Manila Standard - 2017 December 20 - Wednesday

New budget gets enacted, aims to spur 8% growth

House panel to accuser: Don’t dictate on solons

By John Paolo Bencito

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rey Requejo

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday signed into law Republic Act No. 10964, or the P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2018, the second under his administration.

The Philippines’ largest budget to date, which is 12.4 percent higher than the 2017 national budget and 25.5 percent higher than the 2016 budget—amounts to 21.6 percent of GDP. It will support the government’s objectives of achieving robust and inclusive growth of 7 to 8 percent in 2018.

“The 2018 General Appropriations Act, which is 12 percent higher than last

SHUT up.

This was the response of Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice, to lawyer Lorenzo Gadon who filed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Gadon, at a news forum last Monday, said he would ask congressmen to issue a subpoena against Sereno to compel her to appear in the impeachment hearing. ‘‘If she does not appear, I will also request that she be arrested,” Gadon said.

But Umali said Gadon had no business dictating on

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FAMILY SOUVENIR. Members of a family have their picture taken Tuesday at the 16-hectare bayside Luneta Park where a giant Nativity Scene has been on display in the runup to the Christmas holidays in predominantly Christian Philippines, which received the Catholic faith in 1521, 141 years before the first Muslim mosque was constructed in Simunul. Lino Santos

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Navy chief sacked; deputy takes over

By Francisco Tuyay FOR still unknown reasons, Navy FlagOfficer-in-Command Rear Admiral Joseph Mercado was abruptly pulled from his post and assigned to a non-command position at the Office of the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Philippine Navy information office

VOL. XXXI • NO. 306 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

provided no information about the sacking, except to say that they were following a lawful order from the chain of command.

Mercado was replaced by Rear Admiral Robert Empedrad, deputy chief of staff for Retirees and Reservists Affairs, J9, as acting Philippine Navy chief, during change of command rites at Navy headquarters in Next page Roxas Boulevard.

Sanofi started it all—PAO Dengvaxia victims’ kin want French firm sued

‘Urduja’ toll rises to 41; rescuers dig up 10 more THE death toll from Tropical Storm “Urduja” soared to 41 Tuesday with the recovery of 10 more bodies from a Biliran village hit by a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains brought by the cyclone last week, officials said.

Search-and-rescue teams and civilian volunteers also pressed the search for at least 23 others who were reported missing since Sunday.

The number of fatalities in Biliran went up to 33 following the recovery of the 10 bodies in different parts of Naval town and in nearby Caibiran. Next page

‘Syria most dangerous for media’ PARIS—Sixty-five journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2017, according to the annual figures published by Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday.

Among them were 50 professional reporters, the lowest toll in 14 years.

However, the downward trend is due at least in part to journalists giving up working in the world’s deadliest spots. Next page

By Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo

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HE Public Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that the pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur had the biggest culpability over the Dengvaxia mess as it moved to provide legal assistance to the families of two girls, both aged 10, who died after receiving the antidengue vaccine.

CONTINUING CONTROVERSY. Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta (middle), with Dante Jimenez, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, holds photos of alleged victims of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia with other officials during a news conference Tuesday on the controversial P3.5-billion vaccine at the Max’s Restaurant in Manila. Lino Santos

TRAIN coming into force with Du30 signing the law

By John Paolo Bencito, Julito Rada, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday signed into law Republic Act No. 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), the first phase of his administration’s comprehensive tax reform package, expected

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to yield about P92 billion in revenues for its first year.

The new law, one of the five tax packages envisioned to increase state revenues and make the tax system fairer and simpler, will lower income taxes, expand the value-added tax base, raise taxes on petroleum products, automobiles and slap taxes on some sugar-sweetened beverages, among others.

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“There are many betrayers who keep on passing the blame on others. In my own opinion, Sanofi is liable.

They started the problem,” she said.

She blamed the vaccine manufacturer for failing to include warnings on the packaging that children who never had dengue must not be inoculated with Dengvaxia.

“A prudent pharmacological company should have put

Personal Income Tax Annual Income

(2018-2022)

P8M and above

P 2.14M + 35% excess of P2M

over P2M but less than P8M

P490,000 + 32% of excess of P2M

over P800,000 but less than P2M

P130,000 + 30% of excess of P800,000

over P400,000 but less than P800,000

P30,000 + 25% of excess of P400,000

over P250,000 but less than P400,000

20% of excess of P250,000

less than or equal to P250,000

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the warnings on the label or box,” she said, addressing Sanofi directly. “It is obvious you must be charged.”

“You have the biggest responsibility. Without you, this mess could not have happened,” she added. “Sanofi, you better shut up.”

She said they want to build a strong case against those involved in the P3.5-billion procurement of Dengvaxia.

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Trump OKs US security game plan

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE National Security Strategy is set to pave the way for closer cooperation between the United States and its allies, including the Philippines, an official of the US Embassy said yesterday.

On Tuesday (Manila Next page

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Hotheads warned vs Friday jam

PH junks US aid, cites other plan “We have opted to withdraw from the second Millennium Challenge because of the urgent priority of the administration to rebuild Marawi,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

Economic managers, along with Foreign Af-

fairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, made the decision to finally withdraw the application for the US aid grant, Roque said.

The MCC, an independent American aid agency created by the US Congress in 2004, annually comes up with a scorecard for each

MCC candidate country, rating it in three policy categories: Ruling Justly, Investing in People, and Encouraging Economic Freedom.

The scorecard serves as a basis for determining the extension of grants to recipient countries like the Philippines.

Roque claimed that the move was made for the government to focus on the rebuilding of Marawi City, wherein Islamic State-inspired terrorists laid siege last May. “It was deemed that for the time being, we will withdraw our application for the second cycle and we will focus instead on the

Sanofi...

“We want an airtight case against them. There are those who could be implicated because of command responsibility. We are closely looking into that. There is this principle of good faith. What is important is the presentation of evidence. We do not want to file a case or cases that would later be dismissed,” she said.

On Tuesday, the parents of two schoolchildren who died after being given the Dengvaxia vaccine asked the Justice Department to help them get justice for the death of their children.

Accompanied by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and the PAO, the parents of Christine Mae de Guzman and Anjielica Pestilos, both aged 10, narrated how they died months after being injected with the vaccine.

De Guzman’s father Nelson submitted a sworn statement that would be used in pursuing cases against those behind the P3.5-billion immunization program.

He said Christine Mae received Dengvaxia vaccine

on April 16, 2016 through a school vaccination project at Sisiman Elementary School in Mariveles, Bataan.

“While we were being asked for information, we were told that we should be thankful to the government because the anti-dengue vaccine is free. If we will get it from private hospitals, it would cost around P4,500 to P5,000,” his sworn statement said.

After six months or on Oct. 11, 2016, Christine Mae complained of headache and had a high fever.

After two days, she was taken to the Mariveles Health Service Cooperative Hospital where she was diagnosed with severe dengue. She died Oct. 15, 2016.

She was to have turned 12 on Tuesday.

Ramil and Liza Pestilos said their daughter Anjielica died Dec. 15, three months after receiving the vaccine through a school vaccination program in Septermber.

While her death certificate indicated that she died of systemic lupus erythematosus or an auto immune disease, PAO forensic expert Erwin Erfe said he believed that it was also a case of death by

severe dengue.

“When we reviewed her clinical abstract, there is a manifestation that Anjelica died of severe hemorrhagic dengue,” Erfe said, citing symptoms of the disease like edema, rashes, bleeding and low platelet count.

Neither of the girls had had dengue before immunization.

“In both cases, the victims never suffered previous dengue exposure before, were both vaccinated with Dengvaxia, and have died from severe dengue,” Erfe said.

Acosta said they would provide legal assistance to the two families as the agency plans to gather similar cases and file a class suit against those liable for the vaccine’s release.

VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez, for his part, said they would also file string of criminal cases against officials of the previous administration.

Earlier, the Justice Department ordered the PAO to provide legal assistance to families of children who died after being injected with Dengvaxia through the government’s public immuniza-

tion program.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II authorized the PAO to represent possible victims of Dengvaxia-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.

Acosta said she has tapped a team of PAO lawyers to gather statements and documentary evidence from parents and guardians of children who developed severe dengue after getting the Dengvaxia vaccine.

In a press conference, Acosta also revealed that several parents from Bataan and Quezon City as well as Cordillera Autonomous Region and Region 7 have already reached out to her office.

Although she would not say which officials from the previous administration might face charges, she said “command responsibility… cannot be erased by good faith.”

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio of the VACC, however, had a more definitive response to the question.

“We believe that there is a case for plunder here,” he said, citing evidence that came up in the Senate inquiry.

“We’re building cases also

and we’re planning to file a class suit and civil action,” Topacio said.

The DoJ earlier ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the controversial P3.5-billion dengue vaccine project of the Department of Health that reportedly poses risks to children without a history of the disease.

Aguirre II tapped the NBI to conduct a fact-finding probe to determine possible liabilities of officials behind the project that was approved by former Health secretary Janette Garin during the previous administration.

The controversy on Dengvaxia broke following the advisory from Frenchbased pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur saying new clinical analysis has found the vaccine is effective for people who have had dengue prior to immunization, but cited a risk of a “severe” case of dengue for people who have not.

This development puts around 10 percent of the over 700,000 school children who received the shots at risk of a “severe” case of the disease, prompting DoH Secretary Francisco Duque III to order

the suspension of the dengue vaccination program.

Acosta and Topacio called on the NBI to expedite its investigation to prevent reported efforts to cover up the case.

