76,180 net income a month (P2,930 a day times 26 working days). “The difference is P46,180 per month. Loan repayment problem or paying for the brand new Eco PUV on installment? A no brainer if you ask us. This difference is more than enough to pay for the P26,000 a month amortization of a brand new, less polluting, efficient and no downtime modern Eco PUV”.

Life

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

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

GENOMICS boosts newborn screening N

EWBORN screening (NBS) in the Philippines started in June 1996 and was integrated into the public health delivery system with the enactment of the Newborn Screening Act of 2004. NBS screens for five conditions at present, saving 45,283 patients, from 1996 to 2010. Imagine being able to screen for 71 newborn metabolic conditions. How many more infants can be saved? Recent research shows that genomic technology, particularly genome-wide sequencing, can identify genetic causes for a much broader range of pediatric diseases much

more effectively than conventional (biochemical) laboratory methods, like those used today in the Philippines. Biochemical tests are also often inaccurate (particularly with preemie babies) and may give false negative results. Genomics tests the child’s genetic

make-up (DNA) for indications of abnormalities. Genetic testing is a direct method to identify the presence of a harmful mutation that may cause the manifestation of a particular condition. Genetic information may also aid in the identification of a “late onset” condition that may manifest later in a child’s life. PHIX Genomics, coming soon to the Philippines, will offer NBS through genomics with a Newborn Panel that includes the testing of 99 genes clinically linked to 71 conditions, making it an allinclusive method of newborn screening. Robbie Pangilinan

PHIX Genomics founder Jeffrey Seitz

Laundry myths

debunked

THERE are a lot of myths about doing laundry that inadvertently passes on from one homemaker to another, and they make this chore seem difficult when, in fact, it really doesn’t have to be. Here are 5 common ones to avoid, and reasons why the Samsung AddWash Front Load Washing Machine can be your partner in convenience:

More detergent, cleaner clothes

Excess soap actually does more harm than good—instead of breaking down dirt, it can get trapped in the fabric, thereby impeding the cleaning process. It may also stiffen the clothing items and affect their longevity. Follow recommended amounts of cleaning agent for different wash loads. The Samsung AddWash Front Load Washing Machine’s EcoBubble technology maximizes detergent power by converting the product into powerful cleansing bubbles that penetrate clothes 40 times better.

Always wash with hot water. It removes all stains

While washing with hot water helps in removing stains, it is not the end-all solution—you still need detergent to thoroughly clean your laundry. Moreover, it has been proven to be harmful to certain fabrics. The Samsung AddWash works well with either hot or cold water. You don’t need to use up time and electricity to heat up water before washing, so you save up on energy costs. Apart from that, you avoid the risk of potentially damaging your clothes.

Hand-washing is still the way to go

While hand-washing enables you to give a specific item of clothing the appropriate care it needs, it is inefficient and physically demanding. If you do not want delicate fabrics to go through a full cycle, you can always add them later through the Samsung AddWash Door. You can also opt to use the machine’s Quick Wash function, which cleans your clothes in just 15 minutes. Furthermore, the Samsung AddWash’s EcoBubble and Bubble Soak Technology already ensure stain removal and cleansing power without vigorous scrubbing.

Longer wash cycles are always better

Always pay attention to the appropriate wash cycles for different kinds of fabrics. Some clothes benefit from a longer washing time, while some are perfectly fine with a speedier cycle. For urgent laundry loads and durable clothes, the Samsung AddWash Super Speed setting uses a Speed Spray mechanism that finishes a spin cycle for a 10.5kg load and up in 59 minutes without compromising quality. It may be wise to save the delicate fabrics for the regular speed cycle. The Samsung AddWash Front Load Washing Machine lineup is available in all authorized Samsung dealers nationwide. For more details, visit the Samsung Facebook page or log on to samsung.com/ph.

Samsung Addwash Front Door Washing Machine helps ensure that every household’s laundry is efficiently cleaned

