Manila Standard - 2018 January 01 - Monday

A DOGGO COUPLE’S WISH LIST

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 318 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

House keen on oust-CJ bid

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE perenially controversial House of Representatives is expected to open a new chapter in history in 2018 with the looming impeachment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, as well as in passing unpopular pieces of legislation.

The chapter includes the proposed shift to the federal form of government, the possibly constitutionallychallenged Bangsamoro Basic Law, same-sex marriage and the legalization of medi-

cal marijuana, among others.

In 2017, the House, with the Senate, made the unpopular move of passing the controversial tax-reform package of the Duterte administration which lowers

income taxes but increases taxes imposed on prime commodities such as petroleum; along with the enactment of the 2018 General Appropriations Bill, which was said to be “pork-free.”

Lawmakers led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said testimonial evidence presented at the House Committee on Justice, chaired by PDP-Laban Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, were damning enough to establish probable cause against Sereno.

“The pieces of evidence against Sereno are overwhelming enough to remove

her from office,” Alvarez said in several media interviews.

He was referring to the testimonies of three incumbent Supreme Court justices–Noel Tijam, Francis Jardeleza and Teresita Leonardo de Castro—and retired Justice Arturo Brion before the House justice panel.

In their testimonies, the four SC justices said Sereno had shown disrespect for the entire court and her colleagues and violated the collegial nature of the court through unilateral actions without the approval or contrary to the decision of the court en banc.

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Sereno dared: Quit while your’e ahead

By Rey E. Requejo CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes should consider quitting her post as a New Year’s resolution after her public satisfaction plunged to another record, a critic said Sunday.

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, who filed an impeachment complaint against Sereno in the House of Representatives, said the Filipino people had witnessed only half of the pieces of evidence in the hearings being conducted by the House committee on justice but they were already convinced about her guilt.

“Public service is a public trust,”

Gadon said. “And if a public servant, especially someone who claims to have integrity, is no longer trusted by the people, then it’s time to go if she even has delicadeza.”

Gadon has repeatedly called for Sereno’s resignation supposedly to save the judiciary from further damage as the impeachment case allegedly has shown the division among the high court justices.

But Sereno has also repeatedly rejected the call and vowed to fight her impeachment up to the end.

Gadon said the +6 net satisfactory rating obtained by the Chief Justice

in the latest Social Weather Station survey-the lowest among the five top government officials―only showed that the public was convinced by the allegations against her.

“CJ Sereno’s poll survey performance indicates only an incontrovertible truth: she has lost a huge amount of public trust. Yet we’re not even halfway through with our presentation of evidence,” Gadon said.

He said he expected the ratings of Sereno to plunge further this year as “we continue to reveal the truth [in the charges] in this impeachment process.”

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END-YEAR CELEBRATION. Residents of Rizal province ended the year with a bang in Il Centro Drive, Sta. Lucia Mall on Dec 30, 2017, with a 20-minute fireworks display and a countdown concert staged by FMD Xtreme, December Avenue, Gracenote and MOONSTAR88.

Sonny Espiritu

High alert as ‘Agaton’ threatens Mindanao

By Bill Casas THE Palace urged the public Sunday to coordinate with the authorities as regional disaster management offices went on high alert in anticipation of tropical cyclone “Agaton,” which was expected to make landfall over Eastern Visayas or Eastern Mindanao on Monday or Tuesday.

“The most important

thing is for the public to cooperate with authorities in the areas that would be hit,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in Filipino in an interview on radio dzMM. “Most of the time, they say they might be robbed [if they leave their homes]...

But, you know, at the end of the day, the most important thing is our lives,” Andanar said.

A low pressure area off Mindanao is expected to intensify into a tropical cyclone and pummel the central and southern Philippines on Monday, the state weather bureau said.

Two tropical cyclones lashed Visayas and Mindanao earlier this month, leaving nearly 300 dead, including those who refused to heed government calls to flee to Next page safer ground.

A doggo couple’s wish list for 2018

By Desiree Carlos HE WAS walking on the street, enjoying the soft wind on his face.

He was so happy feeling the ground on his feet and enjoying the wonderful smells coming from everywhere around him— the grass, the neighbor’s

THANKSGIVING PARADE. Thousands of devotees of the Black Nazarene join a thanksgiving procession in Quiapo, Manila on New Year’s eve. Norman Cruz

‘Amid trials, draw strength from gains’ PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday urged the people to embrace 2018 despite the problems posed during 2017.

“As we spend time with our family, friends and loved ones in turning a new page in our nation’s history, let us draw strength from what we have achieved both as individuals and as a community in the past year,” said Duterte in his New Year’s message.

“It is my hope that we foster solidarity as we move forward in our pursuit of providing a more comfortable and productive life for all,” the President said.

“We are at a time when our resolve is being tested by many trials and difficulties. Corruption, criminality, illegal drugs and terrorism have impeded our progress in the past year. However, I Next page

Military: A third of Marawi rid of IS bombs SOME 30 percent of Marawi City’s war-torn areas have been cleared of unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices left by ISIS-inspired terrorist groups, the Armed Forces of the Phil-

ippines said Sunday.

In a statement, Joint Task Force Marawi deputy commander and spokesman, Col. Romeo Brawner, said the clearing operations were being conducted by the militwitter.com/ MlaStandard

tary’s Joint Engineer Task Group.

“The JETG continues its main mission of clearing explosives, completing around 30 percent of the most affected area,”

about to walk toward the gate where the smell was coming from, he heard a loud bark on his right ear.

What the …?!!!

Slowly, Lucas opens his right eye. Summer’s lovely face is two inches away from him. She has that look again: Angry and worried at Turn to A3 the same time.

Davao mall blaze leads to sacking of five firemen

By Rio N. Araja THE inter-agency task force investigating the mall fire that killed 38 people in Davao City on Dec. 23 has recommended the relief of five officials from the Bureau of Fire Protection.

A radio news program identified as Senior Fire Officer (SFO) 1 Leo Lauzon, SFO2 Joel Quizmundo, S SFO1 Roger Dumag, Insp. Renero Jimenez and Supt. Honee Fritz Alagano.

Lauzon was the one responsible for inspecting the SSI office on the fourth floor of the NCCC Mall, and Next page

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facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

corned beef for breakfast, and… wait…the best smell ever…a female dog in heat!

Hey Nanay, let’s go there!

He barked and barked and pulled on the leash to drag his owner to where he was smelling that wonderful scent.

Just when his owner was

S

manilastandard.net

IT’S A DATE. Summer (right) and Lucas on a lunch date

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News

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

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AFP upgrade gains momentum T HE modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines gained momentum in 2017, as contracts for new aircraft, weapons and platforms were signed, while other items were delivered during the year.

The A-29 “Super Tucano” light attack aircraft, made by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer Defense and Security, is one of those shiny new purchases.

Department of National Defense public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong said the Philippines would acquire six Super Tucanos worth P4.968 billion. Funds would be sourced from the AFP Modernization Act Trust Fund. Notice to proceed for the project was issued in the first week of December, he added.

The Super Tucano A-29 was selected after a rigorous public bidding process that saw several manufacturers from different countries participate, Andolong said. The aircraft complies with the stringent technical specifications required by the Philippine Air Force, he added.

The A-29 “is a durable, versatile, and highly advanced aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of missions” and can even operate on unimproved runways, the Defense spokesman added.

Deliveries of the A-29s are expected to commence in 2019.

The Super Tucanos are expected to augment or even replace the 10 ageing Rockwell OV-10 “Bronco” attack planes being used by the PAF in close-air support missions.

Andolong said the Super Tucanos would be turned over and operated by the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing based in Sangley Point, Cavite City.

The 15th Strike Wing is the operator of all the Air Force’s ground attack aircraft, including the venerable Broncos and assorted armed helicopters.

Sidewinders purchased Another welcome develop-

ment for the PAF is the contract signing for the AIM-9 “Sidewinder” air-to-air missiles, which will be used to arm the country’s 12 South Korean-made FA-50PH “Fighting Eagle” currently being used as fighter and attack aircraft.

Incidentally, the Mach 1.5-capable FA-50s were used as ground-attack aircraft during the five-month battle to retake Marawi City from the clutches of the Maute Group terrorists, which started May 23 and ended Oct. 23 this year.

“Notice to Proceed was issued to Diehl Raytheon of Germany last August 31. The ‘Sidewinder’ contract is worth P1,016,734,088,” Andolong added.

He declined toa give the specific number and delivery dates of the missiles for security reasons, but said the weapons “are sufficient for all of the country’s FA-50s.”

The first two FA-50s were delivered on Nov. 28, 2015, with the last two being handed over by Korea Aerospace Industries in May. The 12 South Korean-made jets are worth P18.9 billion.

Meanwhile, the AIM-9s to be acquired are “all live rounds and fresh from the fac-

House...

allegations here that are pure hearsay,” Akbayan Party-:ist Rep. Tom Villarin said.

Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate cautioned the committee against being used in a “fishing expedition” merely to justify the impeachable offenses alleged in the complaint.

“These proceedings should not be used for a fishing expedition just to justify the grounds,” Zarate said.

But Alvarez was quick to debunk allegations that House justice panel’s impeachment proceedings were a fishing expedition.

He said the mere action of the committee to invite several justices of the SC, among other resource persons, was proof that it exerts efforts to validate every information contained in the impeachment complaint.

Cha-Cha chances bright Prospect for Charter Change to effect federalism in 2018 is brighter, as far as Alvarez is concerned.

Alvarez said the House was ready for a grand debate on Charter Change when Congress resumes session in January.

It is eyeing to pass House Concurrent Resolution 09 directing both chambers of Congress to convene into a constituent assembly to rewrite the 1987 Constitution.

While it has yet to get a full commitment from senators that the latter would be willing to give in to their terms in terms of amending the Charter by way of a Con-Ass, Alvarez is confident the push for federalism will snowball as early as next January.

The Lower House in December started floor debates on Charter change with PDPLaban Rep. Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte, chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Reforms, pushing the adoption of HCR 9.

Mercado said time was ripe for federalism, noting the high public trust ratings of President Duterte.

“We have conducted nine hearings here [House of Representatives] and four public consultations nationwide which showed that there is a need to amend or revise the 1987 Constitution,” Mercado said in his sponsorship speech.

Mercado said among the prominent proposals were the amendment of the socio-economic provisions of the Constitution and the total revision of the 1987 Constitution to implement a structural change from the unitary into a federal form of government.

The switch to federalism was among the 27 priority measures identified by the Duterte administration during the Legislative- Executive Development Advisory Council meeting in August.

Congressional leaders earlier agreed to create a joint technical working group composed of congressmen and senators to draft the proposed revisions to the Constitution in the absence of the 25-man Constitu-

tional Commission that Duterte promised to create.

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas earlier said the House and the Senate might tap six to 12 members each in the joint TWG to form a working draft that would be submitted to the Congress which will convene into a Con-Ass to push federalism.

BBL pushed despite snags The House is also poised to work on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic law despite Duterte’s pronouncement that the measure was unlikely to hurdle constitutional barriers.

“I do not think it will hurdle constitutional [barriers],” Duterte said in one of his speeches.

Duterte’s statement came after he asked Congress to hold a special session during its Christmas break to pass the BBL. But both House and Senate leaders rejected the call for a special session as they did not see the need for such.

But early on, the House committee on local government, in a joint meeting with the committee on Muslim Affairs and the committee on peace, reconciliation and unity, created a sub-committee tasked with harmonizing all four bills proposing a basic law for the Bangsamoro, including that of Alvarez’s HB 6475 which proposed the creation of a Bangsamoro political entity and abolishes the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao “to correct the historical injustices inflicted to Muslim people.”

The sub-committee, to be chaired by Liberal Party Rep. Wilter Wee Palma II of Zamboanga Sibugay and represented by at least three members each from the three committees, will come up with a working draft bill based on House Bill 6475, 92, 6121 and 6263 authored by Alvarez, Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra Sinsuat Sema and Reps.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga and Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, respectively.

“The purpose of this Basic Law is to establish a political entity, provide for its basic structure of government in recognition of the justness and legitimacy of the cause of the Bangsamoro people and their aspiration to chart their political future through a democratic process that will secure their identity and posterity and allow for meaningful governance,” Alvarez’s bill states.

Alvarez said his bill aims “to usher (in) a new era of peace and development” not only in Mindanao but throughout the Philippines.

The bill provides: “This bill prescribes the design for the continuation and improvement of vital reforms introduced by the current government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“This restructured entity will enhance existing systems and procedures, as well as estab-

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Among the issues Alvarez and other lawmakers believed had pinned down Sereno was her allegedly inaccurate Statement of Assets and Liabilities—the same offense that got then Chief Justice Renato Corona, her predecessor, ousted in 2012.

Umali said his panel would decide on the probable cause of the Sereno impeachment complaint in February 2018 after it could hear the testimonies of other SC justices in the impeachment proceedings.

It is the first time the Lower House is the one seeking evidence against the subject of an impeachment complaint.

The complainant, lawyer Larry Gadon, accused Sereno of corruption, violation of the Constitution, commission of high crimes and betrayal of public trust.

The House justice panel had asked Sereno to attend the hearing to answer the allegations against her.

But the chief magistrate refused to do so.

Instead, she said her laywers would be the ones to answer the allegations―a fact that was rejected by the administration allies-dominated House justice panel.

In September, the committee found the Gadon impeachment complaint sufficient in form and substance although many of the allegations in the complaint were unsupported by evidence or were based mainly on hearsay and newspaper clippings.

The committee is expected to extract testimonies from three more SC justices when it resumes deliberation in January 2018.

Umali said his panel invited Justices Samuel Martires, Mariano del Castillo and Bienvenido Reyes to speak on the allegations against Sereno.

Martires will testify on the alleged delay of the release of benefits due retired SC workers, while del Castillo is expected to delve on the corruption issues.

Reyes, on the other hand, is set to testify on the “Ilocos 6” row with Court of Appeals justices, said Umali.

Opposition lawmakers said the complaint filed by Gadon was based on mere hearsay because the allegations were based on newspaper clippings.

Since it was based on newspaper clippings, the complaint became a triple hearsay, they said.

They also said Gadon did not even have “personal knowledge” of the acts imputed on Sereno and lawmakers, eager to impeach the Chief Justice, were the ones who looked for evidence to support the allegations in the complaint.

“They are all based on newspaper clippings. I do not think the complainant Gadon was present when all these things happened… There are more

tory,” meaning all its sensors, rocket motors and warheads are brand new, Andolong said.

With the delivery of the missiles, the FA-50s will now have another weapon for air-to-air combat aside from its internal 20mm cannon, making it more capable of protecting the country’s airspace against airborne threats.

The AIM-9, which was developed by the US Navy in the 1950s, is one of the world’s most reliable and successful air-to-air missiles.

It utilizes infrared homing for guidance and tracking, and has a top speed of Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound.

Its warhead weighs around 20 pounds, and the missile has a length of nearly 10 feet.

Other deliverables On the deliverables side, the Philippine Navy on May 8 took delivery of its second strategic sealift vessel (SSV), the BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602), the sister ship of the BRP Tarlac (LD-601), which was delivered and commissioned in 2016.

The former was constructed

by Indonesian shipyard PT PAL (Parser) and commissioned into service last May 31. She was named the “Davao Del Sur” in honor of Mount

Apo, the country’s highest peak, which is in the province.

“It gives due recognition to the province as sanctuary of natural wonders and rarities like the country’s highest peak Mount. Apo, the most prized Philippine orchid Vanda Sanderiana, and the endangered Philippine Eagle,” Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna said.

Also, the namesake takes inspiration from a former PN vessel of the same name, notable for its accomplishments during the 1980s.

“Naming the vessel after Davao Del Sur is consistent with its predecessor, BRP Tarlac (LD-601), which was also named after a province,” Lincuna added.

The ship was launched last Sept. 29. Together with the BRP Tarlac, the ships are currently the largest Filipino warships in commission. Both ships have an overall length of 120 meters, breadth of 21 meters, draft of five meters, and can carry a payload of 2,800 tons.

The vessels have a cruising speed of 13 knots, maximum speed of 16 knots, and a minimum operating range of 7,500 nautical miles. Both

lish a new set of institutional arrangements and modalities between the central government and the autonomous government with respect to the sharing of wealth and revenues, transitional aspects, and normalization.”

Alvarez has assured the stakeholders that the Lower House will do its “part to help find peace in Mindanao.”

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that Filipino Muslims and Christians united amid a new threat coming from Islamist militants, espousing an extremist and violent ideology radically different from Islam’s tenets of peace and bortherhood,” Alvarez said.

The four bills seek to provide for the BBL and abolish the ARMM. They seek to repeal Republic Act 9054, titled “An Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” and RA 6374 titled “An Act Providing for an Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”

Earlier, the three committees held an initial deliberation on the BBL proposals wherein the creation of a sub-committee, which would harmonize the four bills, was approved.

Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr. of South Cotabato, chairman of the Committee on Local Government, said the bills seek to grant the autonomous region in Mindanao more flexibility and a wider range of authority in politics, economy and finance.

Medical marijuana The main author of the proposed medical marijuana bill expressed hope the Senate would share the same enthusiasm as the House in supporting the bill.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, principal author of House Bill 6517 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis bill, said the fact that the discussions on the measure had reached the plenary level was proof that many of his colleagues recognized the importance of the medicinal and beneficial use of cannabis by patients suffering from pain and other debilitating medical conditions.

The House committee on health, chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, earlier approved the bill and submitted it for floor deliberations to address concerns or apprehensions aired by several medical groups and other sectors who were against the bill.

The bill is expected to get a third and final reading approval when sessions resume in January.

Albano pointed out that through the bill, “We advocate the legal use of medical marijuana to help terminally ill patients and patients with debilitating disease or medical condition for pain management considerations,” he added.

Albano said “very stringent control provisions” in the measure on the use of medical

marijuana were spelled out in HB 6517 to prevent any abuse and harm patients legally allowed or authorized by doctors to use it.

Among the vocal critics of the proposed medical cannabis bill are Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay and Sen. Vincente Sotto III. But newly-appointed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III supports the intent of Albano’s measure. During the 16th Congress, when the bill was introduced, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Phillippines backed the proposed measure because it realized that medical marijuana will help patients who are in pain ot suffering from other forms of discomfort.

Albano said it would be unfair to judge the bill and reject it outright without having thoroughly read and fully undetstood its content and intent.

“Access to medical use is also very stringent because medical use of marijuana will be allowed only to patients who are terminally ill or suffering from debilitating medical conditions,” Albano said.

Licensed unions of LGBT Alvarez advocates “civil partnerships” in filing House Bill 6595 which recognized licensed unions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples.

The House leadership, Alvarez said, will prioritize the passage of his proposed Civil Partnership Act that seeks to grant LGBT couples the same rights and privileges enjoyed by spouses.

Alvarez’s bill proposes to allow consenting adults “of either the same or opposite sex” to be into “civil partnership couples” that enjoy “all benefits and protections … granted to spouses in a marriage.”

Alvarez’s proposal provides that no one can enter into a civil partnership unless he or she is at least 18 years old and “free from any previous bond of marriage or civil partnership.”

Couples have to “share a common domicile” for at least two uninterrupted years during the time of application for a license, and their relationship should be “publicly known.”

The bill states that administering officers for marriages under Article 7 of the Family Code would also be authorized to administer civil partnerships, but priests or their equivalents would be free to choose whether to officiate over a civil partnership ceremony.

Under the bill, civil partnership couples would be allowed to adopt children as long as they meet legal qualifications but “only when there are no married couples willing to adopt the child,” or if the child belonged to one of the partners.

It provides that civil partnership couples would also be bound by the marital communication privilege, which prohibits them from testifying against the other.

SSVs have a contract price of P4 billion.

The ships can carry 500 troops each, besides two rigidhull inflatable boats, two landing craft units, and three helicopters apiece. The pair was extensively used to transport troops and their equipment during the Marawi City campaign.

The Navy also took delivery of three additional multi-purpose attack craft (MPAC) last May 22, bringing the number of MPACs in the PN inventory to nine.

However, these naval craft are not the average MPACs, as its has provisions for the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.’s Spike ER (extended range) missile systems, making them the first Filipino warships to be armed with these weapons.

The contract for the three ships is P270 million. The weapons are on anti-ship mode, meaning it can engage surface vessel targets, and are capable of penetrating 1,000 mm (39 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor with a maximum range of five miles.

Former Navy flag-officerin-command Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado— who was suddenly fired just

after Christmas—earlier said the missiles and their launchers would arrive before Christmas. However, both Andolong and the Navy chief had yet to confirm the arrival of the weapons.

All these defense equipment and items were acquired during the AFP Modernization Program Horizon One program, which started in 2013 and ends this year.

Other equipment acquired during Horizon One are the two Hamilton-class cutters (renamed the Del Pilar-class frigates), six MPACs, 114 armored personnel carriers, three brand-new C-295 medium lift aircraft, two C-130 heavy transports, five utility versions of the Agusta Westland AW109 helicopters, eight Westland attack versions, and five landing craft heavies.

Horizon Two will start in 2018 and end in 2022, while Horizon Three will commence from 2023 to 2028.

The last two phases involve bolstering the AFP’s external defense capabilities, and includes the acquisition of multirole fighters, missile batteries, diesel-electric submarines, and more modern detection and surveillance systems. PNA

NY ATTRACTION. A super moon appeared late afternoon of Dec. 30, 2017. It is 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal moon. It becomes a special attraction in the sky during New Year’s celebration. Ver Noveno

‘Amid...

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remain hopeful that our resilience will enable us to overcome and rise above these challenges as one nation,” Duterte said.

“Let us embrace this coming year’s uncertainty with a glimmer of hope and remain determined in achieving our vision of a better and more prosperous future,” Duterte said.

The National Secretariat for Social Action, also known as Caritas Philippines, said it prayed for an “enlightened Philippines in 2018, committed to eradicate poverty and uphold life and human rights.”

“Though 2017 have presented us with challenges which almost divided us as a nation, we have many other things to be thankful for,” said Caritas National Director Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona. “Our resilient spirit made us rise above the numerous typhoons. Despite the many environmental struggles we have faced, our efforts to protect the environment especially against mining have been sustained and produced positive results. The anti-drug campaign has endeavored us to stand up for life and uphold

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noted no violations when there were “so many,” said Fire Senior Supt. Jerom Candido of the task force.

Quizmundo, on the other hand, inspected the NCCC mall and found no violations, when the task force found several, including problems with their automatic sprinkler system and fire exits that had no fire door.