“We’ve been informed by an insider that they are already shredding the documents in the DoH. So I urge Secretary Aguirre to order the NBI to now raid DoH and seize the documents in the DoH,” Topacio said.

“We call on the NBI to act now,” Acosta pleaded.

Also on Tuesday, the chairman of the House committee on appropriations said Congress has not set aside funding for the purchase of dengue vaccines in 2018.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, the panel chairman, said that a special provision under the Department of Health under the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA)--which provides that more than P15 billion has been appropriated for the procurement of drugs, medicines, vaccines, including medical and dental supplies--does not include dengue vaccines.

With Maricel V. Cruz

House...

Navy...

‘Urduja‘...

lawmakers what they should do.

In a related development: * The camp of Sereno has assailed Gadon for his plan to seek the issuance of subpoena against her to compel her attendance before the House of Representatives.

Sereno’s spokesperson, lawyer Josa Deinla, branded the move as “ridiculous” since House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas had admitted the Chief Justice, being a respondent in an impeachment proceeding, could not be compelled to testify before the House Committee on Justice as she was not a witness subject to a subpoena process.

Deinla stressed even senators Franklin Drilon and Francis Escudero, who will act as judges if the impeachment case is brought to the Senate, had warned against forcing the Chief Justice to attend the committee hearings as doing so might lead to a constitutional crisis.

“Mr. Gadon cannot brush aside our fundamental laws.

He is the one who deserves to be arrested or held in contempt for committing multiple perjurious statements and for putting pressure on Congress to violate the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the Chief Justice,” Deinla said in a statement.

Capt. Lued Lincuna, director of the Navy’s Public Affairs Office, said he had no further information on Mercado’s relief.

Col. Edgard Arevalo, the AFP’s Public Affairs Head, said the change of command at the Philippine Navy will be explained in due time.

The relief of Mercado came a day before the 82nd AFP Anniversary celebration and as the Navy is in the midst of a modernization program that includes the $18 billion acquisition of two Korean-made frigates under a contract signed with Hyundai Heavy Industries in October 2016.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has not responded to queries about the replacement of Mercado.

“As a professional organization we will support the newly installed acting FOIC.... Going forward, the Philippine Navy must and will continue to perform our constitutional mandate as the protector of the people and the state,” Lincuna said.

“Rest assured the Philippine Navy has a lot of competent and qualified leaders to assume [the role] as flag officer in command,” Lincuna added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 92,613 people have been displaced by flood and landslides in the province and other nearby areas. Continuous heavy rains loosened up soil in the affected areas and triggered landslides.

A total of 248,790 people in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas and Caraga region were affected by the cyclone, the NDRRMC said.

Rescuers were still digging in areas where residential houses once stood before they were buried under tons of rock and muddy water, trapping many of the victims.

The tropical storm toppled electric lines and posts triggering major power outage in

Biliran and damaging roads, bridges and other government and private infrastructure.

Authorities said they expect to restore power in the province before the end of the week.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered massive search, rescue and relief operations amid calls for more gasoline and potable water in the hardest-hit province.

The NDRRMC said most of the deaths were caused by landslides and drowning.

Apart from those killed in Biliran, the NDRRMC also reported two fatalities from Samar; one from Leyte; and five from Eastern Samar.

An elderly couple was also reported killed in San Fernando on the island of Sibuyan in Romblon province.

The government has already distributed P37 million worth of food packs and nonfood items to the evacuees.

‘Urduja’ stranded thousands of passengers as the Coast Guard stopped all ships and other vessels from sailing.

About 20 domestic flights were also canceled.

However, sea and air travel in the affected areas have already resumed due to good weather.

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office on Tuesday said it is releasing on Wednesday P10 million from its yearly calamity fund that can be used to aid the victims of Urduja that battered some provinces in the Visayas.

PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said the board will tackle during its regular meeting on Wednesday the release of the funds for the typhoon victims.

“We initially approved the immediate release of P10 million to buy for medicines and water for the typhoon victims.

We have a yearly calamity

fund of P100 million approved by the Department of Budget and Management [DBM] for natural and man-made disasters. For 2017, we’ve more than P95 million left. So we can use that for the typhoon victims,” PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said.

Balutan said he will also recommend to the board to forego a portion of the budget for the Yuletide fellowship of PCSO employees to buy for medicines, water and that can be used also to defray the hospitalization expenses of individuals injured from the typhoon.

Meanwhile, the National Food Authority has already issued a total of 10,464 bags of rice to local government units for distribution to victims of Urduja that brought devastation to several regions of the country.

According to reports from NFA field offices, Region

V (Bicol Region) has already released 3,436 bags of rice for relief operations in four provinces as follows: NFA Camarines Sur-1,398 bags; Sorsogon-1,298 bags; Albay-640 bags; and Masbate-100 bags.

In Region 08 where the center of the typhoon landed, a total of 6,752 bags were released by NFA for relief operations: 2,900 bags of rice were released to Eastern Samar; 3,682 bags to Northern Samar; and 170 bags to Biliran, Northern Leyte. With minimal damage, Region IV reported only 266 bags of rice withdrawn for relief while only 10 bags were withdrawn in Region VII (Aklan).

NFA Administrator Jason L. Y. Aquino assured the public that even with the great devastation the typhoon has caused, there is sufficient rice supply in the affected regions.

TRAIN is essential as it will increase the spending capacity of the average working Filipino, boost revenue-to-GDP ratio, and fund government’s infrastructure and human capital investment program,” Pernia said in a statement Tuesday.

• The Gabriela Women’s Party said the TRAIN measure would adversely affect over six million Filipino women without having any income tax gains out of it but merely higher prices of basic commodities.

Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus said even if the TRAIN measure was estimated to cut income taxes paid by the reported 7.5 million self-employed taxpay-

ers, this still left an estimated 6.2 million Filipino women unemployed, self-employed who were not filing taxes, and unpaid family workers who would not benefit at all from the income tax reductions.

“Over six million Filipino women who belong to the selfemployed and unpaid family workers will never benefit from the much hyped income tax adjustments under TRAIN but will be slapped with higher prices of basic commodities and services,” De Jesus said.

She added the estimate did not even include minimum wage women workers already exempted from income taxes.

De Jesus also complained

the TRAIN’s higher taxes on petroleum products, most sugar-based beverages, and other goods and services shall be imposed across the board and shouldered by women who must budget meager family incomes to keep up with rising expenses.

• Earlier, Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao expressed dismay over the passage by the bicameral conference committee of low tobacco tax bill, saying this countered protection against the menace of cigarette smoking.

Pacquiao claimed he was taken aback by the decision of the bicameral panel to adopt a lower tax on tobacco products.

paign promise of “doubling the basic pay of our soldiers and police officers.”

“This will also fulfill my campaign promise of doubling the basic pay of our soldiers and police officers, which will take effect on the very first day of 2018,” Duterte said in his speech at the signing ceremony on the two laws.

“Two laws that I signed today are the fulfillment of

my campaign promise to institute genuine fiscal reform that will be felt by every Filipino,” he added.

Under the 2018 GAA, social services remain to have the biggest chunk of the budget pie with 41.8 percent, followed by economic services with 33.8 percent, then general public services with 19.2 percent, and debt burden with 9.4 percent, and defense allocation with 4.7 percent.

Education continues to have the lion’s share of the budget, with an allocation of P699.95billion for next year—with the Education Department getting a P553.31 billion budget next year.

Chalk or cash allowances of teachers—intended for the purchase of classroom supplies like chalk, markers, paper, erasers and other materials—will increase from P2,500 to P3,500.

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Monday advised motorists and commuters to brace for heavy traffic in the metropolis on Dec. 22, the last Friday and working day before Christmas, due to the influx of last-minute shoppers and people going to the provinces.

“Expect heavy traffic this Friday. If you get angry easily it’s better not to leave home,” said MMDA assistant general manager for planning Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. MMDA officials also advised the people to do their Christmas shopping early and to try to avoid the holiday rush. Shoppers should visit the commercial centers nearest their homes to avoid being trapped in traffic jams.

They said shopping malls and other commercial establishments were traffic generators during the Christmas holidays.

Mall operators earlier agreed with the MMDA proposal to adjust their business hours to ease road congestion during the peak buying season.

Garcia said his agency will deploy 2,600 traffic enforcers in three shifts, and 400 of them will manage traffic on seven identified choke points on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

Meanwhile, the MMDA decided to extend until the second week of January next year the dry run for the implementation of the High Occupancy Vehicle lane, a scheme formulated to encourage motorists to engage in ride-sharing and further improve traffic along Edsa.

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By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE Philippines has decided to forgo its application for a second compact assistance from an independent American aid agency in an attempt it claims will help in the rebuilding efforts of war-torn Marawi City, Malacañang said Tuesday.

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‘Syria...

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In Asia, the Philippines has become the region’s most dangerous country for reporters, with at least five journalists being shot in the last year, four of whom died of their injuries.

The rise comes after what RSF called an “alarming comment” by President Rodrigo Duterte who said in May that “just because you’re a journalist you are not exempted from assassination if you’re a son of a bitch.”

No journalists were killed in the country the previous year.

Still, war-torn Syria remains the most dangerous country in the world for journalists, RSF said, with 12 reporters killed, followed by Mexico where 11 were assassinated.

They included Javier Valdez, one of the most prominent chroniclers of Mexico’s deadly drug war whose murder in May sparked a public outcry. AFP

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TRAIN...