Eco-certified coco water launched MERCI Buco. No, we’re not saying ‘thank you very much’ in French—just making a pun-ny reference to a delicious, 100 percent organic coconut water from Locally. Merci Buco comes from the tropical islands of the Philippines where it can go from mildly humid to oppressively hot and humid. And when it does, trust the locals to reach for the ultimate thirst quencher— coco water, yes, the no-frills pure coconut water sold by the itinerant pushcart vendor or chilled coco water served in halved coconut husks at fancy restaurants and beach resorts. But it wasn’t until conscientious research a few years ago revealed the amazing health benefits of coconut water that Filipinos— and the rest of the world—went certifiably loco over coco. The coco craze came to a point that the Philippines, the biggest producer of the most delicious coconuts in the world, reportedly exported more than 49 million liters of coconut water in 2015—80 percent more than its export figures in 2014. Now here’s a healthier, easier, and definitely more hygienic way to slake your thirst with refreshing coco juice—Locally Merci Buco in a Tetra Pack. Locally Merci Buco offers the first eco-certified organic

coconut water sourced from local farms in Bicol and Quezon, assuring consumers not only of 100 percent freshness but also of its numerous health benefits: low calorie content (only 40 calories per serving); no sugar added (for plain coco water); no fat and cholesterol; and gluten-free. It is likewise pure, unadulterated coconut water (not from concentrates) and is a non-GMO product. Locally Merci Buco also has the natural properties of coco water such as antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Loaded with electrolytes that boost one’s energy level, Locally Merci Buco is the perfect post-workout drink for fitness enthusiasts. Its rich potassium content also makes it a healthier alternative to sweetened and carbonated sports and energy drinks. Locally Merci Buco is certified by both the US Department of Agriculture

(USDA) and EcoCert. This ensures the 100 percent organic drink’s quality and integrity, which means the coconuts were grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation. To make Locally Merci Buco more fun to drink, it is also offered in two other refreshing variants—buco lychee and buco pandan. Locally Merci Buco is available at Rustan’s, Puregold and Robinsons supermarkets nationwide, and in some stores in the US and the Middle East—but in France just yet. Locally is the first quirky Filipino juice line that uses home grown fruits. The brand mirrors the unique and fun characteristics of Filipinos with its catchy word play, namely: Mangosteenie Miney Mo, Tamarind My Bell, Dalandan It Again, Guyabano-body but You, Calamansi’z the Day, Pomelong & Lasting Love, and Save the Best for Sineguelast. For inquiries and more information about Locally products, visit the official Locally Facebook (@ LocallyPhilippines) and Instagram (@Locally PH) pages.

Locally’s 100 percent organic coconut water, Merci Buco

iPhoto

Metro Retail Stores supports Unilab Foundation METRO Retail Stores Group, Inc. (MRSGI) recently signed an exclusive partnership with Unilab Foundation Inc.’s (UFI) Anihan and Project Inclusion programs. The undertaking aims to provide persons with disability (PWDs) and social enterprises with avenue that allows them gainful employment and profitability in the retail and consumer market. The partnership comes together at the Metro Hanepbuhay Anihan Bazaar in Metro Supermarket Market! Market! on all weekends until Dec. 10. Best-selling Anihan products such as herbs and spices, premium local teas, tapuey Filipino rice wine, raw honey, gourmet deli products, artworks, and numerous woven handicrafts from social enterprises working with PWDs will be sold at the bazaar. Present at the contract signing were (third from left) Anna Marie Periquet, MRSGI vice president for Corporate Affairs, and Grant Javier, UFI Program manager of Project Inclusion, with (from left) Denise Subido, project consultant for Anihan, and Ronnie Conde, Metro Market! Market! store manager.

Life

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

MAD millennials

spark volunteerism BE A LIGHT, BE A VOLUNTER. MAD Talks participants lighted candles and formed the letters M.A.D. symbolizing their commitment to be like candles, to give light and be the light to the many especially during dark times.

FTER President Rodrigo Duterte announced the liberation of Marawi, the city comes to terms with the massive devastation caused by nearly five months of intense battle between government troops and Maute terrorist group. Heeding to the call for rebuilding the war-torn city and the lives of its displaced people, some 300 youth leaders and college students from Iligan and other parts of Northern Mindanao came forward to leverage volunteerism to complement the extensive rehabilitation efforts that the Maranaos need. The youth forum dubbed “MAD Talks: Nagmahal, Nasaktan, Nagvolunteer” held recently at the Doña Juana Actub Lluch Memorial Central School in Iligan City, about 37 kilometers away from the war zone, was spearheaded by the non-government group and a 2016 TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations) awardee I am Making A Difference, Inc. (I am MAD) composed of millennials committed to spread the gospel of active volunteerism and selflessness through its collective passion and nationwide advocacy to mobilize local youth. The MAD Talks presented resource speakers and successful volunteers who shared their insights and personal life experiences to inspire the Mindanaoan youth to continue to make a difference through their respective organizations and not to get tired of helping others despite challenges. “It is high-time to focus on the youth in this region in light of the Marawi siege,” I am MAD co-founder Christian Marx Rivero said. “We hope that with MAD

Talks, our youth leaders in the country will be moved by real-life results brought about by volunteerism that will promote more participation, development and peace,” the youth leader from a far-flung community in Sibuyan Island, Romblon added.

