Manila Standard - 2017 December 09 - Saturday

VOL. XXXI • NO. 295 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

TOURISM PROMOTION. Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and other beauties in the pageant take a dip Friday in the waters of the white sand island in Mambajao, Camiguin after lunch with children beneficiaries of a charity and benefit fashion show on Thursday. The tour is part of the Department of Tourism’s Bring Home a Friend marketing promotion that seeks to give incentives to Filipinos who will invite their foreign friends to explore the Philippines. PNA

AFP: War on two fronts Marawi-type breakout threatens Mindanao; jihadists regrouping

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta

A

THINK tank on Friday urged the government to speed up the pace of rehabilitation for Filipino Muslims displaced by the Marawi siege, saying that their depressed state made them ripe for recruitment by extremist groups.

Red menace growing: 3 of 4 lumad tribesmen NPA recruits

The military, meanwhile, said jihadist groups in Mindanao remain scattered, disorganized and leaderless, but nonetheless recommended a one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao because Islamic State (IS)-affiliated groups were still recruiting people to its cause of building a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

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RETURNING HOME. A smoke cloud from a controlled explosion by the military is seen as destroyed buildings and homes are seen at the main battle area of Marawi on Oct. 24, 2017.

This week, residents have started returning home but a gunfire greeted them as soldiers scoured the streets for remaining militants. AFP

By John Paolo Bencito THE peace negotiations allowed communist rebels to grow their numbers, particularly in Eastern Mindanao, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Friday.

Padilla said it was “only logical” that the communist New People’s Army grew in number “because of the

period of peace brought about by the peace talks and the relative lack of concrete government action to check their movements.”

“It was apparent that they would have used that to their advantage and that they wanted to increase their membership through recruitment,” Padilla said.

Padilla said that the biggest number of NPA rebels

came from Eastern Mindanao, and noted that intelligence sources said that “three out of four armed rebels in that region were lumad or tribal natives.

After the President ended formal peace talks with the National Democratic Front, the country should brace for “increasing violence” initiated by leftist forces.

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REPORTS BELIED. New People’s Army guerrillas stand in formation in this file photo during the 46th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines in Surigao del Sur. George Madlos, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front, has denied reports he had died after he stopped communicating with media. AFP

Garin admits to meeting Sanofi execs in Paris PH warns ICC: Don’t

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta FORMER Health secretary Janette Garin on Friday admitted to meeting with officials of French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur in Paris in 2015 to discuss the controversial dengue vaccine.

However, Garin told

ABS-CBN in a television interview there was no malice in meeting with the makers of the Dengvaxia vaccine, and that she did not fly to Paris just to dine with Sanofi executives.

“That’s right, I really made a mistake because I was being asked on a dinner that happened two years ago,” she told ABS-CBN’s

Henry Omaga Diaz in an exclusive interview.

Garin reasoned that if there was malice in meeting the drug firm’s officials, “why was I with officials of the DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs]? Our initial intention was to ask if the vaccine was coming out, when, and how much would Next page it cost?”

MANILA will be a “dead city in 25 years,” President Duterte warned as he lamented the worsening traffic situation in the capital and moved for the development of urban hubs outside Metro Manila.

“It is very important that we disperse the industries because Manila, in about 25 years, will be a dead city,” Duterte said in a speech in Clark, Pampanga, on Thursday. .

“It will start to decay and

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

By John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

there is no way we can rehabilitate the place.”

Duterte made his statement even as Senator Grace Poe said Metro Manila might have no future if Filipinos would fail to act now.

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Duterte sees Manila ‘dead city in 25 years’

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

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manilastandard.net

By Macon R. Araneta and Bill Casas PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has until 2022 or the end of his term to fulfill his promise of solving the country’s drug problem, according to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

He made the statement after Duterte said he would need one more year to finish his war on drugs.

“In fact, he has until 2022 to do it, which is the end of his term,” Alvarez said in a television interview on Thursday.

“Mabuti na iyan, nagbibigay siya ng deadline kaysa naman wala talaga siyang ginagawa,” Alvarez said. Next page

Tokhang-like measure vs bidding cartel

meddle in drug war

THE Philippines will “reassess” its commitment to the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court should they meddle in the bloody drug war being waged by President Rodrigo Duterte, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Friday.

“We trust that the Court’s exercise of its mandate will respect national processes geared towards exacting criminal accountability for conduct committed within our territory, said Roque who is in New York to address state parties of the International Criminal Court.

“A violation of the very basis for our consent―which is complementarity―will constrain us to reassess

5 years to finish drug war ---Alvarez

LIGHT FOR RIGHTS. Members of a militant group hold Christmas lanterns and placards Friday with the call ‘Give light, fight for Human Rights,’ at the Boy Scouts Circle in Quezon City in observance of the International Declaration of Human Rights tomorrow.

Manny Palmero

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he will treat a syndicate that is manipulating bidding on public projects like drug suspects, so that it would be “easier to deal with them.”

“It’s unlawful to kill, but you want to put them in the category of drug suspects so that it would be easier,” Duterte said in a speech in Clark, Pampanga. “If you say, ‘They’re drug users,’ their names could be added to the list of human rights [violations]. Then that would be okay. What do I care if they die or not?” Duterte said in Filipino.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte roots for Bello in 2019 run PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday gave his blessings to Labor Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III, also the government’s chief negotiator with the communist rebels, to run for senator in the 2019 elections should he decide to.

“I’m not facing any election anymore. And I don’t think that I will also... but if Bebot really wants to run for senator... it’s okay,” Duterte said in a speech at Bulacan, where the Department of Labor and Employment held its 84th anniversary celebration.

But in a chance interview at Clark in Pampanga Thursday, Bello simply dismissed the idea: “Biro lang ‘yun ni boss (It was the boss’s joke).”

Duterte was reported as saying: “Senator Bello—I mean secretary, secretary Bello, he is a Cabinet member—is easy to talk to. Are you running?”

This is the second time Duterte has floated Bello’s name as a potential senatorial candidate. The President had introduced Bello, who was his former dormitory mate at the YMCA of Manila, as a senator in the DoLE anniversary party.

Previously, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez announced that some of the ruling party PDP-Laban’s bets for the 2019 senatorial elections are Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson, Rep. Karlo Nograles (Davao City), Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Negros Occidental), Rep. Geraldine Roman (Bataan) and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino.

John Paolo Bencito

5Fromyears...

A1 He made his statement even as Senator Win Gatchalian said fear of God alone was clearly not enough to prevent police scalawags from committing extrajudicial killings during the PNP’s previous drug war operations.

He said it was “absolutely absurd” to suggest that the fear of divine retribution in the afterlife would be more effective than body cameras in addressing police impunity and holding dirty cops accountable for their crimes.

Gatchalian, a Duterte ally, was reacting to the statement of Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group head Joseph Adnol, who was quoted by as saying “For me, there really is no need for a body cam, our camera as policemen is God.” Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said Friday the Duterte administration had not shown any proof that it was willing to investigate the deaths caused by his war on drugs.

Non-governmental organizations and media outlets estimate that more than 12,000 people had died over the past 16 months during the war on drugs, HRW said.

It made its statement even as Senator Leila de Lima said the return of the Philippine National Police to the government’s war against illegal drugs would result in more killings.

Duterte ran for the presidency in the 2016 elections based on a platform of change and the promise that he would rid the country of illegal drugs and corruption.

Back then, he vowed to solve the country’s drug problem in the first six months of his presidency, but after the first few months of being in office he asked for another six months.

PH...

From A1 our continuing commitment to the Court and the Rome Statute.”

Roque made his statement even as International Justice Program associate director Param-Preet Singh slammed his assurance that the Philippines will give justice to the thousands of Filipinos who died

DoH vows help for Marawi

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Department of Health on Friday promised to intensify its efforts in rebuilding Marawi City since its liberation from the Maute terrorist group as declared by President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 17.

However, the department also recorded 86 deaths in evacuation centers for displaced residents of the war-stricken capital of Lanao del Sur from May 23 to the first week of December, it admitted in a statement.

“The DoH assures the people of Marawi that it will not waver in its efforts to rehabilitate the city through ensuring that their health needs are met on a day-to-day basis,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

“We ask our fellow Filipinos there to stay strong and be resilient in the everyday challenges of life. Let us be optimistic that, one day, we will regain the glory of Marawi,” Duque added.

In other developments: The Department of Social Welfare and Development has set aside P1 billion to assist the residents of Marawi in their recovery through livelihood opportunities.

DSWD officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco said the funds are under the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program, which gives capital and technical assistance to indigents who aspire to set up their own small businesses.

Also, renowned urban planner and architect Felino “Jun” Palafox on Friday suggested that the ruins of Marawi be preserved and turned into a memorial.

In a radio interview with dzBB, Palafox said that new settlements should instead be created around the ruins.

“My suggestion is, let’s not rebuild the city. Make it a memorial for terrorism, memorial for those who died, and create new modern cities around Marawi and Lanao Lake that will be Islamic, interfaith, international, inclusive... [something] more sustainable, environment-friendly,” he said.

Duque visited the cities of Iligan and

Marawi last Nov. 10 to comply with the President’s directive to assist in the rehabilitation of the cities that were affected by the five-month-long siege.

As Marawi enters its seventh week of freedom from the hands of the terrorist group, the DoH continues to respond to health challenges faced by displaced families who may have lost their homes and their loved ones.

Duque said the internally displaced persons or IDPs in evacuation centers were given “TSeKap” services, which includes the provision of medical supplies as part of the ongoing medical assistance to all IDPs, whether in evacuation centers or home-based.

Moreover, psychological intervention has been made available to affected families and service providers in an effort to address their mental health needs, the DoH statement added.

Nutrition, especially of the young children and the elderly, is another important consideration being addressed, it added.

The most recent data from the DoHHealth Emergency Management Bureau

Conference on Peace and Preventing Violent Extremism in Southeast Asia last September, said initiatives like these are important to determine the pulse of Filipino Muslims especially religious leaders from Marawi, the National Capital Region and other parts of Mindanao.

Terrorist groups in Mindanao—including the Abu Sayyaf group, Maute group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and other smaller terrorist organizations had earlier banded into a coalition under the Islamic State.

“We are closely watching and monitoring [these groups] and we have determined that there are attempts to once again to build up their forces through recruitment,” military spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a Palace news briefing.

The new terrorist group, called “Daulah Islamiyah Wilayatul Mashriq” or the “Islamic State East Asia Division” were the ones responsible for the siege that left the city of Marawi in shambles.

Despite their low numbers, “they still remain to be a threat,” Padilla said as he defended the need to extend martial law.

“Although they have significantly been degraded in terms of capability and manpower, those who survived that siege still remain at large and are attempting to recover by recruiting other members of the

society, particularly the vulnerable sector of our population, and they are students, children, women and the like, as well as relatives of those who lost their lives in the fight,” he added.

“They are attempting to do that and the primary means for which they are doing that is through enticements of cash rewards and the like,” he added.

“This is something that we don’t want to happen, for this group to come back again with a vengeance,” he said.

Aside from the DIWM, the military spokesman said that they continue to face significant violent activities from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters controlling Maguindanao, Lanao and Cotabato, along with the continued existence of ASG forces in the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

He also cited tthe communist New People’s Army as a growing threat in Mindanao, which grew in number during the lull in the peace negotiations.

The Marawi siege in May 23 prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the entire Mindanao under martial law.

It was extended by Congress to the end of the year when the mandated 60-day period allowed by the Constitution ended.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government also supported the extension of martial law in Mindanao.

Acting DILG Secretary Catalino Cuy said martial law was

needed during the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City.

In the Senate, the minority Liberal Party opposed the extension of martial law.

“Lifting military rule, specifically in Marawi, will hasten the return of affected residents to their homes, according to its citizens,” said LP president Senator Francis Pangilinan.

He said martial law, together with the airstrikes, was the reason residents fled Marawi in the early days of the Marawi siege. “And martial law is also the reason why they are afraid to return, even in cleared areas,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon added that an extension as recommended by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police “has no factual and legal basis and is patently unconstitutional.”

“There is no legal basis for the AFP and PNP to recommend an extension of martial law in Mindanao,” Drilon said.

“We cannot continuously place Mindanao under martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ without an actual rebellion in the region,” Drilon said.

“The Constitution requires the existence of actual rebellion or actual invasion,” he said.

Some senators said they want the AFP to give them an updated security briefing before deciding on its recommendation to extend martial law in Mindanao. With Rio N. Araja

18 in the Western Mindanao Command area, Padilla said.

President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier branded the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the NPA, as a “terrorist organization.”

The government’s chief peace negotiator, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, however, said he remained hopeful the peace process could still work, but with only a small window of opportunity.

He described the breakdown in talks as “one of the big humps in the road to peace,” but said he believed the President wanted to leave a legacy of an inclusive and lasting peace.

“I’m sure the humps will

someday disappear and we will be back on the road to peace,” he added.

Also on Friday, Rights group Karapatan said that it has written the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people Victoria TauliCorpuz to report the reported atrocities against the lumad in Mindanao.

The group decried the alleged massacre of eight T’boli and Dulangan Manobo in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and evacuations in Surigao del Sur, Sarangani and Agusan del Sur. “We urge you and your office… to conduct an independent investigation on the recent massacre of eight Lumad in

South Cotabato towards the swift prosecution of the perpetrators of the said crime, to help stop the food blockades on displaced indigenous peoples in Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur, and to urge the Philippine government to stop its military operations in civilian communities, including that of indigenous peoples in Mindanao,” Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said.

The military, meanwhile, said it was ready to cooperate with the Commission on Human Rights investigation into the killing for Fr. Marcelito Paez in Nueva Ecija and the deaths of 14 alleged NPA members in a clash in Batangas.

Meanwhile, Former President Benigno Aquino III and Garin—his Health secretary at the time—should come out and answer questions about the P3.5-billion deal to buy a dengue vaccine from Sanofi, that has put more than 700,000 school-age children at risk, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Friday.

“It’s really up to them if they would like to clarify several issues on the matter because they were the ones who

made the very vital decision to procure the vaccines,” Duque said in a Palace news briefing Friday.

Garin was reacting to an ABS-CBN report on dining with Sanofi officials, which she initially denied and which raised questions on ethics and the propriety of such a meeting. She told the TV news outlet in May that she only met with the French health minister.

Asked by ABS-CBN whether she discussed the pricing of the vaccine with Sanofi, Garin nodded, saying talks on the vaccine and its price began as

early as 2010.

“But if I’m hiding anything, I will not do it in the presence of DFA. We know that it’s a transparent [process],” added the former health chief, who also confirmed she suggested bringing in the private sector to launch the vaccine in the Philippines.

The country cleared the use of Dengvaxia during Garin’s term as health chief in December 2015. The Aquino government spent P3.5 billion to purchase the vaccine for one million public school children in regions reported to have the highest incidence

of dengue in 2015.

Earlier, Duque said he had no doubt that Aquino and Garin meant well when they ordered P3.5 billion worth of the new Dengvaxia vaccine from Sanofi, but said he would await the results of an investigation on the controversial deal.

He also gave Garin the benefit of the doubt when reports said she flew to the French capital to meet with top Sanofi officials.

“Well, I heard that, too. But it’s hard to second-guess the former secretary of Health and also the former President,” he said.

from the war on drugs.

Singh released her statement after Roque delivered a speech during the International Criminal Court’s annual diplomatic conference at the United Nations in New York, asserting the Philippine government’s prerogative to “bring to bear our national criminal justice system upon those who violate our laws.”

“The government’s claims of its preparedness to prosecute

offenders is grotesquely deceptive in the face of this grim reality,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, human rights advocates on Friday called on the country’s law enforcers to uphold the culture of life in implementing the law.

Legal and governance expert Tony Laviña said the police and the military should be more cautious in apprehending suspects and weigh the need for force in its operations.

“Human have to be fully respected. The war against communism cannot justify any form of violation of human rights,” Laviña said at the Culture of Life Philippines forum at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Roque said the intervention of the ICC in the affairs of the Philippines should come as a “last resort.”

“In reaffirming our commitment to the Rome Statute and

the Court, we are also reminded that the Court is a court of last resort, Roque said.

He insisted that the ICC should be a complementary jurisdiction in the prosecution of persons accused of crimes against humanity and that the Philippines was confident that the ICC “will respect national processes.”

Primary jurisdiction, Roque said, rests in the country’s own justice system.

Marawi-type...

From A1 In a two-day forum held at the University of the Philippines, the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, a Muslim think tank, said the possibility of another Marawi breaking out in Mindanao is large due to the active recruitment efforts being undertaken by foreign and local jihadists among young Muslim Filipinos.

Amina Rasul, PCID president, said that based on input provided by Muslim religious leaders who took part in the two-day consultative forum, foreign terrorists are reportedly baiting recruits with up to P100,000 just to join these terrorist organizations.

Militant clerics have been spotted discussing and spreading violent extremism in refugee camps in Iligan and several other communities in Mindanao, particularly Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte and Sur and Cotabato, he said.

“It is important that government intervenes immediately through hastening the pace of rehabilitation of Marawi,” said Rasul.

Displaced persons are desperate and want to resume their lives, he added, but the lack of economic opportunities and perceptions that government is failing them observed recipes and drivers for violence.

Rasul, who led the Asean

Red...

From A1 “That’s part of the reason why martial law may be needed to cover other areas where potential terrorists are in hiding,” he said.

Citing data from the military—from the period of January to Nov. 30 this year, there has been a 65 percent overall increase in the violent incidents involving the NPA in Eastern Mindanao and Western Mindanao.

There were a total of 617 incidents for the whole of the year and 382 of them were committed in the Eastern Mindanao Command area and

Garin...

From A1

indicated that the fighting displaced a total of 77,955 families or 367,990 individuals.

Seventy-six evacuation centers are still in operation, harboring 2,532 families or 8,574 individuals.

Of the 86 deaths recorded at these facilities from May 23 up to the present, with common causes being pneumonia, sepsis, cardiovascular diseases, acute gastroenteritis, and birth prematurity.

A present, a total of 18,801 families or 106,598 individuals from 40 barangays in Marawi have already returned home.

The Amai Pakpak Medical Center and the Dr. Abdullah Hospital in Marawi are operating 24/7, providing relevant medical services, the department said. There are 27 active referral hospitals near the city, with 22 “serviceable” Barangay Health Stations and outposts in Marawi open to the public.

The DoH Central Office, as well as its Regional Offices and partner agencies, have given a total of P222,388,985.61 worth of logistics and funding assistance to the hospitals and evacuation centers in the concerned areas.

Saudi envoy scoffs at Trump‘s decision

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Philippines on Friday conveyed its government’s disappointment over United States President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocating the American embassy to that city.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, is mum about the issue, despite President Rodrigo Duterte previously expressing interest in moving the country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from its current site in Tel Aviv.

Duterte had confirmed in May that he is visiting Israel, but did not set a timetable for the trip.

The Philippines joined the Czech Republic, which declared it has recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in considering a move of its embassies to the Holy City.

Saudi Arabia called on the American president to

reverse his decision.

“The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the US administration will reverse this action, and support the international will to enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate rights,” it said.

Saudi Arabia had previously warned of the “serious consequences” of such an “irresponsible and unwarranted step” by the Trump administration.

“The Kingdom expresses its denunciation and deep regret that the administration has taken this step, as it represents a great bias against the historic and permanent rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, which have been affirmed by the relevant international resolutions and have been recognized and supported by the international community,” it said.

Saudi Arabia also stressed that such move can exemplify a “drastic regression” in the efforts to move the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians forward.

Entire ‘commission‘ faces ax PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Friday that he will be firing an entire commission on Dec. 11, after hearing allegations of corruption against them, but did not specify the agency in question.

“Now on Monday, I will fire one commission. All of them,” Duterte said in a speech at Bulacan.

“I don’t care if its one, two

or three. You have to go,” he added in Filipino.

Duterte said he would not allow those officials to bargain for their posts.

“No corruption. Corruption is really pulling us down.