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With about P150 billion in tax relief under the TRAIN, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the tax reform program “is the biggest Christmas and New Year’s gift that the Duterte administration is giving to the people.”

In related developments: • Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority director-general Ernesto Pernia said the passage into law of TRAIN bill would be good for the economy.

“The implementation of

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year’s budget, will primarily support infrastructure development and free education in state universities and colleges, universal health care, free irrigation,” Duterte said of the budget set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

The budget, Duterte said, is a fulfillment of his cam-

rebuilding of Marawi, although we have invited the US government’s continued support and assistance for the reconstruction of Marawi,” Roque said.

“We are confident that the US government fully understands the decision to reallocate our funding priority for this year and that this will not, in any way, adversely impact our eligibility for another round of compact assistance in the future because it calls for counterpart financing as well.”

Roque denied that the move to withdraw the application was due to concerns about the country’s spotty human rights record

since Duterte took office in 2016.

In December 2016, the Millennium Challenge Corporation decided to defer the selection of the Philippines to receive a multi-million dollar development grant, citing concerns on “rule of law and civil liberties.”

The formal re-selection of the Philippines by the MCC was supposed to succeed the first grant or compact of $434 million that expired at the end of May 2016.

For a country to be selected as eligible for assistance, the MCC said, “it must demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, investments in its

people and economic freedom as measured by thirdparty policy indicators on MCC’s annual scorecard.”

In a recent scorecard released November 2017, the Philippines received low scores in controlling corruption and ensuring the rule of law.

Following the earlier deferment, President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed a fiery rhetoric against the US aid agency, saying it could “eat its money” because the Philippines could survive without funds from the United States.

The MCC compact is only one of the many streams of US assistance that flows to the Philippines.

Trump...

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time), US President Donald Trump approved the new NSS that would protect its four vital national interests: 1) protect the homeland, the American People, and American Way of life; 2) promote American prosperity; 3) preserve peace through strength and 4) advance American influence.

In an interview, US Embassy press secretary Molly Koscina said that the American government will cooperate with its ally partners, including the Philippines in implementing the new NSS. “The National Security Strategy is a statutorily mandated document that explains the President’s strategy to the American people, our allies and partners, and the executive departments and agencies that will implement it,” she said.

Koscina also recognized that America’s greatest strength is its numerous allies and partners around the world “who share our interests and values.”

With AFP

News Australian sailor dies in Surigao waters FILIPINO fishermen rescued three Australian adrift at sea for days after their luxurious yacht capsized in Surigao province on Sunday.

The three Australian were reportedly sailing to Subic Bay to deliver the luxurious yacht.

The fishermen rushed them to the hospital, but one of them, Anthony Mahoney, died on the way to the hospital. Mahoney was reportedly already unconscious at the time that they were rescued.

The other two are now in stable condition.

Philippine Coast Guard Commander Armando Balilo, meanwhile, said that the PCG is ‘‘checking circumstances of the rescue operations.’’

‘One thing is sure though, we have limited assets and resources in the area. But that is not an excuse, we are getting additional statements from our personnel to find out if they were remissed in their duties,” Balilo said.

The Foreign Affairs Department, however, refused to comment on the death of Mahoney, but made an assurance that the agency is coordinating with involved government offices.

“We will be coordinating with the Coast Guard and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group on this matter,” Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said on Tuesday.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BBL faces rough sailing—Du30

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE Bangsamoro Basic Law will not easily hurdle Congress because of constitutional barriers, President Rodrigo Duterte admitted Tuesday.

Despite his efforts to seek amends with Moro rebels with the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the President said he does not think the proposed measure would be easily approved, amid

loopholes he declined to mention.

Duterte expressed concern that he would fail to give a concrete answer to Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim, the current chairman of the Moro Islamic Libera-

tion Front who “in so many times, present and past … would want to see me on a regular basis and talk about the progress of the BBL.” “I do not think it will hurdle constitutional... binabasa ko paulit-ulit... constitutional barriers,” Duterte said, following the signing of the country’s 2018 national budget and tax reform program.

“Tapos sinasabi niya kung ano ang sabi ni— “Mayor, how we proceed with the—Someday, let us not start now,” Duterte

said.

The President urged the MILF to help the government on how to proceed with the bill, which has been pending in Congress.

“Pero kung di natin ibibigay ‘yan (BBL), kindly help me think of ways on how to do it kasi the other choice is if we go to war, it opens the floodgates of Mindanao to everybody else,” Duterte said, warning of the possible spread of extremist ideology in Mindanao.

Duterte last August sub-

mitted the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law before Congress, without any changes to the version crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission—mostly led by the MILF. The President earlier said they are placing the future of the draft bill to Congress, which would decide on the matter along with the bill to be crafted by Nur Misuariled Moro National Liberation Front.

In a speech last Sunday, Duterte had urged the Moro National Liberation

Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front not to declare war against the government in the event that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law does not hurdle Congress.

Lawmakers earlier agreed to hold the barangay elections in time for the Charter change plebiscite and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law to May 14, 2018.

Congress, however, took a holiday break last week without passing the measure.

DICT told to hasten entry of third telco player PDEA, PCCAI renew MoA

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission to hasten the entry of a ‘third player’ in the Philippine telecommunications industry by the first quarter of 2018.

“I have instructed the DICT and the NTC to fasttrack the entry of the 3rd Telecom Player to foster competition in the market. I want this implemented during the 1st quarter of 2018,” Duterte said in his directive.

“The NTC should start putting together the Terms of Reference for the bidding of all remaining telco frequencies,” he added.

Duterte likewise instructed all national and regional government agencies and

local governments to issue the required permits within seven days upon complete submission of requirements.

“This should also be the case for permits of incumbent telecom players. If the permits are not issued within seven days, the permits are deemed approved,” the President said.

Duterte also warned courts from interfering and challenging the planned approval of the telecom ‘third player.’

“I do not want the courts to interfere and prolong this process,” Duterte said.

“Do not issue any TROs or injunctions. This is a matter of national interest for the benefit of the public,” he added.

In a Palace news briefing, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that the move to speed up the

approval of the bill shows how serious the President is on the entry of a third telecoms player.

Just last week, the Palace announced that Chinese state-run China Telecom Corp. is poised to become the Philippines’ third telecoms player, in a bid to stir up competition in an effort to boost notoriously poor Internet services.

During a recent bilateral discussion with Chinese leaders, Duterte offered Beijing the “privilege” of challenging a longstanding duopoly dominated by PLDT-Smart and Globe Telecom.

Roque admitted the agreement was being rushed, but allayed security concerns over the entry of a foreign company in telecommunications.

“It’s not as if foreigners don’t have access right

now,” Roque said.

“The minority share owners of our providers are also foreign, so there’s always a foreign partner involved,” he said, referring to the country’s telecoms providers whose problematic reception and slow internet service often draw complaints,” he added, assuring that the restrictions provided in the Constitution about a foreign entity entering the local market would have to be observed.

While China Telecoms will own 40 percent of the provider, a consortium of Filipino companies must own the remaining 60 percent of the new firm, he said.

Roque also said the DICT gave the assurance that “they will absolutely be transparent in the bidding process.”

on medical assistance

By Rio N. Araja THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine-Chinese Charitable Association Inc. have signed anew a memorandum of agreement for the extension of comprehensive medical assistance to PDEA agents.

Under the arrangement, all PDEA agents can avail themselves of medical treatment from PCCAI if injured in the line of duty. The MoA has also been expanded to cover all 1,251 PDEA agents nationwide.

PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said the agreement has sealed the partnership between PDEA and PCCAI, and renewed the partner-

ship covering the medical aid and treatment of PDEA personnel nationwide who sustained injuries during actual performance of duties, including surgery and major operations as well as the use of its medical equipment and facilities from admission to release.

Aquino extended the agency’s deep appreciation to the medical support provided by PCCAI to boost the morale of PDEA agents who, during actual anti-drug operations commit their lives to serve the country and people.

He added that the memorandum is a great contribution of PCCAI in the campaign against illegal drugs.

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

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EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Let them eat cake

“L

ET them eat cake” is the traditional translation of the French phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche,” supposedly spoken by Queen Marie Antoinette, upon learning that the peasants had no bread. Since brioche was a luxury bread enriched with butter and eggs, the callous remark reflected the queen’s disregard for the peasants, or her poor understanding of their situation—and made her a hated symbol of a decadent monarchy and fueled the revolution that would claim her head years later.

matter if the queen had actually spoken the words; the possibility that she did was enough to stir people’s emotions.

There are examples from our own recent history where the poor—estimated in recent surveys at 10.9 million families or about 55 million people—were told to eat the proverbial cake.

Who can forget the 23-year-old daughter of the woman accused of bilking the government out of billions of pesos in pork barrel funds? While the mom was busy accumulating unexplained wealth, the daughter flaunted her lavish lifestyle on her social media accounts and her personal blog.

The daughter’s blog carried photos of her trips to Paris and Tokyo, portraying herself as a well-heeled jet-setter. The blog also showed a fondness for expensive designer shoes, clothes and bags from brands The tale, which historians agree was probably like Louis Vuitton, YSL and Chanel. apocryphal, seems particularly well suited to these But those who could afford only cheap knock-offs of days of fake news and outlandish claims. It did not such designer brands were not amused by her osten-

tatious display of wealth, particularly after it became apparent that her lavish lifestyle was made possible by the corrupt practices that her mother stood accused of, and for which plunder charges have been filed.