The task force is working under the theory that the fire was started by an electrical short circuit.

Information gathered indicated that the sprinklers were not working on the third and fourth floors of the building because their valves were closed.

Most of those killed in the fire were employees of Research Now SSI, a Texas-

human rights.”

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, meanwhile, exhorted his fellow senators to keep their trust in 2018 and work harder to improve the quality of life for all.

“Come January 2018, we will work on the Anti-Terrorism Law, a law creating the National ID system, a law providing Universal Health Care, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and a measure that would convene Congress as a Constitutional Assembly and pave the way for the shift to federalism,” said Pimentel.

The Senate leader ]expressed his gratitude to the Filipino people for their continued trust in his leadership of the Senate.

Senator Gace Poe said the Senate still has unfinished work to do for the country.

“We face the year 2018 with a renewed hope that we shall rise above everything that will come our way,” she said.

She noted that year 2017 challenged the people’s mettle and unity as a nation. But amid the crisis in Marawi, typhoons, earthquakes and other natural and manmade calamities, the Filipino people and their leaders have remained united and resilient as a nation. Bill Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta based call center that held office on the fourth floor of the mall.

On Sunday, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo questioned the safety of workplaces in Metro Manila in the wake of the Davao City tragedy.

He said there was a compelling need to inspect establishments not only in the National Capital Region but in other urban areas to ensure the safety of workers.

“There are a lot of questions why and how the 37 employees inside the NCCC Mall got trapped in the building and never had a chance of survival,” he said.

“This incident, along with other fire occurrences in the past seem to tell us that there is something remiss in the way we deal with safety in the workplace,” he added.

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Traditional folly

O

VER the years and for millions of Filipinos, regulations and advisories on the use of firecrackers have been mere suggestions.

Many of us grew up in the tradition of noise and light on New Year’s Eve. Some honestly believe that the revelry can drive out bad luck, evil spirits or negative vibes.

Others think it can usher in good fortune.

Some simply feel that the celebrations would be incomplete without them.

The worst are those who keep tradition for the sake of keeping them, without even really knowing why.

Year after year, we see the folly of these

practices. Fireworks displays are relatively safe and nice to watch, but the more dangerous kind maims and kills either the users themselves or innocent bystanders. It’s unnecessary risk and a waste of money, and those bold enough to challenge tradition would see why.

It is good that the Palace issued Executive Order 28 in the middle of last year to regulate the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices. The order tasks the Philippine National Police to coordinate with the Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Fire Protection in enforcing the order.

Likewise, the DILG has warned the public against violating Republic Act 7183—an Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Dis-

tribution and Use of Firecrackers and Other Pyrotechnic Devices. Those breaching the law will fined, imprisoned, or both.

The law lists the firecrackers that are prohibited—piccolo or “scratch bangers,” pop pop, Goodbye Philippines or Crying Bading, Yolanda or Goodbye Napoles, Watusi, Pla-pla, Giant Kuwitis, Watusi or “dancing firecrackers,” Super Lolo, Atomic Big Trianggulo, Mother Rockets, Lolo Thunder, Pillbox, Boga, Big Judah’s Belt, Big Bawang, Kwiton, Bin Laden, Kabasi, Atomic Bomb, Five Star, Og, and Giant Whistle Bombs, and all others exceeding two grams or 1.3 teaspoons of gunpowder.

As a compromise, others are allowed— Baby rocket, bawang, small triangle, pulling of strings, paper caps, el diablo, and sky rocket (kwitis), sparklers, luces, fountains,

jumbo regular and special, mabuhay, Roman candle, trompillo, airwolf, whistle device, and butterfly.

The bulk of the responsibility will be on local government leaders whose stewardship will determine how strictly these regulations are implemented, and how violators are dealt with. It’s a big task for police communities at the height of celebrations, and only those with strong will can get their jobs done, and done right.

Today the noise has died down and the air has cleared. We have yet to see whether the campaign is successful, even as we wonder why seemingly commonsensical things have to be legislated.

A better year would allow Filipinos to realize, on their own, that they must simply stay away from the things that pose danger to themselves and others.

Worse for workers than for consumers

By Noah Smith

Yet, again, on time THE passing of a year and the advent of a new one are the pretext for my annual musings on time. I have always maintained what I can call a non-cosmological position in regard to time: that time is not primarily about something in the world.

Time is basically that kind of a creature for whom a future is real, one for whom there are possibilities, in such wise that the existence of such a being—that you and I are—is correctly defined as the actualization of possibility, of the future coming to pass.

Calendar years are therefore an artifice, and that

Pope Gregory the Great saw fit to correct what he thought (rightly so) to be amiss with the Julian Calendar just shows that the kind of time that calendars and watches measure cannot be the most fundamental phenomenon. It is only when there can be a “not yet” that there can be an “already” and a “has been.”

And obviously these temporal ascriptions are also subject-indicators: they ultimately lead to the human subject. So it is that “time management” strategies have nothing to do with cosmic management but with decisions that one makes or should make about what should come first, about what must be attended to first.

Lately, however, it has struck me that we seem to

be less in pletely control of within time and the realm that, on of what May 2018 the conthe embring possibility, trary, we ployee or seem to the offiopportunity and be more cial could promise. under its b r i n g control. about.

Time has T h e t a k e n “timeon some frame” kind of objectivity that has a provided was was one bestructuring, constricting and yond which one could not directory effect on human work. That is also the the decisions and actions. Be- issue with martial law. It fore the end of the year, for could not last beyond sixty one, books of accounts had days, until the President to be “closed,” bank state- asked for an extension until ments had to be reconciled, Christmas, and then again pending disbursements had for a year-long extension. to be acted one before the Whence then the “obstroke of midnight of the jectivity” of present-day last working day. Of course time? That kind of objecall of these were possibili- tivity that seems to hem us ties, but they were not com- in, that explains the con-

temporary phenomenon of “beating deadlines” and the existential feeling of being harried? The fiscal year is the structuring of the year for financial, economic and monetary purposes. The academic year the structuring of school days according to academic activities.

The quarters of the year are administrative constructs according to which targets are set and achievements, measured. The objectivity of time, therefore, is “institutional.” This is yet one more manifestation of that phenomenon that social phenomenologists have long reported: The dominance of the system.

The time that that gives us deadlines, that lays down parameters for human action and limits on decision is system-driven. It is insti-

tution-generated: Hence, “institutional objectivity.”

It is as objective as the institutions that we create and that, paradoxically but with a certain degree of necessity, colonize and dominate us.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Teachers who fail to submit grades on time are a scourge on their students, and public officials who take their time about accomplishing official tasks are the bane of public service. And that is one thing about which much of the country is now blasé: public officials and putative civil servants “taking time.”

In this sense, what it is is defying institutional time; going awry with the limits set by institutional time. It is an

MONOPOLY power is a hot topic of economic debate. Economists are starting to ask whether increasing industrial concentration is choking off productivity growth, reducing capital investment, throttling or deterring would-be entrepreneurs, raising consumer prices, and reducing the share of national income flowing to workers.

This is a good and important effort. But it’s also possible that with all the attention being paid to concentration at the industry level, there hasn’t been enough focus on the other end of the monopoly problem—local labor markets.

Monopoly means there’s only one company to sell you products, like broadband services or airline tickets. If there’s only one company, or only a few, they can jack up the prices. But even if this is happening, the effect isn’t that severe. Looking at overall trends, we see that prices for consumer goods such as clothes, furniture, electronics and toys have generally fallen, while the prices of essentials like food, housing and transportation have risen only modestly—it’s health care and education that are driving inflation. But the real problem is the sluggish growth of real wages in recent years: Economists and policy makers worried about industrial concentration may be focusing too much on the prices companies charge consumers, and not enough on the wages they pay their workers.

Higher prices for airline tickets and broadband are annoying, but reductions in real wages are devastating, especially for the working class.

So in addition to monopolies, we need to think about local monopsonies—cases where there’s only one employer, or a few employers, in town. A company doesn’t need to be nationally big in order to be locally dominant—it could be a

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

A5

A dose of death A 1,177.8-km road trip TO DO something different, and due to some very strong lobbying from my wife, the family decided to go on a road trip to the province of Ilocos for the holiday break. The novelty gave me enough motivation to do some last-minute bookings thru the Internet to set up a three-night, four-day trip with my wife and kids.

We left Ortigas Center on Christmas morning at 7:30 a.m. and took the TPLEX. Traffic was light on Edsa; NLEX and SCTEX were also light, and road conditions were excellent. Except for quite a few slow drivers who like to hog the overtaking lane, it was a pleasant drive. For regular tollway users these slow pokes are irritating and can actually be seen as moving hazards that can cause terrible accidents.

If there is technology to apprehend over speeding, driving below the minimum speed limit should likewise be penalized. Vehicles not fit for the highway should not be allowed in the tollways. We reached the exit at Pozzorubio in under two hours.

After exiting TPLEX, the next moving hazard that will test your driving skills and patience are the tricycles and motorcycles who have taken over the highways going 15 to 30 KPH causing hundreds of slow moving processions along the beautiful highways to the north. A classic case of the new clashing with the obsolete. These tricycles easily caused about an hour delay! The safety issues are very obvious with a couple of very close calls because of all the overtaking necessary.

The roads are wide enough with nicely cemented outer lanes, but most insist on staying in the middle taunting you to pass at your own risk.

The pace drastically slowed down from Agoo to San Fernando in La Union with more tricycles and traffic as you go through each town. These LGUs should do some strategic traffic management and anticipate a growing volume of vehicles they will need to manage.

We reached our first destination, a resort in a beautiful cove in Santiago, Ilocos Sur, at 1:30 p.m., six hours after we left Pasig.

According to other travelers in the resort we made it in very good time. Thanks to the technology of my navigation app, which thankfully worked all the way.

After a night’s rest, some partying, morning activities, and photo ops, we pushed on to Pagudpud before noon. The drive was nice except for again the dreaded tricycles, again the major cause of delay and hazard. As it was my first time driving through Ilocos, I was happy about the quality of the highways and how well maintained they are. The nice roads and scenic views of the Ilocos coast will have to wait for a return trip as I wanted to reach Pagudpud before dark. We did stop once when we couldn’t resist a few selfies with the fantastic vista of big waves breaking along the coast of Bangui Bay as background. We were also surprised about the strong winds and cold weather.

Beautiful!

Approaching Pagudpud the weather turned grey and rainy. I needed to be extra alert to safely negoti-

ate the wet winding roads and, again, tricycles! They are everywhere! Still, the roads are in top condition and there was great scenery all over!

Finally reached our Pagudpud destination by dusk after an estimated five-hour drive, cold winds blowing hard, and light rains, exhausted but with a good feeling of accomplishing an objective.

We settled down, had dinner, some wine, then went to sleep.

The weather in Pagudpud the following morning was still wet but we still managed to snap some photos and take videos of

WHAT was intended to be a shot in the arm (meaning a boost or help) is turning out to be a dose of death for school children injected by the defective Dengvaxia vaccine.

The Department of Health has confirmed 53 dengue cases even after vaccination. It is now evident that the Aquino government paid the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur P3.5 billon for a vaccine that has no efficacy. This has to be the scam of the century. Two deaths of minors were recorded recently in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Quezon City. They of two minors showed all the symptoms of the ill effects of getting a shot of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Forensic experts said

Here are what I suggest.

worse than illegal drug dealing. President Rodrigo Duterte is waging a relentless campaign against illegal drugs unaware that the government it replaced was engaged in distributing dangerous drugs itself.

The dengue vaccine has been found to have adverse effects and even lethal to those who have not contracted the disease but were injected with Dengvaxia. These are the thousands of school children the Department of Health ordered vaccinated.

The DoH disclosed that in Central Luzon alone, more than 250,000 school children were given shots of the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The nationwide vaccination campaign, according to PNoy’s defense at a Senate hearing, “was to save lives” in the wake of an emerging epidemic of the mosquito-borne disease. On the contrary, anti-dengue vaccine has put at risk hundreds of thousand schoolchildren.

Clearly, Noynoy and his cohorts were “na-denggoy,” the Pilipino word for “fooled.”

How can Sanofi Pasteur make up for this grievous crime against the Filipino people? It can do two things which will still fall short when lives are lost.

Sanofi can either reimburse the full amount paid by the Philippine government plus compensate those who fall ill and die from their deadly dengue vaccine “Golden lies” In a Christmas party it hosted for Philippine media, propagandists of the Embassy of China in Manila, the host gushed and described a new “golden era” of Chinese-Philippine ties. My eyes must be failing me. I thought I read “lies.” Aside from the sumptuous food served the press, more lies are being fed to Filipinos particularly China’s true intent in the West Philippine Sea and its rich resources in the seabed.

This is why China was riled

when Manila signed a joint exploration in the area with Taipei.

Kudos to Manila Economic and Cultural Office head Lito Banayo for forging the oil exploration deal.

Red Crescent donation On a happier note, we received news that the victims of typhoon Vinta which swept Mindanao received $280,000 dollars donation from the Red Crescent Society of Qatar.

Apart from the monetary donation, the Embassy of Qatar said Red Crescent volunteers workers are now in the typhoon-stricken areas assessing the damage and other needs of residents. They are coordinating with counterpart Philippine National Red Cross.

Qatar is host country to some 300,000 Filipino workers most of whom are deployed in the capital Doha.

Our OFWs in Qatar are some of the better paid foreign workers in the Middle East.

Trump can’t run the government with temps Bloomberg editorial

the amazing beach scene.

Locals said it had been raining for more than two weeks. The waves were big, like a scene from one of Hawaii’s beaches.

There were many braving the cold weather and waves but we decided to stay on the safe side and just enjoy the view.

We left earlier anticipating the stop-overs we could take in the return trip and was back on the road by 10 a.m.

The road trip southbound was more eventful. When we got back to Bangui, the weather was sunny and perfect. We made many stops to pose with the wind turbines, the so-called wind mills of Bangui. Those things are huge! We also stopped at Kapurpurawan Rock for more pics and had bagnet for lunch. Then a longer drive down to Paoay Church for a quick prayer, photos and a much-needed coffee break. From Paoay we pushed on to our next destination: Vigan.

We encountered some heavy holiday congestion there, being a regular working day and peak tourist season. With tricycles and now trucks and tourists on the road, it was a very slow drive to Vigan.

Thankfully, we were able to dodge several traffic jams thanks again to my navigation app. We finally reached Vigan by 7 PM. Settled down, we had Chinese for dinner, a break from all that bagnet and longganiza. A few shots of brandy and finally rest.

Vigan day started early with Vigan longganiza for breakfast, of course, then a whole morning of selfies, photos, and videos along Calle Crisolo. I think this was one of the highlights for my wife. I was the cameraman most of the time. After a hearty lunch, we left for what was planned to be the return trip home. This was not to be.

On the drive home we encountered one of the worst holiday traffic jams I have ever suffered in my 40 years of driving experience. Tricycles, undisciplined drivers with no sense of traffic rules or courtesy, illegally parked vehicles, all of which sound familiar. After four hours of traffic I decided to call friends for some recommendation on a decent and safe hotel in La Union. Got a few good

the casualties both young boys suffered from bleeding gums and complications from bloated kidneys.

Before their deaths their parents said they were healthy young boys and never had the dreaded dengue disease.

Despite all the medical evidence pointing to Dengvaxia’s deadly, downside effects , Sanofi Pasteur is still standing firm on its claim that Dengvaxia is safe. To distribute and dispense Dengvaxia without a full research is criminal negligence. Sanofi in effect is using Filipinos as guinea pigs in their greed for profits. The former No No Aquino administration with its health secretary Janette Garin are culpable of mass murder in case more deaths are recorded.

The Aquino administration paid Sanofi P 3.8 billion without conducting due diligence on the drug they are buying with taxpayers money. This is

IN AT least one respect, Donald Trump’s presidency is already historic: Never before has a president left so many senior jobs vacant for so long. If his goal is to downsize the bureaucracy—not a terrible idea— then he is going about it in a spectacularly wrongheaded way.

There are 624 senior appointed positions in the federal government that require confirmation by the Senate, a number that accounts for about 0.0001 percent of the workforce. For nearly 250 of those jobs, the White House hasn’t yet nominated anyone at all. Of the

371 candidates Trump has named for key positions, 240 have been confirmed, along with 49 lower-level nominees, for a total of 289.

(By comparison, his four predecessors all had at least 400 confirmed nominees at this point.)

Aside from being managerial malpractice, this negligence may be illegal: At least a dozen administration officials are currently serving in a temporary capacity, even though the administration hasn’t nominated anyone for the job. That violates the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which bars the executive branch from filling jobs with acting officials

Worse...

From A4

Wal-Mart branch, but it could just as easily be an independent lumber mill, coal mine or dairy farm.

If a locally dominant employer lowers wages, why don’t the workers just move away? They may be sentimentally attached to their home.

They may not have the money to move, or may lack the networks that would allow them to find a job and settle in in a new location. Or they may be two-income families that can’t move without finding two new jobs. Whatever the reason, it’s undeniably true that Americans are moving around the country less than they used to. That potentially makes them more vulnerable to wage suppression by employers that dominate the local market.

Recent empirical evidence suggests that these kinds of employers are, in fact, suppressing wages. A new paper by economists José Azar, Ioana Marinescu, and Marshall

Yet...

From A4

attempt of the subject to recapture the subjectivity of time at the expense of institutional demands—which

tips but all were full. Finally, after more than six hours from Vigan we found a good hotel in San Juan, La Union with one last room quite adequate for our needs. Thank God! We caught their last call for a nice quiet dinner then went to bed. We are now accidental tourists.

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and by luck we stayed in a beach-front hotel in a town known for surfing. We went to a restaurant reputed to have the best breakfast in town and it was! Spirits were up again spent the whole morning on the beach. There was even time for a surfing lessons for my son. We had a hearty lunch before the long trip home part two, which commenced at 1:30PM. What hit us was the per-

for longer than 300 days without sending a nominee to the Senate. The administration has attempted to work around this rule by delegating authorities to different offices in the same agency—but those moves may be subject to legal challenge, too.

Because duties performed by these acting officials are considered to have “no force or effect,” the administration risks jeopardizing some of its anti-regulatory priorities.

Lawsuits brought under the Vacancies Act could halt, among other things, Trump’s efforts to loosen Obama-era restrictions on methane emissions on pub-

lic lands and the serving of flavored milk in public schools.

Trump has defended this delinquency by saying most of these jobs are “unnecessary.” But the majority of them were created by congressional statute— which is why Congress needs to apply more pressure by giving the Vacancies Act more teeth. Banning acting officials from drawing a salary after 300 days, or requiring that vacant offices be filled by career civil servants after the deadline passes, might do the trick.

If the president is serious about streamlining the senior leadership of the ex-

Steinbaum analyzes data from the website CareerBuilder.com, breaking down job postings by commuting zone and occupation.

They find that for occupations that have fewer employers posting on the website within a commuting zone, wages are lower than for occupations where lots of companies are looking for workers.

That’s consistent with the story that dominant employers are using their market power to hold down wages in areas where workers don’t have many choices. There could be other explanations—for example, towns with few employers tend to have lower wages in general.

But Azar et al. control for the level of wages in the surrounding area. They also find that occupations that have only a few employers at the national level tend to have lower wages than other jobs in an area. That rules out most of the obvious alternative explanations for the correlation.

Azar et al.’s evidence is important, but it’s just the first step. Data sources other than one website should be analyzed to see if the pat-

is exactly why failure to act within certain “periods” (institutionally imposed limits) can be administratively if not criminally actionable. The efficacy and increase in systems has brought with it the institu-

fect storm of holiday traffic jams. You name it, it happened. High volume of vehicles going north and south, even more tricycles causing hours of delay, deadly combination of slow trucks and tricycles, accidents, breakdowns, illegal parking, road construction, stupid drivers. It was agonizingly slow from San Juan, La Union all the way to Kennon Road junction in Sison, Pangasinan.

Entering TPLEX in Pozzorubio was a great relief. I was able to drive normally for a while until we reached the Mabalacat exit at SCTEX where traffic was building up. NLEX was even slower with average speeds hardly hitting 80 KPH. Why? You could probably guess. Slow vehicles on the left lane creat-

tional objectivity of time.

But it has to be redeemed as the actualization of human possibility.

It has to be reclaimed as the subject’s capacity to make the future come to pass. Without dismantling

ing moving blockades with slow trucks! Where did these people learn how to drive? I knew this was not the end of it anticipating the usual traffic mayhem of a Friday payday when we hit Balintawak exit.

As expected we hit the heavy traffic of Edsa Balintawak all the way to Cubao, this time caused by no other than the uncontrollable busses jockeying for passengers.

This has been a decade old problem that no government has ever solved.

We were home sweet home 9:30 PM after eight hours of hard driving. Total distance travelled was exactly 1,177.8 km. Total time excluding stop-overs was about 25 hours! Average speed a slow 47.2 kph.

As the government starts venturing into what

ecutive branch—and it has grown by 624 percent since 1961—he should work with Congress to identify which high-level jobs are no longer necessary. Any essential functions should be reassigned to other parts of the bureaucracy, in accordance with the law.

By all appearances, this administration has little interest in making the bureaucracy more responsive or efficient. Instead, the president seems intent on sabotaging the effectiveness of the federal government by refusing to fill his own branch’s upper ranks.

Congress and the courts shouldn’t let him get away with it.

tern holds up. And researchers should investigate whether a merger results in a decrease in wages in areas where that combination reduces the number of employers hiring within a certain field. If mergers do reduce wages by reducing workers’ employment options, that would be the smoking gun, and a firm basis for government action.

But what Azar et al.’s paper shows is that antitrust is a local issue as well as a national one, and that raising wages needs to be a key goal for antitrust policy.

Fortunately, some politicians are already acting. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison has introduced a bill that would implement annual reviews of big mergers. Ellison’s bill would analyze not just whether the mergers led to higher or lower prices, but also their effect on wages and the local economy. Nor is Ellison alone in his quest — there is an entire antitrust caucus forming in the House of Representatives. The country is finally waking up to the dangers of market power. Bloomberg

needful institutions and the objectivity of time that such institutions create, we must regain time as the positing of that which may not yet be, but which can be and should desirably be so. That way, 2018 will not

merely be a fresh page on a new calendar, but will be possibility, opportunity and promise!

it envisions as a golden age on infrastructure, transportation is the most urgent.

Coming from the point of view of a well experienced, defensive driver who believes that discipline is key to safety and convenience on the road, I came up with the following constructive observations: • LGUs must educate and even discipline tricycle drivers. This is an urgent issue that puts to risk thousands of lives.