So, for me, even the whiff of corruption, or whispers that you are on the take and you’re fired,” he said. John Paolo Bencito

Tokhang-like...

From A1 The President described the group as “gangsters” who did nothing but go around looking for bids to fix.

On Nov. 28, Duterte accused a certain Manny Cuevas, with links to former House speaker Prospero Nograles, of rigging bids to make a profit in high-level government contracts in various administrations. John Paolo Bencito

Duterte...

From A1 “We should look at the old cities like Rome, Tokyo, London and New York that have adapted to change, which means that with proper planning, Metro Manila can become a vibrant, livable and sustainable community just like its counterparts abroad,” Poe said.

Duterte warned that Metro Manila would not be able to meet the demands of its residents as it would soon reach saturation point.

He also said Manila, a metropolis of 1.8-million residents, was no longer an

attractive destination for investment.

“You have to disperse the crowd, limit the factories sometime in the future,” Duterte said.

“Ten years from now, close Manila and start to develop other places. Manila is no longer an option for industries.”

Duterte pitched for the development of other places outside Manila, such as the Clark Freeport.

His administration is embarking on an P8-trillion infrastructure program to improve mobility in the Philippine capital and build more road networks and other infrastructure around the country. John Paolo Bencito

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Espenido testifies vs ‘drug lord’ Espinosa

Bautista says he’s clueless on ‘hearing’

By Rey E. Requejo CONTROVERSIAL police official Jovie Espenido on Friday admitted that both Albuera’s late Mayor Rolando Espinosa and his son Kerwin were not among- those arrested or seen during a drug buybust operation conducted in Albuera, Leyte last July 28, 2016.

Appearing in Espinosa’s trial before the Manila City Regional Trial Court, the former Albuera police chief testified against selfconfessed drug distributor Kerwin, son of the late mayor, who is facing a case for drug trading and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

In his testimony, Espenido told the court that five people were arrested during the buy-bust operation conducted at a basketball court in front of the house of Kerwin.

The prosecutor has offered Espenido’s testimony to the case of the young Espinosa, noting that two of the five people arrested identified the Mayor and his son as those with a hand in the drug operations in the area.

During the July 28, 2016 raid conducted at Sitio Tinago, Barangay Binolho in Albuera, Leyte, authorities confiscated over 200 grams of shabu and assorted firearms.

Authorities also arrested Marcelo Adorco, Jose Antepuesto, Jessie Ocarez, Ernesto Dumalat and Jeffrey Pesquera.

“When you conducted the buy bust on July 28, 2016, would you agree that the mayor was nowhere in sight and Kerwin?,” the defense lawyer asked Espenido who replied in the affirmative.

When asked about Espenido’s testimony, Kerwin denied owning the confiscated drugs.

“Hindi akin yon. Wala nga ako dito nung nangyari yun [referring to the raid],” Espinosa said, in a chance interview.

The charges had been originally heard by Branch 14 of the Baybay, Leyte RTC, but the Supreme Court ordered its transfer to Metro Manila based on the request of the prosecution and defense camps citing security reasons for their plea.

The elder Espinosa was killed along with another inmate in a police raid inside the Baybay sub-provincial jail in November last year.

EXCEL AWARDEES. The prestigious CEO Excel Award given out by the International Association of Business Communications (OABC Philippines) honored

Dante M. Velasco, CEO of Creative Point International, Philippine affiliate of Hill + Knowlton, (2nd from left) , along with other 14 industry leaders. Velasco was cited for his ‘lifelong commitment to communication excellence,‘ for waging multi-awarded communication campaigns for business enterprises, for investing his time with the youth as professor for higher studies at University of the Philippines Diliman, and for embodying a responsive government as former Undersecretary and spokesman of the Department of Transportation and Communications. Among the earlier CEO Excel Awardees were former DoTC Secretary Jose P. de Jesus, PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and San Miguel chairman Ramon S. Ang. The 14 other CEO Excel awardees are Danny Lim, MMDA chairman; Mark Villar, DPWH secretary; Benjamin Ramos, Business Mirror president; Belen Lim, Security Bank EVP; Dennis Uy, Udenna chairman; Edwin Hernandez, Jardine Distribution president; Gil Chua, DDB Philippines CEO; Gregory Banzon, Century Pacific general manager; Kingson Sia, Resorts World president; Lina Sarmiento, CHR commissioner; Lourdez Alfonso, Megaworld COO; Manus Koukourakis, Japan Tobacco president; Norman Agatep, Grupo Agatep managing director; Philip Gioco, and Jobstreet country manager.

Additional P500 medical exam fees for OFWs hit

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Friday dismissed as an “illegal cash grab” the 500-peso fee imposed by the Health Ministry of the Gulf Cooperation Council to Overseas Filipino Workers.

ACTS OFW party-list Aniceto Bertiz III filed House Resolution 1500, even as he disclosed that the Health Ministry of the GCC has imposed a new system for medical examinations for OFWs applying for jobs in GCC member countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The new system, dubbed as “Freedom of Choice,” requires all OFW applicants to register to a website and pay an additional P500

fee upfront, Bertiz, an opposition lawmaker, said.

“The new system that is being rammed down the throats of our OFWs, our local recruiters, and medical clinics by foreign entities is nothing but another illegal scheme hatched to use our OFWs as cash cows,” Bertiz said in seeking a congressional probe into the matter.

“There is no explanation on the purpose of the additional fee, where it will go, and how it will benefit our workers. It is

also very inconvenient and discriminatory to some OFWs since they would need a credit card to make an online payment and proceed with scheduling the medical examination,” he added.

Bertiz’ resolution stressed the need for Congress to look into the alleged “unlawful and onerous impositions” of the GCC Health Ministry on the Pre-Employment Medical Examination of OFWs bound for GCC countries.

He also called on the departments of Health and the Foreign Affairs to take decisive action to the so-called new medical registration scheme.

He said the GCC Health Ministry is set to earn from P164 million to P177 million annually from this scheme. In 2015, there were

353,658 new hires deployed to the GCC countries, he added “I urge the DFA to exhaust all diplomatic means to register our adamant objection to this new medical registration scheme launched by faceless bureaucrats in countries that benefit greatly from the hard and honest work of Filipino workers,” he said.

Bertiz said that the scheme violates provisions of the Migrant Workers Act which guarantees the right of OFWs to choose the medical clinics where he or she will undergo pre-employment medical examination.

The law also prohibits the practice of “decking” where an OFW is required to go to an office to register and then is farmed out to a medical clinic located elsewhere, he

added.

“This relentless effort to undermine our sovereignty and to earn from the backs of our modern-day heroes undermines our long history of friendship with allies in the Gulf region. Let us not waste time rejecting this new scheme because it violates our laws and adds to the burdens of our OFWs and their deploying agencies,” Bertiz said.

“We should have learned from the Winston Q8 debacle where we found out that the huge sums of money extorted from our OFWs were allegedly funneled to terror organizations,” Bertiz added. “We should not surrender our right to implement our own laws in our own territory on the dictates of foreign entities.”

Du30 says he’s for land reform; appoints new DAR secretary PRESIDENT Rodrigo on Thursday said that he would back the government’s agrarian reform program and would not break his promise of helping uplift the lives of landless tillers.

Duterte made the statement in the face of criticism that his administrationhad failed to push for the passage of a law that will bankroll the continuation of the acquisition and distribution of landholdings to poor peasants.

“I am for land reform.

‘Yan, isa ‘yan sa sinabi ko

sa kampanya [that was one of the things I mentioned during the campaign] and I will not renege on it,” said Duterte in his speech at the Kapampangan Food Festival at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga.

He said the country’s agriculture is the one “really lagging behind” other sectors “almost to a fault” and that “the only way to improve it really is to give more lands [to peasants] if we can afford it.”

The Duterte administration is left with a total balance

of over 800,000 hectares of agricultural landholdings that the previous administration failed to acquire and distribute to farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program due to the absence of a law that would fund its implementation and the landlords’ stiff resistance to CARP. Based on data from the Department of Agrarian Reform, more than 600,000 hectares of these landholdings remain undistributed to FBs, while another 200,000 hectares are not yet covered

RTC defers De Lima’s arraignment for drug raps

By Rey E. Requejo THE move of the Department of Justice to amend the information filed against detained Senator Leila de Lima at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court paved the way for the deferment on Friday of her arraignment for the drug trading charges.

De Lima was set to be arraigned yesterday before the Muntinlupa City RTC, Branch 206, for the drug-related

charges.

However, the DoJ’s motion seeking to amend the information against De Lima and her co-accused from illegal drug trading to conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading prompted the lower court to defer it.

De Lima’s camp sought for the recall of the arrest warrant issued by the court against her.

Judge Patria Manalastas-De Leon gave both the prosecution and defense

15 days to comment on the new motions from both parties.

However, the judge did not set a new date for the arraignment of De Lima, who appeared at the hearing, and her co-accused former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Bucayu, former aides Joenel Sanchez and Ronnie Dayan, Wilfredo Elli, high profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian, and Jose Adrian Dera.

LADY PATROLS.

Eastern Police District Director PC Supt. Romulo E. Sapitula led the launch of the Lady Bike Patrollers at the Frontera Verde in Tiendesitas, Pasig City.

The lady cops on bikes will patrol their respective territorial jurisdiction as the police intensify their anti-criminality campaign and maintain peace and order within the Metro East. Manny Palmero

with CARP notices, which is the first of about 27 steps before landholdings could be acquired by the government in favor of farmers.

Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced at least four measures—House Bills 114 and 3051 and Senate Bills 28 and 1056—to address this gap in CARP implementation. However, after one and a half years in power, the Duterte administration, which has the most number of allies in both legislative chambers,

still failed to extend the program.

Still Duterte promised that, “I will look for money and buy [land]” for peasants, adding that he had appointed a new DAR chief—former Interior undersecretary for Operations John Ruelo Castriciones—after Rafael Mariano failed to get the nod of the Commission on Appointments because “he has the leanings of the Left” and because we have a Congress that is “not really sympathizing with the communists.”

‘Safer’ Libya wants to hire 17k Filipino professionals

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan LIBYAN Charge d’ Affaires Ahmed Eddeb on Friday said that Libya, now a ‘safer’ country, wants to hire more than 17,000 Filipino professionals to work in various industries such as medicine, oil field, engineering, and construction, among others.

In an interview, Eddeb said that Filipino workers are in demand among top companies in Libya, as he cited their work dedications, industriousness, skills, hospitality, and adaptability to their places of work.

“We are rebuilding and rehabilitating Libya that’s why we need more professional workers like nurses, construction workers, technicians, workers in the oil field.

etc,” Eddeb said in a press briefing among selected journalists.

Eddeb made the call after a meeting with Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano who he urged to reevaluate the security risk in Libya and downgrade the Crisis Alert Level for Libya from 2 (Restriction Phase) to 1 (Precautionary Phase).

So far, the DFA has yet to respond to the request, despite several letters addressed to the office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs were sent to the DFA main headquarters.

Ali Omar Asker Hospital administrator Salam Ali Omar, who is now in the Philippines to meet with Foreign Health officials and the DFA, said they need 900 Filipino nurses in their hospital.

FORMER Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista claimed on Friday he was not aware that he was the subject of proceedings by the Senate as he did not receive any invitation from the Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies.

“To clarify, I was not aware of the scheduled hearings as I never received any invitation for the purpose of aiding the committee as one of its resource persons,” Bautista said in a statement.

“I was only made aware of the hearing while I was browsing through the news online. Prior to this, I had not received any notice to such effect,” he said.

Bautista made the statement following a warning from Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies, who said that the former Comelec chairman may be subpoenaed for not attending the proceedings at the Senate.

Face challenges, fisheries sector told FOLLOWING the 4.27-percent decline in output of the fisheries sector during the last third quarter, Senator Cynthia A. Villar exhorted all stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sector to do their share to cope up with all the challenges confronting the industry.

Despite the reduction, Villar, chairman of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said the prospects for the fisheries and aquaculture sector are still good.

She said the sub sector grossed PhP56.7 billion at current prices or 3.05 percent higher than last year’s record. The entire fishery sector contributed 17.40 percent to the total agricultural production during the quarter.

But still, she underscored the need to keep strengthening our competitive advantages. She said “we cannot be complacent because there are numerous challenges that we have to contend with also.”

Blogger sues Duterte fan for FB posts JOVER Laurio, owner of Pinoy Ako Blog, is suing Franco Mabanta, a Duterte supporter, for four counts of libel.

In a complaint filed on Friday, Dec. 8, Laurio said she will sue Mabanta for his Facebook posts made in October where he made fun of her appearance.

Mabanta described himself as a “political + social commentator.”

In various posts, Mabanta referred to Laurio as an “Ogre Lady,” who is “profoundly disgusting” and “hideous.” He also accused her of playing the “victim card” and being funded by “Yellows,” referring to the Liberal Party.

According to Laurio’s complaint, the first three counts of libel were committed by Mabanta “when he reposted his attacks against my person” via 3 Facebook posts, while the fourth count was committed “when he claimed that the Liberal Party paid for my interview in ANC and that I was tasked to bring up the victim card during the said interview.”

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Opinion

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Nothing straight at all

D

AANG Matuwid—the straight path—was the catch phrase of the previous administration of Benigno Aquino III. It was supposed to eschew all the excesses of its immediate predecessor. Officials prided themselves on transparency, accountability, and participation in governance.

But there were many instances that indicated “Daang Matuwid” was nothing more than a slogan, and that in fact the administration was not different at all from the previous ones it derided.

There was Mamasapano, the Disbursement Acceleration Program,

the Metro Rail Transit 3, and the persecution of those who sinned by associating with the incumbent’s political foes.

Nothing jars us more, however, than the recent discovery that the lives of 733,000 schoolchildren were put at risk because of their exposure to an immunization program against deadly dengue.

It turns out the consequences could be deadlier.

Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of the Dengvaxia, now says that the drug may carry adverse effects on those who have not had history of the disease whatsoever.

The current Health Secretary, Francisco Duque, says former President Aquino and then-Health secretary

Janette Garin could have been wellmeaning when they decided to negotiate the deal with the French company.

But why would Garin, for instance, deny meeting the Sanofi officials in Paris sometime in 2015 if she did not believe something ought to be kept from the public eye?

Unfortunately for Garin, ABS-CBN obtained a copy of a report signed by the Philippine Ambassador to France to the Department of Foreign Affairs, signed by Ambassador Theresa Lazaro, that she indeed met with Sanofi officials and talked lengthily about introducing the drug to the Philippine market by creating a demand for it.

There is certainly a lot of explaining to do.

Now the government, after halting

the program, is demanding that Sanofi fully refund the P3.5 billion it paid for the vaccines and cover the treatment of children put at risk by the drug. There will also be a task force to manage concerns arising from the vaccines already administered.

It’s a mess, all right, and even more so because it involves school children whose parents only wanted them to be safe from a life-threatening disease.

Whether it is a case of stupid haste, or unintended consequences, or a desire to be perceived as caring for the poor or a downright malevolent scheme where somebody’s pockets got lined, what is certain is that there is nothing straight in this issue, and they have to answer for what they have done.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Doy Laurel in Philippine history Part 1

Responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO The House of Representatives, with a vote of 1880-0 has recently approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 6617—The Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act. No one among the House members voted no to, or abstained from voting on the bill principally authored by Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a virus that attacks our body’s immune system— the body’s natural defense system. A weak immune system makes it difficult for the body to fight off disease and infections. If

not treated, HIV will continue to damage the immune system and can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS, the most severe stage of HIV infection. People with AIDS have severely damaged immune systems and because of this, they very easily contract severe illnesses including cancers.

With proper medical treatment and care, HIV can be controlled despite the fact that there is no known cure as of now. Correct and sustained medication through antiretroviral therapy (ART) can dramatically prolong the lives of people living with HIV (PLHIV).

They are kept healthy and chances of infecting others significantly decrease.

Early detection and correct treatment of HIV infection can make a PLHIV live as

long as someone who is not infected.

According to UNAIDS, towards the end of 2016, there was an estimated 36.7 million people living with

I strongly suspect that the number of actual cases of infection is much higher than those diagnosed and reported.

HIV or AIDS at the rate of about 5,000 new infections per day. 2.1. million were children below 15 years old. In 2016, around

one million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

New HIV infections in 2016 were estimated at 1.8 million which is lower than the 2.1 million new infections in 2015. Between 2010 and 2015, new infections among adults have declined by 11%, and by 16% for the general population.

New infections among children went down by 47%, from 300,000 in 2010 to 160,000 in 2016. Moreover, 69 countries saw a decline in new infections, some by as much as 50% or more.

So, why should Filipinos be concerned? Addressing HIV and AIDS is important because the numbers of cases of HIV infection in the Philippines have been dramatically increasing. According to the Department of Health, the number of diagnosed new

HIV infections on a daily basis have jumped from four (4) in 2010, nine (9) in 2012, seventeen (17) in 2014, 26 in 2016, and 31 for 2017. Thus, HIV infection is now considered an epidemic in the Philippines.

As of August 2017, there were 46,985 PLHIV in the country and if government will not strengthen prevention and treatment interventions, the number could triple to 142,000 by 2022 and this is just four years away.

In July to August of this year alone, 1,962 new HIV infections were reported.

95% of these cases were male with median age of 27 years old. More than half of the cases belonged to the 25 to 34 age group and 31% were aged 15 to 24. Eighteen (18) pregnant women were HIV positive. Ten (10)

of them were from the National Capital Region, four (4) from Region 4A, three (3) from Region 7, and one (1) from Region 3.

However, because generally, people, especially those in poor communities know very little about HIV and AIDS, I strongly suspect that the number of actual cases of infection is much higher than those diagnosed and reported. It is very possible that there have been undiagnosed and unreported deaths due to AIDS. Of the reported cases in July to August, the modes of transmission were sexual contact (1,892 cases); needle sharing among injecting drug users (IDU) (35 cases); and mother-to-child transmission (7 cases). Of

NOVEMBER 18, 2017 marked the 89th birth anniversary of the late Vice President Salvador “Doy” Laurel. The Laurel family celebrated the occasion with a Mass at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, and a small gathering of relatives and friends at the residence of Laurel’s widow, Mrs. Celia Diaz-Laurel.

Family friends extolled Doy Laurel’s selfless service to the nation, in a career parallel to that of his famous contemporaries in the Senate like Arturo Tolentino, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., Gerardo “Gerry” Roxas, and Eva Estrada Kalaw. Laurel’s career also mirrored that of his illustrious father Jose P. Laurel of Batangas—senator, justice of the Supreme Court and President of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines (19431945).

Doy Laurel finished Law at the University of the Philippines in 1952 and passed the bar examinations administered that year. As a young lawyer, Laurel allotted most of his time as the lawyer of indigent and defenseless Filipinos who needed legal representation in court. Thus, Laurel began his career in public service not as a government official but as a lawyer for the needy and the oppressed.

When Laurel realized that many more indigent Filipinos badly needed legal aid, he created a legal aid committee under the Philippine Bar Association. Thereafter, Laurel established the Citizens Legal Aid Society of the Philippines (CLASP)—the original legal aid organization in the country. CLASP predated all other similar legal aid groups in the Philippines by almost a decade. Even the Public

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Opinion

Part II

we have succeeded in extricating ourselves. The MANY countries that Philippines is the highreached their full stage est with 6.3 percent unof economic development employed, Indonesia is a did not impose limitations close second with 6.2 peror conditions on foreign cent, Thailand and Caminvestment. They took for- bodia having the lowest eign investment positively with just 0.2 percent.

On Internet service, rather than in prejudging its effect. In our case, we Singapore has the highest, began our economic de- constituting more than 82 velopment plan by impos- percent or around 4.4 miling restrictive conditions. lion of its population. The We conserve our wealth Philippines placed 5th and resources to ourselves in Internet users or 40.7 not knowing that the local percent. In the number oligarchy will exploit that of tourist arrivals, Thaipolicy to their advantage. land ranks the most with This has been pointed nearly 30 million visitors out by economic indicators in 2015, Malaysia placed that the country economi- second with more than 25 cally lagged behind in million. The Philippines is development. Among the in sixth place with 5.3 milAsean-member countries, lion tourists just ahead of the Philippines received Cambodia with 5 million the lowest in Foreign Di- tourist arrivals.