It would be easy to dismiss such excesses to the folly of youth, but to do so would be to overlook the role that her parents should have played to moderate such excesses, particularly when there was even a whiff that they were living it up on the taxpayers’ pesos. When so much divides the haves and the havenots in our society, would it not be more prudent not to stoke envy and encourage the wagging of tongues?

In a speech in October 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte exhorted his Cabinet to be, like Caesar’s wife, above even the whisper of suspicion. The same rigid standard, we believe, should apply to all government officials and employees—who must be not only honest and incorruptible, but also be free from these “whispers of corruption” because of the actions of their own children.

Social media, not phones, get kids addicted

By Leonid Bershidsky

gency rule if law and order break down as a result of terrorism or a resurgence of attacks by communist rebels or a combination of both. A Duterte declaration of a revolutionary government or a nationwide martial law would surely be met with mass protests and street demonstrations by leftist militants.

This could only justify the government’s draconian declaration of martial law nationwide. This was the same scenario that prompted former President Ferdinand Marcos to declare martial law nationwide.

War clouds are also looming on the horizon with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unleashing

I’M A recovering smartphone addict, so you might expect me to welcome the French government’s decision to ban the devices in primary and middle schools.

Actually, I don’t: The problem is the software, not the phones themselves.

At best, banning smartphones would require kids to learn antiquated skills, something they arguably do too much of in school already. The modern phone is a sound recorder, a camera, an atlas, a notebook and the only device on which one can listen to pretty much any music on demand. Depriving kids of such a useful tool would be pointlessly cruel, just as taking away adults’ smartphones at work would be.

Granted, a lot of research suggests that smartphone use adversely affects productivity. So the trick is to keep the advantages—the ability to collaborate with colleagues on the move, the instant access to data— and minimize the pointless distractions.

So what’s the biggest time hog on the smart phone? According to Comscore’s 2017 Mobile App Report, adults spend more than half their total screen time in the five most-used apps, and tend to select Facebook as their “most essential.”

That makes it likely the most addictive substance in the app world.

Facebook has been pushing back against the idea that spending time on social media is inevitably bad for you. In a recent post, Director of Research David Ginsberg and research scientist Moira Burke posited that “engaging”—leaving comments, sharing content and exchanging messages, as opposed to idly scrolling through a

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A tumultuous year ahead THE confluence of events in 2017 does not augur well for the new year ahead. The country is facing a tumultuous year in 2018. I do not wish to view the coming year on a gloomy and dire note, but consider the events that unfolded last year: First on the calendar year is the likely impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. This will surely stoke already deeply divided partisan political lines. The issue of the one-year extension of

martial law in Mindanao has been elevated to the Supreme Court on the constitutional challenge filed

by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and a core group still left in the House of Representatives. The basis of their complaint is that the Constitution only allows the declaration of martial law and its extension for 60 days.

Then there is still the ISIS shadow hovering to recruit new members to sow terror in the country.

The fear we cannot dismiss is that having failed in taking over Marawi, the terrorists will now target the urban areas to exact the highest number of casualties. These terrorists do not have any regard for who

they kill so that we can expect them to attack shopping malls, concerts and other crowded places. This they did in Paris, Brussels, London and New York.

On a related matter, the communist New People’s Army declared by President Rodrigo Duterte as terrorists will act as labeled

by Digong. The President also scrapped the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front which means the escalation of hostilities between the NPA and government troops.

Add the new normal in our weather pattern. December is usually the best month for rejoicing and our Balikbayans come home

to celebrate Christmas in the country. But December left widespread devastation with Typhoon “Urduja” claiming 26 lives in Biliran alone because of heavy rains that caused landslides. Biliran was placed in a state of calamity but even before Urduja exited, another typhoon followed to bring more suffering to the people. Leyte and Samar also bear the brunt of tropical storm Urduja bringing the total number of dead so far to 40.

Add to the heady mix such issues as Congress convening itself into a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution. The 1987 Constitution drafted during former President Cory Aquino’s revolutionary

government needs certain amendments but it should not be left to the congressmen with their self-vested interests. Utmost in Congress’ agenda would be to shelve the call for the abolition of the much-detested political dynasty. Why would Congress push for an amendment that would end their grip on perpetual in power? Since most of these political dynasties are also engaged in business, expect a Constituent Assembly to draft economic amendments that favor their own family enterprises.

Aside from the proposal for federalism which could be included in the charter amendments, let us not forget that President Duterte could still declare emer-

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

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Same-sex marriage is banned by law Alphaland’s Baguio Mountain Lodges AT 6 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, temperature in Baguio fell to 12.5 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, my friend Bobby Ongpin wrote Balesin members and related: “I spent last weekend in Baguio with my ‘rightand left-hand men,’ Mike Asperin and Rico Sison.

We woke up on Sunday morning to be greeted by a beautiful cloudless day.

It was the kind of morning typical of Baguio and its cool and fresh mountain air. I asked Rico to take photographs of his new masterpieces, especially the views from the Clubhouse Inn and some other log homes and I am sending them to you herewith.”

“Now that the weather is beautiful in Baguio, we decided to invite our Balesin members who may be interested in seeing the project or who might be spending part of their Christmas holidays in Baguio, to come and visit Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges. We will be happy to have you as our guests even for an overnight stay.” There are only 12 units at the Clubhouse, but Bobby offers lodging free, first come, first served basis, including food, but not the wine.

Bobby is building what he calls the Forbes Park of the North. It is his biggest project yet, a P7-billion 82-ha upscale vacation homes park, the Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges.

For completion in three years, the high-end property development involves the construction of 300 log cabins or mountain lodges costing from P40 million to P50 million each. The first 21 units due this December 2017 have been sold out. Wellheeled local and foreign buyers are trooping to the site, a pine-forested enclave 5,200 feet above level. It is only 9 kms or 20 minutes from Baguio but without the hustle and bustle of a busy urban center that the Pines City has become. Construction is 24 hours to meet the deadline for discriminating buyers.

Access to Baguio has been immensely eased

by Ramon Ang’s TarlacPangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLex), which extends 88.85-kms from Clark in Tarlac where NLEx ends to Rosario, in La Union. Fully operational by June 2019, TPLEx can now exit at Pozurrubio, in Pangasinan. It cuts travel time from Tarlac to the Baguio City entrance from three hours to just an hour and 15 minutes.

TPLEx is owned by the infra subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., today the country’s largest beverage company, largest food company, largest petroleum refining and marketing company, largest power producer, and the largest infra company, with 80 percent of the toll highways business.

For 2017, SMC is on track to exceed P800 billion in revenues and P54 billion in profits.

In 2018, SMC is estimated to ring up P925

billion in revenues, and P60 billion in profits. The P60 billion net will probably be a new high in nine years after the P60.6 billion profit recorded in 2009. In 2016, SMC made only P52 billion in profits.

More on San Miguel later.

Not many know it but Bobby Ongpin started The Highlands lodges in Tagaytay, Cavite.

Bobby is using his Highlands experience to replicate a mountain township in Baguio. He flew by private jet to Europe to procure logs for the lodges.

Not only are the logs there cheaper, they are also of better quality because of northern Europe’s severe winters.

Sensing pentup demand for high-end mountain villas, he has raised potential revenue in three years from P15 billion to P17 billion. The two-story homes are arranged in clusters of five to six homes, each complete with fireplaces, water cisterns and solar roofs. Each cluster has a genset, according to Alphaland, the developer and Ongpin’s company.

At 80, Bobby seems to have recovered from an apparent debacle following tirades by President Duterte who last year mistook him for a gambling lord and a dirty oligarch.

Harvard-educated Ongpin had this listed company PhilWeb which owned an online gambling franchise and a software used by some 286 online gambling outlets.

To protect PhilWeb, Bobby divested from the company, sold it for only P2 billion, a huge loss of P18 billion.

If you think Duterte is against online gambling, think again. Online gambling is the fastest-growing business in Metro Manila today. Last year alone, online gambling operators leased half of all the total leasable area for offices. That’s easily 500,000 square meters of prime office space.

Demand is still strong.

Online gambling is on the lookout for another 400,000 sqm of prime office space this year.

From Entertainment City in Pasay, online gambling is moving to places like Ortigas and Fort Bonifacio, in fact, to any area where there are large chunks of office space.

Ongpin or RVO does not seem to show the wounds of his apparent financial setbacks in 2016.

His holding company, Alphaland Corp., is on a roll. It is undertaking even larger and more ambitious projects with Ongpin providing the vision and management execution.

In February 2017, Alphaland secured a P5.5billion loan from BDO Unibank. “This is the most significant development for Alphaland,” gushed Ongpin. “Aside from the obvious improvement in the financial position of Alphaland, this is a significant vote of confidence from the country’s largest bank. It tells an important story.” biznewsasia@gmail. com

PRESIDENT Duterte wants boxing icon Manny Pacquiao to run for president in 2022. Santa Banana, what have we Filipinos done to deserve Pacquiao?

Anybody can run for the highest position in the land as long as he is Filipino, can read and write, and is of age. But is Pacquiao the right man to lead our country?

True, Pacquiao has placed the country on the map and given us pride.

But does that entitle him to the presidency?

Does President Duterte think we are all stupid? *** The Iwas Putok campaign of the Department of Health is on again. It is aimed at lessening injuries and fatalities on New Year’s Eve. Many cities nationwide

have already designated places for the Dec.31 revelry. But we cannot expect people to stay home and just reflect on the New Year. As a result, government efforts to prevent injuries and deaths have never worked. *** Expectedly, leaders of the Catholic and evangelical churches are opposing President Duterte’s endorsement of same-sex marriages.