Choose to love

Speaking from personal experiences, Wino Dela Cruz, an I am MAD volunteer, encouraged participants to create “a community with shared compassion, charity and care.” The part-time volunteer and full-time communication executive from Antipolo City added that “there may be war, chaos and other forms of distresses in our lives but we can always turn our pain into purpose and our brokenness into blessing.” He prodded youth leaders to “always choose to love no matter what, and experience that rare joy, renewed love of life through volunteerism.” After the series of inspirational talks, the attendees lighted candles and formed the letters M.A.D. symbolizing their commitment to be like candles, to give light and be the light to the many especially during dark times. I am MAD vows to continuously monitor and coordinate the youth leaders’ progress in the region. MAD Talks was just one of the activities in three-day outreach program dubbed I am

MAD Camp. The first part of the program engaged select students at the host school in various sets of educational, entertaining and team-building activities. All these are aligned with the organization’s four key advocacies anchored on the Department of Education’s core values— love of God (Maka-Diyos), love for others (Makatao), love of environment (Makakalikasan), and love of country (Makabayan), all of which are integrated as well in “The Ten I am MAD Commitments.” Learnerparticipants also received the “Bag of Dreams” packs with basic school supplies. I am MAD also donated school supplies and snacks for evacuees from Marawi who are currently adopted as students at the school. The donation was made possible through the school principal Dr. Enerio E. Ebisa, who also served as the MAD builder-coordinator for the Iligan camp. Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology’s Associate Professor Dr. Ruben L. Abucayon stood as the group’s partner for the MAD Talks in securing youth participation. The Joint Task Force Marawi led by Lt. Col. Elmer Suderio also joined the camp and provided internal security. The MAD Camp Iligan was the group’s 38th edition since its inception in 2009 that gathered 21 passionate volunteers from across the country, while the recent MAD Talks was the 20th youth event the volunteer group had organized in the country. MAD Talks youth forum event is a finalist in this year’s Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards competing under the Culture, Arts, and Heritage category.

Education officials visit Wales OFFICIALS of higher education institutions (HEI) in south Manila have embarked on an exploratory meeting with their counterparts in Wales, as part of a British Council-assisted program to establish collaborations between schools and universities in the two countries. The exchange was made possible through the British Council’s Internationalizing South Manila Educational Consortium (SMEC) HEIs Project, which aims to assist the capacity of SMEC member institutions to expand their collaboration portfolio. Strategic alliances, social and cultural development, and human resource development collaborations which exists between SMEC members and Asia-based universities, and will now extend to United Kingdom institutions as it aligns with the priority of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to promote and support Philippine HEIs to develop their faculty and to innovate institutionally. De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde President Brother Dennis Magbanua, FSC, who currently heads SMEC leads the delegation. Joining him are Philippine Women’s University President Jose Francisco B. Benitez, SMEC VP for External Linkages and Funding; Adamson University President Fr. Marcelo Victorio Manimtim, CM, SMEC VP for Internal Programs; Emilio Aguinaldo College President Dr. Jose Paulo Campos; Philippine Normal University President Dr. Ester Ogena; St. Paul University Manila President Sr. Ma. Evangeline Anastacio, SPC; and DLS-CSB Chief External Affairs Officer Ma. Victoria M. Dayao, SMEC OIC-Executive Director. Representatives from the British Council are Head of Edu-

Benilde President and SMEC Head Brother Dennis Magbanua FSC cation Lotus Postrado, and Student, Alumni, and Higher Education Partnerships Program Officer Pierre Pecson. The group travels to Cardiff Metropolitan University, which is organizing the group’s itinerary. Among universities to be visited are Swansea University and Aberystwyth University. There will also be a meeting with British education agencies, such as the Higher Education Academy, BUILA, QAA, and Universities UK International. Upon their return, the SMEC institutions are also expected to work towards establishing the identified areas of collaboration with their Welsh university partners.