We have to take note that rect Investments (FDI) according to the 2014 UN Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos Human Development Re- and Myanmar just came port. Only 1.12 percent out from the cocoon of of the Philippines’ gross socialism. They still bear domestic product (GDP) the remnants of Marxist came from FDI compared socialism. However, while to 2.26 percent in Indone- opting to open their door sia, 2.35 percent in Thai- to foreign investment, land, 3.66 percent in Laos, they made sure that eco4.17 percent in Malaysia, nomic democracy is in 6 percent in Vietnam, place. Others like Brunei 7.03 percent in Cambodia, and Singapore hold the 7.39 percent in Brunei, distinction of being ruled and 20.62 percent in Sin- by autocratic and despotic gapore. Myanmar has no leaders.

He re, data. e c o n o m ic Since nationalthe beginism has ning of our been used political The oligarchs the independtook the occasion by oliga rchs ence, vital to deregulate to enrich e conom ic t h e m indicators rates and selves with show grim fees to such their vast prog nosastronomical earnings tication. stacked in In 2015, proportion. deposits Indonesia, that only conceded them, the to be the banks and biggest economy, stands at $819 the money market enjoybillion gross domes- ing the fruits through usutic product, followed by ry with least investment Thailand with $395 billion to production. There is and Malaysia with $296 no greater proof to indict billion. The country has these pseudo-nationalists $292 billion and made a than their refusal to entie with Singapore for the act laws to implement this fourth place which is the constitutional mandate. smallest in land area and The oligarchs continue to fatten us by their exhortapopulation.

According to the Eur- tion of economic nationomoney Institutional and alism, political freedom Investors Company, the and democracy that left us Philippines ranked No. 6 empty handed and always among the Asean member scrounging for food and countries as the destina- employment.

Looking closely at Artion of direct foreign investment obtaining $1,560 ticle II, on the Declaramillion in 2017. The coun- tion of Principles and try only surpassed Laos State Policies of our Conwith $345 million, a coun- stitution, it seems they try that has been isolated, have become some sort suffered civil war, and of beatitudes one can was heavily bombed dur- only glorify, but cannot ing the Indochina War in question. Nobody could the 70s. Ahead of us are feel what benefit they Singapore with $17,767 brought in exchange for million; Vietnam with our unfailing fealty to the $2,890 million; Indonesia oligarchs’ demand for nawith $2,860 million; Thai- tionalism. The same can land $2537; and Malaysia be said of the provision in Article XII on Social Jus$2460.

Now, Laos has the tice and Human Rights, fastest-growing economy Labor, Agrarian and Natwith a rate of 7.4 percent ural Resources Reforms, in 2015, while the Philip- Urban Land Reform and pines at 5.9 percent, which Housing, Health, etc.

Even if we assume that puts it behind Myanmar at 7.3 percent, Cambodia, 7.0 their right to own major percent and Vietnam 6.7 industries is something of percent. Population-wise, a Divine Right ordained Indonesia has the highest by God, still they refuse to with over 257 million fol- concede about their social lowed by the Philippines obligation. They continue with slightly over 100 to hide behind the cloak million. Vietnam placed of economic autarky, and third, with a population of commit various methods 91 million and may soon of machinations to cirovertake the country with cumvent, delay and stall a population growth rate the implementation of of 2.1 percent, the highest Section 19 of Article XII, among the Asean coun- to quote: “The State shall regutries, followed by Singalate or prohibit monopopore at 1.6 percent.

Most worrisome is our lies when public interest problem of unemployment so requires. No combinabecause it is considered tion in restraint of trade or the ultimate ledger on how unfair competition shall

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Tom Rosario and the Light of Being

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

Blind and misguided nationalism

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

I WAS supposed to write a column to share my reflections on the Gospel reading for the Second Day of Advent. But yesterday, news came of the passage into eternal life of a friend and colleague of nearly 40 years, Professor Tom Rosario of Ateneo de Manila. For a moment, when I heard the news and consumed by grief, Advent seemed so far away. I will write that column for next Tuesday instead.

I first met Tomas G. Rosario in 1978. He was still a graduate student of philosophy in Ateneo de Manila University then, writing a thesis on Saint Thomas Aquinas. We shared a teacher Fr. Francis Reilly who taught us undergraduate philosophy students Metaphysics and Epistemology, introducing us also to Thomistic philosophy. Tom was mentored by Fr. Reilly and would soon be recruited into the philosophy faculty of Ateneo de Manila. Eventually, I would join that faculty and Tom and I would become colleagues for nearly a decade before I moved to Diliman to become a law professor at the University of the Philippines College

Doy...

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Attorneys Office of today did not exist back then.

Topnotch lawyers whom Laurel recruited to join CLASP represented many destitute litigants oppressed by powerful personalities. Through CLASP, the imbalance in the justice system which favored the wealthy and the well-connected was addressed even in a limited way. For his trailblazing efforts in this field, the international lawyers association recognized him as one of the leading legal aid lawyers of the world.

In November 1967, Laurel was elected to the Senate under the pro-administration Nacionalista Party (NP). At 38, Laurel was the youngest post-war senator under the NP banner.

As a senator, Laurel authored several laws which reduced the financial burden of indigent litigants.

These laws, which were eventually called the Laurel laws, exempted poor litigants from paying certain

Responding...

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those infected through sexual contact, 88% of the cases were among those engaging in male to male sex.

Because of scanty correct knowledge about HIV and AIDS, the stigma suffered by PLHIV is quite strong. There is a lot of misconceptions and outright wrong ideas about the modes of HIV transmission that result in various forms of discrimination against PLHIV. Among these is be allowed.”

The oligarchs refuse to enact laws that would translate that provision to one which all Filipinos could feel and benefit. They use Section 19, Article II on State Policies as shield to deter foreign investment, to quote: 19. The State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national economy effectively controlled by Filipinos.

People concede that our

of Law. Tom, on the other hand, would go on teaching in Ateneo and finish his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas.

Even before Tom and I became fellow travellers in the philosophical enterprise, we became good friends in Cervini Hall.

Tom and I were part of a barkada, a group of friends in the Ateneo dormitory, that regularly went out together to eat, drink, and have fun (with Tom, only clean fun was allowed as he would shake his head if anyone suggested something naughty). We even travelled together, do road trips to places like Albay, Sorsogon, Baguio City, and the Ilocos region. We frequently went to Tagaytay City because Francis Tolentino was part of our group.

Jay Carlos, Nolly Singca, Dindo Katigbak, Inan Floreindo, Chito Santos, and my brother Pompee were part of that barkada.

Tom became our focal point, our anchor, because even as we all moved on, Tom stayed in Cervini as prefect and in the Loyola campus as philosopher, for four more decades, indeed up to the end of his mortal life. It is only fitting that he will be brought back to the Ateneo Campus on this Friday and be sent off to Pangasinan for burial on Sunday. There will be an 8 p.m.

mass, sponsored by the Philosophy Department, on Saturday, Dec. 9.

I think I speak for most of our Cervini barkada when I say that we will miss Tom terribly. Although I have not had a long conversation with him for a while, it was good to know he was around. I thought he will be there forever.

Conversations with Tom were confessional; he was not a priest and could not absolve us of our sins but his advice was always rock-solid, unwavering and principled, consistently practical, but never judgmental. He was a good listener, conveying approval or disapproval if necessary but, for the latter, always kindly. He would just shake his head —affectionately. as contradictory as that seems.

Tom was reliable during happy and sad moments.

You could come to him to celebrate and to cry. He was especially good at moral dilemmas. His training in Thomistic thinking came handy for those of us who were in crisis.

Tom kept secrets. In fact, my initial reaction when I saw the news that he passed away was this: Who can I share my secrets to now? How could you, Tom, leave so fast without a final conversation? You go with so many secrets that many of us confided to you. In

my case, it’s only you that I told some secrets too, and I have forgotten some of them and especially those whispered to you nearly forty years ago. And when we meet, you would remind me of them! Who would remind me of those secrets now?

Tom of course will also be remembered for his philosophical work. The Philosophy Department of Ateneo de Manila University is one of the best in the world, possibly number one in Asia. The young philosophers in that department, with doctorates from all over the world (including those finishing their degrees), never stops to amaze me. But what we have there now must be credited to our pioneers—the Jesuits of course (only Father Roque Ferriols is with us now) and the lay persons especially Doctors Ramon Reyes, Manny Dy, Leo Garcia, Eddie Calasanz, Tonette Palma-Angeles, and Tom. Like all philosophers, to the end, Tom had an inquisitive mind. More recently for example, he is said to have been working on Richard Rorty. Aquinas and Rorty—that’s a conversation I would have wanted with Tom during these confusing days of political anomie.

I like very much how Rayvi Sunico, another colleague from the Philoso-

phy Department, described Tom: “After Fr Francis Reilly had gone, Dr Tom Rosario became our resident Thomist at the Philo Department. His smile and great humor added much light to the three rooms of our old office, reminding me often of Plotinus’s light in us that participates in the great glow of Being.

Ave atque value, Tom.” Tom Rosario was best described by his master Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.”

And definitely, our friendship of four decades is best described also by Aquinas: “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.”

For those of us who loved Tom and who was graced with his friendship, and to his many philosophy students, especially those who took his undergraduate ethics and philosophy of religion, he was beloved not the least because of his smile.

That beatific smile will always be my best memory of Tom Rosario. Such a radiant smile could only come from one who had seen and generously shared to others the light of being.

court fees, including fees for transcripts of hearings.

Those laws are still in effect today.

Senator Laurel promoted CLASP in key areas of the archipelago. Before the end of the 1970s, CLASP had chapters nationwide.

Doy Laurel was Ninoy Aquino’s best friend. Their friendship dates back to the pre-war years when their parents were members of the cabinet of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon. That friendship was sealed forever during the post-war years when people they thought were their friends during the war began avoiding them like the plague.

By early 1968, then President Ferdinand Marcos realized that Aquino was the top critic of his administration. Although Laurel was Marcos’ partymate, Laurel’s sentiments often led him to side with Aquino —something Marcos resented.

The tolerance Marcos had for Laurel was understandable because Marcos owed the Laurel family so many debts of gratitude.

Back in 1939, Marcos was charged with the murder of Julio Nalundasan, a political rival of his father, Mariano Marcos. After Marcos was convicted by the trial court, he appealed to the Supreme Court. In October 1940, Justice Jose P. Laurel wrote the decision of the Supreme Court which acquitted Marcos.

During the Japanese Occupation, President Laurel saved Marcos, who was with the resistance, from enemy capture. Marcos was recuperating at the Philippine General Hospital for injuries sustained as a guerilla, and the Japanese planned to arrest him there. When Laurel learned about the plan, he secretly sent a rescue team to spirit Marcos out of the hospital before the Japanese got there.

In 1961, then Senator Marcos (who was a member of the LP) had his eyes on the presidency. However, LP stalwart and incumbent Vice President Diosdado Macapagal promised to support Marcos’ run for president in 1965, if Marcos agreed to support Maca-

pagal’s presidential campaign in 1961. To preserve party unity, Marcos agreed and delivered the votes of northern Luzon to Macapagal, which led to the latter’s victory in 1961.

When Macapagal reneged on his word to Marcos and decided to seek reelection in 1965, Marcos resigned from the LP and sought admission to the NP. He also wanted to be the NP candidate for president.

Marcos got what he wanted from Doy’s elder brother, House Speaker Jose B. Laurel Jr., who was the virtual bossman of the NP. Speaker Laurel convinced the NP to accept Marcos as member of the party, and to anoint Marcos its standard bearer in the 1965 polls.

That was not the first time a high-profile politician switched party affiliations. In November 1963, Ninoy Aquino was elected governor of Tarlac under the NP. The next year, Aquino shifted to the LP after President Macapagal refused to release funds for Tarlac unless Ninoy joined the LP. Anyway, what Speaker

Laurel did for Marcos in 1965 was no mean feat, considering that Marcos’ rivals for the presidential bid were incumbent Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez, and Senators Arturo Tolentino, Gil Puyat, and Fernando Lopez, himself a former vice president.

Marcos won the presidency in 1965, aware that he would not have succeeded were it not for the help of Speaker Laurel.

Parenthetically, Doy Laurel was not able to support Marcos in the 1965 NP convention because months before Marcos expressed his wish to run for president under the NP, Doy had already pledged to support the presidential bid of the incumbent vice president, Emmanuel Pelaez. Doy said he could not back out of a promise.

Marcos eventually learned that Doy Laurel was not on his side in 1965.

If Marcos resented it, he did not make it obvious to Doy, or to the Laurel family. The First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, however, was quite unhappy about it. To be continued

the notion that HIV is airborne and thus, one can get infected merely by being near a PLHIV. Needless to say, the need for education around the issue is urgent.

Education is among the key interventions included in the HIV policy bill recently passed by the HOR. The bill has strengthened the provision on education of the existing law by providing funding support to groups that will implement HIV and AIDS education initiatives among key affected populations and vulnerable communities.

This bill is a product of

collaboration between the principal author and key stakeholders on the issue including persons living with HIV (PLHIV). Thus, the framework is anchored on human rights and interventions and strategies are based on evidence making them responsive to actual experiences and needs of those involved in or affected by the issue.

The bill establishes the six-year National MultiSectoral HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan as a roadmap with clear targets, strategies, structure, and funding.

Another important feature of the bill is its enumeration of discriminatory acts that will be prohibited should it become a law. Included here are discriminatory practices that happen in workplaces. learning institutions, hospitals and health institutions; restrictions on shelter, habitation, and travel; inhibition from public services; exclusion from credit and insurance services; denial of burial services; and bullying.

This HIV Policy bill passed by the HOR is a very important piece of legislative proposal that

the Senate must also immediately pass. The Senate version is on its Second Reading and senators are in the process of interpellation.

The country’s policy on HIV and AIDS must be strengthened and made more progressive and responsive to the actual problem. We need to address HIV and AIDS and we need a stronger law now.

establish an independent central monetary authority, the members of whose governing board must be natural-born Filipino citizens, of known probity, integrity, and patriotism, the majority of whom shall come from the private sector. X x x. The authority shall provide policy direction in the areas of money, banking, and credit. It shall have supervision over the operations of banks and exercise such regulatory

powers as may be provided by law over the operations of finance companies and other institutions performing similar functions.”

Is their being Filipino citizens not enough, that the majority must come from the private sector, specifically private bankers, when everybody knows they have their own interest to protect higher than their being Filipino citizens?

economic policy has been influenced by globalization. Knowing that, former President Ramos should have reciprocated by lowering the bills on electricity, water, transportation and toll fees, by improving telephone and Internet service, by expanding free irrigation, by producing cheap fertilizer, and by increasing steel production to spur industrialization.

Alas, the oligarchs took the occasion to deregulate

rates and fees to such astronomical proportion for the fact that the Constitution forbids foreigners to participate in certain businesses. For instance, while a nationalistic provision is necessary on matters involving our monetary and fiscal policy, why allow the private sector to dominate our Central Monetary Authority? Article XII, Section 20 of the Constitution provides: “The Congress shall

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Pacquiao: Probe P8.7-b ROW scam

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

ENATOR Emmanuel Pacquiao has asked the Senate to investigate the alleged anomalous P8.7-billion fund releases made by the Department of Public Works and Highways as payments for the road right-of-way claims in General Santos City.

He wanted the Senate Committee on Public Works to get to the bottom of the fund anomaly under the tutelage of former DPWH secretaries Hermogenes Ebdane and Rogelio Singson.

He filed on Tuesday Senate Resolution 561, titled “A resolution directing the Senate Committee on Public Works to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the reported faults in the system, if any,

resulting to (sic) the misuse of government funds for its road right-of-way project covered by alleged spurious land titles in General Santos City.”

The boxer-lawmaker said there was a need to investigate the anomalous fund releases to curb corruption in the agency involved and to correct whatever flaws were present in the system.

“I believe that it is our duty as legislators to solve

“I do not know how these people can sleep well at night when they were well aware of the anomalies they did. These actions were done by humans with no conscience,” said Pacquiao.

He hoped the Senate probe would expose a labyrinth of conspiracy involving officials in the Register of Deeds, Courts of Law, DPWH, Department of Environment and Natural Re-

sources, including some influential private individuals who were fabricating spurious land titles to defraud the government of billions of pesos.

Whistleblower Roberto Catapang Jr. mentioned in his affidavit Wilma Mamburam, a certain Col. Chino Mamburan, Merceditas Dumlao and Nelson Ti as among those involved in the P8.7-billion scam.

PAL expecting 2 new Security Boeing 777-300ER features

Public warned vs Xmas solicitations

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Philippine Board of Investments, the industry development and investments promotion arm of the Department of Trade & Industry, clarified Friday it was not in any way soliciting Christmas tokens or gifts from stakeholders.

Reports from concerned stakeholders recently reached the agency that unscrupulous groups and individuals were allegedly soliciting Christmas gifts and tokens on behalf of BoI. To date, the BoI received two reports from concerned stakeholders requesting Christmas gifts and tokens supposedly for the Christmas parties/other BoI-organized events of some BoI Services/Departments.

Vaccine recipients monitored LAS Pinas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar has ordered the City Health Office and the City School administration to conduct strict monitoring of children who were given the anti-dengue vaccine as she appealed for calmness following the controversy over the effect of mass vaccination on recipients.

Aguilar said the monitoring was intended to come up with the city’s own database on the recipients of the vaccine, which can serve as the basis for coordination with the efforts conducted by the Department of Health.

The mayor said a total 48,996 children in the city had been vaccinated by Dengvaxia since it started in 2016 when the DoH launched the mass vaccination program.

the faults in our system,” said Pacquiao.

“Mr. President, I’m very disappointed with these public officials, who are nothing more than mere scammers, thieves, embezzlers..,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The senator from Mindanao claimed the funds should have been used for the development of the country and upliftment of the people’s lives.

HISTORICAL MARKER. A seven-foot bronze statue of a Filipino comfort woman is unveiled along bayside Roxas Blvd. in Manila in remembrance of the 1,000 Filipino women conscripted into sexual slavery in the Japanese-run ‘comfort stations’ during World War II although only a few hundreds have thus far been documented. Norman Cruz

LEGACY carrier Philippine Airlines is expecting the arrival of two new Boeing 777-300ER units from Seattle, Washington this month to serve air travelers going to and from London and the United States.

“Two shiny new Boeing 777-300ER, fresh out of Boeing’s manufacturing plant in Seattle, Washington, undergo a series of tests and inspections prior to delivery to Philippine Airlines,” said Ma. Cielo Villaluna, PAL External Communications Group head and spokesperson.

Villaluna added: “They are scheduled to arrive (in) Manila on December 16 and 19. The spacious and luxurious 777—fitted with state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system —is expected to delight passengers on PAL’s long-haul flights.”

The acquisition is in line with PAL’s goal to be the country’s full-service five star airline in five years and part of that plan is to deploy two more Boeing B777-300ER units on flights to London and the United States.

“The Boeing aircraft will serve the Manila-London route, a move designed to primarily enhance the total passenger travel experience and in-flight service deliver. While we already have eight triple 7s serving the West Coast, the incoming units will also augment other trans-pacific flights,” said Jaime Bautista, PAL president and chief

operating officer.

Bautista explained “the Boeing 777 is our flagship for longhaul operations. With its range and operational capability, the flag carrier will be at par with other full service carriers along the route.

“We will also increase capacity as the aircraft will have a 370-seating capacity on a two-class configuration (42 on business and 328 on economy) as compared to the 254-seating capacity of the A340.”

The acquisition of the carrier’s 9th and 10th B777s is also based on a long-term lease agreement with Intrepid Aviation.