Calling the marriage between man and woman passe, the President promised to have the laws amended. The Family Code speaks of the marriage between man and woman for procreation.

It’s surprising that Mr. Duterte made a turnaround—he was against it at the beginning. But he changed his mind to please the LGBT community. He even wants the LGBTs represented in the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.

Note that in the Constitution, it is provided: “The state recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.”

Procreation can only happen between a man and a woman.

This presumes the marriage between man and woman, and not between people of the same sex.

Procreation can only happen between man and woman.

President Duterte said same-sex marriages are the new trend. But does morality change over time? What was moral and immoral in the New

Testament are still moral and immoral, respectively, today. *** It is now clear as day that former President Benigno Aquino III, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad were responsible, accountable and culpable in the Dengvaxia mess.

It is also clear that Aquino met with officials of Sanofi Pasteur not once, but twice. The deal was negotiated months before the 2016 presidential elections.

The lives of 733,000 school children were put in danger. That’s criminal to say the least.

Nothing less than a refund is in order. And, more importantly, those who were responsible should be made accountable!

I say charge these three former officials. *** Something funny is go-

ing on at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Sandra Cam, known as whistleblower and now a member of the PCSO board, has been quoted as saying that she would clean up the agency.She said that the Small-Town Lottery is being managed by gambling lords.

Isn’t that the responsibility of management?

As a mere board member, Cam should only be involved in policy making, not intrude in other matters. *** The testimonies of at least four justices of the Supreme Court virtually ensure the impeachment of Chief Justice Sereno.

The next step would be the transmittal of the complaint to the Senate.

And of course we know that these trials are really a numbers game.

I am convinced Sereno would be convicted and ousted, eventually.

We’re buying more stuff we don’t need

By Mark Whitehouse HERE’S a Grinchian question for the holidays: How much do Americans spend on stuff they don’t really need? A very rough analysis suggests they’re blowing more money on nonessential items than they have in more than 17 years.

Back in the 1950s, the economist John Kenneth Galbraith made a bleak argument about modern capitalism: Advertising can create artificial wants —say, for the latest gadget or skin cream—that spur ever-greater consumption without actually making people better off. As a result, economies can grow without improving the lot of humanity.

Whether or not he’s right—it remains a matter of debate—the idea raises an interesting empirical question: How much of what we consume is related to wants rather than needs?

This isn’t easy to answer using even the most detailed

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feed—can make people feel better. Yet aside from suggesting a self-serving cure (do more stuff on Facebook!), their argument ignores the nature of addiction. Addicts often feel great when they have an ample supply of the desired substance. Consider the 10 million interactions attracted by one of this year’s most viral Facebook posts, a video titled “This Guy Just Sang Whitney Houston Live You’ve Never Heard.” All that engagement might have given people a dopamine boost, but the time would almost certainly have been better spent doing almost anything else, except perhaps heroin.

What really matters isn’t whether Facebook makes people feel good, but whether they’re wasting time on shallow rela-

data on consumer spending, because many categories could go either way.

A car, for example, could be pure transportation or a Ferrari. That said, a number of categories —such as gambling, hairdressers and recreational vehicles—are pretty clearly nonessential.

Following them consistently over time can give at least a sense of trend.

So how are we doing?

In the third quarter of this year, nonessential items (of my own subjective selection 1 ) accounted for almost 18.5 percent of total US consumer spending.

That’s the highest share since June 2000.

Granted, this is no final word. For one, the data are in nominal dollars, so if prices of nonessen-

tial goods have been rising relatively fast, their share of spending could look bigger—even though real consumption hasn’t changed. That might help explain why spending on stuff we don’t need looks so high during the inflationary 1970s. On the other hand, that was also the decade of wide hair, puka shells and pet rocks.

In terms of budget share, though, Americans do appear to be buying more stuff they could do without —albeit still not quite as much as in 1959, just after Galbraith published his influential book “The Affluent Society.” Are we better off? With the Christmas spending spree upon us, it’s something worth considering. Bloomberg

tionships and unproductive pursuits. The social network’s scientists profess to know little about this: “We know that people are concerned about how technology affects our attention spans and relationships, as well as how it affects children in the long run,” Ginsberg and Burke wrote. “We agree these are critically important questions, and we all have a lot more to learn.”

Which means we’re left to make judgments based on personal experience rather than big data.

When I was an active Facebook user, I would get birthday greetings from about 600 people. I wasted hours pasting in “thank you” as I struggled to remember who some of them were. This year, I stopped posting, leaving comments or even clicking “like.”

I closed my timeline, so people could send greetings only by commenting on an old post or sending

me a message. Fewer than 100 people did—still about 90 more than actually cared about my birthday. My life was unchanged. The dozen people who mattered would call or write even if Mark Zuckerberg had never started Facebook.

A few months ago, I largely stopped arguing with people on Twitter (though there have been a couple of relapses, which I deeply regret). Instead, I suggested that people drop me an email so we could really hash things out.

Hardly anyone did. People didn’t really want to interact, to have a substantive discussion. Most just wanted to feel good about themselves at my expense.

Twitter makes that easy; true human interaction is harder.

These examples explain why I’m done with the social networks, except for some light work-related use. When I scroll through my feeds for a strictly lim-

ited time, I think of myself as a plainclothes cop cautiously sipping a beer in a joint full of drunks. Images like that are helpful in kicking my addiction.

What, then, should France do? They’re considering requiring parental approval for kids under the age of 16 to open a socialnetwork or messenger account, but that won’t work too well: Teens would hate it and the networks would be complicit. Regulators probably can’t address addictive software as they have, say, tobacco. Users will have to kick their own habits and prevent their kids from developing similar ones.

Kids under the age of 8 spend almost half their screen time—more than an hour a day—on mobile devices, according to the nonprofit group Common Sense Media. The poorer their family, the more time they waste playing games and watching YouTube

videos on a tablet or handme-down phone. It’s easy to imagine how this happens: Struggling parents have less time to devote to their kids, and they’ll take any opportunity to keep them quiet. Few consider that they’re administering a “gateway drug” that’ll likely set off a social media addiction.

Adults can reclaim their lives by getting off social networks, turning off all notifications and perhaps installing an app that limits screen time—but not by throwing away the phone, which can still be useful in myriad ways. The same applies to kids. By all means, give them a phone—they’ll end up owning one sooner or later, anyway. But determine which apps can be on it and lock access to the rest. Even trying to hack your defenses will be a more productive pastime than watching dumb videos and sending emoji back and forth. Bloomberg

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rocket missiles over Japan. Kim has also threatened to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles as far as the US West Coast. How long will US President Donald

Trump tolerate this threat before he orders a preemptive strike on Pyongyang? Missile-equipped US aircraft carriers are already deployed near the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea. All the US Seventh Fleet is waiting for is the order from Trump to fire those

rockets into the heart of North Korea’s population centers.

While the Philippines no longer hosts US bases in the country, we could still be targeted by North Korea as American allies for holding war exercises with US troops.

*** Erratum: In last Friday’s column, I inadvertently mistyped that “the Senate will forward to the House the articles of impeachment against CJ Sereno. What was I thinking? Of course it should have been “the House to the Senate.”

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News

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PAL flies Manila-Toronto nonstop

By Joel E. Zurbano

F

LAG carrier Philippine Airlines has launched its first ultra-long nonstop flight from Toronto, Canada to Manila, the first-ever crossing of the North Pole region by a Filipino airline.

PAL flight PR119 took off from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport at 12:53 a.m. local time Dec. 17, arriving Manila the next day at 6:10 a.m. after a 16-hour journey across the Arctic Region.

PAL spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said the historic flight was led by airline Vice President for flight operations Captain Florendo Jose Aquino III, together with Captain Raymond Casambre, First Officer

Paul Domingo, and Second Officer Jhonathanne Hizon.

The state-of-the-art 370-seater Boeing 777-300ER with registry number RP-C7779 flew 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 kilometers) and traveled over Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Circle, Russia, Mongolia and parts of China. The flight was conducted at cruising altitudes ranging from 29,000 to 37,000 feet.

“This was the first nonstop

direct flight from Toronto to Manila over the polar region.

Kudos to the PAL team which made this flight a reality and most importantly, congratulations to our PAL flight deck crew under the leadership of Capt. Chuck [Aquino]. You make us proud,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista proudly said.

PAL decided to shift to direct nonstop service via the polar route to cut down the total

traveling time between Toronto and Manila.

The carrier used to operate flights between the two points with a stopover in Vancouver, a longer routing that resulted in a combined flying and ground time of 21 hours. This new route cuts traveling time by 4.5 hours, a saving that translates to greater convenience for passengers.

PAL will operate these nonstop Manila-Toronto

and Toronto-Manila flights regularly, four times weekly, with departures from Manila every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and departures from Toronto every Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

At present, the long-range B777 is the fleet for the polar route. The ultra-long-range Airbus A350s, which will be delivered starting 2018, will also serve the route.

DoH chief DoT woos Koreans with BHAF campaign warns vs

By Bill Casas

QUEEN’S PARADE. Newly crowned Miss Tourism International 2017 Jannie Loudette V. Alipo-on (right) waves to wellwishers as Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco (left) leads a motorcade to celebrate the native Navoteña’s victory in the recent beauty pageant, besting entries from 47 countries. Andrew Rabulan

AROUND 250 overseas Filipino workers gathered at the Lotte Hotel for the official launching of the Department of Tourism’s Bring Home a Friend campaign in Seoul, South Korea last Sunday.