• As the road infrastructure improves and expands, an efficient railway system in Mega Manila and linking provinces north and south of Luzon will be a long-term alternative to driving and commuting via the already congested national highways.

• More world-class toll-

ways such as NLEX, SLEX, SCTEX, TPLEX should be built bypassing the smaller roads of town and municipalities. This will drastically reduce travel time and boost even more tourism and local economies outside of Mega Manila.

• The current bus system in Metro Manila must be abolished. There must be a transition to a monopolized system that eliminates the inefficiency of all these competing bus companies hogging Edsa. Only a monopoly can implement a bus network that provides scheduled us routes that will efficiently service millions of commuters of the megapolis.

Still, with a brand new year comes new hope. May the new year bring good fortune and happiness! Cheers!

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

A6

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Suspect in murder of 2 Japanese falls

P

UERTO PRINCESA CITY—Police arrested on Saturday a suspect in the murder of two Japanese nationals in Culion town, Palawan six months ago in Tarlac.

Palawan Provincial Legal Officer, lawyer Teodoro Jose Matta, confirmed Saturday the arrest of Sonny Anicete, alias “Tatan,” in Barangay Poblacion 1, Pura town, Tarlac by police personnel from the PRO 3 Regional Public Safety Battalion.

Matta said the manhunt for Anicete was supported by the Palawan provincial govern-

ment under its peace and order initiative.

The alleged founder of the Palawan-based “Commando” group, Anicete is now detained in a jail facility in Tarlac l. The warrant for Anicete’s arrest was issued by Judge Arnel Cesar of Branch 49, Regional Trial Court.

“We’re trying to see if he can

be sent back to Puerto Princesa within the holidays. If not, maybe the first week of January next year, to be surrendered to the RTC,” Matta said.

He said there is a possibility to recommend Anicete’s incarceration at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm where he could not escape.

“I am inclined to recommend

that he be detained in Iwahig.

He is very influential and can run away again if detained anywhere else. This goes to show too, that if you commit a crime in Palawan, it doesn’t mean you would go unpunished. Finally, the wheels of justice can now turn on this murder case,” he said.

Anicete, who has been on the

run since June, was reported to be the recruiter of the suspected killers of Japanese nationals Itani Masaru, 59, and Arai Yoshihiru, 24.

The victims were shot and their bodies dismembered before being dumped into the water in a remote island located west of Galoc Island in Culion town, Palawan. PNA

Du30’s global debut highlights DFA gains FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has touted the country’s “debut” in the international scene as one of the major highlights of his department in 2017.

“Suddenly, the Philippines is not just the president or the country in the room, but we’re relevant, we’re being listened to,” said Cayetano.

Within 12 months, 2017 witnessed the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summits and related meetings. It also saw President Rodrigo Duterte engaging dialogue partners, both traditional and non-traditional, through productive state visits.

According to Cayetano, what was once a goal to reposition the foreign policy to “rebalance” ties has now gained footing.

This, with successful engagements with traditional allies (such as the United States and Japan) and non-traditional partners (such as China and Russia).

“Our ’friends to all, enemy to none’ has produced results in economy, in investments, in tourism and other sectors,” the foreign affairs chief told reporters recently.

For his part, newly appointed DFA Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said the Philippines is “being listened to, now.”

“Apparently the opinion of the Philippines matters now. We’re finding our place in the table, for example, our leadership in Asean was very distinct,” Abella told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.

“The government upped its game, it’s no reflection upon the past necessarily, but definitely, in terms of performance, it has improved,” the President’s former spokesman said.

“The fact that US President Donald Trump recognized the Philippines as prime piece of real estate, it’s something to that effect,” he added. “Largely we’re not being ignored; in other words, we’re being recognized as participants in the economic scene.”

Independent foreign policy In the early months of Duterte’s stay in Malacanang, his move to present an “independent foreign

policy” was observed as a pivot to Beijing at the expense of Manila’s longstanding partner, Washington.

The Chief Executive’s caustic tone against the US administration, then led by Barack Obama, last year has turned harmonious, with strengthened bilateral cooperation under the Donald Trump administration.

On Dec. 28, days before the year closed, US State Secretary Rex Tillerson said both countries agreed to further enhance ties.

Citing a phone call with Cayetano, Tillerson said the two foreign ministries are “in sync” in opposing the unlawful nuclear and missile program of North Korea, as well as hoping for the speedy rehabilitation of Marawi City.

“Both sides agreed to work to increase bilateral cooperation under the US-Philippines alliance and other pressing issues in 2018,” he said.

Last November, Trump met with Duterte in Manila, discussing a broad range of shared interests and priorities.

Both leaders praised the “enduring” Philippines-US alliance, confirming the departure from tensioned diplomacy between the two states as displayed in 2016.

New chapter in bilateral ties Meanwhile, as the country opened its arms widely to Russia, Ambassador Igor Khovaev said the two states are “on the right track” in pursuing a partnership.

In May, Duterte held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In October and November, two other high-level officials embarked on an historic visit to the Philippines—Russian Defense Secretary General Sergey Shoygu, and the second highest official in the federation, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. These engagements marked a new chapter in Philippine-Russian ties.

During the bilateral talks of Duterte and Prime Minister Medvedev, the Philippines and Russia inked eight agreements on trade and energy.

The agreements signed include the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; the

GLOBAL STAGE. File photo shows world leaders and member-heads of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( from left ) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, US President Donald Trump, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linking hands during the opening ceremony of the 31st Asean Summit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila on Nov. 13, 2017. AFP Treaty on Extradition; the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Department of Energy and the State Atomic Energy Corp. “Rosatom” of the Russian Federation; The MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Mass Communication; the MOU on the Development of Cooperation in Transport Education; the MOU between the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education and the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Education and Science; The MOU between the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and the Russian Federation’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property; and the Agreement on Cooperation between the Philippines’ Commission on Audit and the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.

Prior to the signing, the Russian government also handed over 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles and military supplies to help the Philippines’ counterterrorism efforts.

Golden age of strategic partnership Meanwhile, one of the landmark visits of President Duterte was in Japan.

In October, he met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and witnessed the signing of the exchange

of notes for the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project.

In a summit meeting with Abe, the two leaders discussed various areas of cooperation, such as infrastructure development, support for Mindanao, anti-illegal drug measures, and counter-terrorism measures, while exchanging views on regional and international affairs.

To cap the visit, the Philippines and Japan issued the “Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation for the Next Five Years,” which emphasized the latter’s intention to steadily implement its contribution totaling 1 trillion yen (P44 billion) over the next five years through public and private sector efforts.

After extending “maximum support” to the Philippines, particularly on the rebuilding of warravaged Marawi City, Duterte said Tokyo and Manila have entered a “golden age of strategic partnership.”

Rekindling, engaging For its part, China is now thawing once-frozen ties with the country, following an existing sea dispute, by increasing efforts to enhance its engagement with the Philippines.

The territorial row in the South China Sea is still a standing issue

for claimants in the region, but to begin resolution, Manila and Beijing chose to address the involved areas bilaterally.

In May, the two established a bilateral consultative mechanism on the South China Sea, in which the second meeting is expected to start in the first quarter of 2018.

According to Cayetano, while this event signals the “rekindling” of China and the Philippines’ relationship, the Duterte government will not give up an inch of the country’s territories.

“We never said that we will not pursue our territorial and sovereignty rights, we never said that we will back down, what we said is we will put it in order of perspective,” he told reporters early December.

After 15 years of being stalled, the framework of the binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea was approved during the Asean Summit held in Manila.

Following its adoption, China and Asean agreed to hold COC negotiations next year.

The COC is a more binding edict enshrined in the 2002 Declaration of Conduct, which is aimed at reducing tensions in the region and prevent claimantcountries, such as China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia

and Brunei from aggressively pursuing their claims.

Changes underway As the Department of Foreign Affairs strives to implement Duterte’s foreign policy, Cayetano —the President’s running mate in the 2016 elections—also noted improvements it aims to achieve within the agency.

In 2017, the DFA served three secretaries.

After Perfecto Yasay Jr. failed to hurdle the Commission on Appointments, current Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo assumed the role as Acting Secretary. In May, Cayetano took his oath as the DFA chief, leaving the Senate one year after his failed vice-presidential bid.

Besides the changes in DFA leadership, new Office of Strategic Communications headed by Undersecretary Abella was also created.

“We’re really going to give recommendations, certain changes at the DFA because from the 1990s to the time of President Benigno Aquino III, a lot of offices were removed from the DFA, not seeing that DFA plays a role in security and plays a role in our image abroad,” Cayetano said. “We’re

Fishers’ group opposes 1998 fisheries code

Senator pushes use of biogas

By Macon Araneta SMALL steps to prevent pollution from animal wastes and to promote renewable energy sources (biogas) and sustainable methods (vermicomposting) will really go a long way in minimizing the effects of climate change and protecting the environment, said Senator Cynthia A. Villar.

Villar said she is glad that the ATIInternational Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ATI-ITCPH) has incorporated in their School-on-the-Air (SOA) training course animal waste management, particularly how to efficiently and appropriately manage and utilize wastes into a beneficial energy source (biogas) and compost including vermicomposting as well as its relevance on the climate change and disease prevention.

Villar, chairman of both the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food and Environment and Natural Resources, was invited Guest Speaker to the graduation of participants of SOA Program: “DUMIskwela: Duming Kita, Duming Alaga, Duming Sagana” (Basic Course on Pig Husbandry, Animal Waste Management & Swine Artificial Insemination).

“Your course is very relevant and unique because farmers should not only learn hog-raising or animal production but also the profitable aspect of it,” said Villar.

Farmers should also learn how to care for and protect the environment.

going to put up strategic office to help our cooperations abroad.”

The DFA previously had the following offices: the Office of Undersecretary for Administration headed by Linglingay Lacanlale; Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations headed by Manuel Antonio Teehankee; Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs headed

by Sarah Lou Arriola; Office of Undersecretary for Policy headed

by Enrique Manalo; and Office of Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns under Jose Luis Montales.

Given that the new strategic communications office is undersecretary level and the current public relations arm of the agency, the Office of Public Diplomacy, is Assistant Secretary level, Cayetano said the latter will effectively fall under the leadership of Abella.

Cayetano also said a public announcement for the new spokesperson will come in January, as the agency transitions its new public diplomacy team.

DFA Acting Spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar, currently serving as head of OPD, is expected to assume the role of Consul General at the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan by the first quarter of 2018. PNA

By Bill Casas

COPS AND ‘CRACKERS. Quezon City Police District Director Guilermo Eleazar(left) presents to the media the illegal firecrackers confiscated from the different areas in the city. Manny Palmero

THE Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas is set to lead an across-the-nation campaign to junk the 19-year old Fisheries Code of 1998, saying it is the main reason the fishing sector remains poorest of the poor in the country.

The militant group said the amended Fisheries Code under the Republic Act 10654 exacerbates the miserable condition of the already impoverished fisherfolk through excessive fees and taxes.

The national anti-fisheries code campaign at the minimum, aims to put a moratorium on the Boat Registration (BoatR) and Fisherfolk Registration (FishR) programs, which the fisherfolk complains for its hefty fees while the central goal is for the total scrapping of the law.

“The Fisheries Code still allows export-based commercial fishing fleets to exploit the municipal fishing waters that are intended for small-fishers. The amendments do not actually change anything in the law, rather, repressive fishing provisions like the registration and reporting scheme have been added to curtail the fishing activities of the fisherfolk,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya chairperson, said in a statement.

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

‘5,000 brgys now drug-free’ A T LEAST 5,000 barangays nationwide have been declared drug-free, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported in the monthly update on “#RealNumbers.”

The agency said 5,072 of the 42,036 barangays were cleared of drugs as of Dec. 27.

“These barangays have reached drug-cleared status after issuance of a certification by members of the Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug-Clearing Program,” said PDEA chief Aaron Aquino.

The oversight committee, which is chaired by PDEA, is composed of provincial representatives of the Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health and local government units.

“Before declaring that a barangay is free from il-

legal drug activities, the committee must convene and validate the non-availability of drug supply in the area and the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine drug laboratory and chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pusher, and user,” said Aquino.

The declaration is pursuant to the parameters set forth by the Dangerous Drugs Board as pro-

vided in Section 8 of DDB Board Regulation No. 3 Series of 2017, also known as “Strengthening the Implementation of the Barangay DrugClearing Program.”

A barangay is said to be drug-affected when there is a reported presence of drug users, pushers, manufacturers, marijuana cultivators and other infrastructure related to the illegal narcotics.

There are three

basic parameters in determining barangay drug-affectation: Slightly affected, moderately affected, and seriously affected.

Barangays are considered slightly affected if there is a reported presence of drug user/s; moderately affected if there is a reported presence of drug pusher/s and/ or user/s; and seriously affected if there is a reported presence of any of the follow-

ing: Clandestine drug laboratory, warehouse, marijuana plantation and drug den/tiangge, drug trafficking or smuggling activities, and drug personalities.

Last June, Batanes earned the distinction of being the country’s first province to be declared drug-free.

On Dec. 4, Tacloban City was also declared drugfree after having met the DDB requirements.

In its monthly update called “#RealNumbers,” Aquino said from July 2016 up to Dec. 27 this year, 170 drug dens and nine clandestine shabu laboratories were dismantled while different kinds of illegal drugs were seized amounting to P19.11 billion.

PDEA said authorities also arrested 119,023 individuals involved in illegal drugs from July 2016 to Dec. 27.

Stop producing new P5 coins, BSP urged

By Macon Ramos-Araneta TO AVOID further public confusion, Senator Nancy Binay has asked the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to temporarily stop producing new P5 coins.

The BSP plans to release this month new generation coins which it rolled out in December.

She said the new P5 coins have already created much confusion as these look very much like the old-generation P1 coins.

“It is best to keep an eye on those new P5 coins especially when giving change. The new P5 coin creates confusion as it is as big and is similar to a P1 coin,” she said.

According to Binay, consumers have expressed confusion at being handed the recently

released silver coins.

The newly-minted P5 coins features the face of Katipunan founder Andres Bonifacio, replacing Emilio Aguinaldo who is featured in the old pale gold P5 coin which is still in circulation.

The new generation coins (NGCs) are smaller than their counterparts in the old BSP series.

“We welcome the new and fresh designs of the NGC. But did the Numismatic Committee ever consider the behavioral change it will create, and the possibility of confusion between merchants and the public?” Binay said.

She said majority of the commuting public and those working in the transportation sector are the ones to be most inconvenienced by the circulation of the NGC series.

A doggo...

From A1

In a sleepy voice, he asks: ”What now, love? I was having the best dream. What seems to be the problem?”

Summer, his “snow white” shih tzu, replies, “The dogs in the other house are wailing again. They’re hungry! It’s already 8 a.m.”

Lucas sighs and says, “We can’t do anything about it, love..

It is sad their neglectful owners feed them only once a day. But we’re dogs, not humans” “But that’s cruel! Tying them all day, and not feeding them enough. They’re already banging the gate because they’re so hungry,” Summer says.

Lucas understands Summer’s frustration but says, “Let it go, love.

We have no voice. We can not tell humans what to do. We are dogs.”

Lucas moves to find the best position to go back to sleep.

Then he hears his Nanay call them.

“Lucas! Summer! Come on, babies, let’s go out and walk!

We all need the exercise to be healthy.”

With a harness and leash, they walked down the street.

“Heaven! This is heaven! I love morning walks!” Lucas exclaims, eyes sparkling, tongue out, a wide smile on his handsome face.

Their Nanay says “hello” to the neighbors who are also walking their dogs.

Then they see Greta, the pug, their friend for 12 years now.

Greta always greets them with a smile. But today, she’s not smiling at all.

“Why the long face?” Lucas asks, then whispers to himself, “... for a pug. Hihihi! Motley laugh here.”

Summer looks at him and admonishes him, “That’s mean, Lucas.”

“What?” poker-faced Lucas asks, “Your friend is a pug!”

Summer groans, then turns to Greta, “What happened?” she asks.

Greta looks at her owner Mr. Santos, then at Lucas and Summer, “My Dad found out 20 dogs will be killed in the pound at noon tomorrow.”

AUSPICIOUS GOLD.

Lucky charms for the Year of the Dog are on sale in Chinese novelty shops along Ongpin Street in Binondo. Ey Acasio

A3

Solon: Dispose NY trash properly

By Rio N. Araja LEYTE Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez on Sunday urged millions of Filipinos to be kind to the environment in welcoming the New Year by ensuring proper garbage disposal.

“Let us reduce the environmental concerns that would greet the new year. Let us ensure the proper disposal of garbage that is now starting to pile up,” she said.

“As we celebrate New Year, let us also remember environmental considerations from the expected huge garbage that will pile-up. The people should help maintain cleanliness,” she added.

She appealed to concerned authorities to come up with contingency measures to avoiding piles of uncollected garbage.

The Leyte lawmaker said proper garbage disposal would ensure that trash does not end up in the drainage system and inlets.

NBI arrests two Liberians for $10,000 swindling, estafa case

By Bill Casas THE National Bureau of Investigation on Sunday said operatives of its Special Action Unit have arrested two Liberians in an entrapment operation in Malate, Manila for swin-

“Why?” Summer asks.

“Because they were caught on the streets,” an angry Greta says.

“Their owners let them out without a leash, I think to poop? You know... Or worse, they are strays, or dogs with no owners. You know… pups who grew up on the streets because they were abandoned, or kids of abandoned or neglected dogs who were not spayed or neutered by their owners before they got lost or were thrown out of their owner’s house. So they got pregnant or got another dog pregnant,” Greta adds.

“I wish those irresponsible humans won’t get dogs anymore, you know. They don’t have their dogs fixed, then they abandon them on a vacant lot or on a busy street when they are no longer cute or their furs fell off because they were fed food scraps or were forced to sleep in dirty areas.

These dogs starve on the streets and even get hit by a vehicle.

They have to endure such misery just because they grew up or their owners do not know how to love!” an angry Greta says.

Summer, almost in tears, asks, “Why kill them? Why do they have to die for not being cute or for being on the street without their owner?”

Greta starts to speak but they heard Mr. Santos telling their Nanay, “Humans fear dogs on the streets because they might be carriers of rabies. You know, we have the Anti-Rabies law or Republic Act 9482 which requires that dogs be given antirabies shots. So what happened?

Why are dogs being impounded and killed if dogs are being given the shots?”

Mr. Santos continues, “Our government spends millions of pesos to buy anti-rabies shots and to pay salaries of the people who should implement the law, you know. So why are we spending more, this time on salaries of dog catchers, pound staff, and all? If a dog has been marked as having been given the anti-rabies shot, why catch them?”

Greta looks at Summer, “He’s right. Why punish the dog? Punish his owner. Better yet, haul that irresponsible owner to the pound, put him in a cage, then euthanize him! Add the people who are paid to implement the law but do not.”

dling and estafa.

NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the Liberian suspects as Abraham Victor alias “George” and Harry Shoum Teennesse alias “Harry.”

The suspects allegedly duped a Filipino victim into paying for a non-existent

Mr. Santos, in an angrier voice, adds, “You know, to me, catching dogs and killing them, or keeping them in a pound with almost no food and in dirty, small cages until they just die, violate another law—the Animal Welfare Act of 1998—which is supposed to protect animals against neglect, abuse and cruelty in any form.”

Nanay, in a sad voice, remarks, “The two laws—one meant to protect humans against rabies and the other meant to protect animals against humans—should complement each other. After so many years since these laws were enacted, you would think officials would know by now how to implement BOTH laws.”

“Sadly, they invoke one law while violating another,” she adds.

Greta tugs on her leash, prompting Mr. Santos to look at her. “What is it, Greta?”

Greta barks,”The Animal Welfare Act is for humans also, Dad. It is meant to prevent abuse of pets by other humans, the people our owners trust. It is meant to make sure we are okay when you bring us to vets or groomers, or else you will pay for bad service or worse, you might lose us and you will grieve for years.”

Mr. Santos smiles at Greta, “I don’t understand, baby. But believe me, if anyone will hurt you, I don’t know what I’d do. But I will make sure whoever will hurt you will pay. The Animal Welfare Act of 1998 does not only cover owners. It prohibits any abuse or neglect by any human against animals.”

Lucas and Summer look up at their Nanay and smile. They know their Nanay would do the same.

Nanay smiles at them and says,”Come on, my loves, let’s go home. It’s time for your veggiemeatballs.”

She turns to Mr. Santos and greets him and Greta a Happy New Year.

At home, Lucas and Summer feast on their veggiemeatballs.

Then Lucas jumps on the sofa and goes back to sleep.

He was walking near the gate where the smell of a female dog in heat was coming from. He peeked though the space in the gate, trying to find the female dog. “Where are you?” Lucas asked in a whisper. “Let me see

machine that would fabricate fake US dollars.

The victim reportedly gave the suspects $10,000 as initial payment after he was made to believe he was investing in the purchase of chemicals that would purportedly convert special paper money into

her, please?” Lucas said to no one in particular.

Then a brown shih tzu came out of the corner of the house...

“Lucas! Time to make a wish!”

Not again, Lucas thought, exasperated.

He opens his eyes, and there’s his Summer running around the sala, beaming with joy.

“What now, love?” he asks.

Summer kisses him on the nose, and says, “Make a wish! It’s New Year!”

Lucas smiles. Summer loves birthdays and New Year’s eve because she loves making wishes.

“You first, love.”

Summer, eyes closed, softly says, “God, please make my wishes come true.

I wish all dog and cat owners are responsible.

I wish all vets and groomers take good care of animals.

I wish all pounds will be closed.

I wish people will adopt dogs, and not buy from backyard, irresponsible breeders.

I wish government will regulate breeding in the country…”

Lucas interrupts her. “Love, that’s already a lot . We have only 365 days in a year!”

“Shhh!” Summer says, “It is free to dream.”

Summer continues, “God, please make these wishes come true, too: I wish humans will remember dogs and cats make them happy, calm them, ‘walk them’ for exercise, help them somehow when they are sick.

I wish humans will stop eating dogs.

I wish humans will stop feeding cats to snakes.

I wish humans will stop using animals for experiments.

I know more need to happen for the world to be a better, safer place for animals, God, so I wish the Animal Welfare Act will be implemented by authorities.

Amen.”

“Your turn,” Summer tells Lucas.

Lucas grins and says “I wish, God, that all of Summer’s wishes will come true.”

And with a twinkle in his eyes, he adds, “And please, God, let me finish my dream! One Paw Up, Lord! Thank you!”

genuine US dollars.