During the 2016 delivery of PAL’s 7th and 8th B777, Intrepid president and chief commercial officer Doug Winter said: “Intrepid and Philippine Airlines have enjoyed a strong partnership dating back to 2013. The Philippines is currently one of the fastest growing economies in Asia and the airline has been enjoying a strong, profitable growth trajectory over the past few years.”

PAL said the journey towards reaching this goal was the implementation of flagship initiatives such as fleet modernization which includes: the acquisition of six brand new Airbus A350s for delivery starting mid-2018 and the reconfiguration of 8 monoclass Airbus A330s to tri-class layout by mid July.

Miss Universe beauties meet, excite fans at a Makati hotel

By Bill Casas

MISS Universe beauties put smiles on the faces of some of the Filipino pageant fanatics at the Department of Tourism luncheon at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City Friday.

Some 20 fans posed for pictures including Sundee Abando, a Miss Universe fan for 21 years, and said, “this is a dream come true for me, I have watched Miss Universe since 1996

and I did not imagine that I would be able to meet them in person.”

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo took the opportunity to promote the Bring Home A Friend campaign during the event to encourage the beauties to come back to the Philippines and bring a friend with them.

“We encourage our beauty queens to visit again the Philippines for the holiday season and bring over their

friends and family with them. Just like Iris, who was crowned here, she came back with the Miss Universe 2017 candidates and her successor Demi-Leigh,” Teo said.

Miss Canada, Lauren Howe said, “It is really an incredible campaign, very creative. I love the message behind it. People should experience the Philippines because of its people and incredible places and I have known that since I was a child because of the

Filipino community in Canada.”

DoT’s Bring Home A Friend campaign encourages Filipinos and expatriates to invite their foreign friend to visit the country and win exciting raffle prizes.

“I would definitely recommend my friends to come here. The thing that stood out for me has been the people.

The people are so warm, so welcoming and they just share love and happiness.” said Nel-Peters.

By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has approved the creation of a technical working group that will fine-tune a bill seeking to increase the safety of school buses.

The House committee on transportation, chaired

by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento of Catanduanes, recommended the TWG, to be chaired by Rep. Carlo Lopez of Manila, which shall be tasked to finalize House Bill 757 which seeks to professionalize the country’s school bus system and mandate the installation of security features in school buses.

The bill, authored by Rep. Emmeline AglipayVillar of DIWA party-list, provides for significant changes in the proficiency standards or special licensing of school bus drivers and conductors.

It also adds a provision for emergency exits and equipment on buses.

Aglipay-Villar acknowledged the bill currently did not require child seats.

She suggested it would be better if child seats were first approved as a requirement for all vehicles, so that the same requirement would automatically be covered in HB 757 as well.

The bill qualifies a school bus as a motor vehicle, but not a trailer, designed to carry 10 or more persons.

It is used for purposes that include carrying students to and from public or private school or school-related events on a regular basis.

2 anthologies to be launched

Korean natl arrested by BI

By Vito Barcelo A SOUTH Korean wanted by authorities in his country for alleged violent acts he committed there several years ago was ordered deported by the Bureau of Immigration.

The Korean fugitive, identified as Kang Bum Su, was arrested by BI operatives at his home in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Kang was ordered expelled after his embassy in Manila informed the BI about his criminal record and he had become undocumented as a result of the cancellation of his passport by the Korean government.

A warrant for Kang’s arrest was issued by a Korean court where he was indicted for violating the country’s punishment of violence act.

That law punishes any person or group of persons who commit violence and use deadly weapon that result in bodily harm to their victims.

“He was already included in our blacklist to prevent him from reentering the country,” Morente said.

BI intelligence officer and FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said the captured fugitive hid in the Philippines for more than six years apparently to evade arrest and prosecution for his crime.

meant for school buses

EARLY GIFTS. Parañaque City’s elderly receive during the first week of December early Christmas gifts—a gift pack each and cash gift for birthday celebrators—as the local government, led by Mayor Edwin Olivarez, kicks off its annual ‘Pamaskong Handog’ in six of the city’s barangays.

TWO literary collections—one on stories for children and another on poetry—are being prepared by GUMIL Metro Manila, the organization of Ilocano writers residing in the National Capital Region.

The stories for children compilation, to be written in Ilocano, will be edited by Bannawag managing editor Cles B. Rambaud and poetry editor Ariel S. Tabag, both awardwinning fictionists.

The poetry omnibus, to be written in English, will be edited by journalism and literature professor and Manila Standard night editor Honor Blanco Cabie, himself a prize-winning and published poet.

The two books are expected to be launched in summer 2018, during the 50th anniversary of GUMIL Filipinas, literally the biggest organization of literary writers, with almost 2,000 active members at home and overseas, including the United States, Canada, Greece and Hong Kong.

In the stories for children book, any member of GUMIL Metro Manila, one of more than a dozen chapters of GUMIL Filipinas, may submit up to two contributions while contributors to the poetry treasury may submit up to five poems.

Sports

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Mounsour is Man of the Year A

By Randy Caluag

PUBLIC servant, actor, sportsman and a taekwondo Olympian.

For the many hats he’s wearing, Monsour Del Rosario is most proud of his legacy in the sport that made him what he is today.

On Thursday night, the

Makati City representative reached the pinnacle of his achievement in the Korean martial arts after being named 2017 Man of the Year in world taekwondo and inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame.

“I’m very excited about this accolade and overwhelmed to make our country proud again,” said the eight-time national taekwondo champion during the awarding ceremony at the World Taekwondo Federation

(Kukkiwon) headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

No less than Kukkiwon president Dr. Chongwon Choue handed him the award and the distinction of being the first Filipino, and nonKorean, to be given such prestigious honors since the award’s inception in 2010.

He was accompanied in Korea by his wife Joy and grandmaster Sung Chon Hong.

“I’m very proud that may name will be in the

world taekwondo museum for along as the museum is still standing in Seoul.

The last time I was here was in 1993 when I was training with the Philippine team,” he said.

Del Rosario, who bagged a bronze medal in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and reached the quarterfinal round in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame for being one of the world’s best taekwondo jins in the 1980s.

In the national scene, he was undefeated in the lightweight division from 1982 to 1989 before he was asked by the Philippine taekwondo officials to promote the sport as an action star—with so much success.

Currently the secretary-general of the Philippine Taekwondo Association, the 52-year-old Del Rosario showcased his outstanding leadership when he steered the country to its best finish in the Asian Indoor

and Marti Arts Games (Aimag) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, with a total haul of two gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals as the delegation’s chef de mission.

His colleagues at the House of Representatives also approved a resolution passed by the Taguig City, District Two representative Pia Cayetano, commending him for his Man of the Year award.

“I’m deeply grateful and honored,” added Del Rosario.”

76ers ship discontented Okafor to Brooklyn Nets

1. Makati City Rep. Monsour Del Rosario (right) receives his Man of the Year plum from World Taekwondo Federation (Kukkiwon) president Oh Hyun Deuk during the awarding ceremony in Seoul, Korea. Photo 2 : Monsour with wife Joy

NEW YORK—Jahlil Okafor, restless without a real role for the Philadelphia 76ers, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in exchange for forward Trevor Booker, the Sixers said.

Philadelphia also sent guard Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn along with 2019 second-round draft selection that originally belonged to the New York Knicks.

Okafor, 21, was drafted third overall by Philadelphia in 2015.

But he had fallen out of favor in a club where Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are emerging as stars.

After averaging a career-high 17.5 points and seven rebounds over 53 games and being selected to the All-Rookie first team in the 201516 season, Okafor has appeared in just two games this season for the Sixers, averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Last month he told ESPN he

would like the 76ers “to just send me somewhere where I can get an opportunity”.

The 76ers, who had already declined their team option on Okafor for next season obliged with the trade for Booker.

“Trevor Booker has been a solid and competitive two-way contributor at every NBA stop. Trevor’s abilities should complement our style of play and his experience should add to our bench depth with playoff contention in mind,” 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said in a statement.

Nets general manager Sean Marks was upbeat about welcoming two young players to their club.

“This trade provides us with a good opportunity to bring in two young players who were high picks in recent drafts and give them a chance to succeed in our system,” Marks said. AFP

Marshals turn back Wildcats in NCRAA

By Peter Atencio Games Tuesday (Group A at the TIP gym) 10 a.m. NEU vs TIP 12 noon Olivarez College vs PSBA 2 p.m. DOMC vs St. Francis

THE Pamantasan ng Lungsod na Muntinlupa Marshals turned on the heat in the second period to put away the National College of Business and Arts Wildcats, 6553, yesterday at the PATTS College of Aeronautics gym in Sucat, Paranaque.

Daniel Austria showed the way with 14 points for the Marshals as they posted their first win in Group B. Remar Argana added 10 points for the Marshals, who are in the early lead with University of Makati, which won by default over Emilio Aguinaldo College-Cavite.

Earlier, University of Luzon joined the AMA University Titans in the early lead of Group B following an 89-64 triumph over Asian Institute of Maritime Studies.

The Marshals first took charge with a 23-14 firstquarter lead following a three-pointer from Argana, who unloaded three-triples in opening period.

In the second quarter, the Marshals banked on two 9-0 spurts to gain a commanding 44-27 spread at halftime.

Rockets extend streak to 8 wins LOS ANGELES—The Houston Rockets, fueled by 29 points from James Harden, posted their eighth straight NBA victory on Thursday, 112-101 over the Utah Jazz.

Ryan Anderson scored 23 points and Chris Paul added 18 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for Houston, the Western Conference leaders who have now won 14 of their last 15 games.

The Jazz coughed up eight turnovers in the first half, leading to 13 points for the Rockets.

Nevertheless, the Jazz twice managed to take the lead in the first half -- but both times the Rockets powered back in front.

Houston pulled away in the second half, building a 74-53 lead early in the third with a 13-2 run that included Clint Capela’s three-point play and a dunk. The Rockets led by as many as 25 in the second half en route to the victory.

Paul would have preferred it if the margin hadn’t dwindled.

“We just started giving up wide open threes down the stretch,” he

said. “We know we’ve got to be better, but we’ll take the win.”

In Philadelphia, Brandon Ingram drained a three-pointer with eight-tenths of a second remaining to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-104 victory over the 76ers.

Ingram led the Lakers with 21 points. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson added 16 each off the bench for Los Angeles, who snapped a five-game losing streak in front of a raucous Philadelphia crowd.

Joel Embiid had 33 points to lead the 76ers. Rookie guard Ben Simmons contributed the third triple-double of his career with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.

Philadelphia trailed 85-70 early in the fourth quarter, but roared back to level the score as Embiid scored 16 of his points in the final period and backup forward Richaun Holmes poured in 11 of his 13 in the fourth.

Holmes’ dunk, off a pass from Embiid, tied the game at 101-101 wit 2:22 to play.

Los Angeles regained the lead before the Sixers tied it again at 104-104 with 39.8 left.

On the Lakers’ final possession, rookie Lonzo Ball began a drive from the right corner but pitched the ball to Ingram, who was wide open on the right wing and swished his three-pointer.

“I had the confidence to shoot it,” Ingram said. Ball “sucked the defense in and kicked it out. I think he made a great pass.”

Caris LeVert scored 21 points with 10 assists as the Brooklyn Nets erased a 16-point deficit en route to a 100-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Mexico City.

The game was the first of two in Mexico City for the Nets, who will face the Miami Heat in the Ciudad de Mexico Arena on Saturday.

LeVert, playing on the first anniversary of his NBA debut, connected on six of 10 shots and was effective in guarding Thunder star Russell Westbrook, who scored 31 points but made just 10 of his 27 shots from the floor. AFP

CAGE CHAMPS. Ironcon merged as the champion in the Atlanta Pipes Basketball League 2017 recently.

Photo shows members of the team (standing, left to right) Jerry Gonzales, James Castro, Jan Picardo, Ibarra Militsala, Adrianne Dela Rosa, Ferdinand Igloso, Jaime Bontile, Robert Sy, Jimi Lim, Coach Bong Dela Cruz, Hubert Chan, Mariano Yu, Eric Kirong, and Francis Camacho; and (front row) Ryan De Ramos, Michael Arcangel, Jimmy Pasos, John Renz Domingcil, Wilson Dimapilis, Mark Lagrimas and Eujim Ray Roxas.

NBA: League to open training center in Mexico LOS ANGELES—The National Basketball Association is opening an elite training center in Mexico City for men and women players from around Latin America, the league said Thursday.

In a joint announcement with the Mexican Basketball Federation and Mexico’s Commission for Physical Culture and Sport, the NBA said

NBA Academy Latin America, the league’s seventh elite training center worldwide, would open in the coming months.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City before tip-off of the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets, part of the NBA

Lomachenko looks to continue meteoric rise in boxing NEW YORK—Ukrainian champ Vasyl Lomachenko will need to demonstrate plenty of patience when he squares off against Cuban tactician Guillermo Rigondeaux in a world title showdown Saturday between two multiple Olympic gold medal winners.

The 29-year-old Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) will defend his World Boxing Organization junior lightweight belt against the unbeaten Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs) when they meet at Madison Square Garden Theater.

It is the first time two-time Olympic gold medal winners will fight each other.

“It’s going to be a great fight

and it’s going to be a great historical fight that fans will forever look back on,” Rigondeaux said.

Lomachenko will have the size advantage, as the counter puncher Rigondeaux will be moving up two weight classes for the 12-round fight.

Lomachenko could take that bulk and punching power to try to physically overwhelm the 37-year-old Rigondeaux, but their two styles should make for a technical fight rather

than a slugfest.

“I don’t think it’s going to be the kind of fight everyone is waiting for,” Lomachenko said. “You know his style.”

“I need to chase him. I need to do this and not forget my defence because he will wait, wait, wait and wait.”

It has been three years since anyone went the distance with Lomachenko, who won gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He has rocketed to the top of his weight class

since turning pro in 2013, winning eight world championship fights in his first 10 pro contests.

“It is a historical bout and most importantly it is an interesting bout for me,” said Lomachenko. “A lot of time was spent to make this bout.

For a while it was never happening and finally it happened.

“It is very, very interesting and all of the boxing fans wanted to see the bout and finally we can deliver it.”

Lomachenko lost his second pro fight to veteran Orlando Salido but then won a world title in his next bout by beating Gary Russell. He became a two division champion by moving up in weight in just his seventh fight to beat Roman Martinez. AFP

Serena entered for ‘family friendly’ Australian Open LOTTO RESULTS SYDNEY—New mum Serena Williams has accepted a place at the Australian Open and is “anticipated to return” to the tournament in January, less than five months after giving birth, organisers said Friday.

The defending women’s champion was among 98 of the 100 top women, and all of the men’s top 100, to be “confirmed” for the season’s opening Grand Slam, they said.

World number ones Simona Halep and 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will both be in Melbourne, but all eyes will be on Williams, who won this year’s tournament while pregnant.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said this week it was “highly likely” she will make her comeback at the opening Grand Slam of the season, and he repeated those sentiments Friday.

“Last year’s tournament broke all of the records and we look forward to welcoming back new mum Serena as she attempts to equal Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams,” he said in a statement.

“We are definitely a familyfriendly event and many players including reigning champion Roger Federer travel with their children to Melbourne so we remain optimistic that she will return.”

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Mexico City Games 2017.

The NBA, CONADE and the Mexican Basketball Federation will conduct scouting programs across the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America to identify the inaugural pool of elite prospects ages 14-17 who will receive scholarships and training at academy, Silver said.

Coderos, Tudtud banner PPS Argao tennis roster

OVER 200 entries step up their chase for honors and ranking points as action in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis shifts to the Visayas for the PPS-PEPP Argao leg at the Argao courts in Cebu.

Siblings Bless and Hazel Coderos headline the girls’ 18-and-under cast while Vhon Tudtud and Paul Coderos loom as the players to beat in the boys’ premier division of the tournament, which got under way yesterday with matches in the boys’ 18-, 16-, 14- and 12-U divisions and the 10-unisex, which all featured 32-player draws.

Lyrah Repollo, meanwhile, seeks a “double” in the girls’ 14- and 16-U play of the tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop headed tby president/CEO Bobby Castro and presented by Slazenger while a four-cornered fight among Corazon Lambonao, Kim McKenzie, Shara Paliwag and Riza Coderos looms in the 12-U side.

Like Repollo, Ceasar Salimbangon also targets two titles in the boys’ 14- and 16-U sections along with EJ Pasaol and Kenneth Tenepre while Andrei Tabura, Gerald Gemida, Hans Cabello and Adrian Anonat brace for a fierce duel in the 12-U class in the five-day event, which comes on the heels of the successful PPS-PEPP Northern swing.

“The PPS-PEPP continues to grow in numbers and participation and this only inspires up to put more and more tournaments in our effort to expand the base of our talent-search,” said Castro.

Also on tap are the doubles events in the girls’ and boys’ 14- and 18-U and 10-U. Meanwhile, the country’s leading juniors and members of the national pool gear up for the two-week Dagitab Tennis Festival slated Dec. 14-22 in Naga City, Cebu, according to PPSPEPP Sports Program Development director and organizer Bobby Mangunay. For details, call 0915-4046464.

Sports

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

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

Suksukont pulls away by 4 shots in Masters STA. ROSA, Laguna – Pressed by a slew of rivals on their homeward trip at the front, Renuka Suksukont of Thailand closed out with three straight birdies in stirring fashion for a 70 and pulled away by four heading to the final round of the rich ICTSI Philippine Ladies Masters here yesterday.

That sizzling windup in overcast skies put Suksukont back into the lead at 139 after Chihiro Ikeda stormed ahead at three-under overall before yielding on back-toback bogeys from No. 6 in a wild second round that saw two other Thais mount a charge and the rest of the local aces bow out of the title race.

The lead was up for grabs until Suksukont came through with that brilliant finish.

Ikeda blew a sterling four-under card with those late miscues and settled for a 70, dropping to joint second at 143 with Wanchana Poruangrong, who also carded a 70, and Chonlada Chayanun, who came through with a bogey-free 68, a rare feat on a course which punishes even the slightest of mistakes.

After birdying the par5 10th for the second straight day and racking up seventh straight pars, Suksukont bogeyed three of the next four holes to slip off the leaderboard.

But she recovered her touch in time, birdying No. 5 from close range then holing out with three straight birdies to regain a huge lead.

Renuka Suksukont chips onto the green on No. 14

PH in make-or-break bid to host 2023 World Cup M

ONTHS of intense preparations now all comes down to this – Decision Day for the International Basketball Federation or FIBA. This morning in Geneva ( 8 p.m. Manila Time), the FIBA Central Board will vote, which among the two finalists – the Philippine-led consortium with Japan and Indonesia and the two-country bid of Argentina and Uruguay – will host the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The two finalists will make their final pitch before the FIBA Central Board with the first consortium scheduled to deliver its remarks at 10:30 a.m. The other bidder will be called in next for its 20-minute presentation.

Then, the Central Board will

take a break and by 1 p.m. (8 p.m., Manila time), the decision will be announced.

Speakers from the three countries will be led by SBP Chairman Emeritus Manuel V. Pangilinan. After a 10-minute question-and-answer portion, Pangilinan will return to the stage for his final remarks.

Argentina and Uruguay will make their presentation before noontime. No live streaming will be available. Presentations may be made in English or Spanish with FIBA providing simultaneous translations.

PANGILINAN

SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said the consortium’s bid has three central principles--simplicity, diversity and intensity.

“The bid from the consortium offers FIBA an exciting opportunity to bring the sport’s pinnacle event to the fastest growing region in

the world where our combined population of over 500 million is ready to embrace the sport of basketball, where we will work with FIBA to realize the sport’s vision to make basketball the most popular sports community--to have more people playing in more places, more often,” he said.

Pangilinan said he’s not interested in bidding for the 2027 edition. So this is make or break.

“Here’s praying our country gets it,” he said. “It’s the single priceless legacy I could leave Philippine basketball.”

The Philippines, Indonesia and Japan have a strong chance of winning the joint bidding for the hosting rights of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. “We have a chance of winning the bid. I feel personally that we have a strong chance. But of course, it’s 5050,” said SBP president Al Panlilio.