Czech universities set to score a success in Manila IN THE last few years, one of the most distinguished core policies of the Czech Republic in the Philippines is Higher Education Support. Emphasizing this initiative gave way to the arrival of a much-awaited delegation of top Czech universities. The five universities include the Czech University of Life Sciences and University of Chemistry and Technology from Czech capital Prague, Masaryk University and Mendel University from Brno, and University of West Bohemia of Pilsen, participated at the 7th European Higher Education Fair on Oct. 18 at Shangri-La Plaza,. Together with their colleagues from other European countries, Czech representatives promoted up-to-date course offerings of various universities and explained admission processes, with the aim to attract more Filipino students to further their studies in the Czech Republic. Located in the geographic heart of Europe, the Czech Republic is an achingly beautiful country with a long and twisted history. For college students looking to study abroad, a term or two in the Czech Republic would definitely be worth the choice, with the astounding landscapes from all directions highlighting the country’s vibrant cultural history. Studying in the Czech Republic will be a unique experience with first class quality of education, diverse range of study programs, great student support, and affordable tuition fees with low costs of living. Most foreigners rally for a chance to study at the Charles University, the biggest

and third oldest Czech university in Europe established in the 14th century. More and more foreigners seek free education in the Czech Republic under Czechlanguage instruction. Nevertheless, there are a growing number of international students at present who opt to study in English. It is only last year, 2016 where more than 4,000 foreigners paid for their education in the Czech Republic. As fees in the United States and Western Europe are significantly offering higher tuition fees ranging from $1,000 a year for Theology to $17,000 a year for Medicine, it became more and more popular for Americans and Brits to study in the Czech Republic. Currently, foreign students comprise about 18 percrent of the general student population at Czech universities. The Foreign Development Assistance Program, by the Czech Government, also known as, government-funded scholarships, could be attributed to the boost in Czech Education popularity in its neighboring countries, extending over to Asia. The Czech Government aims to support more and more students from developing countries who would like to study at Czech universities. Ambassador of the Czech Republic. Jaroslav Olša, Jr. explains, “There is a simple reason why the Czech Republic is positively looking towards the Philippines for a deeper educational cooperation: The Czech Republic Students from Mendel University Brno in provides wide range of opportunities for pro- Czech Republic fessionals and other skilled workers in their

Mendel University President RNDr. Ladislav Havel CSc and DLSU Bacolod Brother President Br. Manuel Pajarillo FSC Ph.d

University of Chemistry and Technology Prague lecture

various expanding industries of Technology, Engineering, Medicine, etc.” Having the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union with only 3.3 percent, Czech universities strive to engage with Philippine universities and promote stronger bilateral academic cooperation for greater student exchange. The number of bilateral university agreements between Czech and Philippine universities is rapidly growing, exceeding to over 30 agreements presently. Among the most sought-after Philippine universities are the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas, to name a few. In the Czech Republic, some of the most popular for Filipino students are Charles University and the University of New York in Prague and the University of Tomas Bata in Zlin. Furthermore, because of the mutual interest in exploring the exceptional biodiversity and natural resources in the Philippines, Czech universities organize field trips to the Philippines for scientific researchers, entomologists, tropical agriculture experts, biologists, zoologists, and other scientifically-inclined projects. The introduction of these bilateral projects is

hoped to further the development in the areas of environmental protection, forestry, chemistry and scientific research. Czech universities have already implemented projects and research in a couple of regions all throughout the archipelago –in Bohol, Negros, Leyte and parts in Mindanao. One of the most recent and notable tie-ups is the building of the new ecotourism trails equipped with international marker systems in Mt. Kanla-on Natural Park, Negros Occidental, a joint project by the students of Mendel University of Brno with DLSU Bacolod last November 2016. Following this collaborative effort, two more Czech universities have the interest in pursuing cooperation with Philippine partner universities. Czech University of Life Sciences with Visayas State University is involved in a pharmaceutical innovation research in identifying biologically active compounds. Moreover, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague is on its final leg of sealing the cooperation with DLSU Manila for a unique and exciting partnership on Food Biotechnology and Safety on beer brewing, of which the Czechs and Filipinos share a common interest and fondness on.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Isah V. Red, Editor • Nickie Wang, Writer

GLOBE LIVE!

creates new holiday tradition for Filipino families

Theater actress Rissey Reyes plays The Ghost of Christmas Future

Franco Laurel as The Ghost of Christmas Past

HE holiday rush and its corresponding crush of activities often leave little room for Filipino families to enjoy the spirit of the season with their own meaningful celebrations. As with traditions, there are parties and reunions left and right with extended family, ofﬁcemates and friends that you may only see once a year. This leaves less time for families to enjoy memorable bonding moments with the kids.