Gierran said the suspects gave the victim a securely wrapped package that supposedly comes with a machine to fabricate US greenbacks.

However, to the victim’s surprise, the package did

Sereno...

From A1

Gadon said the lack of public support for Sereno as proven by the SWS survey no longer came as a surprise.

“She could not even get the support of judiciary personnel, which clearly and unequivocally show that her trust rating even in her own backyard has plunged miserably,” Gadon said.

He assailed Sereno’s camp for trying to downplay the survey rating by claiming that the impeach-

High...

From A1

President Rodrigo Duterte and his Cabinet will tackle the country’s disaster response measures during their first meeting for 2018, Andanar said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said its regional offices in Central Luzon, Western Visayas and the Zamboanga Peninsula, which are on red alert, have sent advisories to their local counterparts to warn about possible landslides and floods. Central Luzon is on blue alert.

The weather bureau said the low pressure area was expected to intensify into a tropical depres-

Military:...

From A1

said JETG head Major Gen. Arnold Rafael Depakakibo.

As of Dec. 15, 2,853 assorted unexploded had been recovered and disarmed by the JETG, with the support of the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal Company and K-9 Teams from the Philippine Army and Philippines Air Force.

Depakakibo said the JETG also completed the clearing of 20 kilometers of roads, three major bridges, a school and three places of worship immediately after the liberation of Marawi.

That had resulted in the timely conduct of post-conflict needs assessment by the Department of Public Works and Highways, he said.

“We also continue our limited

not contain a machine but an improvised vault with worthless green colored paper cut in the size of money bills.

When the suspects asked for another $90,000 for the balance, the victim reported the scam to the NBI.

ment process had not affected her as her rating remained “neutral.”

“The Sereno camp’s preposterous reading of the recent SWS poll surveys demonstrates the alarming manner by which her impeachment defense is being plotted. They are deliberately misinterpreting the fact that her public satisfaction ratings plunged in alltime low since 2015,” Gadon said.

“Such lamentable face-saving scheme done through the media shows how little they regard the intelligence of Filipinos. They really think they could still fool our people.” sion by Jan. 1 or Jan. 2 and was 910 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. The weather bureau said ‘‘Agaton’’ was expected to make landfall over Eastern Visayas or Eastern Mindanao.

Local branches of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in these regions have also prepositioned food packs and other disaster relief supplies.

Two tropical storms, ‘‘Urduja’’ and ‘‘Vinta,’’ pummeled a large part of the Visayas and Mindanao, leaving at least 200 dead and more than 160 missing. ‘‘Agaton’’ is expected to take the paths taken by the two earlier storms.

The cyclone is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains, which could bring flash floods and landslides. construction support to the government agencies involved in supporting the maintenance of evacuation centers,” Depakakibo said.

Aside from construction support, the JETG also assisted the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council in the construction of 500 temporary shelters for the evacuees.

Of that number, 250 units were given last week while the other 250 will be provided next month.

More than 500 military engineers are deployed in Marawi City as part of the JETG. The task group is supporting the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi that is being led

by Task Force Bangon Marawi.

Aside from manpower, the AFP has used its construction vehicles and equipment to clear rubbles and debris and to demolish buildings in the city. PNA

Sports

A7

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

LPGT kicks off 6th season T HE Ladies Philippine Golf Tour launches its new season on Wednesday, Jan. 3 with a stellar field headed by the cream of the country’s pro crop and a number of Thailand aces bracing for a spirited battle for top honors in the ICTSI Ayala Greenfield Ladies Challenge in Calamba, Laguna.

Symetra Tour campaigners Dottie Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez and Princess Superal hope to come out strong coming off a failed bid at South Forbes

two weeks ago which the Thais dominated via a 1-2 finish to sweep the last two legs of the 2017 LPGT season.

But the locals are all

primed to open the sixth season of the country’s premier ladies circuit sponsored by ICTSI on a winning note with last year’s LPGT Order of Merit winner Pauline del Rosario also raring to rebound from a mediocre showing at South Forbes.

Del Rosario racked up four victories in her rookie campaign in the record 11-leg circuit organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. but struggled with poor health and form in the last tournament, ending up 10th.

But the 19-year-old rising star is expected to have recovered, ready to slug it out with her fellow fancied Filipinas and a slew of Thais out to extend their domination of the tour backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf.

They include former LPGT leg winners Saruttaya Ngam-usawan and Wannasiri Sirisampant with Chonlada Chayanun also eyeing her first win

after turning in back-toback runner-up finishes in the Philippine Ladies Masters and South Forbes.

Others in the Thai fold are Numa Gulyanamitta, Pakpring Duangchan, Chitawadee Duangchan, Hathaikarn Wongwaikijphaisal, Jaruporn P Na Ayuttaya, Ploychompoo Wilairungrueng, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung, Saraporn Chamchoi, Sarinee Thitiratanakorn, Supakchaya Pattaranakrueng, Thanuttra Boonraksasat and Tiranan Yoopan.

Meanwhile, Ayala

Greenfield has been spruced up in time for its first hosting of an LPGT tournament with the par72 layout expected to provide a different kind of challenge for the competing field especially in the presence of the wind.

Others vying in the 54hole championship are former leg champions Chihiro Ikeda and Sarah Ababa along with Anya Tanpinco, Apple Fudolin, last year’s Luisita stage champion Euna Koh of Korea and South African Madeleen Grosskoph.

Gavrilova upsets favored Bouchard

Murray ready for 2018

BRISBANE, Australia – Former world number one Andy Murray said Sunday he was desperate to get back into competitive tennis after a five-month absence due to a debilitating hip injury.

Murray, who is in Queensland for the season-opening Brisbane International, has not played on the ATP tour since losing a tough fivesetter to American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

He said despite some lingering problems with his hip, his body was feeling much better than at the same stage last year.

“I don’t feel like there’s many miles in my legs, which, you know, was certainly the case at the beginning of 2017, where most days I was quite sore kind of all over,” he said.

“Right now the hip is the only thing that is any concern. The rest of my body feels really good.”

Murray admitted he wasn’t heading into this tournament or the Australian Open with great expectations.

“Just because I’ve not played for such a long time,” he said.

“And also I just want to enjoy playing again.

I’ve really missed it the last six months or so.

“I don’t mind if it’s 30 in the world level.

I would love it to be number one in the world level, but I just want to play.”

Murray spent 41 weeks at number one, losing that ranking in August during his injury-enforced absence. AFP

things to work on.

“I barely played any matches the last six months of the past year, it’s been a long time without a lot of matches.

“It’s always about trying to play better for the future, I changed my team in the off season and I have been working on a lot of different things. It’s definitely a long-term look.”

Ranked 209th in the world, Kokkinakis was making his second Hopman Cup appearance, having filled in for the United States and Germany in 2013 as a 16-year-old.

The 21-year-old showcased some of his undoubted potential to beat the 108th-ranked Pospisil, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Playing his first match since the US Open, Kokkinakis was happy to be heading into a new year injury free for a change, Daria Gavrilova of Australia hits a return against Eugenie Bouchard of Canada during their women’s singles match on day two of having suffered a string the Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth. AFP of ailments including shoulder problems.

“I missed my last two years with injury,” he said.

“It’s been pretty shatPROFESSIONALS are ready ball Association Drat got his riding the pine. tering, but I’m excited Onwubere said he was baptism of fire as he played for anything. to be back on Australia’s TNT KaTropa rookie Sid- extended minutes for the aware that he was not used DOHA, Qatar –One of the season’s hard courts. ney Onwubere made full use KaTropa, logging 28 minutes during their last game. He traditional curtain-raisers, the Qatar “It’s a good start and of the chances he was given in the victory over the Aces said that maybe the coaches Open, begins Monday but with the hopefully I can stay by coach Nash Racela to on Friday at the Astrodome. saw that he still lacked somelate withdrawal of Novak Djokovic healthy this year - it’s Onwubere didn’t score all thing. He said that he made stamp his mark in their game the tournament is shorn of its usual my only goal.” that much but he gave the up his mind to work harder against the Alaska Aces.

A-list headline acts.

Bouchard and Pospisil He did not see action KaTropa energy on both ends at practice to show what he Djokovic, the champion in Doha for won the mixed doubles, against the Rain or Shine to finish with six points, nine could do. the past two years, pulled out on Sat4-3 (5/1), 4-3 (5/4), amid He said he was thankful the Elasto Painters but got a rebounds and a steal as he urday because of continuing problems confusion among both coaches acknowledged all chance to showcase his skills came off the bench. with a niggling elbow injury. players and officials The rookie got his chance his efforts and gave him the in his team’s second game.

His absence was bad news personover the rules under the The eighth overall pick in to play with injured Anthony playing time to show what he ally—placing doubts over his particiFast4 format. AFP this year’s Philippine Basket- Semerad and Alex Nuyles could do on the playing court. pation in January’s Australian Open —and potentially also for the tournament, which in the past few seasons has earned a growing reputation.

Last year the Serbian superstar Making your promotional ian was clearly keen to earn ALL martial artists have to beat Britain’s Andy Murray, then endure periods of difficulty, debut under the bright lights a stoppage finish and make a world number one, in a thrilling, whether it is in their training of the ONE cage is a daunt- definitive statement to the rest three-set final in front of a sell-out or their own lives growing up. ing task, but it was even more of the welterweight division.

Doha crowd which included memBut the world’s best are condi- taxing for the Swedish wel- But those efforts to finish Kadbers of Bayern Munich’s football tioned to accept the obstacles terweight. After all, he was estam started to take their toll team, in Qatar for winter training, that are presented to them, and stepping in on just two weeks’ on Santos’ gas tank, and “The and Paris Saint-Germain chief, use the skills they have learned notice to take on a Brazilian Bandit” took full advantage in Nasser al-Khelaifi. through years of training to powerhouse in Santos at ONE: dramatic fashion.

The year before, Djokovic destroyed The Swede successfully overcome adversity and move Dynasty of Heroes in May. Rafa Nadal in the final, dropping just Santos, a former welterweight stuffed a slower-than-usual forward. three games against the Spaniard in a This is best illustrated inside world title challenger, dominat- takedown attempt from the breathtaking display to take the title, the ONE Championship with the ed the first round and appeared Brazilian, then lit him up with an ideal warm-up before claiming his remarkable remarkable come- to be cruising in the second as punches before finishing an exsixth Australian Open crown a few back performance of Zebaztian he continued to hold the upper hausted Santos with two huge weeks later.

“The Bandit” Kadestam against hand in both the striking and knees to cap an astonishing upThis year, though, the field in Qatar set – and clearly ONE Cham- Zebaztian Kadestam holds both hands up in triumph after Luis “Sapo” Santos which also grappling departments. is less eye-catching but may provide Matched up against a short- pionship’s best comeback bout another victory inside the ONE Championship cage. ONE served to recharge his declining an opportunity for the new stars of Championship notice opponent, the Brazil- of the year.

MMA career. tennis to push through. AFP

PERTH, Australia – Hosts Australia made a strong start to the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth on Sunday, beating Canada 2-1.

World number 25 Daria Gavrilova gave the home team the initial ascendancy with a straight-sets win over a disappointing Eugenie Bouchard.

Injury-plagued Australian youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis then secured the tie with a three-sets win over Vasek Pospisil.

The dead mixed doubles rubber was claimed by the Canadians.

Gavrilova came out firing against Bouchard, who has been ranked as high as fifth in the world but has slipped to 83rd on the back of a couple of lean years.

The Australian was cruising to a rare straight-sets win, until a glut of double faults opened the door for the Canadian to fight her way back into the second set.

Gavrilova steadied and a timely net cord sealed the deal 6-1, 6-4 in 78 minutes.

Bouchard, 23, wasn’t overly concerned by the loss as she looks to rebuild her game in.

“I felt really rusty out there and I didn’t quite get into the match in the beginning, but I was happy to feel into the match in the second,” she said.

“I know I have a lot of

Unheralded Onwubere showcases skills Qatar Open starts without big stars

Electrifying victory energizes Kadestam’s ONE career

Back injury forces Garcia out in first round at Brisbane BRISBANE, Australia – Fourth-seeded Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia was forced to retire with a back injury during her match against compatriot Alize Cornet in the first round of the Brisbane International on Sunday.

Garcia, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2017 when she reached a careerhigh world ranking of eight, took the first set 6-3 with

relative ease.

But Garcia began to struggle with her service game and Cornet stuck back to take the second by the same score.

Garcia then called for the trainer and had extensive treatment for a lower back problem.

She returned to the court but after one serve retired in tears, handing 2017 runner-up Cornet a ticket to the second round.

“I always had some issues with my back,” Garcia said later.

“At the beginning of the match I felt a pain in my lower back and it was different than it is normally.

“It was getting worse and worse and in the end I couldn’t really move.”

She said she was uncertain how the injury would affect her Australian Open plans.

“I will take some rest and

with the physio I will improve as fast as I can,” she said. “But right now I don’t know much.”

Cornet will meet Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second round after the 35-year-old downed German Tatjana Maria 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Former US Open finalist Samantha Stosur continued her miserable run in her home tournament when she

was bundled out by Latvia’s seventh seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-3.

Stosur has now failed to get past the second round in eight attempts in Brisbane.

There was a minor upset in the men’s draw when former Brisbane finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine downed sixth seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). AFP

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Sports

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

A8

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

Athletes instructed to reveal grievances

By Peter Atencio ANY national athlete who has not been receiving his allowance in full should come out and in the open and air his grievances.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Ramirez” made this appeal after the PSC created new policy in response to allegations that several karate athletes they did not receive their full allowances during their 20-day training stint in Germany last July.

“If there are more athletes and national sports associations which have the same problem, they should come out,” said Ramirez.

The PSC is now changing its policy in order to resolve liquidation issues with NSAs. Too prevent what happened in karatedo from happening again, requests for financial assistance will be granted and channeled directly to national athletes who need it.

To make this happen, a liaision officer will be assigned and put in charge for such an activity.

Ramirez said the PSC has been responding to the needs of national sports associations for the last 27 years.

“If these are problems in the environment of the athletes, how can they perform well?” Ramirez.

Following a board meeting last week, the government sports agency has since suspended financial assistance to the Philippine Karatedo Federation.

A new policy is now being worked out to allow the agency to maintain good relations with NSAs even if they have liquidation issues.

Fortea displays worth SECOND unit player Terrence Fortea’s game is improving in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) junior basketball tournament.

The 5’11” Fortea showed his importance to the team by coming up with the numbers at the end of the first round.

Averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals after seven games, emerged as one of the go-to guy of the Nazareth School-National University Bullpups this season.

With Fortea and top performer Rhayyan Amsali providing the needed 1-2 punch, the Bullpups have become the no. 1 offensive squad in the tournament.

“He is doing good. So far, consistent naman siya,” said Bullpups coach Goldwyn Monteverde.

This is the 16-year-old Fortea’s third year with the team, and it’s his outside shooting that’s catching a lot of attention.

John Cansino emerged as one of the top all-around players in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) junior basketball tournament. Peter Atencio

Golden State Warriors guardStephen Curry (30) reacts during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 30, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

Returning Curry leads Warriors past Grizzlies

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OS ANGELES—Stephen Curry spiced things up with 10 three-pointers and 38 points as he returned from injury Saturday to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 141-128 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sidelined for 11 games with a sprained right ankle, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry was electrifying in his return.

His 10 three-pointers – in just 26 minutes on the court – surpassed Portland guard Damian Lillard’s nine as the most by any player in a game this season.

The Warriors were a more than respectable 9-2 in Curry’s absence.

But with him back on the court their prolific offense was in full flow.

Klay Thompson added 21 points, Kevin Durant scored 20 and Zaza Pachulia added 13 as the Warriors shook off the second-quarter ejection of Draymond Green – who received two technical fouls for arguing foul calls.

“Our flow as a team from the beginning was amazing,” said Curry, who nailed a layup off an assist from Green in his second minute back.

A minute later he drained a three-pointer as the Warriors raced to a 10-0 lead just 2:08 into the contest.

Curry had four three-pointers in both the second and third periods, and added one more for good measure in a brief appearance in the fourth -- his ninth career game with 10 or more from beyond the arc.

He said the reigning NBA champion Warriors, who improved to 298, are perfectly positioned heading into the new year.

“I think we’re right where we

want to be,” he said. “Best record in the league. We’ve shown we can win a lot of different ways.”

Spanish big man Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 27 points, one of six Memphis players to score in double figures.

But the Grizzlies lost for the 13th time in 17 games since sacking coach David Fizdale on November 27.

In Salt Lake City, Utah rookie Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points to lead the Jazz to a 104101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers – denying LeBron James the victory he wanted for his 33rd birthday.

Mitchell slashed his way past James for a layup with 35.4 seconds remaining as the Jazz thwarted a Cleveland comeback bid that saw the Cavs pull within one point three times in the fourth quarter after trailing by double digits in the third.

“I’m just treating the last two minutes as if it’s the same as the

first two,” Mitchell said. “You’ve just got to go out there. If you over-think it, that’s the first mistake right there.”

Late free throws from Thabo Sefolosha and Derrick Favors finally sealed the win for Utah.

James scored 29 points and added eight rebounds – eclipsing 8,000 rebounds for his career.

The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player was impressed by what he saw from Mitchell.

“Kid’s got a lot of game,” James said. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He just goes out there and plays ball.”

Reggie Bullock’s big night pushed the Detroit Pistons to a 93-79 home victory over perennial Western Conference power San Antonio.

Bullock, who started in just seven games in his first four NBA seasons and became a regular starter for the Pistons in early December, scored a career-high 22 points. AFP

Beaten Serena unsure about Australian Open ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – A slow moving Serena Williams made an encouraging return to tennis after maternity leave, taking a set off the French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition match Saturday, but said she has not made up her mind about defending the Australian Open title.

In a match featuring a super tie-break and lasting one hour and seven minutes, Ostapenko won 6-2, 3-6, 10-5.

The 36-year-old American, winner of 23 grand slam single titles, was making a come-

back after taking nearly 11 months off to have her first child.

Her last match was the Australian Open final, which she won despite being two-month pregnant.

“It was good to be back out there. I missed playing, I missed competition, I missed the crowd, the atmosphere so much.

It was really nice to be back,” said Williams after the match.

“I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the Tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships,” she said, refusing to commit yet

to the Australian Open, which starts in a little over two weeks.

“I don’t know, but I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there.

“I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with Patrick (Mouratoglou, her coach) and my team,” she said.

It was the first time Ostapenko had played against Williams, whom she described as her “childhood idol”.

The 20-year-old Latvian was born almost two years after Williams Serena Williams of the US reacts after losing a point to Jelena Ostapenko turned professional in of Latvia during the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2017 match September 1995. AFP in Abu Dhabi, on December 30, 2017. AFP

Premier League clubs ready LONDON, United Kingdom – With the January transfer window opening on New Year’s Day, the Premier League’s superpowers are ready to flex their financial muscles in a frenzy of spending.

Liverpool set the tone before the market had even officially begun when they splashed out a world record fee for a defender, paying £75 million ($100 million) for Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk.

Manchester City might be running away with the Premier League title race, but the leaders can afford to add a piece or two from a position of strength, while Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham prepare to spend, spend, spend in a bid to catch their rivals.

Manchester City, on a record 18-match winning streak in the league, City have no obvious flaws, but that won’t stop boss Pep Guardiola considering making additions.

West Bromwich Albion centre-back Jonny Evans, who City made two bids for in the summer window, is still on Guardiola’s wish-list as defensive cover for injuryprone Vincent Kompany.

Guardiola could also go back in for long-term target Alexis Sanchez if he thinks he can land the Chile forward on the cheap in the final six months of his Arsenal contract.

Manchester United, frustrated by United’s failure to keep pace with City at the top, Jose Mourinho has already made it clear his side must big spend to have any chance of bridging the gap. AFP

Poland’s Stoch wins first leg of Four Hills ski jump

Poland’s Kamil Stoch celebrates on the podium winning the ski jumping event in Oberstdorf, southern Germany. AFP

OBERSTDOR, Germany – Double Olympic champion Kamil Stoch chose an opportune moment to claim his first victory of the season on Saturday as he won the first leg of the prestigious Four Hills in Oberstdorf.

The Pole, who won the Four Hills last year, was fifth after the first leg with a jump of 126

metres but a second leap of 137 metres was enough for him to rise to the top of the leaderboard.

With 279.7 points, Stoch finished more than four points ahead of tournament favourite and home hope Richard Freitag, three times a winner in the World Cup this season and hoping to lay down a marker with the

Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang just six weeks away.

Stoch, who claimed gold on the normal hill and large hill at Sochi in 2014, saw his fellow Pole Dawid Kubacki come third as 25,000 fans turned out to watch despite the heavy rain in the Bavarian Alps.

“They were difficult conditions.

The key was to

stay focused on my own job,” said the 30-year-old Stoch.

The second leg of the Four Hills, the sport’s blue riband event and a Christmas and New Year fixture of the ski jumping calendar since 1953, will also be held in Germany, at Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Monday.

It then moves to Austria, to Innsbruck. AFP

Market likely to move sideways after holidays B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

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PLDT to redevelop Makati property

By Darwin G. Amojelar

IN BRIEF

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LDT Inc. said it plans to tap the property unit of Japan’s NTT to redevelop its two buildings in Makati City as the telecom company prepares to transfer its headquarters to the southern part of Metro Manila.

Housing prices rose 1.8% in Q3

RESIDENTIAL real estate prices went up 1.8 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, according to a study by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The Bangko Sentral said the Residential Real Estate Price Index rose to 111.6 in the third quarter from 109.6 in the same quarter a year ago.

Data showed that year-onyear, prices of townhouses and condominium units grew faster at 7.3 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, prices of single detached housing units grew at a slower rate of 0.8 percent.

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

The average residential property prices in both the National Capital Region and areas outside NCR increased 2.2 percent and 1.8 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

The Bangko Sentral said that in the third quarter, about 76.7 percent of real estate loans were for the purchase of new housing units. By type of housing units, 48 percent of residential property loans were for the acquisition of condominium units, followed by single detached units (40.8 percent) and townhouses (10.8 percent). Julito G. Rada

PNOC eyes Iran, Russia projects STATE-OWNED PNOC Exploration Corp. is bullish about prospects in Iran and Russia this year, a top executive said.

“Our plan to look for overseas opportunities is slowly beginning to bear fruit…I am optimistic that 2018 will be a very good year for our company,” PNOC Exploration president Pedro Aquino said.

He said the company was in talks with an Indian firm for its projects in Iran.

“We are currently in talks with ONGC Videsh Limited of India to be our consortium partner in various projects in Iran,” Aquino said.