The SBP plans to amp the social media noise level to worldwide proportions with the hashtag #playlouderin2023.

In their plans to the award the hosting of the 2023 World Cup, the FIBA is seeking to reach out to a bigger audience.

And Panlilio said that if the Philippines and its partners win the bid, they will have an audience reach of around 500 million people.

“And I think, that’s a compelling proposition that we have brought forward to the FIBA,” said Panlilio.

The Cup is the most prestigious international tournament in the sport of basketball.

It features the best 32 teams from 32 countries all over the world.

The 2023 tourney will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Open races for PCSO Presidential Gold Cup THE 45th Presidential Gold Cup is an open race among the nine chargers vying for the whopping top prize of P4 million on Sunday at the MetroTurf Racing Complex in Malvar-Tanauan, Batangas.

The prestigious event, sponsored by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and hosted for the first time by the Metro Manila Turf Club, will be disputed by country’s crème of the crop over the rigorous distance of 2,000 meters.

The complete list of official runners include: Benhur Abalos III’s Pinagtipunan – jockey Jonathan Hernandez 55; Dr. Nick Cruz’s Bite My Dust - Jesse Guce 55; Wilbert Tan’s Subterranean River – Kelvin Abobo 54; Sepfourteen – John Alvin Guce 54.5; Hermie Esguerra’s Dewey Boulevard – Pati

Dilema 55; former Mandaluyong mayor Benhur Abalos Jr.’s Lakan – Andreu Villegas 55.5; Joseph Dyhengco’s Hiway One – Rey Niu Jr. 54.5; and Atty.

Narciso Morales’ Messi – Val DIlema 56 and Tap Dance – Jericho Serrano 56.

The early lead may be disputed by the fleet-footed Lakan, Hiway One and Bite My Dust with the co-favorites Sepfourteen, who is fresh from sweeping this year’s Triple Crown Series, Dewey Boulevard not far from behind and closely guarding each other’s move. Tap Dance, Pinagtipunan, Subterranean River, and Messi must not be far behind the leaders if they would want to give a good fight in the final part of the race.

Experts predict a very open race in this 45th edition of the blue-ribbon event in the country that started way

back in 1973 when it was conceived by former PCSO Chairman and General Manager Col. Nereo Andolong.

Col. Andolong envisioned that “new and higher standards set to qualify for the Presidential Gold Cup … to promote a breed of Filipino horses comparable in pedigree with the world’s best best!”

After 44 long years, the Presidential Gold Cup is still the richest single race in the land and only the top-quality local horses are allowed to participate.

Aside from the P3 million set aside by the PCSO, another P1-million is contributed by the Philippine Racing Commission for the Winning Owner, who will also get the very handsome replica of the Presidential Gold Cup. The breeder of the Winning Horse will also receive a bonus of P200,000.

St. Benilde booters grab top spot; Arellano U wins

Pinagtipunan, shown above, must not be far behind the leaders if it wants to give a good fight in the final part of the race.

COLLEGE of St. Benilde waylaid a hapless Emilio Aguinaldo side, 11-1, to zoom to the top spot, even as Arellano University pulled the rug from under reigning titlist San Beda, 2-1, to jump to No. 2 in the 93rd NCAA seniors’ football tournament at the Rizal Memorial pitch Thursday night.

Prolific pair Vincent Erik Lovitos and Daniel Caesar Liozo each unleashed a hattrick in the first half alone to help propel the Blazers to

the solo lead with 10 match points on three victories and a draw.

Renz Joseph Tulayba contributed a brace, while Nicolas Ryan Cruz, Miguel Alfonso Artillera and Moisel Angelo Alforque scored the other goals for CSB, which bounced back from a scoreless draw with Lyceum of the Philippines University Tuesday.

The day, however, belonged to AU, which battled its way back from a one-goal deficit to snatch a win on

injury time goals by Roberto Corsame and Charles Gamutan.

Mark Anthony Magtoto scored on the 61st minute and San Beda appeared to have secured the win after preserving the load going into extra time.

But it was not to be as Corsame blasted one on the 91st minute and Gamutan followed it up with the match-clinching goal two minutes, triggering a frantic celebration for the Chiefs.

4 teams collide in sudden-death PSL semifinals THE race to the crown intensifies as the last remaining four teams – F2 Logistics, Petron, Foton and Cocolife – collide in the sudden-death semifinals of the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga (Grand Prix today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Heavyweight Cargo

Movers will shoot for a slot in the finals when they battle Games Today (Mall of Asia Arena) the dangerous Asset Manag4 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Cocolife ers in the first game at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. – Petron vs Foton while the Blaze Spikers and Tornadoes renew their rivalry in the 6 p.m. encounter of this Senoh, Mueller, Island Rose, prestigious club tourney bank- Cloudfone and UCPB Gen. rolled by Mikasa, Grand Sport, After winning seven of its eight

games to top the elimination round followed by an easy victory over Iriga City in the quarterfinals, F2 Logistics is tipped to receive a tough challenge from Cocolife, which is still fresh from a 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 conquest of Cignal in the quarters.

In that match, American im-

ports Tai Manu-Olevao and Taylor Milton were on fire at the attack zone, while veterans Tina Salak, Mary Jean Balse, Joanne Bunag, Michele Gumabao and Denden Lazaro asserted their dominance in the crucial stretch to tow the Asset Managers to its first semifinal appearance.

Meralco shores up frontline with Jason

By Jeric Lopez

TO address its short frontcourt rotation, Meralco acquired an underused veteran big to help the team down low.

The two-time Governors’ Cup runner-up signed free agent veteran big man Jason Ballesteros for one year in its bid to improve its frontline and add some much needed size.

The 6’6” Ballesteros, who was inconsistently used in his previous stints with Blackwater and Kia, is expected to provide some muscle and much-needed protection in the paint for the Bolts.

He will join fellow veterans Ranidel De Ocampo, who was re-signed by the Bolts to a three-year deal several days ago, Reynel Hugnatan and Cliff Hodge.

This isn’t actually the first time that Ballesteros will be donning a Meralco jersey.

Earlier in his career, Ballesteros already had two previous stints with the Bolts where he was likewise used sparingly.

Moreover, veteran frontcourt gunners Nino Canaleta and Mac Baracael are also trying out with the team.

The two have been consistently attending Meralco practices in hopes of landing a spot in the team after they both became free agents recently.

Canaleta was released by Blackwater, while Baracael was left out in the cold by GlobalPort.

Basic set to invest in Japan biomass

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Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

B1

BDO’s 1st green bonds raise $150m

By Julito G. Rada

B

DO Unibank Inc., the country’s biggest bank controlled by tycoon Henry Sy, issued its first green bond, raising $150 million to expand financing for private sector investments that help address climate change.

The bank said in a statement Friday the issue marked the first green bond by a commercial bank in the Philippines. International Finance Corp., a sister organization of the World Bank and a member of the World

Bank Group, is the sole investor in the bond.

This is also IFC’s first green bond investment in a financial institution in East Asia and the Pacific.

The pioneering green bond will provide an alternative

source of long-term green finance in the country and contribute to the Philippines’ target of reducing carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030 relative to its Business As Usual scenario and conditioned on international support.

BDO president and chief executive Nestor Tan said the banks would use the funds exclusively to finance climate-smart projects, including renewable energy, green buildings and energy-efficient equipment.

“Climate change is a very real concern in the Philippines. It is one of the most vulnerable countries globally to the impacts of such

change,” Tan said.

“This bond demonstrates our corporate commitment to come up with business solutions to address the challenges of sustainability. This also aligns with our goal of growing BDO’s climate business, and ultimately, fostering the nascent climate finance market in the country. We are glad to partner with IFC, a global expert in green finance,” Tan said.

Vivek Pathak, IFC director for East Asia and the Pacific, said the issuance was an example of BDO’s leadership in developing climate finance in the country.

“By building on our long-term

partnership with BDO, we aim to create a vibrant green bond market in the country and stimulate private sector investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency,” Pathak said.

Pathak said by setting the standard and the benchmark for green bonds issued in accordance with the Green Bond Principles which IFC helped develop, IFC hopes to pave the way for other issuers and investors to access financing through this product, at a time when demand for green infrastructure and other sustainable investments are high.

The financing is expected to help save 93,000 tons carbon dioxide

emissions per year by 2022. The issuance is a culmination of an advisory engagement on sustainable energy finance between IFC and BDO that started in 2010.

It helped establish sustainable energy finance as a core part of the bank’s sustainability strategy. BDO expanded its climate-smart portfolio from zero to over $500 million, which made it the country’s market leader in climate financing.

In all, IFC has issued $7.25 billion in green bonds in 12 currencies.

The issuances are part of a global strategy to develop the green bond asset class in emerging markets.

Metro Pacific not keen in tapping capital marts

By Jenniffer B. Austria

PAYMAYA CLIENT. Leading digital solutions and telecommunications provider PLDT Enterprise, through its Small and Medium Business Group PLDT SME Nation, is making cashless transactions available to more Filipino consumers, after sealing a partnership with the Philippine Franchise Association for the adoption of its PayMaya QR Code facility. Signing the agreement at Ibiza Beach Club, Bonifacio Global City, are (seated from left) first vice president and head at PLDT ALPHA Vic Tria; FVP and head at PLDT SME Nation Mitch Locsin; PFA chairman Alan Escalona; PFA president Richard Sanz; VP and head of issuing at PayMaya Philippines RaymundVillanueva; and head of channel sales at PayMaya Business Aldous Brigino.

Calata shares delisted on Dec. 11—PSE

By Jenniffer B. Austria BELEAGUERED Calata Corp. will be delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange starting on Dec. 11.

The PSE said Friday it also rejected the appeal filed by Calata on Nov. 8, after the exchange issued a decision to proceed with the involuntary delisting of the company.

“After due consideration and evaluation of the arguments presented in the motion for reconsideration, the exchange resolved to deny the company’s motion for reconsideration for lack of merit,” the PSE said, “Accordingly, the exchange affirmed with finality the delisting of the company’s shares from the official registry of the exchange and the imposition of the concomitant penalties under the exchange’s delisting rules,” it added.

The PSE decision, however, did not day if it would require Calata to conduct a tender offer to minority shareholders of the company.

Calata shares were last traded on June 30 when it closed at P2.04.

IN BRIEF BSP: Consumer confidence positive

CONSUMER confidence remains positive in the fourth quarter but lower compared to a quarter ago, results of the latest Consumer Expectations Survey conducted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The overall confidence index decreased slightly to 9.5 percent from 10.2 percent in the third quarter of 2017.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said in a briefing the survey results meant that “optimists continued to outnumber the pessimists albeit lower relative to a quarter ago.”

Respondents said their positive sentiment was due to additional family income and higher salary and availability of more jobs leading to an increase in the number of employed family members.

But their slightly less favorable outlook in the quarter was attributed to higher prices of goods and household expenditures, peace and order problems, occurrence of calamities such as typhoon, and poor health and high medical expenses. Julito G. Rada

Maibarara registers output with WESM

MAIBARARA Geothermal Inc. on Friday said it secured a green light from Philippine Electricity Market Corp. to register its 12-megawatt Maibarara-2 geothermal project as a wholesale electricity spot market participating generation facility.

PEMC earlier included Maibarara-2 in its market network model, indicating the facility’s dispatch schedules can be accurately monitored in the WESM. The PEMC approvals came after MGI successfully installed and tested, with National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the Remote Terminal Unit and SCADA System of Maibarara-2 in Sto. Tomas, Batangas on November 15.

“The completion of these two critical WESM and grid connection requirements is a significant milestone for MGI as these are technical prerequisites for eventual commercial operations,” MGI president F.G.

Under PSE’s delisting rules, a company delisted from the exchange could not apply for relisting within five years.

Directors and executive officers of a delisted company are also disqualified from becoming directors or executive officers of any firm applying for listing within the same period.

The PSE in July initiated involuntary delisting procedure against Calata after it committed 55 disclosure violations which are grounds for delisting.

The PSE said Calata committed 29 violations of the disclosure rules from November 29, 2016 to June 20,2017.

Calata also committed 26 violations that prohibit directors or a principal shareholders of a listed firm from trading the company’s stock when a material non- public information is obtained up to two two full trading days after the price sensitive information is disclosed.

Companies that have been delisted by the PSE include Alphaland Corp., Marsteel Consolidated Inc. owned by the Martel family, and Gotesco Land Inc. and Uniwide Holdings Inc. Delfin Jr. said. Darwin G. Amojelar

Ford posted record sales in November

FORD Motor Company Philippines Inc. posted another record performance in November with retail sales rising 13 percent to 3,408 vehicles from the same month last year on the back of strong demand for EcoSport, Everest and Ranger.

“Our top-selling vehicles helped deliver a record November performance,” said company managing director Bertrand Lessard.

Ford’s year-to-date sales through November increased 5 percent to 31,994 vehicles.

The segment-defining Ranger continued its momentum with November sales surging 28 percent from the previous year to 1,003 vehicles.

Year-to-date sales for the Ranger—the country’s second best-selling pick-up truck—have risen 25 percent to 9,225 vehicles.

Sales of the Everest mid-size SUV grew 15 percent year-on-year to 1,100 vehicles, driving its year-to-date sales to 10,873 vehicles. Othel V. Campos

The Asset lauds Ayala Corp. bonds ASSET Publishing and Research Ltd. awarded Ayala Corp. on November 30, 2017 The Asset Triple A Country Awards 2017’s Best Corporate Bond in the Philippines for its $400-million senior unsecured and guaranteed fixed-for-life perpetual notes issued in September.

The award was included in The Asset’s Best Deals in Southeast Asia category. The Asset is a Hong Kongbased integrated multi-media company serving an elite community of leading corporate and financial decision makers in Asia.

The Asset Awards are Asia’s preeminent recognition for those that have excelled in their respective industries. With close to 20 years of experience, the awards programs are built upon a stringent methodology that is combined with a rigorous approach in selecting the best institutions and individuals operating in Asia.

INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said it has no plans to tap the capital markets to raise funds in the near future despite a massive spending plan for 2018.

Metro Pacific said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Friday its management firmly decided it was not necessary to conduct a capital raising exercise in the near future.

Metro Pacific issued the statement to dispel increasing speculations the group plans to tap the capital markets for its funding requirements.

“Please be informed that although MPI has recently received a number of unsolicited proposals for capital raising exercises, MPI management has firmly decided that it is not necessary for MPI to conduct a capital raising exercise in the near future,” Metro Pacific said.

“The continued expansion of MPI will be funded through a combination of internal resources and external borrowing,” the conglomerate added.

Metro Pacific earlier said it would spend up to P820 billion to accelerate expansion of its tollroads, power and water projects in the country.

Metro Pacific plans to spend P653 billion for pipeline projects from 2018 to 2022, while units in the areas of tollroads, biogas and logistics will invest the balance of P167 billion.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market surges; Ayala climbs

T

HE stock market surged Friday as investors tracked advances on Wall Street following reports US President Donald Trump is planning to unveil a big-spending public works plan.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 129.77 points, or 1.6 percent, to 8,304.70 on a value turnover of P6.7 billion. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 121 to 66, with 50 issues unchanged.

Conglomerate Ayala Corp. rose 3 percent to P1,030, while property unit Ayala Land Inc. climbed 2.1 percent to P43.

Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, jumped 5.9 percent to P144, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty gained 3.1 percent to P1,175.

The rest of Asian markets rallied on Friday, bringing a volatile week to a posi-

tive end as tech firms extended their rebound.

Global equities have struggled this week, hit by profit-taking, fears over the progress of a probe into Russia’s US election meddling, stumbling Brexit talks and President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The issues had overshadowed news that Senators had passed a market-friendly US tax overhaul bill and were preparing to hammer out a compromise with the House of Representatives.

Traders were given a positive lead from New York, where all three main indexes ended higher, with reports saying the president hopes to present an infrastructure plan to Congress early next month.

In Asian trade, Tokyo ended 1.4 percent higher, extending Thursday’s 1.5 percent rise, helped by a weaker yen as well as a forecast-busting reading on Japanese eco-

nomic growth.

The economy grew twice as fast as previously estimated, officials said, thanks to rising exports and increased spending by Japanese firms on equipment and facilities.

Hong Kong rose 1.2 percent and Shanghai added 0.6 percent following data showing exports and imports grew more than expected in November.

Sydney put on 0.3 percent, Singapore climbed one percent and Seoul was up 0.1 percent.

Trump’s promises of tax cuts, $1 trillion in infrastructure spending and deregulation helped spur a global equities and dollar rally after his election as investors bet they would fire up the already healthy economy.

“While the US economy is booming, President Trump’s long-standing pledge may be upon us as infrastructure spending at both a federal and state (level) could be a

real game-changer for the dollar,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. He forecast an upsurge in business investment as a result could “propel the US economy to four percent growth.”

The gains were helped by a surge across tech firms, which has suffered heavily from profit-taking this past week as dealers shift into sectors likely to benefit more from the US tax cuts.

Among the biggest winners was AAC Technologies in Hong Kong, which soared 5.5 percent, while Tencent was almost four percent higher. Samsung and Sony were also much higher.