It is for this reason Globe LIVE and 9Works Theatricals are restaging A Christmas Carol, with snowfall and Scrooge’s dramatic transformation from a penny-pincher to philanthropist providing a highly entertaining backdrop for a new family tradition for this season. The timeless tale by Charles Dickens was a big hit last season, with 3,000 in attendance on Christmas day, but that is not the reason why they are restaging the Ahren and Menken musical. Joe Caliro, the musical’s executive producer and Globe head for Creative Marketing and Multi-Media Services, says it was in their plan from the very beginning to have a restag-

ing of the show. “We decided that we wanted to make what is for me the best Christmas property in the world and turn it into a new tradition for the Filipino families.” Both Caliro and Robbie Guevarra, 9Works director for A Christmas Carol, say the restaging will offer a new experience, with a fresh set design by Ed Lacson Jr., new direction, and new choreography. Half of the cast will also be new, including Franco Laurel as the Ghost of Christmas Past, to support theater veteran Miguel Faustman, who reprises his role as Ebenezer Scrooge. Tiny Tim will be played alternately by cuties Jaime Yupangco and Elai Estrella.

The well-loved “A Christmas Carol The Musical” is back with updated stage design, music, and new set of actors

“The play will deﬁnitely be different from last year’s,” the director declares. Another new aspect introduced this year is the opportunity to share the Christmas spirit with the scholars of the Hero Foundation. A Christmas tree will be set up at the Globe ICONIC Theater, and people can buy ornaments and hang them on the tree. Pro-

ceeds of this endeavor will fund the Hero Foundation scholarships for children of our fallen soldiers. This fundraising effort resonates with A Christmas Carol’s lesson on sharing blessing with others this season. The Globe LIVE re-staging of A Christmas Carol is in line with the Globe advocacy of offering its customers new online and of-

ﬂine experiences that help them enjoy more out of life. Caliro says, “we have been disrupting certain spaces, and now we are disrupting theater by producing a play that will run in December instead of November as what everybody is used to. We want to offer a Christmas activity that can be enjoyed by the Filipino family that is looking to create its new

traditions.” The Globe LIVE and 9Works Theatricals staging of Menken & Ahren’s A Christmas Carol will run of from Dec. 4 to 10, Dec. 14 to 17, and De. 21, 22, and 24 to 27 at the Globe ICONIC Theater in the Bonifacio Global City. For more information, tickets, and for show schedules, visit Ticketworld.

Marvel’s ‘Runaways’ same day as US telecast on HOOQ Drew Arellano (fourth from left) recognized as the Best Travel Oriented TV Show Host at the 1st Philippine Tourism Industry Awards for his show, “Byahe ni Drew”

‘Biyahe ni Drew’ wins Best Travel Oriented TV Show

GMA News TV’s Biyahe ni Drew bagged the Best Travel Oriented TV Show at the 1st Philippine Tourism Industry Awards on Nov. 7 at Okada Manila. Drew Arellano, in turn, was recognized as the Best Travel Oriented TV Show Host. Biyahe ni Drew is a weekly, one-hour travel and adventure program under GMA Pub-

lic Affairs that shows viewers that even with a limited budget and in just a couple of days, anyone can have a memorable vacation in the Philippines and abroad. Since its launch in 2013, it has been hailed thrice as the Best Travel Show by the Philippine Movie Press Club (2014, 2015, and 2016,) with Arellano earning his third

Best Travel Show Host award just recently. Drew was also recognized as the ﬁrst Tourism Star by the Department of Tourism in 2015. At this year’s Catholic Mass Media Awards, it also won as Best Adult Educational/ Cultural Program. It has also received a number of awards and recognitions from local universities for its contribu-

tion to Philippine tourism. The Philippine Tourism Industry Awards (PH Tourism Awards) aims to recognize individuals, organizations and business establishments with signiﬁcant contributions to the overall tourism activities in the Philippines. It is organized by the United Stars Events and Exhibitions Corporation.

Entries to 53rd Anvil Awards now accepted THE Philippine public relations (PR) industry’s most coveted recognition, the Anvil Awards, is now accepting entries for the most outstanding PR tools and programs that have been implemented this past year. Now on its 53rd iteration, the Anvil Awards, organized annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), is the highest recognition an organization can receive in the ﬁeld of PR here in the country. “The Anvil Awards is an important recognition that we give to the most notable PR tools and programs every year,” Owen Cammayo, 53rd Anvil Awards Committee Chairman said. “It is a display of different companies, agencies, and individuals who are harnessing PR to

help shape a better society and a better country.” This year, there are 37 categories under PR tools and programs, and six in special categories. Each entry will be carefully screened by a distinguished panel of jurors that consists of respected names from various areas of expertise. Winners who meet the highest standards in their categories will receive either the Gold Anvil or the Silver Anvil Award. The most outstanding PR tool will receive the Platinum Anvil Award, while the most outstanding PR Program will take home the Grand Anvil Award. The company with the highest number of Gold Anvils will get the Grand Prix Award. The Hall of Fame Award will be con-

ferred to an organization that won the Grand Anvil or the Platinum Anvil five times. Aside from this, the public relations agency that garners the highest accumulated points based on the value of each trophy they receive will be named the Agency of the Year. “We are very excited and confident that this year’s entries will gather the most groundbreaking and innovative PR programs and tools that have helped elevate public relations practice in the Philippines,” Cammayo said. The deadline for the submission of entries is on Dec.15. For more information about the 53rd Anvil Awards, you may visit www. prsp.ph or like and follow PRSP on Facebook atfacebook.com/PRSPofficial.