Present during the event were Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Undersecretary Katherine de Castro, Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul Hernandez, Tourism Attache Maria Corazon Jorda-Apo, travel and tour executives, representatives from the Korean government, and Korean journalists.

Teo encouraged the Filipino participants to actively take part in tourism promotions, particularly as BHAF sponsors to create greater interest in and travel to the Philippines.

“Umuwi na kayo (come home) and please bring your Korean friends with you,” she said.

The tourism chief also thanked the Korean travel market for being the Philippines’ top market for tourists since 2016.

“This campaign is our way of saying to the growing Korean tourist market, now counting to over 1.3 million—that our country will always be their sec-

ond home,” said Teo. The distinct yet proximate geographic locations, as well as the rich biodiversity have proven to be the Philippines’ biggest advantage, the tourism chief. But probably the most important factor that guarantees every Korean’s repeat visit is the warm Filipino hospitality, she added.

“We have all the reasons to be proud hosts. In fact, world leading travel magazines have consistently named our islands—Boracay, Palawan and Cebu— as among the world’s most beautiful islands,” said De Castro.

Seong Heiu Pyeon, an editor of a Korean magazine, said he already asked his Filipino friends to register him as a BHAF invitee.

“A lot of Koreans are traveling to the Philippines and other than the country’s beautiful beaches, I see this as an opportunity to establish a relationship between Korea and the Philippines.

See you Philippines, I will definitely book my flight now,” Seong said.

From January to October of 2017, a total of 1,332,141 Koreans visited the Philippines, accounting for 24.33 percent of total arrivals.

Bill to create professional board of food technology hurdles House

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives has readied for Senate action a bill that seeks to develop and nurture competent, ethical and globally competitive professional food technologists through the creation of the Professional Regulatory Board of Food Technology.

This came after the House approved on third and final reading House Bill 6714, the “Philippine

Food Technology Act,” authored

by Reps. Karlo Alexie Nograles of Davao City and Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list.

In filing the bill, Nograles and Alejano note the State’s policy to recognize the importance of professional food technologists in nationbuilding and development.

“Hence, it shall develop and nurture competent, virtuous, productive, and well-rounded professional food technologists whose

standards of practice and service shall be excellent, world-class, and globally competitive through honest, effective, relevant, and credible licensure examinations and through regulatory programs, measures, and activities that foster their professional growth, social responsibility and development,” the authors said.

The bill provides for the teaching, lecturing and reviewing of a professional subject in the curriculum of

the Bachelor of Science in Food Technology degree, or subject in the food technology licensure examination given in any college, university, or training or review center, or any other educational institution or certification body.

It proposes the creation of the Professional Regulatory Board of Food Technology, which shall be under the administrative supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission and shall be composed of a

chairman and two members who will be appointed by the President.

Under the measure, the PRFBT will promulgate and enforce rules and regulations necessary to supervise the practice of food technology in the Philippines. It would also adopt a program for full computerization of a licensure examination on the subject, as well as come up with a Code of Ethics and a Code of Technical Standards for the practice of food technology.

holiday injuries

By Macon RamosAraneta HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday exhorted the public to be responsible citizens and do their part in the campaign to prevent injuries, especially among children, during Christmas and in welcoming the new year.

Duque called on all parents to be watchful and ensure their children do not use exploding firecrackers such as “piccolo” and “kwitis” (small rockets) all throughout the season.

He reminded them to carefully guide their children during the New Year festivities, and prevent a trip to the emergency room.

He suggested that families could join community fireworks displays instead of using fireworks themselves.

Duque stressed that the Department of Health is earnestly reminding everyone to prioritize safety, as “we celebrate the merriest time of the year by not using harmful explosives.”

“Let us join the community fireworks display with our family and friends instead of risking our lives and limbs,” he said.

Duque and other health officials on Monday inspected the Rizal Memorial Medical Center and other hospitals to check if these facilities were prepared to receive and treat firecracker injuries.

It was reported that these hospitals have stocked up on anti-tetanus medicines and firecracker-injury basics, such as raw eggs. Care packs with medical supplies, which firecracker victims can use to treat wounds at home, had also been prepared.

BI deports 47 Sokor fugitives

DFA, rank and file workers sign pact

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

By Vito Barcelo

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the signing of the collective negotiation agreement between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the DFA Rank and File Association, saying this is expected to boost not just the morale but also the productivity of the agency’s personnel.

“The signing is an historic event, since it took the DFA almost 20 years to finally be able to enter into a collective negotiation agreement with a recognized employees’ union,” Cayetano said after he signed the document with DFARFA president Dominic Macaraig.

“It also symbolizes the Department’s commitment to promote responsive management and its recognition of responsible public sector unionism as key partners to effective governance,” he added.

Cayetano said the agreement recognizes the DFARFA as the sole and exclusive negotiating agent of the department’s rank-and-file employees with respect to the terms and conditions of employment not fixed by law.

The salient provisions of the agreement include the joint commitment to push for the full implementation of Section 38 of Republic Act 7157 to consider Manila a separate post and the grant of CNA incentive in the amount to be determined by the OrganizationManagement Consultative Committee to be created upon implementation of the CNA.

THE Bureau of Immigration has deported 47 South Korean fugitives wanted for various crimes in their homeland.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the fugitives were turned over to Korean police authorities upon their arrival at the international airport in Incheon.

He said that 45 deportees were flown aboard a Jeju Air flight from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, while the two others, who were arrested in Cebu, departed from Mactan on the same day.

“All of them were expelled pursuant to deportation orders issued by our board of commissioners and they were all placed in our blacklist of undesirable aliens to prevent them from re-entering the Philippines,” Morente said.

The deportation orders was arranged in line with the BI’s efforts to decongest its detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Morente added that some of the deportees have been “overstaying” in their cells even if there were no more legal impediments to their deportation.

“We have secured the necessary clearances to make sure that they have no pending civil and criminal cases before our courts,” the BI chief said.

FELLOWSHIP NIGHT. Philippine Constitution Association president and former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez (second from

left) stands beside his mother, Mrs. Juliette Gomez-Romualdez, as they are flanked by Philconsa vice president for Finance Dr. James Dy (left) and Chinese General Hospital director Robert Yan (right) during the Philconsa Christmas fellowship night at the Manila Golf and Country Club. Ver Noveno

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Manila

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TODAY

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Diddy wants to be 1st black team owner Gatlin faces new doping investigation LONDON—World 100-metres champion Justin Gatlin, twice suspended for doping, could face another scandal after The Daily Telegraph reported Monday that members of his entourage offered to sell undercover reporters performance-enhancing drugs.

The 35-year-old American sprint star has sacked coach Dennis Mitchell, according to the report, which revealed Mitchell and athletics agent Robert Wagner offered to provide false prescriptions for banned performanceenhancing substances and smuggle those drugs into the United States.

The Telegraph said investigations into the actions of those connected to Gatlin are being investigated by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), set up this year by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the US AntiDoping Agency (USADA).

“Investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers play a critical role in antidoping efforts,” an unnamed USADA spokesman told the newspaper.

“We are presently coordinating with the Athletics Integrity Unit in order to investigate these claims fully.”

IAAF president Sebastian Coe, who said Gatlin’s win over Jamaican legend Usain Bolt last August at London in the world 100m final was not good for the sport, told the newspaper the claims were very serious.

“These allegations are extremely serious and I know the independent Athletics Integrity Unit will investigate in accordance with its mandate,” Coe said.

That came even as the 2017 world champion had legal advisers release five years of official drugs tests that showed he was clean.

Gatlin was banned for doping in 2001 for one year and in 2006 for four years.

Gatlin’s longtime agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, told the newspaper that Wagner had represented Gatlin only two to three times and that Gatlin was not present when banned substances were discussed with Mitchell or Wagner. AFP

Anti-doping group urges Team Sky to ban Froome PARIS—The movement for clean cycling MPCC implored Team Sky on Monday to suspend Tour de France winner Chris Froome over his adverse doping test.

Last week Froome and Sky revealed the 32-yearold had tested for elevated levels of the asthma medication salbutamol during the Vuelta a Espana, which he won for the first time, in September.

Although salbutamol is permitted in certain doses, Froome gave a urine reading of twice the allowed limit.

However, as the medication can be taken legally, four-time Tour winner Froome was not suspended by cycling’s governing body the UCI but merely asked to explain the elevated reading.

Sky are not one of the 43 World Tour and Continental Pro teams (the top two levels in cycling) signed up voluntarily to the MPCC. According to MPCC rules, signatory teams must immediately suspend a rider who has returned a positive doping test. AFP

N

EW YORK—With racial tensions casting a pall over American football, rap mogul Diddy wants to buy the Carolina Panthers and become the first African American owner of an NFL team.

The New York rapper, estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $820 million, voiced his interest as Panthers owner and founder Jerry Richardson stepped down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.

“I would like to buy the @Panthers. Spread the word,” tweeted Diddy, who is also known as Puff Daddy and whose real name is

Sean Combs.

“There are no majority African American NFL owners. Let’s make history,” he wrote.

After Diddy’s initial tweets late Sunday, two African American sporting stars said they wanted to join his bid—Colin Kaepernick and Steph Curry.

Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers,

began a movement of players kneeling rather than holding their hearts during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality and other racial injustices in the United States.

Kaepernick no longer has a job—retaliation, his supporters say, for his outspoken politics— and President Donald Trump has seized on the issue, demanding that owners punish athletes who do not stand for the anthem.