PNOC Exploration announced last year that it was exploring potential investment in an oil and gas field in Iran as a part of its new portfolio of projects.

Meanwhile, Aquino said the cooperation agreement PNOC Exploration signed with Rosneft of Russia “will start to get going beginning January 2018.” Alena Mae S. Flores

Country Builder adds 10 branches THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ approval of the merger of Country Builder’s Bank and 1st Macro Bank has created the largest branch network of any standalone thrift or rural bank in Greater Metro Manila.

Prior to the merger, the two were Metro Manila-based rural banks, each with more than 55 years of existence.

Country Builders Bank said with the additional 10 branch merger incentive, it now has 46 branches, of which 13 are restricted Metro Manila branches, 16 are unrestricted Metro Manila branches and 17 are in the immediate peripheral provincial areas.

“CBB is unique in the sense that it offers the advantages of home spun personal service, and the customer attention of a local community bank, but with branches primarily located in Metro Manila, and adjacent provinces.This contributes greatly to the financial inclusion advocacy of the BSP,” it said.

Country Builders Bank is a rural bank covering the Greater Metro Manila and the surrounding peripheral provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal. Branches are in prime locations along streets with heavy commercial activity and foot traffic.

2017’S FINAL TRADING DAY. The Philippine Stock Exchange celebrates the last trading day of 2017 with a bell ringing ceremony at the Ayala and Tektite Trading Floors in Makati City. The Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 25.1 percent last year and set a new ceiling 14 times to close at a record 8,558.42 on Dec. 29. Shown during the horn-blowing ceremony are (from left) PSE corporate planning and investor relations division head John Benette Mamañgun; PSE governance, risk and compliance head J. Argel Astudillo; IGC Securities nominee Ismael Cruz; PSE director Alejandro Yu; PSE chief operating officer Roel Refran; PSE human resources and administration division head Mary Catherine Soliman-Radaza; PSE internal audit group head Jinky Alora and Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines chief operatinf officer Renee Rubio.

Petron investing $3.5b in Malaysian oil refinery

By Alena Mae S. Flores Malaysia’s Port Dickson struction would be complet- replaced and upgraded.

PETRON Corp. is pursuing a $3.5-billion expansion of its refinery in Malaysia that would significantly improve the company’s bottomline, a top executive said.

“One we complete the expansion there, we are projecting that it will give $600 million a year from $20 million,” Petron president Ramon Ang said.

Petron acquired Esso

refinery and fuel retail network in Malaysia in 2011.

Ang said Petron Malaysia showed consistent strong financial results.

“We acquire Malaysia before with $20 million Ebitda [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and appreciation]. This year, we will end at $270 million Ebitda,” Ang said.

Ang said once the planned expansion was given an approval, the con-

ed by 2020.

The Malaysian refinery currently produces around 80,000 barrels per day. Petron ranks third in terms of market share in Malaysia.

“It will add another 90,000 [barrels] a day,” Ang said.

“The Malaysia expansion, if we will add 90,000 barrels per day, [would cost] $3.5 billion,” Ang said, adding that most equipment in the refinery needed to be

Petron is also embarking on a $5-billion refinery expansion in the Philippines that will bring the existing capacity of its Bataan refinery to 360,00 barrels per day in three years.

Ang said the expansion of the existing Bataan facility would be done in phases at 90,000 barrels per day for each phase. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2019 and the next phase by 2020.

“I think we are leaning towards NTT. [It] has a real estate arm which is one of the biggest, as I understand, at least in Japan. They have global properties, it turns out. They’re quite large. So, we said we will give priority to NTT Real Estate. But they need a local partner to develop. So, hopefully, we could do that next year,” PLDT chairman and president Manuel Pangilinan said.

“Our only condition is we keep x number of floors.

We don’t know how many yet. It depends on the plan on redevelopment. Number two, we want to have, I think, developers are probably looking at developing two towers. So, we want to have naming rights, to keep PLDT naming rights to one of the towers. That’s our condition.

So, we will pay for the floors that we will keep. Then, the rest, can be for the redeveloper or financiers,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan was referring to Ramon Cojuangco Building and Makati General Office at the corner of Makati Ave. and Ayala Ave. Pangilinan also said PLDT was still looking at a property south of Manila for the company’s new headquarters.

“There seems to be opportunities along the bay. I prefer to be near the bay, because I used to work in Hong Kong where the water is in view. In fact, I think business districts should have moved along Roxas [Boulevard].

I don’t know why we’re here in Makati. We cannot see any water,” Pangilinan said.

The new headquarters would be similar to those built

by Google and Facebook in the US. PLDT earlier said net income rose 38 percent to P21.87 billion in the first nine months of 2017, helped by proceeds from the sale of its shares in Beacon Electric Asset Holdings Inc. and SPi Global Holdings Inc. PLDT’s consolidated revenues dropped 5 percent in the nine-month period to P119.07 billion from P125.37 billion. In terms of business units, PLDT Home revenues grew 12 percent to P24.3 billion, while enterprise business posted an 11-percent increase to P25.3 billion.

The wireless individual business saw service revenues decline 14 percent to P44.2 billion.

Home and enterprise now account for 47 percent of PLDT revenues, surpassing the 41-percent contribution of the wireless individual business.

Public told to return misprinted banknotes

Construction investments rose 6.8% to P627b in 2017 CONSTRUCTION investments grew 6.8 percent in 2017 to P627.4 billion from a year ago, according to government data.

Trade Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business Group head and Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo attributed the good performance of the construction sector last year to higher consumer confidence and improved labor market conditions.

“With massive support from the government, we know that contractors are willing, ready and able to group together for increased efficiency and capability to implement big-ticket infrastructure projects,” she said.

Data showed that of the total amount, P162.7 billion came from government infrastructure spending and P464.7 billion from private construction activities.

The Philippine construction industry is on a rebound after the government launched

an aggressive commitment to carry out more big-ticket infrastructure projects.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program is a big boost to the Philippine construction industry that had lulled in the last 30 years in terms of government infrastructure development.

Lopez said the ‘Golden Age of Infrastructure’ would present great prospects for the industry to showcase their capability to participate in nation-building.

Castelo said the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines actively gathered local industry participants for dialogs and symposia with the government infrastructure sector, while the recently concluded Construction Congress aimed to develop systems and encourage wider participation among local contractors in government infrastructure projects. Othel V. Campos

By Julito G. Rada

ABOITIZPOWER’S IMS CERTIFICATE. Aboitiz Power Corp.’s subsidiary AP Renewables Inc. earns an Integrated Management System certification with zero non-conformance. The certification audit was conducted by TÜV Rheinland Philippines, an affiliate of TÜV Rheinland, a leading global testing service organization for quality, efficiency and safety. Shown is an engineer of AP Renewables at work.

Peza expects investment approvals to increase 10% to P261b in 2018

By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority, one of the government’s investment promotion agencies, said it expects investment approvals to increase 10 percent in 2018 to P261.33 billion from P237.57 billion in 2017.

Peza director-general Charito Plaza said the agency had a good performance last year, despite a slight reduction in the number of projects to 554 from 576 in 2016 and the negative impact on business process outsourcing expansion of US President Donald Trump’s policy on offshore

American businesses.

“But again because of the launching of the Philippine economic zones map and the major marketing roadshow that we will have starting next year and the global ecozones convergence conference, we hope to put the Philippines in the world map as an interesting investment haven so we hope to gather more investors,” Plaza said.

Investments in 2017 went up 8.9 percent from P218.174 billion in 2016. The highest investments came form economic zone developments which comprised about 67 percent of total investments.

Exports from the economic zones are expected to expand 8 percent this year while employment is anticipated to rise 5 percent in 2018.

Full-year data for exports and employment are still being collated. Data showed that as of October 2017, exports from ecozones grew 8.9 percent to $42.39 billion, while jobs increased 5.8 percent to 1,397,040 heads.

Plaza said the breakdown of investments per sector and per industry would be announced in January 2018 while final exports and employment data would be released by February.

Peza expects a resurgence in investments from the BPO sector in 2018. “We hope to rebound from a slowdown in investments from BPOs in 2018 and an expansion from other industries as well,” Plaza said.

Investments from BPOs went down 49 percent to P15.56 billion in 2017 from P30.44 billion in 2016.

Peza said it was still determining if the decline in BPO investments was due to Trump’s previous announcement on recouping or pooling together all offshore American businesses back to US shores.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas urged the public to refrain from acts that could cast doubt on the credibility of the local banknotes.

The regulator issued the statement following an incident when a Facebook user posted pictures of faceless P100 bills she withdrew from an ATM of the Bank of Philippine Islands branch in Quezon City.

The said posts went viral and caused several individuals to criticize the Bangko Sentral for the misprint.

“Posting photos of alleged misprinted banknotes on social media causes confusion which may negatively affect commerce… The public is also advised to be vigilant against acts of those who wish to confuse, deceive or illegally profit from posting, producing and/or selling fake ‘misprinted’ notes with no numismatic value,” the Bangko Sentral said in a statement over the weekend.

The Bangko Sentral said the alleged faceless/misprinted Philippine peso bills should be immediately brought to the BSP head office in Manila, the Security Plant Complex in Quezon City or any of its regional offices and branches nationwide to establish the authenticity of the said bills.

Bangko Sentral officials earlier confirmed that mechanical and technical error caused the printing of a number of faceless P100 bills but said it was an “isolated case.”

B2

Business

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

PAL gets approval to restructure capital

By Darwin G. Amojelar Management Corp., where PAL Holdings Inc., the parent company of the country’s flag carrier, said the Securities and Exchange Commission approved its request to decrease its capital stock to P13 billion from P30 billion.

PHI also secured a green light from the SEC to increase the stock’s par value to P1 per share from P0.45 per share, thereby decreasing the number of shares corresponding to the authorized and subscribed capital stock without increasing the authorized capital.

The SEC also approved PHI’s share swap transaction with the shareholders of Zuma Holdings and

PHI agreed to issue 19 shares for every one Zuma share surrendered.

As a result, PHI will issue a total of 1.65 billion shares from its authorized but unissued capital stock in favor of Cosmic Holdings Corp. and Horizon Global Investments Ltd. PHI’s move to restructure its equity was a part of the possible entry of a new strategic investor this year or next year.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista earlier said the airline was currently in talks with possible investors.

The investor is expected to acquire up to 40 percent of the flag carrier.

Market likely to move sideways after holidays

By Jenniffer B. Austria

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TOCKS are expected to move sideways in the first trading week of 2018 after the market’s strong finish in 2017, as most investors return from the holidays.

Some investors may cash in on gains after the market’s rally in the last trading days of 2017, according to analysts.

“The initial three-day trading week might see some soft trades as participants gradually return from holiday break. Any lull, however, would be an

opportunity to position on bargains, especially those that have formed solid base or have retraced form their recent gains,” F. Yap Securities said.

First Metro Investment Corp. continues to bet on consumption growth to drive earnings of listed firms.

Global uncertainties and the inflationary impact of the recently passed phase 1 of the tax reform package may also affect the trading strategies of investors in the first trading week of 2018.

The PSEi, the 30-company benchmark index of the Philippine Stock Exchange, surged 1.5 percent in the last trading week of 2017 to close at 8,558.42 on Dec. 29, while the broader allshare index also climbed 1.4 percent to 4,989.97.

The bellwether posted to-

tal gains of 25.1 percent in 2017.

All sub-indices ended in the green led by financials which rose 3.3 percent, property which went up 1.9 percent, mining and oil which advanced 1.1 percent and services which increased 1 percent.

Industrial and holding firms also rose 0.9 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

Foreign investors were net buyers last week by P3.38 billion. Total foreign buying reached P52.1 billion in 2017.

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

DECEMBER 27-29, 2017 Close Volume 3.4 59.8 164.00 108.10 3.82 1.97 33.3 10 15.5 31.95 0.72 1.74 945.00 0.600 101.4 0.96 11.98 24.00 56.70 87.15 145 240 55.35 251.4 1930.00 86.65 1.24

Value

211,000 66,700 9,395,020 4,664,470 222,000 1,442,000 1,567,300 300 57,900 4,959,100 905,000 450,000 880 705,000 7,023,610 2,842,000 270,700 14,000 118,260 1,560 3,610 269,880 371,580 538,430 450 32,720 498,000

FINANCIAL 713,840.00 3,968,806.00 1,500,725,442.00 500,760,891.00 856,100.00 2,897,760.00 52,148,225.00 3,000.00 907,670.00 158,325,610.00 646,410.00 783,630.00 827,720.00 415,410.00 708,783,621.50 2,793,090.00 3,204,540.00 336,000.00 6,758,953.50 138,456.00 507,456.00 63,164,360.00 20,630,686.00 136,392,036.00 871,400.00 2,840,593.50 618,280.00

Swift Foods, Inc. MG Holdings Basic Energy Corp.

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Vulcan Ind’l.

TKC Steel Corp.

Alsons Cons.

Phinma Energy Euro-Med Lab Crown Asia Vitarich Corp.

SFA Semicon Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Ionics Inc Roxas and Co. Victorias Milling Mabuhay Vinyl Roxas Holdings LMG Chemicals Cemex Holdings RFM Corporation Da Vinci Capital SPC Power Corp.

Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Phil H2O Pryce Corp. `A’ Emperador Phinma Corporation Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Petron Corporation Holcim Philippines Inc. Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. EEI Agrinurture Inc. Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Shakeys Pizza Eagle Cement Century Food First Gen Corp.

Asiabest Group Megawide Maxs Group Integ. Micro-Electronics C. Azuc De Tarlac Macay Holdings Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Manila Water Co. Inc. Aboitiz Power Corp.

Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Liberty Flour Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Pilipinas Shell First Holdings ‘A’ Concepcion Bogo Medelin Universal Robina Chemphil Jollibee Foods Corp.

Mla. Elect. Co `A’ San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’

0.134 0.204 0.224 0.62 0.78 1.18 1.35 1.57 1.66 1.9 1.96 1.99 2.15 2.230 2.55 2.98 3.2 4.06 4.1 4.88 4.97 5.39 5.4 5.74 6.10 6.14 6.8 7.35 8.40 8.68 9.17 10.78 10.92 11.060 12.00 12.2 13.00 13.46 14.78 16.18 17 17.36 18 18.6 18.82 20.35 21.00 26.85 28.05 41.55 45.95 58.55 60 61 62 63.2 120.1 151 188 253.00 328.60 529

22,440,000 440,000 4,060,000 4,054,000 2,922,000 397,000 6,976,000 1,355,000 14,000 254,000 23,031,000 617,000 16,475,000 5,031,000 3,091,000 116,000 70,000 157,000 619,000 10,645,000 3,526,600 95,300 314,800 23,691,200 78,700 831,400 1,187,300 3,405,900 248,300 74,700 14,308,500 481,000 84,100 17,969,800 2,579,700 6,402,000 11,226,600 1,791,700 1,890,700 739,700 1,844,600 78,700 5,904,100 998,300 1,144,700 16,700 6,000 494,600 2,181,400 3,109,200 1,700,600 583,760 3,180 2,060,350 117,170 136,170 1,420 3,883,050 270 1,758,910 1,542,120 62,160

INDUSTRIAL 3,003,080.00 88,150.00 874,950.00 2,493,410.00 2,284,180.00 480,330.00 9,229,480.00 2,115,120.00 23,410.00 484,740.00 44,930,950.00 1,197,680.00 35,801,090.00 11,018,900.00 7,859,640.00 341,320.00 218,470.00 644,750.00 2,540,140.00 51,424,730.00 17,562,736.00 515,204.00 1,700,188.00 135,003,192.00 478,018.00 5,074,604.00 7,784,661.00 24,902,084.00 2,077,346.00 643,799.00 132,352,962.00 5,187,712.00 911,678.00 199,278,314.00 31,048,286.00 78,563,774.00 145,562,020.00 24,024,434.00 27,739,230.00 11,926,704.00 31,281,160.00 1,344,944.00 106,303,264.00 18,443,122.00 21,388,088.00 336,946.00 125,500.00 13,329,365.00 61,171,950.00 128,664,210.00 77,041,700.00 34,179,148.00 193,216.00 125,361,563.50 7,369,448.50 8,647,077.00 176,383.00 594,485,405.00 50,880.00 445,661,568.00 502,719,406.00 32,954,470.00

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.310 74.00 16.00 1.00 7.05 0.410 0.460 1015 7.7 14.40 4.42 5.6 7.75 0.182 1292 7.36 72.10 6 0.69 5.6 18.74 0.305 6.85 3.4 0.0450 1.150 2.050 2.60 111.60 2.67 990.00 1.57 0.81 286.000 0.2200

910,000 2,328,800 11,760,700 11,000 21,700 18,600,000 18,260,000 582,545 16,664,000 10,779,900 17,600 30,000 14,200 200,000 273,860 143,200 4,648,130 13,100 343,300 12,487,500 13,579,100 1,150,000 34,402,800 16,000 34,200,000 815,000 1,184,000 1,555,000 799,220 253,000 990,290 3,312,470 250,000 28,600 330,000

HOLDING FIRMS 278,450.00 170,592,336.00 188,197,490.00 11,000.00 152,668.00 7,922,400.00 8,673,200.00 594,899,175.00 128,237,431.00 156,528,210.00 88,902.00 156,000.00 110,134.00 36,520.00 351,571,955.00 1,052,897.00 340,594,063.00 79,174.00 436,290.00 70,216,921.00 122,869,939.00 356,250.00 234,495,753.00 53,340.00 1,504,600.00 927,180.00 2,420,040.00 4,105,280.00 89,322,341.00 666,970.00 984,114,385.00 2,863,630.00 202,000.00 8,095,514.00 72,570.00

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

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

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

Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’

6.730 1.00 12.88 2.280 0.900 44.600 3.88 4.88 5.75 6.2 6.2 0.490 1.10 1.170 0.229 0.455 39.7 0.650 0.148 1.88 1.43 0.74 5.16 0.335 0.3550 0.620 34.00 5.72 21.30

9,244,500 5,022,000 185,000 171,000 2,222,000 26,274,600 7,824,000 4,406,000 104,800 18,000 1,500 35,040,000 5,000 328,000 85,970,000 1,850,000 1,168,900 1,257,000 720,000 16,661,000 10,525,000 1,022,000 126,931,400 103,280,000 6,620,000 18,271,000 4,400 7,486,700 3,702,200

PROPERTY 61,993,166.00 4,997,330.00 2,377,134.00 394,170.00 1,959,230.00 1,166,599,460.00 30,321,400.00 21,357,810.00 578,921.00 108,020.00 9,272.00 16,856,350.00 5,500.00 371,950.00 19,326,790.00 820,650.00 47,200,535.00 816,770.00 101,250.00 31,493,820.00 15,133,280.00 748,970.00 656,565,633.00 34,948,800.00 2,379,000.00 11,301,950.00 167,195.00 43,441,103.00 79,609,395.00

DECEMBER 18-22, 2017 Close Volume Value 3.4 59.75 153.60 106.00 3.84 1.95 33.25

436,000 38,230 9,948,250 5,787,550 53,000 2,296,000 1,650,400

1,446,260.00 2,267,216.00 1,509,746,865.00 606,870,134.00 199,420.00 4,461,340.00 54,919,625.00

15.72 32

1,181,300 4,394,100

18,553,486.00 141,502,740.00

1.76 930.00 0.590 98 0.92 12 25.00 56.95 88 100 235 55.4 252 1950.00 87.00 1.21

3,882,000 50 2,743,000 11,557,400 10,488,000 188,700 2,900 183,620 2,700 1,540 8,660 2,474,460 3,215,340 2,695 95,110 1,449,000

7,152,320.00 46,500.00 1,584,900.00 1,139,902,438.00 10,132,480.00 2,220,804.00 70,375.00 10,462,711.00 236,976.00 153,990.00 2,033,560.00 138,092,948.00 811,635,122.00 5,150,050.00 8,246,730.00 1,775,950.00

0.138 0.205 0.215 0.65 0.77 1.20 1.37 1.55 1.74 1.95 1.9 1.93 2.28 2.260 2.06 2.9 3.1 4.3 4.1 4.93 4.98 5.63 5.4 5.67 6.00 6.05 6.55 7.25 8.35 8.10 9.38 10.84 11.2 11.100 11.68 12.5 12.44 13.3 14.4 16.08 17 17.9 17.96 18.18 18.4 19.78 20.85 26.80 27.9 40.9 45 69.00 62.2 60.3 62.8 65 130 151 193 247.00 320.80 534

387,580,000 9,670,000 6,910,000 9,499,000 1,248,000 1,233,000 931,000 2,111,000 117,000 721,000 38,134,000 1,854,000 5,409,000 15,502,000 1,000 243,000 125,000 42,000 2,071,000 18,314,800 1,181,000 648,100 579,600 44,557,700 1,616,100 9,283,400 3,131,500 2,803,000 248,400 139,800 6,512,500 360,400 11,800 20,545,600 4,448,600 4,575,900 6,609,100 3,949,800 7,454,900 3,031,200 6,225,600 204,800 11,357,200 717,400 3,470,600 66,900 24,200 4,659,600 8,510,100 5,587,100 2,693,700 37,020 16,400 7,619,340 219,520 1,088,510 7,130 4,964,700 1,320 2,817,270 1,641,070 215,050

62,005,500.00 2,010,210.00 1,512,500.00 5,925,650.00 987,800.00 1,513,820.00 1,257,690.00 3,257,100.00 202,840.00 1,390,360.00 69,583,850.00 3,662,390.00 12,659,180.00 35,565,880.00 2,060.00 643,430.00 398,610.00 184,070.00 8,624,950.00 91,509,914.00 5,816,910.00 3,619,702.00 3,139,156.00 250,141,867.00 9,728,128.00 72,893,436.00 20,514,115.00 20,319,087.00 2,088,211.00 1,193,868.00 61,041,996.00 3,951,742.00 132,444.00 228,930,846.00 50,895,102.00 57,091,554.00 84,245,976.00 52,897,568.00 108,954,262.00 48,681,586.00 105,972,092.00 3,578,694.00 205,452,142.00 13,078,348.00 62,317,036.00 1,374,937.00 492,465.00 127,904,585.00 238,755,525.00 223,417,600.00 120,151,640.00 1,225,450.00 1,132,038.00 467,014,372.00 13,751,917.50 69,675,358.00 1,004,835.00 751,589,265.00 247,838.00 695,493,320.00 531,746,776.00 115,562,920.00

0.305 72.70 15.94 1.02 7.04 0.425 0.460 1010 7.72 14.28

2,680,000 2,673,610 10,935,400 437,000 33,000 63,990,000 54,350,000 796,900 54,383,300 15,589,800