HOOQ – the largest Video on Demand service in South-East Asia – is proud to announce a new exclusive Marvel offering: the first three episodes of Marvel’s Runaways with brand new episodes coming every week to HOOQ, same day as the US telecast. Chief Content Officer of HOOQ, Jennifer Batty said, “We’re very excited, Runaways ticks all the boxes that we are looking for in a comic book entertainment series. Everyone thinks their parents are evil when they are a teenager BUT what happens when you find out they really are evil!?! With show runners like Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, producers of The O.C. and Gossip Girl, also available on HOOQ, we can expect the series to break away from some of the conventions and tropes that muddle teenage dramas. The first three episodes of Runaways dropped on HOOQ within 12 hours of the US and a brandnew episode follows each week, same day as the U.S. and fully localized for our viewers.” The series, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, follows the story of six teenagers who unite

against a common enemy: their parents, who reveal themselves to be super-villains in a sinister group called the Church of Gibborim. Running away from their respective homes, the teenagers decide to work together to right the wrongs of their parents, and set on a journey to discover the secret of their origins in a fun and original spin on the superhero narrative. Helping them in this struggle are larger-thanlife characters such as Gert, a superheroine with a telepathic connection to a genetically engineered dinosaur known as Old Lace. Runaways stars Rhenzy Feliz (Teen Wolf), Lyrica Okano (The Affair), Virginia Gardner (Project Almanac), Ariela Barer (Yo Gabba Gabba!), Gregg Sulkin (Sixty Six, Wizards of Waverly Place) and Allegra Acosta (100 Things To Do Before High School). Runaways comes at the back of an exclusive landmark deal between HOOQ and The Walt Disney Company that gives HOOQ exclusive rights to three of Marvel’s series: Marvel’s Inhumans, Marvel’s Runaways and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger.

Adapted from one of Marvel’s more oddball comics, “Runaways” is an exciting blend of superhero hijinks and high school soap opera

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Real estate players fret over ‘thinning’ PH power reserve “HOW WELL LIT IS MY VALLEY.” will the power come from?

Mixed-use hubs as far as the Lahar area in Central Luzon will soon need reliable, affordable electricity. But without the infrastructure to support these townships-in-the-offing, where

USINESS industry leaders made up of manufacturers and real estate developers recently expressed concern over delays being encountered by several power projects that will ensure the country’s supply in the coming years. Property and construction players, in particular, are perturbed that large-scale mixed-use projects which are being explored by more and more industry players, could face rough sailing ahead should the lack of sustainable power supply threaten these “townships” that have been sprouting across the country. “Despite a slowdown in the residential condominium market in Metro Manila, developers will continue to pursue township developments in and outside of the capital,” acknowledged Andy Manalac, former chairman of the National Real Estate Association (NREA) and head of Havitas Developments Corp. “For any infrastructure, you need power, that is, reliable and affordable electricity. But how can you build the necessary infrastructure to support these township developments, and grow the communities where they are put up, if there is no reliable power to sustain them?,” he told the Manila Standard “These developments

will remain gloriﬁed ofﬁce parks with condos if development progress is slow,” he warned. “If power is not assured, decent jobs won’t be created, and these townships will not be able to attract highly skilled labor nor businesses to sustain their developments.” Housing backlog David Leechui, CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants Inc., agreed, stressing that adequate, and affordable power supply will help industries to to generate jobs “which is the most viable solution for us who build crucial infrastructure in the low-cost housing industry.” “The more jobs created by businesses, the more affordable the houses become for their workers,” he explained. Leechiu and others in the low-cost housing business believe their sector faces one of the biggest challenges, together with the Philippine government. According to The Philippine Housing Industry Roadmap: 2012-2030, presented by the Subdivision & Housing

Developers Association Inc. (SHDA) to the Bureau of Investments (BOI), if nothing is done or no special housing program is created, the country’s housing backlog will reach 6.5 million by 2030. A power crisis as envisioned by industry observers, could exacerbate these numbers: recent reports revealed that the country’s housing backlog is already estimated at 5.7 million. ‘Build, build, build’ sustainable without power? From Alabang to Balintawak, from Pasig to Laguna, from Pampanga to the Visayas, construction cranes and earth movers crisscross the country in an unprecedented 13-year construction boom. With thousands of new ofﬁce buildings, commercial and condominium developments and housing projects ﬂooding the market, property pundits wonder— can this growth momentum be sustained by the energy needed to power the speed of infrastructure building unfolding over the Philippine business landscape? One popular urban-rural fringe area is Calabarzon— comprising the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. It boasts the country’s second largest gross regional product at P1.644 trillion and a buoyant real estate market.