Amid Trump’s attacks on the athletes, Curry, a history-making shooter for the Golden State Warriors, said he would not want to visit the White House

with his NBA championshipwinning team.

While more than two-thirds of players in the National Football League are black, only one team has an owner who is an ethnic minority—the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are owned

by Pakistani-born tycoon Shahid Khan.

Only one team in all of professional sports has a black owner —the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, whose controling interest is held by basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Still, Diddy would face forbidding odds to buy the Panthers.

The move would need approval from other NFL owners, some of whom might be loath to a deal that gives a role to Kaepernick.

The hard-living Diddy has also had his own share of controversy, including his arrest on weapons charges after a 1999 shooting at a New York club, although he was acquitted.

Diddy, 48, was ranked the world’s top-paid celebrity on the last Forbes list in June, raking in $130 million in the previous year.

Outside of music, his business empire includes fashion lines and a stake in French-made Ciroc vodka. AFP

Pats clinch division with wild triumph

EXHIBITION GAME. Brotherhood Basketball League founding president Erick Kirong and son Sergio Arnel Erick are shown with All-Star players [amateurs, commercial and ex-pros] before the kickoff ceremony of Hobe-Macway Brotherhood ‘1st Sergio V. Kirong Cup’ Basketball Exhibition game Monday night at the Trinity University of Asia Gym in Quezon City. Ex-pros Bong Hawkins, Sunday Salvacion, Larry Rodriguez, Braulio Lim and Dennis Lim graced the goodwill cage event. DS

Chinese footballers polish skills in Brazil

PORTO BELIZ, Brazil—Arriving in Brazil, Chinese footballer Long Yushuo took on the more easily pronounced name Thomas, but it’s the locals’ skills with the ball that he’s really hoping to adopt.

Thomas, 16, is one of a squad of youth players from Chinese team Shandong Luneng dispatched to polish their game at Desportivo Brasil club in Porto Feliz, near Sao Paulo, which Shandong bought in 2014.

The idea is that the 22,400-mile (36,000-kilometer) round trip will enable these youngsters to bring back something that all the money and desire in China’s burgeoning football scene cannot otherwise get—Brazilian footballing magic.

When Thomas and another 22 players from the under-16 side arrived from Jinan, capital of Shandong province, in April, they knew little of Brazil.

Along with football practice, they study Portuguese in the quiet town of 50,000 people. But Thomas, who picked his name in honor of Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller, is clear about what his principal lesson has been in Porto Feliz.

“Technique,” he said, alongside his teammates, who all wore Shandong’s orange strip.

China may not have much footballing pedigree but, encouraged by President Xi Jinping and lavish spending, it is working to catch up quickly.

Luneng, a subsidiary of the chief national electricity company, is one of the big investors in the expansion plan, which has made China the world’s fifth biggest transfer market in 2016. Of all the foreign imports to the Super League, the 21 Brazilian players comprise the biggest contingent.

The national team, though, has yet to see much benefit. China lags in 60th place in FIFA rankings and did not qualify for next year’s World Cup. AFP

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

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

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR THE CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE CONDUCT OF FEASIBILITY STUDIES AND FORMULATION OF MASTER PLANS AT SELECTED PORTS The Philippine Ports Authority, through its Corporate Budget for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of P23,019,568.39 Pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Consultancy Services for the Conduct of Feasibility Studies and Formulation of Master Plans at Selected Ports (HO-BAC-EPCON 003-2017), which shall cover the following ports: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Aparri Port, Cagayan Salomague Port, Cabugao, Ilocos Norte Ozamiz Port, Misamis Occidental (new port site) Calapan Port, Oriental Mindoro (alternate port) Tagbilaran Port, Bohol Ormoc Port, Leyte Puerto Princesa Port, Palawan Tacloban Port, Leyte Iligan Port, Lanao del Norte Capinpin Port (Orion), Bataan

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

The Philippine Ports Authority now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the Conduct of Feasibility Studies and Formulation of Master Plans for Selected Ports, which includes, but shall not be limited to the following: A. Previous Studies and Investigations B. Existing Conditions and Demand C. Proposed Development and Operation D. Economic Evaluation E. Financial Evaluation F. Initial Environmental Examination G. Terms of Reference for Detailed Engineering. Eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat on or before 04 January 2018 at 1:00 p.m., at the BAC Office, 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila.

Opening of Eligibility Documents is on 04 January 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Ports Authority’s Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by shortlisted Bidders on 05 January 2018 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of P25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184) otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act,” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of not more than FIVE (5) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: 1.

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

2.

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

3. Current workload relative to capacity.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

The Philippine Ports Authority shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation (QCBE) procedure. The weight to be allocated for the Technical Proposal is 80% while for the Financial Proposal, the weight is 20%. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

The contract shall be completed within NINE (9) MONTHS. The Philippine Ports Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of R.A. 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

P0 M+ P0 M

BAC Secretariat, Philippine Ports Authority 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila Telephone/Fax No. 527-47-35 527-83-56 loc. 539

US media reported that Brown would miss the rest of the regular season but might be available for the playoffs.

And in a final heartbreaker for the Steelers, a 10-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Jesse James, which would have given Pittsburgh the lead, was overturned on review with less than 30 seconds remaining, as officials judged that the leaping James had not completed the catch.

Roethlisberger scrambled to give Pittsburgh two more chances to win, but his final pass was intercepted by New England’s Duron Harmon with five seconds to play. AFP

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

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF TECHNICAL SERVICES FOR THE CONDUCT OF SOIL INVESTIGATION AT SELECTED PORTS (PACKAGE 8) The Philippine Ports Authority, through its Corporate Budget for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of P35,430,003.89 Pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Technical Services for the Conduct of Soil Investigation at Selected Ports (Package 8) (HO-BAC-EP-CON 004-2017), which shall cover the following ports: LUZON VISAYAS 1. Basco, Batanes 1. Estancia, Iloilo 2. Currimao, Ilocos Norte 2. Tagbilaran City, Bohol 3. San Juan, Batangas 3. Ubay, Bohol 4. Talaga, Mabini, Batangas 4. Maasin, Southern Leyte 5. Cawit, Boac, Marinduque 5. Siquijor, Siquijor 6. Mauban, Quezon 7. Legazpi City, Albay MINDANAO 8. San Andres, Catanduanes 9. Virac, Catanduanes 1. Benoni, Mahinog, Camiguin 10. Pandan (Cobo), Catanduanes 2. Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte 11. Esperanza, Masbate 3. Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte 12. Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro 4. Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte 13. Lubang, Occidental Mindoro 5. Doña Helene, Socorro, Surigao del Norte 14. Coron, Palawan 6. Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte 15. Borac, Coron, Palawan 16. San Fernando, El Nido, Palawan Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

The Philippine Ports Authority now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the drilling of and testing of soil samples from ninety two (92) boreholes, of which seventy four (74) shall be drilled offshore each to a depth of about 50 meters below seabed and eighteen (18) shall be drilled inland to a depth of 30 meters below existing ground line maximum for each borehole, respectively and/or there is 5 consecutive SPT N values of at least 50 blows but with less than 1 foot (30 cm.) of soil penetration recorded during two (2)- successive 15 cm. penetrations of the Split-Spoon Sampler or 4.5 meters coring into bedrock, whichever comes first. Eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat on or before 04 January 2018 at 1:00 p.m., at the BAC Office, 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila. Opening of Eligibility Documents is on 04 January 2018 at 3:00 p.m. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Ports Authority’s Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by shortlisted Bidders on 05 January 2018 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of P25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184) otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act,” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of not more than FIVE (5) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: 1. Applicable experience of the consultant and members in case of joint ventures, considering both the overall experiences of the firm or, in the case of new firms, the individual experiences of the principal and key staff, including the times when employed by other consultants; 2. Qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-à-vis extent and complexity of the undertaking; and 3. Current workload relative to capacity.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

The Philippine Ports Authority shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation (QCBE) procedure. The weight to be allocated for the Technical Proposal is 80% while for the Financial Proposal, the weight is 20%. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

The contract shall be completed within EIGHT (8) MONTHS. The Philippine Ports Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of R.A. 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat, Philippine Ports Authority 5th Floor, PPA Building, A. Bonifacio Drive, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila Telephone/Fax No. 527-47-35 527-83-56 loc. 539 PPA Website: www.ppa.com.ph • Cost of Eligibility Documents : P 1,000.00

PPA Website: www.ppa.com.ph •

LOS ANGELES—Tom Brady piloted Super Bowl champions New England to the winning touchdown with 56 seconds left Sunday as the Patriots clinched the AFC East with a gutwrenching 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On a day when the puzzle pieces of the NFL playoffs were dropping into place, the Patriots thwarted Pittsburgh’s bid to clinch a first-round bye and potentially homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

Making matters worse, the Steelers’ star receiver Antonio Brown was transported to hospital for examination and treatment of a calf injury suffered in the first half. The

Cost of Eligibility Documents: P 1,000.00

ADRIAN FERDINAND S. SUGAY Chairperson, PPA Head Office Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects

ADRIAN FERDINAND S. SUGAY Chairperson, PPA Head Office Bids and Awards Committee for Engineering Projects M. Standard – Dec. 20, 2017

M. Standard – Dec. 20, 2017

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

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

A8

Superal wrests 1-stroke lead with 1-under 66

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

Princess Superal hacks her approach shot on No. 4

All eyes on NLEX, Magnolia

By Jeric Lopez

FOUR more teams plunge to action in the 2017-18 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup, which heads to the San Juan Arena today.