811,400.00 186,119,468.00 174,960,546.00 423,270.00 231,576.00 27,038,300.00 24,157,350.00 803,831,637.50 411,547,431.00 220,860,620.00

7.80 0.181 1268 7.76 73.80 6.1 0.71 5.6 19.2 0.340 6.73 3.33 0.0440 1.140 2.060 2.66 111.90 2.83 984.50 1.57 0.79 285.000 0.2200

222,100 2,130,000 536,595 191,600 3,565,140 704,600 2,252,000 1,470,900 4,298,400 900,000 88,524,800 414,000 20,700,000 2,677,000 520,000 1,882,000 796,010 581,000 1,282,890 12,073,000 83,000 29,310 2,800,000

1,731,255.00 389,380.00 687,897,960.00 1,415,519.00 257,477,594.50 4,541,412.00 1,549,820.00 8,349,796.00 80,746,472.00 289,250.00 592,962,563.00 1,421,520.00 930,500.00 3,237,930.00 1,066,690.00 7,277,790.00 88,006,205.00 1,681,780.00 1,248,893,530.00 19,257,410.00 64,910.00 8,240,228.00 620,460.00

6.380 1.00 13.98 2.300 0.890 43.250 3.79 4.69 5.79 6 6.19 0.475 1.14 1.160 0.215 0.450 39.8 0.640 0.150 1.90 1.42 0.77 5.11 0.345 0.3650 0.610 35.00 5.6 21.20

16,495,100 15,964,000 3,276,700 172,000 4,421,000 31,095,700 3,602,000 9,936,000 684,800 1,200 4,700 15,300,000 207,000 276,000 27,540,000 1,290,000 1,100,100 5,766,000 4,430,000 63,723,000 11,742,000 1,785,000 82,819,900 180,950,000 5,860,000 68,253,000 8,000 8,583,400 6,108,400

104,470,615.00 15,957,520.00 73,406,650.00 389,740.00 3,865,280.00 1,341,147,430.00 13,875,010.00 46,070,870.00 3,884,390.00 7,200.00 28,737.00 7,384,450.00 231,150.00 324,820.00 5,793,840.00 584,600.00 42,432,240.00 3,755,960.00 668,800.00 119,670,810.00 16,632,160.00 1,340,510.00 426,209,336.00 62,423,200.00 2,132,900.00 41,780,570.00 278,595.00 48,450,706.00 130,625,755.00

STOCKS

DECEMBER 27-29, 2017 Close Volume

DECEMBER 18-22, 2017 Close Volume Value

Value

Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

2.12 3.13 37.50 1.01 8.81 0.850 5.990

4,944,000 1,100,000 22,080,600 461,000 35,200 175,000 9,028,100

10,349,030.00 3,445,970.00 829,419,670.00 466,310.00 305,995.00 147,570.00 54,189,308.00

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

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

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

18.48 34.6 1.39 0.480 0.042 11.82 4.87 10.90 0.0710 100 8.64 8.78 7.01 2.49 18.50 1900 5.84 22.00 12.00 4.49 105.5 2.64 13 8.35 0.141 1.4000 3.07 17 4.04 1.21 22.85 16.50 0.570 5 7.43 3.90 2.820 11.1 5.15 2.81 8.99 114.40 7.64 1480.00 0.365 1.350 50.00 96.20 5.60 3.30 1.630 2.7 3.98 0.980 8.280

459,200 265,300 395,000 1,170,000 46,200,000 28,000 8,400 7,348,400 56,450,000 1,748,610 16,100 3,728,600 57,800 413,000 1,495,300 98,875 505,600 748,700 16,800 19,666,000 1,587,760 54,000 55,600 509,200 11,620,000 3,156,000 242,000 83,300 1,425,004 365,000 4,399,900 6,000 358,000 18,896,000 15,793,700 2,695,000 14,237,000 307,500 36,900 149,000 85,300 74,430 2,808,000 286,855 1,030,000 4,225,000 2,925,000 1,295,260 476,500 2,564,000 30,259,000 14,243,000 5,131,000 8,928,000 10,628,600

SERVICES 8,770,546.00 9,207,770.00 565,610.00 546,400.00 1,929,600.00 325,968.00 40,972.00 80,301,940.00 3,967,970.00 174,161,081.00 139,327.00 32,976,383.00 395,706.00 1,019,640.00 26,024,656.00 182,118,140.00 2,929,822.00 16,345,570.00 208,992.00 84,551,210.00 168,210,077.00 149,610.00 717,984.00 4,249,866.00 1,644,190.00 4,365,710.00 745,230.00 1,334,426.00 7,103,840.00 433,500.00 99,356,915.00 97,590.00 197,820.00 88,897,580.00 117,902,106.00 10,361,880.00 39,738,630.00 3,413,250.00 191,321.00 421,600.00 750,167.00 8,535,587.00 21,184,023.00 427,094,915.00 361,300.00 5,663,290.00 147,130,548.50 123,581,402.50 2,626,280.00 8,273,300.00 49,457,380.00 39,271,590.00 20,484,120.00 8,809,300.00 87,368,859.00

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

United Paragon

0.0022 1.55 5.00 15.00 1.7300 1.7500 1.63 0.310 7.10 2.630 0.210 0.151 0.153 0.009 0.0100 1.78 6.33 1.51 0.4500 0.9500 0.0120 0.0120 6.06 7.96 0.0120 2.0200 36.80 0.0067

MINING & OIL 2,387,000,000 5,397,500.00 20,497,000 31,915,600.00 1,965,000 9,697,370.00 4,400 59,636.00 46,000 79,680.00 27,000 47,180.00 3,958,000 6,251,130.00 790,000 252,550.00 27,400 198,128.00 12,243,000 32,033,300.00 3,360,000 703,330.00 14,280,000 2,154,660.00 5,270,000 806,310.00 289,000,000 2,626,500.00 1,129,700,000 10,619,240.00 873,000 1,479,600.00 3,570,300 22,647,625.00 950,000 1,345,920.00 80,000 35,450.00 2,030,000 1,883,030.00 2,300,000 27,600.00 800,000 9,700.00 2,008,400 11,719,565.00 5,536,000 44,259,883.00 18,700,000 207,500.00 5,000 10,050.00 10,162,600 376,255,915.00 2,000,000 13,400.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

34.5 108 528 526 106.7 115 117 507 523 5.68 1030 1028 100.2 1.04 109.4 1060 1140 1000 103.7 109 76.5 80 75.65 81.95 79.5 79.8 2.12

1,370,500 22,370 20,000 12,050 10,440 70 15,000 580 100 22,600 4,520 1,285 11,940 2,270,000 290 2,005 5 150 350 7,590 28,620 70,790 21,500 290 103,380 93,610 113,000

LR Warrant

2.470

WARRANTS & BONDS 1,084,000 2,638,590.00

PREFERRED 47,258,440.00 2,415,960.00 10,560,000.00 6,361,470.00 1,106,631.00 7,959.00 1,673,995.00 294,660.00 52,300.00 128,314.00 4,639,130.00 1,321,085.00 1,211,745.00 2,361,000.00 31,744.00 2,103,300.00 5,700.00 150,200.00 36,295.00 826,192.00 2,183,555.00 5,678,750.00 1,625,275.00 23,765.50 8,169,230.00 7,454,835.50 237,640.00

SME 146,410.00 436,936,177.00 861,180.00 63,662,407.00

2.12 3.13 37.00 1.01 9.39 0.870 6.000

12,989,000 730,000 22,042,500 2,686,000 366,600 355,000 10,858,100

28,219,420.00 2,310,590.00 810,872,995.00 2,742,130.00 4,670,002.00 298,350.00 64,454,952.00

20.05 34.65 1.45 0.470 0.041 11.52 5.29 10.86 0.0700 98.6 9.38 9.01 7.00 2.46 17.50 1854 5.76 18.26 14.90 4.40 105 2.60 12.92 8.34 0.144 1.4100 3.14 15.46 4.14 1.22 22.00 15.50 0.550 4.2 7.29 3.81 2.860 11.1 5.20 2.86 8.8 115.00 7.65 1470.00 0.355 1.290 49.70 93.95 5.65 3.17 1.640 2.85 4.05 1.000 8.140

815,800 132,800 1,136,000 7,540,000 81,100,000 41,900 4,632,000 18,022,800 56,780,000 4,055,970 2,000 5,203,900 269,900 2,765,000 4,608,200 194,910 995,200 51,500 147,100 38,962,000 2,576,010 616,000 543,600 1,699,800 35,970,000 14,488,000 2,847,000 174,700 9,617,000 1,189,000 7,517,700 6,000 164,000 17,091,000 13,371,900 6,447,000 43,744,000 2,310,800 501,900 8,951,000 10,500 63,020 3,673,900 547,770 8,100,000 8,475,000 2,984,180 832,610 349,400 6,142,000 42,768,000 119,421,000 4,998,000 22,055,000 21,142,800

16,486,071.00 4,620,675.00 1,642,180.00 3,582,900.00 3,408,800.00 510,020.00 24,781,560.00 197,437,474.00 3,979,750.00 394,720,494.00 18,760.00 46,567,809.00 1,885,040.00 7,537,010.00 95,392,684.00 351,294,415.00 5,695,199.00 927,642.00 2,532,419.00 175,543,060.00 271,470,998.00 1,631,250.00 7,160,318.00 14,166,313.00 5,102,760.00 20,089,860.00 9,539,830.00 2,620,636.00 39,299,520.00 1,424,780.00 166,101,795.00 93,110.00 88,040.00 71,782,760.00 100,370,728.00 24,672,550.00 119,967,610.00 25,649,880.00 2,675,111.00 32,715,090.00 93,972.00 7,396,669.00 28,582,227.00 712,642,710.00 2,685,150.00 10,916,160.00 180,923,771.50 77,580,682.00 2,009,896.00 19,694,440.00 70,416,630.00 472,989,200.00 20,497,330.00 21,531,940.00 171,507,615.00

0.0022 1.49 4.55 15.00 1.7300 1.8000 1.56 0.325 7.31 2.620 0.216 0.153 0.153 0.009 0.0100 1.75 6.22 1.59 0.4500 0.9200 0.0120 0.0130 5.68 7.89 0.0120 2.0100 36.80 0.0069

652,740,000 25,174,000 867,000 1,600 695,000 1,039,000 5,453,000 1,380,000 27,700 5,566,000 520,000 63,600,000 26,210,000 68,000,000 2,000,000 827,000 3,361,500 293,000 836,000 547,000 67,000,000 397,000,000 4,841,100 18,392,100 75,800,000 153,000 12,311,500 9,000,000

3,131,900.00 37,485,610.00 3,841,710.00 22,560.00 1,265,770.00 1,892,170.00 8,624,200.00 431,400.00 199,661.00 14,490,620.00 114,540.00 9,645,270.00 4,001,870.00 653,100.00 19,360.00 1,406,540.00 20,682,674.00 451,080.00 376,365.00 500,400.00 805,700.00 4,963,100.00 27,439,096.00 143,467,759.00 859,700.00 311,400.00 444,319,495.00 57,900.00

34.45 108 537.5 522 106.5 113.9 115.5

590,200 3,000 6,060 30 81,750 2,550 22,200

20,501,530.00 324,000.00 3,128,950.00 15,650.00 8,708,744.00 289,323.00 2,564,100.00

523 5.67 1030 1035 102.2 1.04

1,050 399,700 130 3,155 65,890 4,012,000

549,150.00 2,182,852.00 133,900.00 3,258,270.00 6,703,833.00 4,267,040.00

1060 1140 1000 103 115 76 80 75.2 82.2 77.5 77.4 2.16

1,010 100 10,005 1,280 160 11,460 93,470 65,900 42,000 40,050 102,440 1,200,000

1,070,545.00 114,000.00 10,024,115.00 132,020.00 18,400.00 871,622.00 7,478,620.00 5,004,430.00 3,448,300.00 3,173,662.00 8,061,829.00 3,815,160.00

2.490

3,039,000

7,786,820.00

2.99 7.78 3.88 5.73

1,309,000 3,997,800 281,000 28,634,700

4,412,150.00 32,220,398.00 1,101,580.00 151,751,647.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

2.85 10.2 3.74 5.57

51,000 36,543,400 226,000 11,430,000

First Metro ETF

130.5

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 95,270 12,365,210.00

127.6

11,890

1,511,580.00

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

10.1 10.2 1

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 11,330 114,832.00 19,960 203,592.00 43,000 43,000.00

10.4 10.2 1

16,590 32,200 100,000

168,031.00 327,660.00 100,000.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Manila Mining `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Crown Equities Inc. Boulevard Holdings Apollo Global Italpinas Century Property

VOLUME 2,387,000,000 1,129,700,000 289,000,000 126,931,400 103,280,000 85,970,000 56,450,000 46,200,000 36,543,400 35,040,000

STOCKS Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Ayala Land `B’ SM Investments Inc. SM Prime Holdings Metrobank Megaworld Ayala Corp `A’ Universal Robina Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Bank of PI

VALUE 1,500,725,442.00 1,166,599,460.00 984,114,385.00 829,419,670.00 708,783,621.50 656,565,633.00 594,899,175.00 594,485,405.00 502,719,406.00 500,760,891.00

The stock market ended 2017 with total market capitalization of P17.58 trillion.

Among the best performing stocks last year were Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which jumped 77.7 percent, East West Banking Corp. which advanced 72.3 percent, SM Investments Corp. which rose 51 percent, LT Group Inc. which increased 49.2 percent and International Container Terminal Services Inc. which gained 46.6 percent.

Among the worst performing stocks in 2017 were Philex Mining Corp. which fell 29.5 percent, Nickel Asia Corp. which dropped 20.7 percent, Robinsons Land Corp. which shed 18.1 percent, China Banking Corp. which dipped 12.4 percent and 8990 Holdings Inc. which decreased 10.1 percent.

Maynilad investing P2.2b in facilities

By Othel V. Campos WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said it spent P1.5 billion in 2017 to build new pumping stations and reservoirs in Las Piñas City, Quezon City and Muntinlupa City.

“We are also investing another P2.2 billion in the next five years for the rehabilitation and upgrade of existing PSRs,” Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez said.

The new facilities which have a combined storage capacity of 110 million liters of water enabled Maynilad to increase water pressure from 7 pounds per square inch to 16 psi for almost 400,000 residents in Bacoor City, Las Piñas, North Caloocan and Muntinlupa.

Maynilad said at 16 psi, water supply can reach the fourth floor a house or establishment without the need for a booster pump.

The strong water pressure allowed Maynilad to bring potable water to elevated portions of the said areas which previously had no water access or had limited supply availability.

Some 61,000 people in the south, who still rely on deep wells for their water supply, are expected to connect to Maynilad’s distribution network once the new PSRs become fully operational by the second quarter of 2018.

Maynilad currently has 28 pumping stations and 32 reservoirs located in strategic locations throughout its west concession area― up from only seven operational pumping stations and reservoirs in 2006 before the company was re-privatized.

“Since 2007, we have added 21 pumping stations and 25 reservoirs to the water infrastructure that we inherited upon reprivatization. In the next five years, we will build more such facilities in Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, Bacoor City and Kawit City,” Fernandez said.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base.

World Seoul seizes Panama vessel SEOUL―South Korea has seized a Panama-flagged ship suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in breach of UN sanctions, a report said Sunday.

The 5,100-ton KOTI was detained two weeks ago at the South’s port of Pyeongtaek-Dangjin and its crew are being investigated over the alleged ship-to-ship transfers, Yonhap news agency cited local maritime officials as saying.

It was the second such seizure to be reported in days. The South Korean government announced Friday that it briefly seized and inspected a Hong Kong-registered ship in November for transferring oil products to a North Korean vessel.

The Panamanian tanker was banned from leaving port following a government meeting on December 21, the report said. Its crew―mostly from Myanmar and China―were being questioned by the customs office and the intelligence agency.

“The vessel is under inspection for alleged ties with North Korea,” a government official said, according to Yonhap. AFP

B3

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Sydney kicks off 2018 parties

S

YDNEY―Australia’s largest city Sydney will welcome 2018 with a rainbowthemed fireworks spectacular marking new same-sex marriage rights Sunday, with heavy security for the festivities that kick off a wave of celebrations around the world.

The first major New Year’s bash will see more than 1.5 million spectators pack the city’s foreshore as tons of pyrotechnics light up the night sky.

The technicolor display will include a rainbow waterfall of fireworks cascading off the Sydney Harbor Bridge to mark Australia’s legalization of same-sex marriage following a nationwide postal vote in support of change.

“This is a fabulous way to see out 2017―the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding ‘Yes’ to marriage equality,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Hollywood heartthrob Hugh Jackman will add star power with a 20-second gold-and-silver pyrotechnics set, fulfilling a life-long dream to design a firework for his hometown.

The chimes of midnight

then move across the world to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and finally the Americas.

Dazzling light shows will bid farewell to 2017.

- Hong Kong: “Shooting stars” to be fired off from the rooftops of buildings in a 10-minute musical firework display - Singapore: More landmarks are included in the countdown party, with a symphony of light and sound illuminating the waterfront skyline - Tokyo: People traditionally spend the eve with their families at home, while many young people head downtown for countdown events - Dubai: The city is replacing its main midnight fire-

works with a laser show on the world’s tallest tower, accompanied by music - Moscow: Major boulevards and squares will be decked out to welcome the new year, with fireworks to light up 36 key sites - Rio: Millions will gather on Copacabana beach to watch fireworks, with many wearing white, the traditional dress to usher in the new year Stricter security measures will be a key focus amid fears that the huge crowds in public places could be targets for vehicle and other terror attacks.

In Australia, the beefed-up police presence will include some officers carrying semiautomatic rifles in Sydney and bollards used as barriers

against vehicles.

The heightened measures come just a week after more than a dozen people were hurt when a man plowed a car into a crowd of pedestrians in Melbourne.

“You’re going to see more police than ever out, it will be our largest contingent... (given) the current security environment,” Victoria state police acting chief commissioner Shane Patton said.

Other cities are also preparing for possible threats following deadly vehicle assaults over the past two years in Barcelona, Nice and London.

New York’s Times Square celebrations will be safeguarded by the toughest security presence in years, after two recent attacks apparently

Tighter security on attack anniversary

Chinese ivory sales ban in effect BEIJING―China’s complete ban on ivory trade went into effect Sunday, officials said, a major step forward in Beijing’s efforts to rein in what was once the world’s largest market for illegal ivory.

“From today... the buying and selling of elephant ivory and goods by any market, shop or vendor is against the law!” the forestry ministry said on its official account on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

“From now on, if a merchant tells you ‘this is a state-approved ivory dealer’... he is duping you and knowingly violating the law.”

The ministry added that the ban also applied to online sales and souvenirs purchased abroad.

According to the Xinhua state news agency, a partial ban had already resulted in an 80 percent decline in seizures of ivory entering China. Domestic prices for raw ivory are down 65 percent, it said.

The total domestic ban was announced at the end of last year. AFP

MARCH. Members of the Cape Malay Choirs, or ‘nagtroepe’, march through the city of Cape Town on December 30, 2017. AFP

Iran warns protesters ‘will pay the price’ as the unrest turns deadly TEHRAN―Iran warned on Sunday that protesters will “pay the price” after a third night of unrest saw mass demonstrations across the country in which dozens were arrested and official buildings attacked.

Videos shared on social media showed thousands marching in towns and cities throughout Iran overnight.

Travel restrictions and a near-total media blackout from official agencies made it very difficult to confirm the swirl of rumors spreading through social media.

Semi-official conservative outlets confirmed an evening attack on a town hall in Tehran and showed protesters attacking banks and municipal buildings in other parts of the country.

“Those who damage public property, disrupt order and break the law must be responsible for their behavior and pay the price,” Interior Minister Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television early on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump weighed in on the protests, saying “oppressive re-

gimes cannot endure forever”.

There was no confirmation of widespread reports that at least two people had been shot dead in the small western town of Dorud.

In one of the few official reports, an official in Arak, around 300 kilometers southwest of Tehran, said 80 people had been arrested overnight.

“Some intended to enter and damage some government places but the attackers did not manage to achieve their goals... and the town is under control,” the unidenti-

fied official told the ILNA news agency.

Iranian authorities said the majority of social media reports were emanating from regional rival Saudi Arabia and exile groups based in Europe.

Internet was temporarily cut on mobile phones on Saturday night but was restored not long after.

President Hassan Rouhani, who came to power in 2013 promising to mend the economy and ease social tensions, has so far not made any statement since the unrest started in second city

Mashhad on Thursday.

The protests began in Mashhad against high living costs and the struggling economy before spreading quickly to other areas and turning against the Islamic regime as a whole.

Slogans such as “Death to the dictator” have been heard throughout the protests.

There have been reminders of the regime’s continued support among conservative sections of society, with pro-regime students outnumbering protesters at the University of Tehran on Saturday. AFP

Pakistani girl cadets dream of taking power MARDAN, Pakistan-At a revolutionary school in Pakistan, Durkhanay Banuri dreams of becoming military chief, once a mission impossible for girls in a patriarchal country where the powerful army has a severe problem with gender equity.

Thirteen-year-old Durkhanay, a student at Pakistan’s first ever Girls’ Cadet College, established earlier this year in the deeply conservative northwest, brims with enthusiasm and confidence as she sketches out her life plan.

“I want to be the army chief,” she tells AFP. “Why not? When a woman can be prime minister, foreign minister and governor of the State Bank, she can also be chief of the army staff ...

I will make it possible and you will see.”

The dreams of many

inspired by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

IS’s defeat in Iraq was one of the key stories this year, although the jihadists remain a threat and numerous attacks around the world were claimed by them or Al-Qaeda-linked groups.

Donald Trump has stolen the spotlight as he made his debut as US President in 2017, with “America first” policies and a bombastic personal style that has shaken international diplomacy.

The former reality television star is likely to continue to dominate headlines in 2018, with escalating tensions over North Korea among a host of global challenges going into the new year. AFP

women in the region were once limited to merely leaving the house.

Durkhanay and her 70 classmates in Mardan, a town in militancy-hit Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) province roughly 110 kilometers from Islamabad, are aiming much higher.

Cadet colleges in Pakistan, which are run by the government with officers from the military’s education branch, strive to prepare bright male students for the armed forces and civil services.

Their graduates are usually given preference for selection to the army, which in Pakistan can mean their future is secured: they are likely to be granted land and will benefit from the best resources and training in the country.

As a result such colleges

play an outsize role in Pakistan’s education system, which has been woefully underfunded for decades.