On currency markets, the dollar pushed up against most other units, with eyes now on the release of US jobs data later in the day, which could provide further clues about the Federal Reserve’s plans for interest rates in 2018. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.2 101,000 59.8 15,590 103.5 1,364,170 3.89 5,000 148 1,629,890 2.14 414,000 33.1 372,000 15.1 9,400 33.7 215,300 0.65 1,000 975 10 0.57 390,000 96.15 2,092,730 0.83 801,000 25 50,500 55.1 94,090 239.8 6,050 100 200 87.5 10 54.5 2,233,630 250 474,430 86.95 93,040 1.25 149,000

318,040 930,849 140,642,982 19,070 238,253,719 884,090 12,347,030 142,832 7,233,570 650 9,750 222,600 200,360,431.50 664,750 1,237,500 5,185,244.50 1,446,894 19,900 875 124,056,257.50 117,059,024 8,089,784.50 185,750

854,419 -9,262,455 -18,806,104 -17,360 -3,674,280 516,715.00 -57,000.00 73,372,423 -3,073,812.50 2,398 -142,829 42,017,800 -941,612.50 -

38.5 12.32 0.65 1.33 16.6 0.221 4.52 15.8 41.65 19.2 67 1.9 5.3 11 11.42 14.7 10.94 7.24 5.65 1.59 17 61.6 24 11.4 17.26 2.2 245 4.1 3 28.8 17.82 16.96 317 0.197 2.39 5.95 9.37 7.38 8.65 1.54 11.7 60.1 6.41 537 4.93 2.06 2.08 13 5.35 0.134 1.17 135.1 1.9 24.05 0.65

INDUSTRIAL 38.6 1,895,200 12.5 1,237,000 0.68 642,000 1.34 519,000 16.88 4,300 0.223 13,930,000 4.56 8,812,000 16.04 1,303,900 42.1 625,300 19.2 5,800 68 1,000 1.92 31,000 5.4 4,600 11.28 8,900 11.48 4,562,100 14.9 107,300 11.4 2,612,500 7.24 214,800 5.77 6,886,700 1.59 19,000 17.3 598,100 62 87,300 25.5 710,100 11.4 31,400 18.04 807,400 2.31 3,510,000 248.8 336,300 4.37 642,000 3.17 95,000 28.9 551,500 17.86 157,700 17 725,500 323.4 915,410 0.197 60,000 2.4 131,000 6.04 393,000 9.5 198,300 7.78 142,000 8.74 4,500 1.57 407,000 12 348,600 60.5 618,660 6.62 7,100 563 76,330 4.99 34,000 2.06 11,000 2.15 293,000 13 89,400 5.55 191,700 0.134 210,000 1.17 48,000 144 3,064,860 1.93 1,268,000 24.05 2,000 0.75 7,128,000

73,246,625 15,475,104 427,090 695,650 71,788 3,173,160 40,839,720 20,885,920 26,169,625 111,360 67,500 59,440 24,830 98,144 53,189,848 1,592,760 29,666,014 1,557,818 39,358,182 30,210 10,223,296 5,417,175 17,937,085 361,324 14,388,462 8,032,510 83,385,206 2,773,580 290,450 15,945,710 2,814,932 12,334,444 293,584,284 11,870 314,450 2,397,523 1,879,567 1,085,821 39,465 634,190 4,170,128 37,494,437.50 45,532 42,486,875 169,170 23,500 627,420 1,169,692 1,053,572 28,140 57,280 431,398,092 2,442,390 48,100 5,214,580

-24,117,110.00 1,423,520 33,500 1,668 -6,228,930.00 14,734,682 33,842,560 311,318 -24,515,224 -765,275 27,215,657 -4,791,370 -1,892,541 19,890 -270,250 -351,188 115,000 25,576,036 9,060 -5,307,695 1,877,172 -7,411,986 203,574,264 -273,660 199,619 589,407 -8,740 14,384,380 -11,860,050 59,650 -4,014 21,680 205,317,882 5,790 -

0.315 70.9 15.72 0.99 7 0.375 0.37 1,035 7.43 14.48 7.8 5 0.184 1,175 7.45 69 0.62 5.69 19.1 6.41 3.9 0.046 1.1 2.06 110 2.89 984 2.04 285 0.23

0.305 67.95 15.54 0.92 6.93 0.36 0.37 1,001 7.39 14.26 7.8 5 0.183 1,130 7.39 66.55 0.6 5.52 18.7 6.31 3.72 0.044 1.07 2.05 108.5 2.62 962.5 1.89 281 0.23

HOLDING FIRMS 0.305 1,100,000 70.9 385,020 15.72 4,971,600 0.99 34,000 6.93 25,100 0.375 1,050,000 0.37 100,000 1,030 203,765 7.42 1,400,500 14.32 6,102,900 7.8 5,200 5 20,000 0.184 150,000 1,175 148,650 7.45 12,000 69 2,033,710 0.62 583,000 5.69 143,900 19 1,039,500 6.4 26,569,200 3.79 133,000 0.045 59,100,000 1.1 142,000 2.06 325,000 109.9 101,190 2.66 98,000 980.5 280,710 1.94 10,607,000 284.6 2,090 0.23 90,000

335,750 27,065,663.50 78,060,598 32,380 174,134 384,850 37,000 208,298,500 10,373,116 87,441,528 40,560 100,000 27,570 171,696,090 89,030 138,825,421 355,100 801,432 19,747,898 169,279,940 501,670 2,614,600 152,110 669,280 11,105,829 279,010 275,311,845 21,021,960 587,506 20,700

-9,168,451.50 -34,967,578 64,566,415 -3,311,119 21,933,926 -10,023,950 37,250 -50,304,944 51,200 1,469,166 -56,163,358 5,835,308 -159,976,945 -991,400 11,384 -

5.75 1.04 10.88 2.32 0.9 43.05 3.66 4.8 5.44 0.475 1.12 1.18 0.212 0.45 38.45 0.67 1.8 1.41 0.75 5.24 0.38 0.385 0.64

5.68 0.99 9.72 2.32 0.88 42.3 3.61 4.71 5.44 0.47 1.12 1.15 0.206 0.45 37 0.65 1.75 1.36 0.7 5.14 0.365 0.365 0.6

1,560,443 9,249,940 20,492 6,960 1,387,380 325,463,275 477,690 1,848,590 88,672 1,289,250 8,960 123,110 1,191,630 54,000 13,529,815 4,258,820 28,114,750 5,501,560 231,530 187,675,830 27,793,450 3,132,450 20,603,880

-269,523 37,209,765 -149,470 81,600 588,000 30,900 9,000 663,185.00 -4,227,940 -8,714,440 -1,631,240.00 41,351,262 133,750 -53,200 187,000

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.15 59.65 102.9 3.7 144 2.14 33.15 15.5 33.65 0.65 975 0.57 94.25 0.83 24.5 55.1 235 99 87.5 55.1 240.2 86.9 1.24

3.27 59.8 103.5 3.89 148 2.18 33.3 15.5 33.85 0.65 975 0.58 96.15 0.83 25 55.2 240 100 87.5 56.95 250 87 1.25

3.12 59.1 101.8 3.7 144 2.08 33 15.1 33.25 0.65 975 0.57 93.8 0.81 24.5 55.05 235 99 87.5 54.05 240.2 86.9 1.24

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

38.6 12.62 0.67 1.35 16.98 0.225 4.78 16.04 41.95 19.2 67 1.9 5.3 11.04 11.74 14.82 10.98 7.29 5.68 1.59 17.12 61.6 24.05 11.5 17.26 2.22 247 4.1 3.02 28.8 17.86 17.1 319 0.198 2.39 5.99 9.4 7.76 9 1.57 11.7 61 6.41 549 4.99 2.2 2.15 13.04 5.55 0.134 1.23 135.1 1.9 24.05 0.66

38.85 12.62 0.68 1.35 16.98 0.232 4.83 16.06 42.1 19.2 68 1.92 5.4 11.28 11.82 14.9 11.46 7.3 5.78 1.59 17.3 62.2 25.75 11.6 18.04 2.34 249 4.47 3.18 29 17.98 17.1 323.4 0.198 2.41 6.3 9.5 7.85 9 1.58 12 61 6.62 568 4.99 2.2 2.17 13.1 5.6 0.134 1.23 144 1.94 24.05 0.77

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

0.305 69 15.58 0.92 6.94 0.36 0.37 1,001 7.42 14.48 7.8 5 0.183 1,130 7.39 66.55 0.62 5.52 18.7 6.35 3.9 0.045 1.08 2.06 110 2.83 977.5 1.97 285 0.23

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY

5.73 1 10.88 2.32 0.89 42.4 3.61 4.79 5.44 0.47 1.12 1.15 0.206 0.45 37.25 0.66 1.78 1.39 0.7 5.15 0.37 0.365 0.64

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS VISTA LAND

6.29 22.15 2.38 3.2 35.9 1.01 7.47 5.55

6.32 22.35 2.67 3.2 36.75 1.03 7.48 5.65

6.2 21.85 2.31 3.14 35.9 1.01 6.41 5.53

6.32 22.2 2.65 3.19 36.5 1.03 7.48 5.65

6,039,700 820,300 14,339,000 375,000 9,990,800 638,000 4,200 5,207,100

37,764,339 18,133,570 36,746,430 1,198,790 364,118,780 656,730 31,183 29,078,956

354,035.00 568,080 -1,347,840 54,358,125 -16,439,239

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

18 34.6 1.44 0.475 0.045 11.04 4.94 10.4 0.071 99.85 8.6 7.08 2.88 3.63 1,762 5.89 17.34 4.53 2.45 104 12.3 8.35 0.142 1.33 3.03 15.5 4.52 1.23 21.5 0.52 6.4 7.1 3.9 2.8 11 4.79 8 145 8.4 1,534 1.3 0.34 49.3 91 5.91 3.06 1.75 4.03 1.02 8.11

18.36 34.75 1.47 0.475 0.045 11.5 5.14 10.6 0.076 100.5 8.77 7.14 2.88 3.63 1,773 5.89 18.14 4.75 2.48 105.5 12.3 8.36 0.143 1.34 3.07 15.5 4.57 1.23 21.6 0.53 6.56 7.35 3.9 2.83 11 4.81 8 145 8.43 1,534 1.3 0.35 49.4 92.85 6 3.1 1.77 4.12 1.08 8.23

17.94 34.45 1.44 0.475 0.043 11.02 4.94 10.34 0.07 99.75 8.58 7.08 2.71 3.45 1,755 5.8 17.34 4.53 2.4 103.4 12.3 8.34 0.141 1.33 3.03 15.2 4.3 1.19 21.25 0.52 6.06 7.03 3.89 2.75 11 4.79 8 137.1 8.28 1,515 1.29 0.33 49.2 90.25 5.91 3.01 1.72 4.03 1.02 8.09

SERVICES 18.36 34.5 1.45 0.475 0.045 11.5 5.03 10.5 0.073 100.5 8.68 7.14 2.79 3.45 1,760 5.8 18.14 4.67 2.48 104.5 12.3 8.36 0.143 1.34 3.07 15.2 4.4 1.21 21.35 0.52 6.49 7.3 3.9 2.83 11 4.81 8 137.2 8.33 1,515 1.29 0.345 49.3 92.85 6 3.02 1.73 4.1 1.07 8.19

44,400 26,200 35,000 60,000 23,800,000 112,400 8,016,000 8,591,000 34,720,000 204,590 831,000 6,000 51,000 9,000 63,630 387,600 9,100 8,917,000 27,000 1,336,620 6,000 362,000 1,150,000 14,000 108,000 1,800 9,801,000 200,000 1,610,300 10,000 9,430,700 2,673,800 137,000 3,241,000 4,000 7,000 100 2,910 560,200 90,270 701,000 730,000 1,459,100 2,691,170 19,600 1,556,000 3,235,000 803,000 13,646,000 1,335,400

801,928 906,095 50,990 28,500 1,056,200 1,289,298 40,319,520 89,604,190 2,546,100 20,456,473 7,218,827 42,648 139,320 31,410 112,035,470 2,262,487 164,248 41,564,410 66,010 139,764,893 73,800 3,023,369 163,750 18,680 328,500 27,500 43,770,310 240,730 34,474,105 5,210 60,373,026 19,465,397 533,990 9,044,310 44,000 33,570 800 401,532 4,673,735 137,055,660 907,790 248,750 71,912,715 244,086,600.50 116,868 4,706,730 5,603,990 3,286,860 14,504,730 10,833,828

73,728 4,400 -1,226,048 6,054,348 71,000.00 1,306,049 7,100 -92,362,510 686,320.00 -5,277,757 -83,400 -28,600.00 15,200 -13,213,200.00 6,000 3,262,375 -11,136,481 10,543,309 -46,710 110,800 4,790 -57,458 121,764 -36,398,465 -238,060 9,194,615 -70,189,989 45,540 -2,661,320 415,080 -368,170 -6,015,463.00

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

0.0023 1.63 4.65 14.8 1.69 1.71 1.65 2.6 0.15 0.152 0.0099 0.0099 1.72 6.24 1.51 0.44 0.89 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.1 5.95 8.45 39 0.006

0.0023 1.63 4.66 14.9 1.69 1.71 1.66 2.62 0.152 0.152 0.0099 0.0099 1.73 6.26 1.51 0.44 0.95 0.013 0.012 0.012 2.1 6.19 8.58 39.1 0.006

0.0022 1.6 4.63 14.8 1.69 1.71 1.6 2.58 0.15 0.151 0.0099 0.0099 1.69 6.15 1.43 0.44 0.89 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.06 5.8 8.45 36.8 0.006

MINING & OIL 0.0023 344,000,000 1.62 1,858,000 4.65 203,000 14.9 3,400 1.69 1,000 1.71 2,000 1.64 3,419,000 2.59 1,317,000 0.151 2,380,000 0.151 90,000 0.0099 4,500,000 0.0099 300,000 1.7 246,000 6.22 564,200 1.51 26,000 0.44 40,000 0.9 180,000 0.013 12,200,000 0.012 3,700,000 0.012 24,400,000 2.06 21,000 5.8 427,700 8.52 1,813,800 36.95 4,698,600 0.006 1,000,000

790,500 2,994,660 943,090 50,650 1,690 3,420 5,564,600 3,415,860 358,410 13,660 44,550 2,970 419,670 3,508,083 37,660 17,600 162,300 147,100 44,400 286,600 44,020 2,522,984 15,434,297 176,013,575 6,000

6,900 0 -13,910 165,320 -60,380 403,392 1,450 -44,400 -416,416 -287,580.00 -96,385,160 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F

34.5 524 530 104.8 104.1 5.41 1,020 101 1.09 106.3 1,174 103 77.3 82.5 76.25 78.2 81.05

34.5 524 530 106 106 5.43 1,020 101 1.14 106.3 1,174 103 77.3 82.5 76.25 78.2 81.05

34.25 524 530 104.6 100 5.4 1,018 100.2 1.07 106.3 1,174 103 77.3 82.5 76.25 78.15 81.05

PREFERRED 34.25 53,900 524 140 530 40 105 93,390 106 18,210 5.42 476,200 1,018 245 100.2 14,450 1.09 7,380,000 106.3 500 1,174 5 103 980 77.3 1,760 82.5 400 76.25 47,600 78.15 18,600 81.05 500

1,848,415 73,360 21,200 9,801,530 1,877,340 2,582,333 249,570 1,457,556 8,120,800 53,150 5,870 100,940 136,048 33,000 3,629,500 1,453,616.50 40,525

1,190,265.00 -2,542,767 133,729 -

LR WARRANT

2.88

2.89

2.68

WARRANTS 2.85 1,961,000

5,511,050

226,500

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

10.3 3.23 3.4

10.8 3.23 3.8

9.94 3.1 3.37

SME 10.12 3.22 3.75

12,459,838 115,000 19,725,260

68,330 760,980

FIRST METRO ETF

124.4

125.8

124.4

1,837,204

-212,360

USD DMPL A1

10

10

10

42,200

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 5.69 1.04 10.74 2.32 0.89 43 3.66 4.75 5.44 0.475 1.12 1.18 0.211 0.45 38.45 0.65 1.8 1.39 0.75 5.2 0.365 0.38 0.61

273,600 9,031,000 2,000 3,000 1,564,000 7,597,800 131,000 389,000 16,300 2,730,000 8,000 107,000 5,760,000 120,000 360,500 6,544,000 15,855,000 3,951,000 326,000 36,091,100 74,330,000 8,270,000 33,565,000

T RADING S UMMARY FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS

1,218,800 37,000 5,369,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 125.8 14,740 10

DDS

SHARES

VALUE

10,512,435

859,339,551.34

67,350,535

1,311,269,450.60

117,325,003

1,333,914,457.23

PROPERTY

257,422,613

1,675,947,241.62

SERVICES

153,383,573

1,275,348,195.488

MINING & OIL

407,792,957

212,848,998.29

GRAND TOTAL

1,020,431,102

6,702,820,793.87

4,220

FINANCIAL 2,110.33 (up) 24.13 INDUSTRIAL 11,015.32 (up) 182.49 HOLDING FIRMS 8,425.88 (up) 144.88 PROPERTY 3,867.80 (up) 68.49 SERVICES 1,605.48 (up) 6.20 MINING & OIL 11,482.37 (down) 213.36 PSEI 8,304.70 (up) 129.77 All Shares Index 4,858.86 (up) 58.27 Gainers: 121; Losers: 66; Unchanged: 50; Total: 237

Basic set to invest in Japan biomass

By Darwin G. Amojelar BASIC Energy Corp. may acquire 10 percent of a biomass power project in Japan in a bid to expand its portfolio of renewable energy projects in the Philippines and abroad.

Basic Energy said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Friday it signed an agreement with Vintage Holding Japan Company Ltd. to invest in the 25-megawatt biomass power plant in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture in Japan.

VHJ holds a 100 percent executive right to the biomass power plant project that is wholly owned and controlled by Innocent Biomass Power GK. “The term sheet is a nonbinding intention of BEC to invest in the power project for the 25-MW Biomass Power Plant of Innocent Biomass Power GK located at Karatsu City, Saga, Prefecture, Japan,” the company said.

Under the signed term sheet, Basic Energy will pay a refundable earnest money deposit to enable it to conduct due diligence on the project and secure exclusivity in the negotiations on the agreement.

Basic Energy plans to invest 10 percent of the total equity of IBP, with an option to increase up to 20 percent of total equity of said companies after satisfactory results of the due diligence work on Innocent Biomass and its project.

The company agrees to complete the due diligences work within 60 days from the signing of the term sheet.

PSE set to take over brokerage company

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange said it obtained the go-signal of the Securities and Exchange Commission to take over the operations and trade-related assets of brokerage firm DW Capital Inc. PSE president Ramon Monzon said the SEC directed the exchange to take over the operations of DW Capital and take actions to protect customer accounts, including the preservation of the assets, books and records of DW Capital.

The exchange asked all customers of the brokerage firm to furnish documents supporting their claim against DW Capital within 30 days to enable the PSE to validate customer accounts and settle DW Capital’s liabilities.

The PSE on August 10 ordered a preventive suspension on DW Capital, which allegedly engaged in unauthorized trading of securities worth P2.6 billion.

The PSE issued the order after the lawyers of the clients of DWCI requested CMIC to prohibit DW Capital from trading the shares of stock of their clients, and to direct DW Capital to preserve the records of transactions pertaining to subject securities.

DM Capital clients also claimed that some shares of stocks were not delivered by the brokerage company.

They demanded the immediate delivery of the securities.

World Johnson to seek release of prisoner LONDON―British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit Iran this weekend, where he will press for the release of a British-Iranian woman held in a Tehran prison, his office said Friday.

Johnson will seek the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2016 for taking part in mass antiregime protests in 2009―a charge she denies.

She is due to face fresh propaganda charges in court on Sunday, which could land her several more years in jail.

Johnson will meet with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and will also hold talks on the Iranian nuclear deal.

Johnson was to arrive in Muscat on Friday for the start of a three-day visit to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

“This visit comes at a crucial time for the Gulf region and provides an opportunity to discuss a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen, the future of the Iran nuclear deal and the current volatility in the Middle East,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.

The trip will be Johnson’s first visit to Iran, the first of a British foreign secretary since 2015 and only the third since 2003. AFP

Britain, EU reach deal on divorce terms BRUSSELS―Britain and the EU reached a historic deal on Friday on the terms of the Brexit divorce after Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to Brussels for early morning talks.

The European Commission said it “recommends sufficient progress” had been made by Britain on separation issues including the Irish border, Britain’s divorce bill, and citizens rights.

The agreement paves the way for EU leaders at a summit on December 14-15 to open the second phase of Brexit negotiations, covering trade talks and a transition period.

Britain voted in June 2016 to become the first state to leave the EU, after more than four decades of membership, but the talks have been slow moving and often acrimonious so far.

“The Commission is satisfied that sufficient progress has been achieved in each of the three priority areas,” the European Commission said in a statement.

Negotiators worked through the night to seal an agreement on the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.

The EU had set a deadline of Sunday after the last talks on Monday broke down when May’s Northern Irish allies objected to terms for future arrangements for the Irish border. AFP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

It’s a man’s world as few women are winning Nobel prizes STOCKHOLM―The Nobel Prize statistics are dour reading for women, who’ve been awarded only one of every 20 prizes. And while the numbers are slowly improving, the December 10 prize ceremony will be an all-male affair for the second straight year.

The Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, lit-

erature and economics are awarded in Sweden, and the one for peace in Norway― two pioneering countries in the area of women’s rights who proudly boast of their politics promoting gender equality.

While the number of women Nobel laureates has risen in recent decades― from just four between 1901, the first year of the prizes,

and 1920 to 19 between 2001 and 2017―the 48 women crowned over the years represent just five percent of the 896 people honored, excluding organizations.

The statistics vary depending on the discipline: the economics prize has been by far the most unattainable for women. The literature prize remains largely

a male domain, while peace does somewhat better.

Of the five original Nobel Prizes created in the 1895 will of Swedish industrialist and philanthropist Alfred Nobel―the economics prize was established in 1968 to mark the tricentenary of the Swedish central bank―those for physics and chemistry are the most “misogynist”, hav-

ing gone to just two and four women, respectively.

Paradoxically, the only woman to have ever won two Nobel Prizes, Marie Curie, was honored in these two disciplines in 1903 and 1911.

“We are disappointed, looking in a larger perspective, that there aren’t more women who’ve been awarded,” admits Goran Hansson,

the permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences which selects the physics, chemistry and economics laureates.

He insists “there is not any substantial male chauvinism bias in the committees” that choose the winners, four of which (medicine, chemistry, peace and literature) are currently headed by women. AFP

Wildfires raging in California L

OS ANGELES―Firefighters on Thursday battled raging wildfires across southern California that have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, including residents on the outskirts of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city.