Major property developers like Ayala and Megaworld have been investing heavily and creating portfolio growth forecasts well beyond a 20year cycle. Last year, a joint venture was entered into by and among leading conglomerates Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), SM Prime Holdings Inc., Megaworld Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. They have joined forces to develop the P123.8-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike.” ALI is also investing P170 billion to develop a 700-hectare mixed-use estate in Cavite similar to other Ayala projects in Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Nuvali. Dark clouds on the horizon The building boom has seen an unprecedented surge in “business parks”, with BPO firms as the largest consumers of office spaces taking up 37% of available inventories in Metro Manila. From now until 2022, the industry is seen to expand by 9% a year, and along with it, a corresponding increase in office space takeup is expected. The possible thinning of power supply in the coming years, and the resulting energy security threat this poses on the Philippine economy, looms as a dark cloud over the prospects of the BPO industry.

Manalac noted that the BPO industry employs some 1.3 million people most of whom have adopted skill sets that have made them globally competitive. They generate $24 billion in export revenues that help balance our current account. BPOs are present in 26 cities nationwide, and have proven to be the most potent instrument for community development and inclusive growth. “In the last 15 years, the BPO industry has spawned a new middle class while igniting the retail, education, transport, and housing sectors in the cities it operates in. All these are put at risk under the cloud of weak energy security,” he said. Giving investors cold feet Quezon congressman Danilo Suarez recently warned that delays by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in approving contracts of power supply generators could result in these investors backing out, thus robbing the country of the opportunity to address the alarmingly thinning power reserve. In an interview with a morning radio show, the House minority leader pointed to the recent spate of yellow alerts by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), a situation when reserve power falls below the required level.

Fast-tracking development “The ERC must fast-track the approval of the application for a power plant that would help generate muchneeded baseload in the country,” Suarez said. “In fact, I find it puzzling why the ERC has not yet approved contracts of power supply generators even if it has already taken them at least five years to study their applications.” “Remember the dark days when we had to buy and commission gas-powered barges? It is crucial for the energy body to give the green light to applicants that complied with the regulatory requirements the authority to construct their power plants,” the congressman said. “The construction of new coal-fired power plants is necessary because the existing coal-fired power plants are outdated and insufficient, rendering them vulnerable to transmission failures,” Suarez explained. “Power plants are not off-the-shelf items: it takes seven to eight years to construct these before they become fully operational.” Suarez cited in particular Atimonan One, a coal-fired power plant in Atimonan, Quezon that has not been cleared by the ERC until now, even if the generation company submitted its application in 2012. It is one of the

seven (Power Supply Agreements) PSAs that entered into a contract with the Manila Electric Co. but which is still being evaluated by ERC. Zero budget for ERC next year? “We cannot keep delaying these projects as we need the stability of energy supply. If there are shutdowns by these old plants, that will mean a spike in prices. We need to stop pointing ﬁngers, and already start these new projects,” he said. Suarez warned the ERC that if it continues in its footdragging with regards to power plant applications, he will propose next year that it gets a zero budget from Congress.”We are hopeful that the ERC can approve at least three out of the seven PSAs before the year ends,” he opined. “Paid” opposition to new power plants Suarez likewise lamented the delaying tactics by “fake” stakeholders and “paid” cause-oriented groups who he claimed are funded by natural gas investors to take advantage of loopholes in the ERC’s procedures in studying power plant applications. “These groups have been doing nothing but block the applications for new power plants, particuarly coal-ﬁred plants, because these are in direct competition with their clients, the LNG players,” he said.