According to a 2016 government study, a staggering 24 million Pakistani children are out of school, with a larger share of girls staying home than boys―12.8 million compared to 11.2 million.

Hundreds of boys study at the cadet colleges across the country.

But girls are still not allowed in these elite schools, with the special college at Mardan the one exception.

“Such colleges can help girls qualify to be part of the armed forces, foreign service, civil services or become engineers and doctors,” said retired Brigadier Naureen Satti, underscoring their importance in the long fight for equality by Pakistan’s women. AFP

PERFORMANCE. Spanish bullfighter Alberto Lopez Simon performs during a bullfight at the Canaveralejo bullring in Cali, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia on December 30, 2017, during the 60th Cali Fair. AFP,

ISTANBUL―Turkey on Sunday is to see in the New Year with muted celebrations and amid the tightest security, under the shadow of the terror attack one year ago on an elite Istanbul nightclub that left 39 dead.

An Uzbek gunman, just 45 minutes into 2017, ran amok with a Kalashnikov at the Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus, killing indiscriminately and later slipping away in a taxi.

The attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group, was another body blow to Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a year of terror attacks by jihadists and Kurdish rebels as well as the failed coup.

However there has been no major attack in Turkey since the Reina murders, and security forces this year appear to be taking every possible precaution to ensure that this New Year passes without incident.

A total of 37,000 police will be deployed in Istanbul alone on New Year’s night, more than double the number last year, according to Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin.

Some 4,000 members of the gendarmerie and coastguard are also being put on duty.

Meanwhile, authorities have either scrapped or banned any New Year celebrations in some of the most popular areas for revellers, including the major hub of Taksim Square, the buzzing area of Besiktas and upscale shopping district of Sisli.

All road access to these areas will be cut off from the afternoon. Turkish state news agency Anadolu said that police disguised as lottery ticket and hot chestnut sellers would be deployed around Taksim to ensure security.

In an unusual move, the Istanbul authorities are also banning heavy goods vehicles from access to the city center from Sunday morning to Monday.

“We are having very serious security measures to ensure that our citizens, God willing, see in the New Year in peace and security,” Sahin said.

In the capital Ankara, similar measures have been taken with 9,700 police deployed and New Year celebrations banned in the central Kizilay Square.

Hundreds of suspected IS members, many of them foreigners, have also been arrested in swoops across the country in the past days, with some suspected of planning attacks over the New Year. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

B4

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

In new SM-built homes, ‘Yolanda’ families thrive

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Sharia equality pushed

By Nash B. Maulana

C

OTABATO CITY—Sharia law practitioners here are supporting an online petition seeking equal recognition for Philippine Sharia lawyers, and for them to become regular members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Lawyer Abubakar Katambak, president of the Sharia Lawyers’ Association-Central Mindanao Chapter, said an equal recognition by the Supreme Court would allow sharia lawyers to represent indigent parties of sharia civil cases, amid the opening by the Public Attorneys’ Office of positions for sharia counsels.

Katambak, also a member of the regular Philip-

pine Bar, said he joined his fellow sharia lawyers in asserting for recognition by the IBP, and that they should be treated equally as regular IBP members.

Sharia lawyer Lincoln Bagundang, vice president of the group, said the issue was also raised during the sharia lawyers’ general assembly here on Dec. 16, when they hosted House Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra Sema

and Maguindanao Assemblyman Khadafeh Mangudadatu of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Legislative Assembly.

Under Presidential Decree 1083, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, a member of the Philippine Sharia Bar may be appointed as Sharia circuit court judge, from a short-list of nominees submitted to the President by the Judicial Bar Council.

However, only members of both the Philippine Regular Bar and of the Philippine Sharia Bar can be appointed as judge of a Sharia District Court, an appellate tribunal.

The Philippine Sharia Bar, conducted every two years, is also administered by the Supreme Court, and

it is solely the High Tribunal that decides on granting individual petitions to take the Sharia Bar examination.

The Philippine Sharia Bar exams consist of the Code Muslim Personal Laws; Special Rules of Procedures; Jurisprudence (Fiqh), and the Muslim Law on Inheritance and Succession.

Sema noted that only a few from Maguindanao, unlike in Lanao, are members of both the Philippine Regular Bar and the Philippine Sharia Bar, like Katambak and Atty. Gapor Quituar of the Judge Advocate General’s Office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Mangudadatu, on the other hand, believed the call for equality of law practitioners

came just as the Department of Justice opened new positions for sharia lawyers in the PAO to provide free legal services for indigent parties in sharia court cases.

The idea on sharia lawyers to serve PAO was brought to fore during the term of thenJustice Secretary Simeon Datumanong, who wanted his successor, Raul Gonzalez, to implement it.

Datumanong planned to sponsor in Congress, as Maguindanao’s representative, an expanded staffing pattern for PAO to include attorneys’ positions for sharia counsels. Currently, sharia lawyers cannot represent a party to a case in a court of general jurisdiction, like the Regional Trial Court.

Number of Clark workers hits 100k

By Romeo Dizon

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—Employment inside the Freeport increased by 12 percent for the first 11 months of 2017 with 107,694 persons now working in the former military airbase, the Clark Development Corp. reported.

The total employed workers topped the 2016 tally for the same period of 93,467, owing to the strategic location of the Freeport that continues to attract locators and investors and the sound management of the CDC under president and CEO Noel Manankil, the government-controlled firm said in a statement.

“The workers are employed by 943 registered enterprises, majority of whom are engaged in export of quality products, supplying the world market. Electronics is the bulk of their products,” Noel Tulabut, CDC communication manager, added.

CDC, together with its mother government agency, the Bases Conversion Development Authority, remitted P4.5 billion to the National Treasury as provided for under Republic Act No. 7917 and Executive Order 309.

The remittance comes from sales, joint venture income and leases of the former military camp’s facilities, including dividends declared out of its net income.

More workers are in the Freeport’s future with President Rodrigo R. Duterte announcing that Clark is now the new frontier of trade and commerce, to replace or equal “decaying” Metro Manila.

Tulabut said the current total number of employees is the biggest in the history of the Freeport—not even during the time of the Americans, who employed 20,000 local and foreign civilian employees.

Resident beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village in Bogo City, Cebu show their gratitude to officials of SM Cares and SM Supermalls during the recent handover ceremony of their new houses (inset), which replaced the ones they lost to Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ nearly five years ago.

FOUR years after super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”) hit central Philippines, survivors are thriving in communities built through the initiatives of retail and property developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. Close to 200 survivorfamilies in Cebu province were handed their new houses at the SM Cares Housing Village in Bogo City, complete with amenities and social and livelihood programs, by SM Supermalls executives led

by President Annie Garcia.

The beneficiaries received their certificates of usufruct from SM Cares and the Fernan family, the land donor, which gave them the right to use the house for the next 25 years. If all plans push through, the families will be awarded the houses in perpetuity after the 25year period lapses.

The houses were turned over to the families in 2014, but they had to undergo community and livelihood training under the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. for three years to enable them to stand on their own as families and as one community.

Neralyn Montejo, one of the beneficiaries and a leader of the homeowners in the SM Cares Housing Village in Bogo, said each of the families there are a living testament that starting over and becoming better than ever is not impossible, even after the worst tragedy.

“Hindi naman pala puro masama ang dala ng bagyong “Yolanda.” Ito pala ang magiging daan para magkaroon kami ng mas magandang buhay [Not everything that “Yolanda” brought was bad. It paved the way for a better life for us],” Montejo said.

The SM Cares Housing Village in Brgy. Polambato in Bogo was the first one built to provide survivors with long-term assistance to help them cope with the disaster, not only with disasterresilient houses but with a flourishing community to

help them build new lives.

All the beneficiaries previously lived in high-risk disaster areas in Cebu. When “Yolanda” ravaged the Visayas in November 2013, they lost all their belongings and sources of income.

Hans T. Sy, Chairman of the SMPHI Executive Committee who initiated the project, sought the help of tenants, business partners, private organizations and individuals to put together P200 million to build 1,000 homes for Yolanda survivors in the worst-hit areas in the Visayas.

SM also built SM Cares Housing Villages in three other areas to reach the 1,000 houses. These were in Concepcion in Iloilo province, and Ormoc City and Tacloban City in Leyte. Tacloban has 400 houses in its village; the rest have 200 homes each.

Elena Bautista Horn, Vice President for Corporate Communications of SMPHI, said they plan to replicate the success achieved by the homeowners in Bogo in their other housing villages.

“It has not been easy but our experience here in Bogo was all worth it just seeing the faces of the residents and the vibrancy of the community. We could not thank our donors and our partners enough for their generosity and patience. We hope to replicate this in our other villages,” Horn stressed.

Horn said the village is a strong representation of how people could bounce back after a tragedy and how communities composed of strangers could thrive and grow together with the help of well-meaning groups and advocates.

“This is the Filipino bayanihan at its best. We have people working together to uplift the lives of our countrymen and through their determination to get back on their feet, they have achieved what seemed to be a daunting task of not only recovering from a tragedy but making it an opportunity to live better,” she said.

CARD comes to members’ aid with relief packs after ‘Vinta’ hits STAFF and clients of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) in Mindanao simultaneously packed relief goods for at least five percent of their total number of clients, two days before the recent landfall of tropical storm “Vinta.”

“To strategically provide easy and fast assistance for our clients, all our unit of-

fices that are safe, near, and within the areas where the tropical storm is expected to cross, packed relief goods that are enough to cover the number of clients they are serving,” said Marilyn Manila, CARD MRI’s Disaster Management Chair.

The number of relief goods prepared covered all its clients who were affect-

ed by Vinta, Manila added.

CARD MRI staff was also on the ground preparing for the validation of claims for life and non-life insurance.

All microfinance clients of CARD MRI are automatically enrolled in CARD Mutual Benefit Association (CARD MBA), the microinsurance arm of CARD MRI,

and are entitled to life insurance benefits.

Clients may also avail various non-life products, such as re-housing and hospitalization loans, among others, with low premium cost to other microinsurance companies of CARD MRI, the CARD MRI Insurance Agency (CaMIA) and CARD Pioneer Microinsurance, Inc. (CPMI).

The immediate validation activity is part of CARD MBA’s 8-to-24hour claims payment strategy for its policy holders right after any incident that would cost their lives and properties.

“CARD MRI also has an education program called Credit with Education (CwE). A new module on disaster management had

CITY DENTAL CLINIC. Recognizing

the importance of dental care, the city government of Parañaque has formally opened the dental clinic in city hall, which aims to give free dental care to the poorest of the poor in the city. The modern facility was inaugurated by Public Information Office chief Mar Jimenez, city dental division chief Marissa Banta, city health officer Olga Virturio, assistant city health officer Dionisio Sabio, and Ma. Lourdes Dimagiba, DoH implementer.

25th Travel Tour Expo slated Feb. 9, launches next Monday THE 25th Travel Tour Expo unwraps on Feb. 9 this year at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay, with a formal launch on Jan. 8 at the Aura Ballroom of the Golden Phoenix Hotel along Macapagal Boulevard and Sunrise Drive in Pasay City.

Organized by the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, the Travel

Tour Expo is the country’s biggest annual travel and tourism event.

Held yearly at the SMX in Pasay, TTE is participated in by hotels, resorts, airlines, theme parks, cruise lines, travel agencies, and tour operators from the Philippines and across the world. National tourism organizations, embassies, and Phil-

ippine government agencies also participate in the expo.

Coinciding with its opening in February is the third installment of the International Travel Trade Expo, the business-to-business component of TTE, which will feature tourism companies from more than 20 countries networking with their counter-

parts from the PTAA. Expected to be present during the launch are the TTE organizing committee led by its chairperson and current PTAA president Marlene Dado Jante. They will be joined by officials from the Department of Tourism, Philippine Airlines, and Citibank.

been rolled out this year to all our centers. CwE modules are being facilitated by our Account Officers during center meetings of our clients,” Manila said.

Center meeting is one CARD MRI strategy to gather its clients weekly and discuss various topics that would benefit their families and respective businesses, she added.

Mariveles school national winner of ‘Brigada’ prize MARIVELES, Bataan—The leadership tandem of Mayor AJ Concepcion and Vice Mayor Lito Rubia is putting a premium on education with support from the members of the Sangguniang Bayan here.

Alas-asin Elementary School officials recently expressed thanks to the mayor, vice mayor, and town councilors, especially Councilor Tito Catipon, for their support in the school achieving the Brigada Eskwela Award.

The elementary school was awarded by the Department of Education in the recent national ceremony of the 2017 Best Brigada Eskwela Implementing Schools in Elementary and Secondary Levels held at Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

“Mayor Concepcion, Bataan Schools Division Superintendent Jessie Ferrer, and Alas-asin Elementary School Principal Marjorie Palomo headed our contingent that attended the ceremony held at Puerto Princesa Coliseum,” said Catipon.

Alas-asin ES was earlier adjudged by DepEd as the champion (Elementary Level-Large School Category) in the regional contest of the Brigada Eskwela.

“No less than DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones led the national awarding ceremony in Puerto Princesa,” said Catipon, who is the town council’s Committee on Education chairman.

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

Proud and happy to be playing gay men in MMFF entry J O R O S S Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman are both happy and proud headlining the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Deadma Walking produced by T-Rex Entertainment.

“It’s a big honor to be considered for the movie, which is the screen adaptation of the second prize winner at the 2016 Palanca Awards for Literature. It’s the perfect ‘beshie’ comedy about two gay best friends whose loyalty to each other in life and beyond is simply inspiring,” says Joross.

“The movie is Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, which is another cause for celebration,” avers Edgar Allan. “We hope the viewers will support the project because it’s different from among the festival entries this year. It’s not just an ordinary comedy.

The story is about friendship and selfless love. It’s very heart-warming!”

It’s not the first time that Edgar Allan played a gay character on screen. What makes this different?

“That’s right” he admits. “This is my fourth time to do another role of this kind. To be honest, I was a bit adamant in accepting the part when it was first offered to me. But when I read the whole script, I was moved. I instantly fell in love with the story and eventually said yes.”

For Joross, doing the film opposite Edgar Allan brings back good old memories.

“Unknown to some, EA and I are already good friends from way back. He was my back-up dancer during my Star Circle Quest days. This has a very positive effect on our portrayal of gay best friends in the movie.

Since we’ve known each other for so long, we had no reservations whatsoever in all our scenes together,” he reveals.

One of the aces of Deadma Walking is the cameo roles of many of the industry’s brightest luminaries.

“Yes! The majority of this can be seen in the eulogy part of the movie since in the story, Joross as John is a dying businessman who is terminally ill and he requests my character Mark to mount a fake wake to personally hear what people would say about him.

We’re grateful to all those who lent their presence to the movie like Piolo (Pascual), Iza (Calzado), Gerald (Anderson) and Eugene (Domingo). We could never thank them enough,” Edgar Allan points out.

Despite its comedic nature, the movie wants to send an essential message to everyone.

“That we should say all the good and loving words to people who really matter to us every day while they are still in our midst.

It’s too late to verbalize how they mean to us if they’re already gone,” ends Edgar Allan. ******** According to Lotlot de Leon, she is okay with Rayver Cruz as her daughter Janine’s suitor,.

“Honestly, I only have good words for him,” she states. “I’ve known him for a long time already. I had worked with him in the fantasy series, Spirits, in 2004. Remember?

I know him very well. He’s good-natured.”

The award-winning actress doesn’t doubt Rayver’s pure intentions for her daughter.

“Because of our familiarity, I can feel his sincerity towards Janine. He doesn’t need to exert effort to make me believe. I can feel it.”

It all depends on Janine now.

“That’s right! At the end of the day, she’s the one who will decide. It also depends on Rayver’s moves. Ha-ha-ha! If Janine decides to enter a relationship with him, I will support them. I really hope Janine answers him with her sweet ‘yes’,” says Lotlot.

Digitally-savvy Camille, Isabel and Dimples navigate motherhood

I

N THIS digital age, parenting small kids could be a challenge.

Our children face an onslaught of information available to them at an increasing rate. The question every mother is confronted with is this: How do we make the digital world work for the advantage of today’s generation?

It is along this line that PLDT ambassadors and celebrity mothers Camille Prats-Yambao, Isabel Oli-Prats, and Dimples Romana Oli-Prats weigh in on their experiences while mothering their young children at home. These digitally savvy moms show that technology is not an enemy, but a tool for education and entertainment that can help them raise their children better in this modern world.

Camille, Isabel and Dimples find great help through quality home entertainment available to them in high-definition digital content from the all-in-one entertainment box Roku Powered™ TVolution, made possible by high-speed internet from PLDT Home Fibr. These moms have found a way to ensure that screen time is bonding time for the family.

For Camille, the plug-and-play

Camille Prats (leftmost) and Isabelle Oli (center) joined by their husbands and a PLDT executive at a recent event

Roku Powered™ TVolution allows her and son Nate to bond with their favorite channels on Cignal and shows on Netflix. “We love watching different shows on Cignal TV together and it’s great because we can talk about it.

These bonding moments really matter to me especially since he’s growing up and he’s going to want to a lot of me-time,” she shared.

Meanwhile, her sister-inlaw Isabel, who is mom to adorable baby Feather, enjoys her share of kiddie shows on Cignal as well. They also use it as bonding time with husband

The Sexy Chef reveals recipes for a superbod SISTERS and co-owners of The Sexy Chef, singer Rachel Alejandro and Chef Barni Alejandro-Rennebec Alejandro-Rennebeck, divulge secret and personalized recipes in the 21 Days to a Sexier You You, a cookbook and weight loss manual from ABS-CBN Publishing.

Describing food as one of life’s greatest pleasures, the sisters encourage readers seeking to get fit to harness a force much powerful than self-discipline—desire.

Rachel says, “It’s all about desire. What is another word for desire? Love. As they say,

love your body and it will love you back.”

The Sexy Chef has been Manila’s top health food delivery service since 2004, but now the determined sisters venture into the publishing world as they offer sound advice based on their own personal experience on keeping fit, as well as from what they have learned from experts in fitness and weight loss science.

This new healthy lifestyle book offers top tips for slimming down, facts about hydration, and even holds the answer to ‘stress.’ Also, it features a seven-day sample menu, post-pregnancy advice, and inspiring experiences of the authors. Believe it or not, the fitness cookbook even pushes readers to chow on rice.

Recipes include cilantro-lime shrimp stuffed avocado, beef and lentil stew, stir-fry beef with basil, quinoa and lentil tabbouleh, and even desserts such as cranberry amazeballs, chocolate banana overnight oats, and dairyfree mango sago. Each recipe also indicates how many calories are in for intake.

Priced at P295, the book is available in leading bookstores nationwide.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, January 1, 2018

ACROSS 1 Pouch 4 Lieutenant under Kirk 9 To the — (totally) 12 Wheeling’s river 13 Refinery output 14 Stadium shape 16 African antelope 17 Carpenter’s tool 18 Track event 19 Cut-out pattern 21 Quarry material 23 Chocolate substitute 25 He’ll suit you 26 For some time 29 Like the yak 31 This too — pass 32 “PTI” broadcaster 33 Be radiant 37 Good buddy 38 Sneeze inducer 41 That senora 42 Portico 44 Wan 45 On — — (hot) 47 The One-L Lama 49 Friday’s companion 50 Saunter 53 Chances to play 55 Settles beforehand

57 Gave a hard time 61 Young horse 62 Spoil (2 wds.)

64 Bronte’s orphan 65 Cannot tell — — 66 Run — of (cross) 67 Food holder 68 Inc. cousin 69 Attic end 70 Clique DOWN 1 Barred 2 Senate staffer 3 City or student — 4 Game official 5 Parrot’s word 6 Tony-winner — Hagen 7 Called the butler 8 Warning 9 Dawn 10 Take advantage of 11 Hobby knife (hyph.)

12 Approves 15 Lascivious look 20 Showy lily 22 Battery size 24 Single (2 wds.)

26 Sacred snakes of Egypt 27 Riddle starter

John. She explained, “We work in showbiz so we already know what it’s like behind the camera. It’s nice to be at the opposite end, as a viewer who’s just relaxing at home.”

Like Camille and Isabel, Dimples, who has a teenager and toddler, sees home entertainment as a way to come together as a family.

“When we were younger, we saw TV as just a distraction from important things. Today, it’s more than that. You can start conversations, discover new things together, have fun together—it’s a simple activity that can mean so much,” she

28 Lunar phenomenon 30 Nimble 32 Lohengrin’s bride 34 Tolstoy et al.

35 Fjord city 36 Hull plank 39 Loaf around 40 Fish stories 43 Voted to accept 46 Winter apples 48 Huntsville loc.

49 Bassinet 50 Humane org.

51 Sing heartily 52 Fixed the pilot 54 Orange-andwhite rental (hyph.)

56 Comfy seat 58 Orpheus played it 59 Latin I verb 60 Susan of “L.A. Law” 63 Dock

said. Dimples added that the convenience of being able to access diverse and family-friendly content at the touch of a button is priceless.

“Everything is easier and faster so we have more time for the things that matter.”

Working and doting moms like Camille, Isabel and Dimples are the digital managers of their homes, thanks to SmartHome devices that empower them to ensure the safety and security of their loved ones, and that enable them to enjoy quality and seamless family bonding time at home.

SmartHome advocates peace of mind, a commitment to parents manifested through PLDT Home’s products and services designed to help parents feel more secure about the safety of their children. These products and services include the home monitoring system Fam Cam; the multi-functional kidfriendly gadget Smart Watch; and the cyber safety solution Family Zone, all best used with the Telpad.

To find out more about the Roku Powered™ TVolution and the SmartHome security devices go to pldthome.com.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018

EXCLUSIVE FOR MILLENNIALS. Kapuso actress Gabbi Garcia flanked by broadcast journalists Atom Araullo (left) and Joseph Morong (right). The three TV personalities will headline new shows on GMA ONE Online Exclusives.

ISAH V. RED

W

ITH television networks not content with just terrestrial television as a platform to reach a wider audience, the major ones are exploring the possibilities of extending their reach through other platforms, the Internet in particular.

This year, GMA Network is trying to augment its existing online services via a YouTube channel and millennials should be happy to know that their favorite network, this 2018, unveils three online exclusive shows with Atom Araullo, Gabbi Garcia, and Joseph Morong.

Beginning today, netizens will be able to watch GMA ONE Online Exclusives on GMA’s YouTube channel (www. youtube.com/gmanetwork) featuring not just one, but three shows: Adulting with Atom Araullo, #Goals with Gabbi Garcia, and Fact or Fake with Joseph Morong.