CLASH. Supporters of opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla argue with supporters of President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa on December 7, 2017. The Central American nation of 10 million has plunged into uncertainty punctuated by clashes since the November 26 election pitting Hernandez against leftwing former TV presenter Nasralla. AFP

Palau forces tourists to sign pledge to protect environment KOROR, Palau―Visitors to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau are being made to sign a promise to respect the environment, in an innovative move that authorities hope will curb the ecological damage caused by the booming numbers of tourists.

Claimed to be a world first, the “Palau Pledge” is stamped onto visitors’ passports and must be signed

upon arrival in the country, which lies in the western Pacific about halfway between Australia and Japan.

“I take this pledge as your guest to protect and preserve your beautiful island home,” it reads in part.

“I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully.”

With crystal clear waters, pristine reefs and abundant

sea life, Palau is regarded as one of the world’s best diving spots and was once a niche tourist destination.

But visitor numbers have exploded in recent years, particularly from China, straining both infrastructure and the environment.

The symbolic pledge was written with the help of Palau’s children and President Tommy Remengesau said

it was about preserving the environment for future generations.

“Conservation is at the heart of our culture,” he said.

“We rely on our environment to survive and if our beautiful country is lost to environmental degradation, we will be the last generation to enjoy both its beauty and life-sustaining biodiversity.” AFP

Winds with hurricaneforce gusts of up to 130 kilometers per hour fueled the blazes, creating apocalyptic scenes of hillsides engulfed in billowing smoke and towering plumes of flame.

Despite the intensity of the fires, only one fatality has been reported so far.

Tim Lohman of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said an unidentified body had been found overnight.

A total of six major fires are now burning, and flames are heading south toward Santa Barbara and San Diego.

Officials said the strong winds fanning the fires are forecast to last through Saturday, making for extremely dangerous conditions.

More than 4,000 firefighters and dozens of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters have been deployed to combat the fires in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, fire officials said.

About 90 minutes south of Los Angeles, two fires were moving swiftly toward the town of Murrieta, scarring more than 900 hectares of land and threatening hundreds of homes.

“We hear propane tanks blow up. It means that a house is burning. It’s very sad,” said one resident standing near the fence of a ranch in the rural area, where many horses have

Depp casting defended after criticism from fans LONDON―British author J. K. Rowling has said she is “genuinely happy” with Johnny Depp’s casting in the coming “Fantastic Beasts” film after fans called for his replacement over domestic abuse allegations.

The US actor, who plays villain Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spin-off, had been accused of physical abuse by his former wife Amber Heard during divorce proceedings.

But actress Heard withdrew the allegations last year when the pair reached an out-of-court settlement to end their marriage.

Angry fans had demanded Depp’s lead role be recast in the Warner Bros film “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of

ometers from US firms.

It also plans to buy Joint Strike Missiles with a range of some 500 kilometers from Norway’s Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, news reports said.

The move will likely draw controversy as Tokyo has long maintained an exclusively defense-oriented policy under its pacifist constitution, which bans the use of force as a means of settling international disputes.

But Onodera insisted his ministry will continue to uphold the policy, telling reporters: “We will introduce them as

Grindelwald”, to be released in November 2018.

“Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role,” Rowling said late Thursday in a statement on her website.

The author said she and director David Yates had considered finding another actor for the role after the backlash on social media, but had decided to respect the circumstances of Depp and Heard’s divorce.

“The agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected,” she said. AFP

standoff missiles that allow us to deal with our opponents from outside the range of threats.”

Japan’s military policy has been restricted to self-defense and relies heavily on the US to attack enemy territory under the Japan-US security alliance.

US President Donald Trump had caused consternation during his White House campaign by suggesting allies such as Japan need to do more to defend themselves, although since taking office Trump and his diplomats have offered reassurances of support. AFP

had to be evacuated.

The Pentagon announced that the California National Guard is deploying 65 troops to assist in the firefighting efforts, which are being hampered by the seasonal Santa Ana winds.

“There will be no ability to fight fire in these kinds of winds,” Cal Fire chief Ken Pimlott said.

California Fire Department (Cal Fire) officials warned residents to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“Extremely dry conditions and Santa Ana Winds will continue to elevate fire danger,” Cal Fire said in a tweet. “Prepare now to ensure if evacuated you and your family are ready to GO!” Multi-million dollar mansions were destroyed in Los Angeles’ Bel Air neighborhood, where many celebrities own homes and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has a $30 million estate, the Moraga Bel Air Winery.

Besides Bel Air, affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods between Mulholland Drive to the north and Sunset Boulevard to the south were part of the evacuation zone.

The University of California, Los Angeles canceled classes-two days before the start of final exams―as firefighters battled the “Skirball” fire near the sprawling campus. AFP

Rush of gay weddings expected

Japan plans long-range missiles amid threat TOKYO―Japan plans to purchase offensive air-tosurface missiles to counter North Korea’s rising military threat, its defense minister said Friday, a move likely to stir debate over its decadeslong pacifist policy.

Itsunori Onodera said the ministry intends to request a special budget for the fiscal year starting April 2018 to purchase long-range cruise missiles deployed on fighter jets.

According to local media, the ministry plans to buy JASSM and LRASM longrange, air-to-ground missiles with a range of some 900 kil-

B3

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

MEN OF THE YEAR PARTY. Hailey Clauson attends the 2017 GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont on December 7, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

SYDNEY―Wedding venues were preparing for a rush of couples eager to tie the knot after samesex marriage was signed into Australian law Friday, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull already boasting several invites.

The historic reform was given royal assent, the final step in a process that began with a national postal vote in September.

“The act has now passed into Australian law,” said the Queen’s representative, Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, at a ceremony in Canberra.

Gay couples who have already married overseas will have their unions officially recognized from Saturday, when the bill comes into full effect.

Those wanting to wed can lodge a notice to marry Saturday, but will have to wait a calendar month before exchanging vows, meaning the first weddings are expected on January 9.

All but four members of the 150-seat lower House of Representatives voted in support of marriage equality on Thursday, sparking jubilant scenes in parliament.

The legislation was passed without any religious freedom amendments that some were pushing for. AFP

Dino Ray Directo III, Editor

B4

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

Pilipinas Taj President Jon Fernandez (fourth from left), presents the ceremonial key to San Fernando La Union City Hall officials.

Trucks &Buses Tata hands over Ace units to local government Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

T

ATA, India’s largest automaker and a key player in the European market, recently marked a milestone in the local government sector with the turnover of Ace light truck units to the City of San Fernando, La Union.

Exclusively distributed by Pilipinas Taj Autogroup Inc., (PTAI), the ceremonial turnover of 11 Ace utility vehicle units was led by the President of PTAI, Jon Fernandez, Jr. Joining him in the ceremonial activities were Sales and Marketing Division Head, Mr. Rico Macalintal, Technical and Engineering Division Head, Engr. Ramil Mendoza, City of San Fernando, La Union Mayor Hermenegildo A. Gualberto, and Vice Mayor Alfredo Pablo R. Ortega, together with eleven of their barangay officials.

“The Ace has been the vehicle of choice

by Philippine LGU’s because of its proven durability and reliability. Not to mention that the Ace is also affordable in terms of vehicle price, operation, and maintenance. The Tata Motors Ace is truly a value-for-money vehicle for the Filipino’s,” states Fernandez., who also pointed out that the rear body of the Ace units were manufactured by Centro Manufacturing.

Equipped with a powerful yet fuel-efficient Tata 275 Indirect Ignition naturally-aspirated 702 cc Diesel engine mated with a four-speed manual transmission gear box., the Tata Ace is a small but powerful mini-truck that can carry fourteen full size Filipinos. The multipurpose rear body is equipped with a parabolic spring front and rear suspension, making it flexible and reliable even at full capacity.

“The Tata Motors Ace truly is a no non-sense utility vehicle and it will be beneficial to our socio-economic activities and official functions,” adds Mayor Gualberto.

Win a brand-new Isuzu mu-X Blue Power with Lazada Online Revolution ONLINE shopping platform Lazada, and Isuzu, the country’s leading diesel commercial manufacturer, has partnered once again to give online shoppers a chance to win a brand-new Isuzu mu-X powered by Blue Power technology.

The promo is open to all Lazada shoppers from November 9 to December 31, who will avail of a minimum purchase of P2,000, using the code “ISUZUMUX” upon check out. Online shoppers can generate as many e-raffle entries as they can, as long as the minimum purchase amount is met, and the promo code is entered.

To purchase, simply log on www.lazada.com.ph/ isuzumux/ and select the items you wish to purchase.

Next, click “Add to Cart,” then make your purchase.

Once a payment option is selected, under Order Summary, click “Apply here” after the question and enter the code ISUZUMUX. The Isuzu partnership with Lazada will be done through their biggest online shopping sale of the year event “Online Revolution”, which features over 28 million of local and international products from brand sellers that offers up to 90% off.

The raffle draw, set on January 21, will be done electronically through the random.org program and will be supervised by an official representative from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The lucky winner shall receive a brand-new Havana Brown Isuzu mu-X LS-A automatic transmission with Blue Power engine. The grand winner will be informed through phone call and registered mail and the name will be announced via Lazada’s official social media account on Facebook, employees of Lazada, and the Isuzu website.

“We are happy to be teamed up once again with the biggest online shopping platform in the country—Lazada.com.ph. We believe that e-commerce business is expanding, and it will change the way people shop. By this kind of partnership, we are leveraging our brand to potential online customers who would soon want to purchase an Isuzu vehicle, said Hajime Koso, President of Isuzu Philippines Corporation.

“Essentially, online is one of the important channels for Isuzu as we want to reach out to more and new customers throughout the country and promote awareness about the 2018 Isuzu mu-X Blue Power,” adds Koso.

In the coming days, Isuzu will host a nationwide mall tour for the new Isuzu mu-X Blue Power at Waltermart Gapan on Dec. 2-8; SM City Manila and SM Marilao on Dec. 4 -10; CDO Limketkai Mall on Dec. 6-12; and SM City Sta. Rosa on Dec. 11-17.

“This is the best opportunity for us to showcase what the new Isuzu mu-X Blue Power can offer to online shoppers. We are open to customers to connect across different touchpoints—both physical and digital,” explained Koso.

By Isah V. Red

W

HEN you’re a successful businessman, will you have time in public service?

Most men who wear suits or barong Tagalog daily to their plush offices merely smile when asked the question.

At a recent dinner in a plush Chinese restaurant in a mall in Taipei’s elegant shopping district, Alfredo Abelardo Bantug Benitez also known as Albee Benitez, smiled, albeit shyly, when we (a group of entertainment journalists spending the weekend in now visa-free Taiwan led by the feisty Lolit Solis) asked him about the news he has been included in the PDP-Laban list of men and women the party will field in the 2019 senatorial race.

Shaking his head, as if to tell us, he is incredulous as well with how fast news travel these days, he merely said, “I don’t know, there are many factors that I have to consider to run in the next elections.”

Benitez was in Taipei for a meeting with a former college classmate with business interests in Taiwan. We chanced upon him and his party at the mall and offered to have dinner with us, after all, he’d be turning 51 (he said) on Dec. 20.

The Palo Alto, California-born and raised 3rd District of Negros Occidental congressman is first and foremost a businessman, whose entrepreneurial skills are in his genes. He is after all the product of two brilliant minds, Jose Conrado Benitez and Betty Bantug, both prominent personalities in Philippine technocracy. Jolly’s name had been attached to projects many won’t forget, like the KKK (Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran), Bliss (housing), human settlements, and most importantly Philippine Women’s University.

And so, while his performance in the Lower House is quite undiminished by intrigues and controversies, he gives us this non-verbal message that he might be happier serving his constituents as a private persona bereft of the pomp and pageantry and drama that define high-profile politicos.

“If things would tell me I should go back to private life, then I will. That’s never been a problem,” he explained between bites of seafood shabu-shabu. “Before I turned to politics I was in private business.”

In 2010, during the hotly contested presidential elections where Benigno Simeon Aquino or Noynoy won as president, Benitez also won a seat in the Lower House representing the third congressional district of Negros Occidental (comprising the towns of Enrique B. Magalona and Murcia and the cities of Silay, Talisay, and Victorias, his hometown ). This is his last term as a legislator, and PDP Laban, the party he recently swore allegiance to, has marked him as one of the probable candidates in 2019.

While he seems clueless on how to face this recent development in his political career (Benitez seems lost as to what he can offer to the general population as a senator), he is most certain that as an individual with genuine interest in public service, he can be of help to his constituents.

A mathematician by education (William & Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia), he can easily extrapolate numbers, solve equations in relation to his constituents needs and wants.

His heart goes out for the needy and destitute in his district being the founder of Betty Bantug Benitez Foundation and Kaayong Lawas Foundation Hospital that has been the district’s foremost NGO’s in the outreach for the less privileged needs for assistance for their wellbeing with regular medical missions and other activities.

Benitez ventured into television production, with Game Changer on ABS-CBN’s News Channel (ANC). The program is now off the air, but he is mulling on whether he should still revive it, because he thinks that is the kind of show that many Filipinos can learn a great deal in facing the challenges of the ever changing environment they are in.

“I think that every Filipino should be a game changer,” he said, “because it is the only way that we can free ourselves from the daily pressures of finding solutions to problems we encounter in life.”

AT THE heart of every sustainable community, there must be small-to-medium enterprises that provide goods and services—and even employment opportunities—to residents and other folks residing in the vicinity. Acknowledging this, Amaia Land Corp., a top-of-mind real estate developer, makes sure that its thriving residential properties support different kinds of livelihood while offering access to major retail establishments.

Amaia Land has, to date, leased out 90 percent of its retail space in various Amaia Skies and Amaia Steps projects throughout Metro Manila, assuring homeowners of a comfortable living experience even as it offers quality, affordable homes.

Retail outlets such as PureGold, 7-Eleven, and Ministop—as well as service establishments like Banco de Oro and Bank of the Philippine Islands— have set up their businesses in different Amaia Skies and Amaia Steps communities. Meanwhile, spaces that range in size from approximately 23-square meters to 350-square meters remain available for food establishments, water refilling stations, kiosks, and other franchises.

Amaia Skies Cubao, for instance, has leased out 80 percent of its leasable area of 214-square meters located across from STI University. With a laundry shop, water refilling station and an eatery set to open, daily services are now at the resident’s doorstep.

Amaia’s prime spaces, key locations, and fine incentives make it attractive to retail businesses. All Amaia retail spaces offer 90 days free rent to its residents and prospective entrepreneurs. This explains why, at

Life

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

HealtH and environment

satuRday, decemBeR 9, 2017

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albee benitez

Businessman

heeds call of public service

PUBLIC SERVANT. 3rd District of Negros Occidental Congressman Alfredo Abelardo Bantug Benitez, also known as Albee Benitez, believes that as an individual with genuine interest in public service, he can be of help to his constituents.

This is also how he thinks of President Rodrigo Duterte. “Yes, of course, he is a game changer.”

That is not to say that Benitez is a geek and doesn’t have time for himself. A sportsman, he enjoys watersports (waterski) in which he was one a member of the national team and a silver medalist in the 1984 SEA Games.

As a congressman, he passed the Sugarcane Industry Development Act and

Landmark legislation that supports to sugarcane farmers. He also implemented a scholarship program.

He had involvement in the implementation of various projects in Negros Occidental such as the Tourism Highway and Loop of Silay, the continuous upgrade and beautification of Bacolod-Silay International Airport roads, and the construction of other bridges and barangay hall buildings.

Retail spaces in communities

As we wrapped up dinner, Benitez said, “If you have time come to Negros (Occidental) and see the province’s top tourist attractions – the scenic Mambukal Resort of Murcia; the captivating world-renowned Ruins of Talisay; the popular park and playground, the Campuestohan High Land Resort of Talisay; the historic Patag in Silay; the cool Victorias’ Gawahon Falls; and the museums of Silay and Talisay – Balay ni Tana Dacang, Balay Neg-

rense, Jalandoni Museum and the Ramon Hofileña Ancestral House.

Benitez is also mulling building a theme park (in partnership with Enchanted Kingdom) to make the third district of Negros Occidental a true tourism haven and a paradise for families.

And whether he will run for Senator in 2019, he said, “The Filipino people should tell me if I should.”

1,182 square meters. Located in Brgy. Sun Valley, it boasts heavy foot traffic along the West Service Road. A 347-sqm area is still open for leasing, as 7-Eleven, Kambal Pandesal, Binalot, BDO, Family Doc, Nailandia, and Washeroo Laundry have already set up shop in the area.

The Bicutan development likewise offers a commission worth one month’s rent for every closed deal.

For leasing inquiries in Amaia Skies Cubao, Avenida, and Sta. Mesa, prospective tenants may call up Wencey Advincula at (0917) 860-9610. For Amaia Steps Sucat and Bicutan, interested parties may contact Eliz Villaroman at (0917) 575-9876.

For other inquiries, please visit www. amaialand.com, like www.facebook. com/AmaiaLand on Facebook, or call 02-531-2234.

Amaia Land offers retail spaces for food establishments, water refilling stations, kiosks, and other franchises Amaia Skies Avenida, which is near hospitals, an LRT station, and a variety of shopping and dining establishments, 100 percent of its retail area has been leased out.

Meanwhile, at Amaia Skies Sta. Mesa, which offers a gross leasable area of around 1,579 square meters, establishments that include PureGold, 7-Eleven, and Fastbreak Laundry Lounge have taken up 83 percent

of its retail space.

At Amaia Steps Sucat, more than fifty percent of its gross leasable area of around 1,959 square meters have been leased out to 7-Eleven, BDO, Security Bank, Philam Life, Ineng’s, JacoBean Café & Pastry Shop, Ababu Persian Kitchen, and Foodie Corner.

Finally, there is Amaia Steps Bicutan, which has a total leasable area of around

To date, Amaia Land has leased out 90 percent of its retail spaces in various Amaia Skies and Steps projects in Metro Manila.

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saturday, december 9, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

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Organize your home office for increased productivity

f you work from home, you know that the setup of a home office space can directly influence how productive you are. Working from home has its challenges, as it can be much harder to focus than it is in a traditional office environment.

With a few simple design changes, you can increase your focus and productivity, even if your space is full of distractions. Pottery Barn has the organizational tools you need to organize your home office and increase your output.

Optimize your desk space

The desk is the area where most or all of work gets done, so it is the most important element of creating a productive home office. Declutter the space by removing unnecessary papers and objects from the desktop.

Only keep what is necessary, like your computer and a notepad, and stow everything else in bins or drawers. A desktop organizer can keep pens and post-its in order, without overwhelming the space.

Use bins

Clearing your desk space is important, but it can be counterproductive if you simply move everything that was on top of your desk into one of the side drawers.

Use bins within your desk drawers to stay organized.

Keep necessary items like scissors, highlighters, and tape in their own compartment close by, and then sort the rest of your items based on how often you need them.

Place your desk by the window to make use of natural light

Organize your files

vantage of open space to display photos or other items that can tie-in the office decor with the rest of your home.

Deal with the paperwork every day by filing those things that are important and tossing the others. Use a paper tray for paperwork that needs to be addressed in the short term, and get a filing cabinet for organizing papers you need to save.

Use the right storage

One obstacle of having a home office is that many people want the space to look more personal than what you might find in an office building. This can make designing the space tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. Using stylish bins or wicker baskets for storage can soften the space. An attractive storage bin can play double-duty, holding cords or office items while giving the room a homey feeling.

Find the right lighting

Lighting also plays a big role in staying organized and focused. If possible, place your desk by a window to maximize the use of natural light. Use lamps with soft lighting throughout the room to create a space that makes you comfortable and inspired to work.

Use bookshelves

If you have books or materials you depend on for your work, bookshelves are a must. Categorize your books to keep everything handy and easy to access. Also take ad-

Add variety

If you have the room, add an additional chair or sofa to your home office to give yourself a different view from time to time. If you don’t have this option, rotate the lamp on your desk or occasionally switch out pictures on the wall. Even subtle changes can shift your brain and help you stay focused.