Construction in the spotlight THE Philippine Constructions Association, Inc. (PCA) will be holding PHILCONSTRUCT on January 6 to 9, 2018, at the SMX convention center and World Trade Center. Suppliers, manufacturers, and industry professionals in the construction industry will showcase the latest building materials and construction equipment from 23 countries. Will Decena, overall event chairman and 1st Vice president of PCA, said the event will be a great venue for stakeholders from both the government and the private sector to see how products and technologies from other countries can be used to further strengthen the country’s various structures. Aside from the Philippines, countries who will have the biggest representation at the

28th staging of the show are China, the European Union, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the United States. More than 1,500 companies in total are slated to be part of the showcase. Shown here are Granada, Spainbased Poyatos which designs

and manufactures machine models that are capable to produce a the wide variety of concrete products, such as masonry blocks, pavers, slabs, retaining wall stones, bricks, and curb stones; and Palmex International Inc., a Canadian manufacturer that makes synthetic, eco-friendly palm leaves for tropical thatch rooﬁng.

Best ‘selfie’ spot in town

Latching on to the millennial travel bug

RESORTS World Manila (RWM) recently opened a lighted pedestrian walkway connecting the second level of the Maxims Hotel with Newport Mall. Dubbed Lumina: walkway of lights, RWM’s installation is wired with at least 100,000 multi-colored LED bulbs that if stretched in a straight line is equivalent to approximately 10 kilometers, or the distance between RWM and Greenhills, making it arguably the brightest and longest lighted indoor corridor in the country. “Lumina is our newest attraction at RWM and is perfect for the holiday season,” said Martin Paz, chief integrated marketing ofﬁcer, RWM (Seen in photo). Covering a distance of 110 meters between the hotel and the mall, the paved walkway showcases avant-garde landscapes such as green grass on patches of the ceiling, slanted wall panels creating a kinetic effect, and even water features in the works, making it one of the best selﬁe spots in town. New retail outlets on either side of Lumina are planned in the next six months, Paz said.

RIDING on the wave of a booming tourism industry, the budget hotel sector is expected to prosper in the following years as more millennials travel, according to developer Roxaco-Vanguard Hotel Corporation (RVHC). The company, in partnership with Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), has so far built ﬁve Go Hotels in the Philippines. The company aims to have a total of 20 branches in the next ten years. “We focus on providing the basic necessities and keeping them just a stone’s throw away from the nearest must-visit locales, where visitors can ﬁnd attractions at every corner,” said JJ Montinola, assistant vice president of RVHC. The global travel industry is experiencing a shift as more millennials travel. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, (UNWTO), the number of youth travelers is expected to hit 320 million annually by 2020. “The millennial generation is growing up in a technologically dependent world where travelling is made so easy with the emergence of online booking apps for hotels and airlines, as well as tourist-related apps like language guides and navigation maps,” said Montinola.

NEW HOMEOWNERS, LOOK SOUTH.Property developer, Elanvital Enclaves Inc. (EVE) is expanding. With the success of their 13 hectare flagship project Nostalji Enclave, EVE is opening up a suburban enclave for families set on building a home in the south. The newest offering of EVE for 2015 is Tradizo Enclave in Imus Cavite. Spanning a total of 8.5 hectares, the project has inventory worth approximately P1.3B, or around 500 units, at price ranges from 2.3M to 3.3M. EVE offers a 5% lowest downpayment scheme payable in 5 months. The balance can be paid through In-house financing and / or Bank Financing at a lowest interest of 8% fixed for 1 year. Elanvital Enclaves Incorporated is part of a conglomerate with various business ventures which includes Asia United Bank, Republic Biscuit Corporation (REBISCO) Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg, and Crystal Jade.

OKTOBERFEST FOR THE SENSES. Bathroom and fixtures maker Grohe, in

partnership with Wilcon Depot, recently kicked off an October festival at the Bonifacio Global City amphitheatre in Taguig. The event featured high-end German brands and exhibits, including German food, products and fun. Grohe’s festival revealed two of the company’s game-changing products: Aquasymphony luxury shower and Sensia arena spalet shower toilet. Grohe also expressed support for the four Filipino finalists heading to the World Architecture Festival in Berlin by showcasing their shortlisted projects at the event in collaboration with BluPrint. The four finalists are Jorge Yulo Architects & Associates, Leandro V. Locsin Partners and Eriksson Furunes, Visionary Architecture and WTA Architecture and Design Studio. At the event were Gerard Salonga, Wilcon brand ambassador Tessa Prieto-Valdes; LIXIL Philippines marketing manager Emily Rose Besavilla; Wilcon chief product officer Careen Belo; Grohe AG vice president design Michael Seum; Grohe vice president for marketing in Asia Audrey Yeo; Wilcon chief Ooperating officer Rosemarie Ong; LIXIL water Ttechnology country manager Alen Alban; LIXIL retail sales director Joralyn Ong; Wilcon president Lorraine BeloCincochan; LIXIL Philippines Grohe brand manager Dominique Sevilla; and LIXIL heads of project sales Maverick Arcega and Carlo Malantic.