In Adulting with Atom Araullo, the new GMA Public Affairs host joins millennials in their journey towards adulthood. Atom gives netizens a peek at his everyday struggles as he faces the responsibilities of being on his own, and living on a budget. And yes, Atom also shares tips on love: how does one go through courtship and online dating?

“We hope to talk about the different challenges we face as we enter the adult world,” says Atom in an interview.

“Nobody teaches us these kinds of things. Sometimes we’re lucky to have friends or family to help us get into it painlessly but for the most part, nangangapa tayo sa g a n i y a n .

Everything from finding your own place, budgeting your money, making career decisions, personal relationships, or taxes, things like these. I feel like a lot of people can relate to these challenges,” he added.

Meanwhile, get inspired by Millennial It Girl Gabbi Garcia’s videos as she shares her personal Goals with Gabbi objectives in #Goals Garcia.. A show that will definitely tickle the fancy of the kikays out Goals with Gabbi Garcia sees there, #Goals Gabbi exploring her goals in beauty, style, makeup, travel, and music.

“We’re in a new age now where millennials appreciate digital content, they’re really into social media,” says Gabbi. “The show is very relatable to the youth because in #Goals, we will talk about makeup tutorials, new trends, how a typical teenager lives her life”.

Kapuso reporter Joseph Morong, on the other hand, debunks false news items in Fact or Fake with Joseph Morong.. As more news sources are available online, Joseph will try to help

KAPUSO NETWORK explores the worldwide web millennials spot fake news.

“Fact or Fake goes back to one of the tenets of journalism which is factchecking,” Joseph explains. “In the program, we’re going to define what fake news is as opposed to mistakes, misinformation, and disinformation.

Bottom line is, we want to emphasize that in our society where there’s an overflow of information, it is important to be discerning.”

The GMA ONE Online Exclusives premieres 5 p.m. today and new episodes are uploaded every Monday. *** A former classmate at the UP College of Mass Communication and once-upon-a- time employee of The National Media Production Center (NMPC), Nori Sagun, sent me this note.

Employees will hold its Grand Reunion on February 4, 2018 at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club in Quezon City.

Former staff members may get more details from: Nori Sagun09395001692; Sally David09178169170; Eva Penamora09192424741 or Lino Atienza09276126146.

NMPC was the lead media production arm of government in the pre- EDSA years. It also served as training ground for

media practitioners especially in the broadcast industry.

I remember those days we held classes at its office/studios in Intramuros under Professor Evelyn C. David for our Broadcasting 101 (TV Production) classes. We used the NMPC facilities and equipment (lights, audio, and video, like microphones and cameras) and it taught us the basics of mounting TV productions. Well, it gives me a bit of nostalgic feeling.

I hope your reunion Nori would be a big success. *** Olivia Bugayong, a third year dance student at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, recently won the bronze medal in the senior category of the second Malaysian International Ballet Grand Prix.

The competition was divided into three stages — preliminary, eliminations and final. Participants were judged based on both classical repertoire (80 percent) and contemporary pieces (20 percent).

After the total score was accumulated, Bugayong was among the 10 finalists who got into the final round of her category. She eventually became the first Filipino who made it to the top three of the said competition.

The DLS-CSB scholar is grateful to dance faculty Nina Anonas, her coach for ballet who joined her in Malaysia; dance chair Christine Crame, her mentor for contemporary; and associate dean Dr. Sunita Mukhi for her support to the Benilde’s Arts and Culture Cluster.

The MIBGP organizers, witnessing the growth of ballet and the performing arts scene, worked with the HELP College of Art and Technology to launch the competition in 2016.

The event aims to provide opportunities for all dance enthusiasts globally, boost the status of dancing, build integrity and friendship among dance enthusiasts, and share the knowledge of ballet.

Bugayong started her classical ballet training when she was just three years old at the Vella C. Damian School of Ballet, Inc. where she learned the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Syllabus under the tutelage of Damian herself.

The dance major previously won the gold medal at the 2016 Hong Kong Challenge Cup Dance Competition. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts named her one of its Ani ng Dangal awardees the following year for her achievement.

She performed the role of Black Swan in Crame’s contemporary choreography of Swan Lake with the Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company and also played the part of Ina in Brillante Mendoza‘s Ang Pagtatapos aired on TV5 on April 22 last year.

Broadcaster Ces Oreña-Drillon takes on a new role

CES OREÑA-DRILON now ABS-CBN Lifestyle Content Head BROADCAST journalist Ces OrenaDrilon is ready to open a new chapter in her career in media with her appointment as content acquisition head of the ABS-CBN lifestyle ecosystem Group as she bid goodbye to Bandila viewers on Dec 21.

Known for her courageous reporting as a reporter of ABS-CBN and her insightful interviews and inspired storytelling as one of the network’s most trusted news anchors, Ces now oversees all lifestyle-related content sourcing, acquisition, and development as ABS-CBN pushes further into the digital space and further into creating more local programming.

In her new assignment, Ces is at the forefront of building the lifestyle content of ABS-CBN as the country’s leading media and entertainment company transitions into an agile digital company.

Never to shy away from a challenge, the social media-savvy anchor is excited to put into use more than three decades of experience in news media to lead the Kapamilya media and entertainment company in finding and producing lifestyle stories for different audiences.

“It is invigorating to be in the middle of the changes happening in the entire media industry. The way people consume content nowadays is digital. Feedback is so instantaneous and measurement is very clear. As the content head of the lifestyle ecosystem, I get to play a role in addressing the needs of different lifestyle markets, taking in consideration the continuous evolution of technology and communication,” explained Ces. With her new role in ABS-CBN, Ces is stepping down as one of the anchors of the late night newscast Bandila,

which began in 2006 with her as one of its original anchors.

ABS-CBN head of integrated news Ging Reyes, meanwhile, stated her full support for Ces in her new endeavor. ABS-CBN’s news chief has been instrumental in this shift in her career after appointing her as News Lifestyle Ecosystem head last year.

“I am very happy that she is evolving. Her journalistic skills and her mastery of storytelling that she developed through the years working in the field and as an anchor will surely come in handy as she leads in building up the lifestyle content of ABS-CBN in line with the company’s digital thrust,” she shared.

Ging also thanked the multi-awarded journalist for her contributions to ABS-CBN News since she began as a business reporter for “The World Tonight” to becoming part of various INCA programs including Pipol, The Correspondents, I Survived, Krusada, and Bandila” on ABS-CBN and Business Nightly, Pointblank, Get Real, and The Rundown on ANC. “No one can question the passion and excellence Ces has shown throughout her career here in ABSCBN. She never backed down from any assignment. She did not quit even after being kidnapped while pursuing a story. She will be missed in the field but she will continue to play a big role beyond news in her new capacity,” she said.

Ces was awarded by the KBP with the “Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year” in 2010. In 2017, she was among People Asia’s “People of the Year,” where she was recognized for setting “high standards, provided industry benchmarks or pushed the envelope in innovative ideas and programs.”

Life

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

food

monday, januaRy 1, 2018

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AKe Cheese Tart, which churns out a mind-blowing record of at least 35 million cheese tarts annually, became a hokkaido cult favorite by accident.

The chain’s president, Shintaro Naganuma, attended a weeklong fair in Singapore in 2011 where he served chilled blueberry cheese tarts produced by his family’s three-decade old Sapporo-based confectionery, Kinotoya. On the third day of the fair, Naganuma ran out of paper boxes to store the tarts, forcing him to literally think out of the box and placing the sweet treats on metal baking trays, serving them warm instead.

To his happy surprise, the warm cheese tarts became a hit, and his booth sold 1,000 tarts a day from only 50. “I was shocked as I grew up eating my father’s chilled cheese tarts that was sold at his shop and always thought that was the best way of serving it,” he said in an earlier media interview in Singapore.

Upon his return to hokkaido, he started selling warm cheese tarts, but he removed the blueberries and made the tarts a little smaller so that they are easier to eat.

Just as the demand was strong in Singapore, so it was in Japan that he decided to open Bake in Tokyo in 2014 to sell just one product – warm cheese tarts.

The chain now has presence in nine countries, with the two newest branches in Manila – one at The Podium, which opened on Dec. 22 and at Powerplant Mall Rockwell which will open on Jan. 11.

To keep the quality consistent, the tarts are made in a central kitchen in hokkaido and are air-flown to Bake’s international branches where these will be brushed with egg wash and baked for a second time, thus the doublebaked crust.

Served freshly baked or warmed in the oven, there is an almost sensual feeling as the cheese lava flows out from the crunchy crust. Chilled or frozen, the tart takes an ice cream-like texture.

The fluffy texture of the mousse is achieved using Bake’s original blend of cream cheese that finely combines tartness and creaminess with a subtle hint of salt.

“The cheese tarts are made of a complex layer of flavors that require an almost artistic detail,” Naganuma said.

“The cheese tarts may look simple but this recipe has been our best-selling product since. It takes years of practice and attention to perfect our recipe,” he added.

As proof that Naganuma’s innovation has set the cheese tart craze into mo-

Shintaro Naganuma, a second generation confectioner, stumbled upon the idea of serving warm cheese tarts by accident. His chain now produces 35 million cheese tarts annually, with branches in nine international locations outside Japan.

The best Hokkaido

cheese

tart tion, customers at Bake’s outlet at ION Orchard in Singapore have to queue for about three hours before being able to purchase the savory treat.

“We’ve come to observe that Filipinos are adventurous and hungry for global f lavors. We believe that Filipinos will like our cheese tart and we want to share this gift with the Filipinos and the rest of the

world,” the second-generation confectioner said.

“Therefore, whether you are having the cheese tart in Japan, Singapore, Korea or Manila, you can enjoy the same delicious and joyful experience because of its consistency,” Naganuma added.

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com

Bake cheese tarts can be served four ways – freshly baked, warmed in the oven, chilled, or frozen.

Fun flavors with Fruit Truck launch The food truck phenomenon isn’t putting the brakes on conquering the global food scene, sprouting all over the metro and serving our favorite delectable dishes in the most convenient ways. But given the food truck’s growing popularity and the dynamic innovation in foodservice, have you ever heard of… a FRUIT truck?

Now that may sound new, but not anymore. “Juice” when you thought that Locally Blended Juice Drink couldn’t get any closer, it successfully rolled out its Locally Fruit Truck at the Bonifacio Global City and “intro-juiced” its thirst-quenching, sweet-sour goodness on the road.

Locally by NutriAsia, the first quirky Filipino juice line made from uniquely indigenous local fruits, jumpstarted a fun and free-spirited weekend for millennials—and millennials at heart—with good food, refreshing drinks, and great company on the Fruit Truck’s launch at the 2017 BGC Passionfest.

The launch coincided with BGC’s annual celebration of local arts and culture and everything Filipino—a perfect partnership in every sense of the word.

And what’s more Filipino than indigenous local fruits grown in Philippine soil, farmed by Filipino hands, and squeezed into fun and unique Filipino flavors?

Passionfest attendees and art and music enthusiasts were in for a quirky treat as the Locally Fruit Truck dispensed some real fruity goodness with its juice drinks, all for free. The drinks bore creative and Filipino-inspired names like Kalikasan, Marikit, Sinag, Rosa Pomelo, Maharlika Mojito, and Salaguinto. hip-hop artist and R&B singer-songwriter Quest together with rising singerguitarist Keiko Necesario entertained guests to an evening of fine OPM. “The Locally Fruit Truck is our modern take on the ice cream truck—which makes us jump for joy when you see it on the road or hear its bells and music play.

The Locally Fruit Truck serves local juices made from homegrown fruits from different region

Thirst-quenching concoctions made with Locally fruit juice

We want Filipinos to feel that way—but at the same time celebrating our local fruits and juices, and basically just celebrating being a Pinoy,” said Gretchen King, group product manager-specialty F&B at NutriAsia.

“The Locally Fruit Truck will serve free local juices made from homegrown fruits from different regions, exclusive Pinoy mixes co-created with expert liquid chef Liquido Maestro, and other fun Pinoy treats like no other.”

King reminded everyone to watch out for the Locally Fruit Truck’s upcoming stops in the metro and keep an eye for the special treats and other surprises that Locally is prepping for them.

“Locally has caught everyone’s attention not only due to its bright-colored and

creative packaging but more so because of its fun indigenous flavors.

“Now, we want to bring this unique experience closer to more Filipinos by rolling out the Locally Fruit Truck starting with this launch, like how our classic ice cream trucks brought us a refreshing kind of happiness and nostalgia on its wheels,” King added.

Local fruits squeezed to produce Locally Blended Juice Drinks are sourced from different parts of the country, namely: tamarind (Tamarind My Bell) from Batangas, Pangasinan, and Bulacan; calamansi (Calamansi’z the Day) from Isabela, Tarlac, and Nueva ecija; dalandan (You’ve Dalandan It Again) from Laguna and Mindoro; guyabano (Guyabano-body But You) from Cebu and Misamis Occidental; pomelo (Pomelong & Lasting

Love ) from Davao; and siniguelas (Save the Best for SinigueLAST) from the Negros provinces.

Aside from its Blended Juice Drinks, Locally also offers Merci Buco, the first ecoCertified and pure organic coconut water in the Philippines. Merci Buco also comes in buco pandan and buco lychee variants.

The Locally Fruit Truck will go around Metro Manila’s top food parks, resto hubs, malls, and transport terminals. For updates and inquiries, visit the official Locally Facebook and Instagram pages at www.facebook.com/LocallyPh and www.instagram.com/locally_ph or email locallyph@gmail.com.

Locally products are available in 7-eleven stores, PureGold, Robinsons, Rustan’s, and WalterMart supermarkets nationwide.

Life

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monday, january 1, 2018 isahred@gmail.com

Luis Manzano

at GalaStars Culinary Kitchen

T

V host/actor Luis Manzano considers himself a foodie or someone who goes out of his way to seek new food experiences.

In fact, not too many may be aware of it but the sought-after TV host holds a degree in hotel and restaurant management from College of St. Benilde of De La Salle university. Luis said that his pursuit of the degree exposed him a lot to the kitchen. So, when an opportunity to guest in celebrated chef Ernest “Erns” Gala for GalaStars Culinary’s Celebrity series came along, he did not hesitate and jumped at the chance right away.

GalaStars Culinary’s Celebrity features special webisodes produced by Chef erns in which popular personalities are seen learning or sharing their favorite recipes online.

It provides state-of-the-art equipment with separate lecture and demonstration rooms. They have a modern and high-end kitchen laboratory providing 100 percent hands-on training. each workstation can accommodate two students and features a sink, prep table, high-powered stove, oven, deep fryer and exhaust hood. All instructors are fully certified Chefs and highly respected in the culinary industry.

“This feels like a homecoming for me because I was always inside a kitchen when I was still studying hotel and restaurant management. It has been a while since I get to hold pots, pans, utensils,” Luis confessed.

Luis is thrilled to be mentored by Chef erns, son of renowned culinary legend Sylvia Reynoso-Gala.

“Learning from the best, whose culinary skills and that of his family cannot be questioned, is an enlightening and one big learning experience for me,” he enthused. under the guidance of Chef erns and his kitchen crew, Luis was able to whip up a crown roast and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which he admits are just two of his favorite food indulgences.

But he also expects to learn more from Chef erns particularly how to properly prepare one of the family’s favorite dishes.

“Salpicao Pasta is a personal favorite of my mom, my brother and my Tito Ralph. I tried cooking it several times but there were a few hits and misses so hopefully through

Century Cafe is a creative space and business center rolled into one

Century Café opens at Century City Mall

TV host/actor Luis Manzano cooked a crown roast during his smtint at GalaStars Culinary Kitchen

Chef erns I will finally get to do it properly,” Luis mused.

As a foodie who always yearns for new and exciting food adventures, Luis further revealed that the one dish he always looks forward to is the Meal-in-One preparation of her own mother, celebrated acting legend and Star for All Seasons, Vilma Santos.

“It’s basically pasta dish made with corned beef, cream of mushroom soup, corn and lots of cheese on top. It’s one of those never fail pasta dishes that has the best of all worlds.

From the noodles to the saltiness of the corned beef, it has become my go-to dish not just for special occasions like Christmas but also for simple get-together affairs with my barkada,” Luis confessed.

“I’m not sure if it’s her original recipe or it’s something that she read somewhere that she lat-

er modified a bit. But it’s a hit with me and just about everyone who tried. I haven’t met anyone who did not like my mom’s Meal-in-One.” Although he has his own personal favorites like steak, beef burrito, pizza, cheesecake and raw mango with bagoong, Luis added that he’s always open to trying new dishes and making them himself.

With the help of Chef erns, Luis will not only concoct palatable dishes for his own personal enjoyment but is also looking forward to possible business opportunities in the food industry.

“This is just the start of a long-term partnership with my friend Chef erns and I look forward to learning more from him.”

GalaStars Culinary is located at 179 Shaw Blvd., Pasig City. Go to www.galastarsculinary.com for more information.

CenTury Properties is known for its pioneering real estate concepts and industry firsts that resulted to some of the most recognizable property developments in the Philippines. Case in point: the first man-made beach at Azure urban resort residences, the first residential building in the world designed

by Missoni Home called Acqua Livingstone, and the country’s first medical mall, Centuria Medical Makati, among many other innovative residential and commercial developments.

It was out of this desire to create something new and essential that Century Café opened its doors recently on the fourth level of Century City Mall. It’s Century Properties’ newest café cum showroom, a creative space and a business center rolled into one.

“Century Café was born out of this concept to create an innovative yet relaxing space that can be a hub for mall-goers and potential clients. We wanted to maintain a center at Century City Mall where our property specialists can talk about our projects to interested parties, so we thought of creating a stylish café that at the same time can serve as a working space, so people can stay, order some food, surf the net or do a bit of work,” Century Properties shared.

The café features a selection of food and drinks from the adjacent Chaplin restaurant, complementary Internet browsing, a spacious open-air balcony, and a portfolio of Century Properties’ latest offerings.

Cozy up to a warm cup of coffee in a cool monochromatic space. Surf the net or send an email from one of the café’s iMac computers. Or have a casual chat with a property specialist about your dream home. Century Café offers coffee, creativity, and condos in one unique and pleasant space.

So if you’re in the area, come in and stay for a while. Whether you leave caffeinated, chatted up, or with a new condo is entirely up to you.

Visit www.century-properties.com or email ask@centuryproperties.com.

Chef Katrina Cua’s recipes KIng Sue’s new chef-consultant, Katrina “Kat” Cua of katshappyfood.com, has great recipes using the brand’s ham and assortment of meat products.

She brings her experiences to the fore through easy-to-prepare yet delicious dishes that are perfect for any feast.

A graduate of BS IHM Culinary Arts at enderun Colleges, Chef Kat worked for some hotels in the country, as well as in France and in a new york bakeshop. She loves French cuisine and infusing it with Asian flavors. She grew with King Sue and is very fond of its meat products.

Chef Kat believes that no table is ever complete without the traditional King Sue Chinese Bone-in Ham and other premium ham and meat products. “There’s King Sue’s Sweet Ham prepared with a touch of sweetness. The smoky flavor of Piña Ham, meanwhile, goes well with cheese and wine spread. I love their thick cut boneless bacon slices; you cannot find anything like them anywhere. I also like other bacon cuts such as bits and cubes which I add to my stir-fried vegetables and stews,” she said.

Chef Kat shares these recipes using King Sue products so you can entertain your loved ones in a festive, sumptuous style. ***

Bilbao, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Turn off the heat and add the orange zest. Cool and set aside.

4. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 equal square portions and keep chilled until ready to fill.

5. Place 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple and King Sue Chorizo Bilbao mixture to form a triangle. Seal by pressing the edges with a fork.

Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes until brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 8 ***

Honey Citrus King Sue Bone-In Ham For 2kg King Sue Chinese Ham Bone-In (raw) Cooking Liquid: Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 ½ crushed pineapple 2 ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice 2 cups 7up ½ cup rum 3 tablespoons bay leaves 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1 tablespoon whole black pepper King Sue Chorizo Bilbao and Apple Turnover 1 tablespoon lemon zest Ingredients: 1 tablespoon orange zest ¼ cup unsalted butter 1 tablespoon lime zest ½ teaspoon orange zest 1 ½ cup honey 1 ½ tablespoon fresh orange juice ½ cup orange marmalade ½ kilo granny smith apples, peeled and chopped Juice of 2 lemons ½ King Sue Chorizo Bilbao, chopped Juice of 1 lime 3 tablespoons brown sugar plus extra to sprinkle on top Preparation: ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour 1. remove ham from packaging.

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2. Carefully scrape the starch covering the ham. Wash completely.

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3. Place ham in a pan. Cover with enough water and set aside for Dash of salt 4 hours. every hour, change the water of the ham. This is done to 2 sheets store-bought frozen puff pastry, defrosted remove the excess salt. note: Do not soak overnight.

Procedure: Cooking instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400F. 1. Place the ham in a pan with approximately 3 liters of water or 2. Prepare the egg wash (1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp, milk, pinch of salt). enough to cover the ham, with skin facing down.

Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

2. Slowly bring to a boil, skimming away any foam that forms on 3. In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté chopped apples. Add the orange juice and cook the apples until soft. Add the King Sue Chorizo top. gently simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water.

3. Mix all the ingredients of the cooking liquid in to the pan. Add 6 cups of water, then place the ham with the skin facing up as not to stick on the pan.

4. Bring to a boil and once it reaches the boiling point, reduce the heat. Simmer until fully cooked.

5. One indication that the ham is cooked is when you can easily pull the fork back out. Another indication is when the meat starts to separate from the bone as well as the skin with meat. Be careful not to overcook as it will fall apart.

6. remove the ham from heat. Marinate in the cooking liquid for a minimum of 12 hours.

7. For better presentation, remove the skin and place brown sugar on top and torch the ham until it caramelizes. ***

King Sue Bacon and Onion Tart Ingredients: 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons oil 2 medium sliced onions, caramelized 2 cups King Sue Bacon Slices, cut into lardons 1 tablespoon mustard 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 sheets store-bought Puff Pastry (12x 12 inch) Pepper egg wash: 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon milk Salt Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. 2. Prepare the onions, and bacon. Set aside.

3. Prepare the egg wash (1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp, milk, salt) . Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

4. Make ridges all around the edge of the puff pastry. Spread the mustard on the puff pastry.

5. Add the King Sue Bacon Slices and caramelized onions on top of the puff pastry, not exceeding the ridges. Sprinkle with dried thyme and freshly cracked pepper. Brush edges with egg wash.

6. Bake until pastry is golden brown about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

7. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

Serves: 4