Make it look nice

Sometimes, putting in the effort to make an area look nice can be a big boost to productivity. Use attractive items throughout the home office to help you stay motivated to keep the area clean. Use bookends to make a bookshelf more attractive, or opt for matching desk accessories to give the area a coordinated look.

In the Philippines, Pottery Barn is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central and at Estancia in Capitol Commons. Pottery Barn Kids is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central and at Estancia in Capitol Commons.

Visit or follow facebook.com/PotteryBarnPH, facebook. com/PotteryBarnKidsPH, facebook.com/WestElmPH, and @potterybarnPH, @potterybarnkidsPH, @westelmPH, and @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.

Increase your productivity even while working at home with a few simple design changes and organization

Next generation of Calcium supplements

From left: AXA Philippines chairman Solomon Cua, AXA CEO Thomas Buberl, Metrobank Group chairman George SK Ty, and AXA Philippines CEO Rahul Hora

Celebrating partnerships and transformation AXA Group CEo Thomas Buberl received a warm Filipino welcome from AXA Philippines and its joint venture partner, Metrobank Group, in a recent two-day visit to Manila. He was joined by AXA Asia interim CEo Doina Palici-Chehab to reinforce AXA’s global strategy in Asia and the Philippines.

AXA Philippines CEO Raul Hora said this visit signified the important role of the Philippine market in AXA’s global growth strategies. “The presence of Mr. Buberl here in the country is a testament to AXA’s optimism and steadfast commitment not only to the Philippines, but also to the Asian region.”

Buberl underscored the importance of adapting to rapidly evolving customer needs as part of Ambition 2020, the global five-year strategic plan, “How do we get closer to our customers? How can we serve them better? It’s all about transformation – to becoming a real partner for our customers and to empowering them to live a better life.”

Meanwhile, Palici-Chehab highlighted AXA’s illustrious history in Asia, “Our strength in Asia lies in One AXA. As a composite insurer offering general insurance, life insurance, and healthcare, we are ideally positioned to seize the opportunities arising from Asia’s demographic and economic shifts.”

To mark Buberl and Palici-Chehab’s first visit to the country, Metrobank Group Chairman George SK Ty hosted a reception dinner attended by top executives of the GT Group companies. Buberl also met with Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa, se-

CAlCIum being an important nutrient in maintaining healthy bones, muscles and nerves is a common knowledge. That’s why when we were young our parents made us drink one glass of milk a day. But as we grow older, we tend to consume less and less calcium every day. Our body’s supply of calcium is leeched by our bones, too, making people realize that they need more calcium in the body.

While there are many ways of incorporating calcium in our diet, one proven way is by taking calcium supplements. There are way too many options available, but how do you choose?

Aim for 500 milligrams or less because more than the recommended daily amount isn’t good for you. The more calcium you take the harder it is for the body to absorb.

Look for supplements with calcium citrate because it is non acidic and can be consumed on an empty stomach.

Find calcium supplements with supplementary vitamins like Vitamin C and Vitamin D that can help in the better absorption of calcium in the body.

Go for organic calcium supplements, these supplements are more easily absorbed by the body giving the sufficient calcium your body needs.

One calcium supplement that has all of these, is the next generation of calcium supplements, Bewell C plus Calcium. It has the power of Vitamin C and D3 that complements well with Calcium. It contains Calcium Citrate, Calcium Ascorbate and Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D), that aids in the better absorption of Calcium to the bones.

Bewell-C Plus Calcium is an organic vitamin supplement that is non-

acidic, this means that it can be taken on an empty stomach. Being an organic supplement, it provides the full benefits of Vitamin C and Calcium at a very affordable price.

Available in Mercury Drugstores and other leading drugstores nationwide for only P10 per capsule SRP. For more information, visit Bewell-C Plus Calcium’s Facebook page.

Bewell-C Plus Calcium is an organic food supplement that combines the full benefits of vitamin C and calcium

Golf Cup for scholarship funds

AXA chief executive officer Thomas Buberl lect business partners, and the AXA Philippines leadership team. Buberl’s visit highlighted the focus of the AXA Group on Asia and the Philippines, and signals only better things to come for AXA Philippines.

NEW World Makati Hotel and AG New World Manila Bay recently concluded its second annual Golf Cup 2017 at the Orchard Golf and Country Club.

This year’s tournament named the young scholars of the Springboard Foundation as beneficiaries; with its success ensuring six years of private high school education for 16 underprivileged students.

“We are very pleased to announce that we have raised half a million pesos for the scholars of Springboard Foundation through the help of our sponsors and participants. This will enable these children to receive quality education critical to their future. New World Hotels and Resorts strongly advocates access to education; and it’s a pleasure to be able to do this while also creating camaraderie and be an instrument for change,” says Farid Schoucair, New World Makati Hotel GM. With a team score of 64, the winning flight was comprised of Antonio Payumo, Javier Berenguer-Testa, Roberto David, and Raymond Lacdao. In second place with a team score of 68 were Vedit Kurangil, Diana Kurangil, Paul Carpio, and Jeff Green. Third place winners were Rene

AG New World Manila Bay General Manager Mark Heywood and New World Makati Hotel General Manager Farid Schoucair flank this year’s champions: Antonio Payumo, Javier Berenguer-Testa, Roberto David, and Raymond Lacdao, and Policarpio, Celso Villegas, Joey Yujuico, and Willie Pelino. Winners took home tro-

phies and gift certificates from New World Hotels and Resorts.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017

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Isah V. Red, Editor • Nickie Wang, Writer

‘TITIBO-TIBO’

is Himig Handog 2017 best song

Music composer Libertine Amistoso took home P1 million cash prize after besting nine other grand finalists chosen among almost 7,000 entries

“T

ITIBO-TIBO,” by Libertine Amistoso and interpreted by singer-songwriter Moira de la Torre, a feel-good song about a boyish girl who finds herself getting more womanly after falling in love with a guy, bagged the Best Song and the grand prize in the biggest Filipino songwriting competition, Himig Handog 2017.

Singer-songwriter Moira dela Torre performing “Titibo-Tibo” on “ASAP” stage during Himig Handog 2017 Grand Finals

Amistoso, who took home the P1 million cash prize, beat the other nine song grand finalists chosen among almost 7,000 entries. Her happy song served as her lucky charm. ”It’s not like the other songs which are about ‘hugot’ or pain. This is a happy song, with a happy ending,” said the composer in a recent interview.

Now on its 8th year, Himig Handog is a songwriting competition led by ABS-CBN and Star Music. It began in early 2000s and was later revived in 2013. Many entries from this songwriting challenge have become

huge hits and have been picked as theme songs for several TV shows and movies.

Previous songwriters and interpreters have gradually made their mark in the OPM scene.

The “Himig Handog” 2017 album is now available at all record bars nationwide for only P250. Digital tracks can also be downloaded via digital stores worldwide.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/starrecordsphil, Twitter.com/starrecordsph and Instagram. com/Starmusicph.

MYRTLE SARROSA

is Ginebra San Miguel’s Calendar Girl 2018 PINOY Big Brother 4th Teen Edition winner Myrtle Sarrosa is Ginebra San Miguel 2018 Calendar Girl. A celebrity in the world of cosplay, Myrtle was also launched as GSM Blue endorser, the world’s number one gin.

The 22-year-old, Iloilo-born actress, blogger, singer and VJ, who majored in Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication, is the perfect mix of everything GSM Blue stands for - young, adventurous, passionate and innovative. She is living an epic life that is not defined by one thing and she is most certainly not afraid to mix things up. Myrtle is the archetype of a millennial which makes her the perfect face of GSM Blue and its new campaign called, Mix for More. As explained by GSM Blue Brand Manager, Winchie Tobias, the campaign reflects the millennials’ insatiable thirst to explore and their longing for fruitful passion. Tobias further explained that for this age group, it’s all about immersion to create a better version of a moment.

Myrtle slays in five awesome GSM 2018 calendars, each highlights a GSM brand and a different version of Myrtle.

For Ginebra San Miguel, Myrtle donned the brand’s iconic angel costume. For GSM Blue, Myrtle looks out of this world in a cyber chic outfit. Myrtle channels an illusionist persona for Primera Light Brandy, while she transformed into a forest enchantress for Vino Kulafu. All GSM brands are featured in the final calendar where Myrtle is seen as the Boss Lady.

The Epic Mix Event also introduced two new GSM Blue Flavors – Margarita and Gin Pomelo. GSM Blue Flavors Margarita combines the

tang of lime, sweetness of orange liqueur with lime and distinctive strength of tequila flavor. This classic drink from Mexico is a classic that strikes all of the right keys. GSM Blue Flavors Gin Pomelo, is based on the original Pinoy concoction widely known as “Ginpom”. It became a hit in the 90’s when a popular juice brand launched litro packs of pomelo juice.

It complements the taste palate of the Filipino thus became popular and widely associated with gin.

GSM Brand Assistant Mira Pontrias said that these new flavors give millennials options and freedom to mix things up whether they are chilling at home or partying with friends. GSM Blue Flavors has a light alcohol content of 35 proof. It is available in a 700ml bottle for only PhP135. GSM Blue Flavors Margarita and GSM Blue Flavors Gin Pomelo will be available in 7-11 stores. – Eton Concepcion

Kate Bosworth (left photo) as Gina Denom and Jason Ritter (right photo) as Capt. Troy Denomy in Nat Geo’s “The Long Road Home’”

Nat Geo’s highly anticipated global miniseries event, ‘The Long Road Home’ NATIONAL Geographic’s eight-part global event series The Long Road Home, a gripping and intimate look at the toll war takes on soldiers and their families, debuted with a special two-hour premiere on Nov. 5, 10 p.m. .

Based on the New York Times best-selling book by internationally acclaimed journalist Martha Raddatz, The Long Road Home tells the story of “Black Sunday,” when a small platoon of soldiers from the US 1st Cavalry Division was ferociously ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad, in April 2004.

Eight soldiers would make the ultimate sacrifice that day and more than 65 would be seriously wounded.

No soldier fights alone.

The soldiers in this story are no exception. The scripted series offers viewers an intimate window into the experience of war as seen through the eyes and the hearts of the soldiers themselves and

their families back home.

It is an adrenaline-fueled and emotional journey that follows the action of the battle on two simultaneous fronts — the chaotic, terror-filled streets of Sadr City, where a group of inexperienced young soldiers faces an unexpected and unimaginable attack with bravery they never knew they had, and the home front at Fort Hood in Texas, where family members, desperate for news of their loved ones and fearing the worst, discover their own courage and determination as well.

With unprecedented intimacy, the eight-part series tells the stories not only of these courageous soldiers but also of their compatriots involved in the three desperate and deadly rescue missions launched to save them. Across eight hours, reflecting the exact amount of time the soldiers were pinned down, each episode highlights a different character’s unique and compelling journey as we come to understand their

heroism and humanity.

The series stars Michael Kelly (House of Cards, Taboo) as then Lieutenant Colonel Gary Volesky (now General Volesky), the incoming battalion commander who was in his first hours of assuming authority over Sadr City as the battle broke out; Jason Ritter (Parenthood, Girls) as Captain Troy Denomy, who bravely led a rescue convoy into the city; E.J. Bonilla (Unforgettable) as stranded platoon leader 1st Lieutenant Shane Aguero; Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush, SS-GB, The Art of More) as Gina Denomy, a young wife and new mom battling her own fears while reaching out to the families of the fallen and wounded; Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break, The Walking Dead, Colony) as Family Readiness Group leader and Gary Volesky’s wife, LeAnn Volesky; Noel Fisher (Shameless) as a heroic 24-year-old warrior and later peace activist Private First Class Tomas Young; and Jeremy

Sisto (Suburgatory, Law & Order,Six Feet Under) as reluctant hero Staff Sergeant Robert Miltenberger.

Additional cast includes Jon Beavers (NCIS, Gotham, The Fresh Beat Band) as the hot-tempered and heroic young Sergeant Eric Bourquin; Darius Homayoun (Tyrant) as the platoon’s Iraqi interpreter, Jassim al-Lani; Jorge Diaz (Jane the Virgin\,The 33) as Specialist Israel Garza; Ian Quinlan (Gotham) as Specialist Robert Arsiaga; Patrick Schwarzenegger (Stuck in Love) as Sergeant Ben Hayhurst; Kenny Leu (NCIS) as Sergeant Eddie Chen; and Joshua Brennan (Skinford) as Sergeant Jackson.

The fresh episodes of The Long Road Home exclusively premieres on National Geographic every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. with a weekend primetime replay every Sunday at 10 p.m. Fans of the channel, and of the series, can access exclusive trailers of the show at www.nationalgeographic. com.

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

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IKE many Asian-design houses, the emergence of sleek and sophisticated Filipino architecture followed the trends of adapting to the climate. At the start of the 20th century, Singapore, for example, built bungalows to connect with the climate, and shut out the rain and sun.

In the mid-20th century, air conditioning took over.

People designed enclosed houses, and it had an effect on people relying on air conditioning.

In recent years, with the global crisis, Filipino architects and builders have been turning back to sustainability: planting greenery around the house; using less reflective surfaces; extending the roof; making shaded spaces to live in; making one room wide with windows on both sides. Natural ventilation is applied a greater part of the day.

In the evening, one closes the windows and hits the aircon for sleeping in.

The coming of the internet has greatly influenced architects’ perspectives over the past years.

In the past 25 years, the pace of communication has changed. Now, architects can get ideas from the world in the flash of an eye.

Below are some house styles Filipinos like most.

Townhouse, minimalist, bungalow There is no doubt that the Philippines has one of the most competitive real estate markets in Asia.

Housing here is relatively low priced, and it is fairly easy to find a home that

MEDITERRANEAN TOUCH. More commonly known in the West as terraced houses or row houses, the townhouse style is one the most common house designs in the Philippines’ urban areas where they are commonly referred to (quite inaccurately) as “apartments” or “door apartments.”

House styles that turn Pinoys on suits your lifestyle and budget. There is an even bigger number of house designs that are available should you decide to purchase a property or build your own home. Here’s a list of the most popular designs in the Philippines to help you choose.

Townhouse Style More commonly known in the West as terraced houses or row houses, townhouse style is one the most common house designs in the Philippines’ urban areas . This house design has dominated the early residential developments in Philippine cities and urban areas as it requires relatively smaller lot area (per unit) and is more economical. This house style is also a popular as rental properties, as starting families opt to purchase or rent townhouse units before moving into larger proper-

ties later on.

Minimalist The term “minimalism” sprouted during the late 1960s and was mainly used to describe architecture that uses natural and pareddown design elements highlighted by simple silhouettes and lines. This type of design also aims to utilize space so it addresses our problems of clutter and the limits of smaller-thanaverage spaces especially in Metro Manila.

Country Style Country-style homes evoke that understated charm, reminiscent of cottage-style houses in Old America, which were heavily influenced by 18th-century European colonists. It has then since been deeply ingrained in American architecture, that it is now the classic template for most traditional homes in the States.

Here in the Philippines,

country-themed cafés and coffee shops have been the trend lately. While it has been an “in” thing with these establishments, homebuilders have also been enticed to have their homes built in this fashion, incorporating shabby chic or vintage elements into the overall home design and its interiors.

Mediterranean Heavily influenced by the region from which the home design was named after, Mediterranean-style home designs have gained popularity over the years in upmarket resorts and beach-side properties; and while this is so, it has been getting quite popular with homebuilders and architects, too, because of the refreshing vibe this house design exudes especially if it is built in the middle of a busy city.

Mid-century Modern Another concept Filipi-

ASIAN MODERN. Minimalist houses have gained popularity over the years in the Philippines, as seen in the latest developments in real estate here. nos adopted from American architecture is mid-century modern design that flourished from the 1940s—an era when two new materials utilized in this type of house design were introduced: steel and plywood.

Marked by simplistic and symmetrical patterns (though it should not to be confused with minimalism), it is marked by open spaces, huge glass windows, and the flawless incorporation of nature. This

type of house design, along with the Mediterraneanstyle homes, has shown an increase in popularity in posh subdivisions and upscale communities, especially those outside Metro Manila.

VALUE FOR MONEY. DMCI Homes was recently recognized by Lamudi Philippines for offering the best value for money among all residential condominium developers. The distinction was the result of the nationwide study conducted by the property portal among 10,000 property buyers. Lamudi Philippines revealed the results of the study during a gathering of leaders from the Philippine real estate industry. The event dubbed as “The Outlook” gathered real estate developers to share perspectives on what is next for the industry as well as recognize the industry’s best performers. “Our value proposition in DMCI Homes has always been ‘if we cannot offer something better, we might as well not do it,” said Jan Venturanza, DMCI Homes AVP for marketing. Shown here is the Zebrina building of DMCI Homes’ Calathea Place, along Sucat Road in Parañaque.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY CHAMPIONS.

Alstra recently launched the EvoSolution technical forum series in Manila and Davao. The event involved engineers, architects and consultants sharing best practices in the building industry in a bid to make energy efficiency and sustainability a business priority. The event also promoted unique end-to-end solution packages that streamline the building process by ensuring that projects finish on time and less resources are wasted Alstra Group Director Rajan Komarasu (first from left) opened the two-day forum, which featured experts in climate control and vertical transport solutions. With him were Willy Estrella, commercial & industrial solutions director (second), Danny Kalingasan, design manager (middle), Ted Jagusztyn (fourth), building engineering solutions director, and Mark Faulkner, service operations and quality director (far right).

PERSEVERANCE. The interior design graduating batch of De La Salle College of Saint

Benilde is currently holding an exhibit at the All Home, WiI Tower, Eugenio Lopez Drive in Quezon city. The students of the batch were tasked to create different areas of a co-working space catering to design occupations. One of the booths latched on to the concept of “tiyaga”, or perseverance, and came up with designs describing the hardworking Filipino, who pushes himself to create something innovative with limited resources, no matter how difficult the job.

Their designs aimed to produce spaces that allow users to work alone, while still being conducive to collaboration. Utilizing Filipino-inspired accents, the designs — in warm-toned orange and yellow paired with pops of blue — display how the designers interpret staying rooted in humility and perseverance. The show will be open until December 11.

Denim Drift Is The Color Of 2017

ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Currently being built at

the corner of Parkway and Corporate avenues in Filinvest, Alabang city is the Bristol at Parkway Place, a 40-storeys project

by Filligree. Set for turnover next year, the Bristolat Parkway Place is designed by CASAS + Architects, with the façade conceptualized by California-based Architecture International.

Interiors are by Hirsch Bedner Associates–Philippines.

Restaurants, retail outlets, and other offering are envisioned at the building’s retail promenade.

LEADING color experts at AkzoNobel, a global paints and coatings company, have selected a shade of blue they’ve called Denim Drift as the Color of the Year 2017. This was announced at the company’s annual trends forecast known as “ColourFutures.”

Denim Drift is the foundation for an inspirational palette of paint colors centered on the expected global social and design trends for the upcoming year.The announcement came hot on the heels of AkzoNobel’s recent Philippine launch of their Dulux Professional portfolio of paints and Dulux Ambiance™ Special

IMAGIMAX PARTNERS WITH WITH NIPPON PAINT. Architecture and interior design firm Imagimax

Effects, a range of premium featured finishes interior paints.

“Blue is the colour of life, of every-day life,” said Jeremy Rowe, managing director of AkzoNobel South East & South Asia, Middle East.

AkzoNobel products are ex-

clusively distributed by Mega Paint Corporation and Woodcaretech Marketing Philippines, Inc. Shown in photo is the ‘new romanticism’ colour trend that helps create the perfect vibe and inviting mood for your home, creating a space for calm reflection.

recently partnered with Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines.

The partnership has generated productive results. One of them is the repainting of the Filinvest Land Incorporated’s Prominence I Village in Biñán, Laguna (Seen in photo). Nippon Paint sealers and topcoats were specified for the repaint project of the community’s 144 Mediterranean-inspired townhomes.

The walls were coated with Nippon Paint Q-Shield Extra to provide a weather and fungus resistant and durable exterior finish. The roof tiles were painted with Nippon Paint’s specially formulated Paint Roof Coating.