Rising NLEX faces Kia in the initial offering at 4:15 p.m., while the rivalry of Magnolia and Alaska resumes at 7 p.m. in the main event.

All four debuting

PSC to probe alleged cut in karatekas’ allowances

By Peter Atencio

A LETTER of complaint alleging that the Philippine national karatedo team received only a fraction of their training allowances is now in the hands of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said PSC Chairman William Ramirez and Executive Director Sanna Privaldo are now looking into the allegations forwarded by team skipper Eugene Stoner Dagohoy.

Dagohoy claimed that members of the national squad went to Germany before the 2017 Southeast Asian Games for training.

Officials of the Philippine Karatedo Federation reportedly made them sign for only $400 of the allotted $1,800 for each of the 14 members of the national squad.

PKF secretary general Raymund Lee-Reyes led the delegation that went to the camp from July 20 to Aug. 9.

The PSC released around P3.217 million for the seminars and tournaments joined by the team, plus accommodations, meals and allowances, among others.

Before the trip, each athlete allegedly got $200, and another $200 after Lee-Reyes arrived in Germany.

The agency has coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation in looking into the matter.

PKF president Joey Romasanta said he is welcoming the PSC’s probe into the allegations.

“I’m looking forward to be one with the PSC to have this effectively clarified for the sake of the athletes,” said Romasanta.

teams want to follow the footsteps of defending champion San Miguel Beer, which was the first to enlist a win in its opening assignment last Sunday.

The Road Warriors will be heavily favored against the Picanto as their upgraded line-up produces intrigue.

No. 2 overall pick Kiefer Ravena will finally make his pro debut after reigning supreme in the amateur ranks for the longest time. He will team up with Kevin Alas, Alex Mallari, Cyrus Baguio and Larry Fonacier as they are expected to lead NLEX’s charge.

NLEX, recently relaunched with a new team logo, is looking to pick up where it left off and improve on a satisfactory performance in the Governors’ Cup last season.

“We continue to focus on what we

can do better as a team to continue our improvement,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao.

With the addition of Ravena and the continued rise of backcourt generals Alas and Mallari, the Road Warriors are expected to be an even more dangerous team as they look to get over the hump this coming season and be recognized as a contender.

After abysmal performances in the first two conferences last season, NLEX bounced back strong in the third conference and held the tournament lead for some parts before settling for a fifthplace finish.

All eyes are also on Magnolia, which used to be Star.

The Hotshots will continue to lean on Paul Lee, Mark Pingris, Ian Sanggalang, Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon, while on the other hand, the Aces will present a retooled roster.

While Calvin Abueva and Vic Manuel are still the focal points on both end of the floor, the Aces got some pieces that they might need for an upgrade.

Alaska will unleash promising rookies Jeron Teng and Davon Potts for more help while still expecting production from the likes of Jayvee Casio, Simon Enciso and Sonny Thoss.

Globalport Spurs complete title sweep of PGBL GLOBALPORT Spurs hooked erstwhile titlists Rain or Shine Tiger Scribes in the one-game championship, 8062 to cap an epic sweep of the 4th Pakitang Basketball League Willie Cabales Cup at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Monday night.

Winners of the inaugural season, the Spurs (7-0) reclaimed the throne in dominating fashion to become the first undefeated titlist and two-time champion of the league among sports scribes

and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Anchored by Aldo Aviñante, Paolo Poblador and Jerome Lagunzad, Globalport drowned Rain or Shine with a flurry of transition baskets right from the get go to pull away with an early 17-7 lead.

Since then, Globalport didn’t let go of the driver’s seat the rest of the way, even coasting to as many as a 24

point-spread early in the final canto en route to a clean voyage to the ‘Promised Land’.

Like a man on a mission, Aviñante poured 17 of his 29 points in the opening quarter alone to go along with four rebounds which earned him this year’s Finals Most Valuable Player plum.

Meanwhile, Christian Jacinto stuffed the stat sheet anew with 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven dimes as the Best Center Pioneers clipped Dymons, 51-47 to sal-

vage third place.

Steals’ leader and Rookie Arnold Cagang was also instrumental for the Pioneers with 23 points, four assist and three steals.

For his impressive allaround showing the whole season, league’s top shot blocker Jacinto was also named the Season MVP after averaging 19.3 points, 15.5 rebs, 5.0 asts, 1.5 stls, 2.8 blks.

Christian Cortez had 15 points and 11 rebounds while Jonas Terrado added 11 mark-

ers and 9 boards in a losing cause for the winless Dymons.

Best Center’s Jacinto was joined by his team mate Cagang, TigerScribes’ Tupas and Dela Paz alongside Spurs’ Lagunzad in the Mythical First Team.

PGBL also feted Poblador and Aviñante and Bryan Ulanday of Spurs, Reuben Terrado of Best Center and Karlo Sacamos of TigerScribes as the Season 4’s Mythical Second Team.

Johnson: There will never be another Kobe Bryant LOS ANGELES—Fivetime NBA champion Kobe Bryant was hailed as the “greatest” Los Angeles Laker of all Monday by fellow legend Magic Johnson in a ceremony to retire Bryant’s jersey numbers.

The tribute came at half-time of the Lakers’ Staples Center matchup against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, with Bryant’s Numbers 8 and 24 joining other inspirational Laker icons from the team’s 70-year history.

“We’re here to celebrate the greatest to ever wear the purple and gold. He made us rub our eyes and wonder what did we just

see,” said Johnson, now Lakers president of basketball operations.

“There will never, ever be another Kobe Bryant.”

Bryant played 10 seasons in each retired number, winning three titles in the single-digit uniform top and two in the higher number jersey.

“Thank you so much for tonight,” Bryant told the crowd, which chanted his name while giving him a standing ovation.

“It’s not about my jerseys that are hanging up there for me. It’s about the jerseys that were hanging up there before.”

Many of the team’s

LOS ANGELES—Terry Rozier’s steal and layup with 1.2 seconds remaining Monday gave Boston a 112-111 NBA victory over the Indiana Pacers after the Celtics squandered a 19-point lead.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points while Al Horford scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed off nine assists.

Jayson Tatum contributed 16

past legends were on hand to welcome Bryant, who retired after the 2015-16 campaign as an 18-time All-Star, a 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and twotime NBA Finals MVP, two-time NBA scoring champion and two-time Olympic champion.

Bryant, 39, said fans inspired him to put in the work every day that became his trademark over two decades with the Lakers, an unprecedented feat.

“Those times are the dream,” Bryant said.

“It’s not the destination.

It’s the journey. If you accomplish that, your dreams won’t come true —something greater will.” AFP

Kobe Bryant poses with his family at halftime after both his #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Rozier’s steal, layup lift Celtics past Pacers

points and Marcus Smart added 15 and the Celtics made their first 10 shots and improved the best record in the Eastern Conference to 26-7.

“That was one hell of a of a game to be a part of,” Irving said.

Victor Oladipo led the Pacers (17-14) with 38 points, 30 in the second half. His 3-pointer and layup on back-to-back possessions

gave Indiana a five-point edge with 31 seconds to play.

An Irving 3-pointer pulled Boston within 110-109 with nine seconds remaining. Rozier followed by intercepting a Bojan Bogdanovic pass intended for Oladipo and raced the opposite way for the winning layup.

“It’s a tough, tough loss,” Oladipo said. “We gave our-

selves a chance to win and we competed with the best team in the Eastern Conference. We can be that good. We just have to keep on getting better.”

Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points on 16-of-28 shooting from the floor and sank the winning free throw after being fouled later in the host Thunder’s 95-94

SILANG, Cavite – Princess Superal missed capping a fiery windup with a final hole bogey as she settled for a one-under 66 and a one-stroke lead over Thai Chonlada Chayanun and amateur Samantha Dizon at the start of the ICTSI South Forbes Ladies Invitational at the South Forbes Golf Club yesterday.

Superal birdied the first two holes then came out of a roller-coaster stint of three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey with back-toback birdies from No. 16.

But the Symetra Tour campaigner missed going 2-up with a flubbed par-putt from six feet on the par-4 18th, enabling Chayanun and Dizon and the rest of the fancied bets to stay within striking distance of the former US Girls’ Junior champion in the P750,000 championship sponsored by ICTSI held for the first time here.

“I didn’t expect to lead since I’m still adjusting to the speed of the greens,” said Superal, who used to dominate the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour as an amateur and pro before moving to the Symetra Tour. “But I think I’m hitting my irons better than the last time (at the Philippine Ladies Masters).”

Like Superal and majority of the early contenders, Chayanun and Dizon fell prey on the tough finishing hole with undulating surface, ending up with bogeys for joint second at 67.

The Thai had earlier birdied Nos. 14 and 17 while Dizon also birdied the par-3 17th to stay in contention in the 54-hole tournament serving as the final leg of a record 11-stage circuit organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Dizon, one of the new members of Team The Country Club, made quite an impression in the early going when she fought back from a triple bogey on the par-5 No. 1 and a bogey on No. 3 with five birdies to round out the frontside, including four straight from No. 4.

But after drilling another birdie on No. 11 to seize the lead at two-under, she stumbled with back-to-back bogeys from No. 12 and slipped to joint second with Chayanun with a birdie-bogey finish.

Chayanun, seeking to better her joint runner-up finish at the Philippine Ladies Masters at TCC two weeks ago, matched Superal and Dizon’s 32 start but reeled back with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 13 before bouncing back with two late birdies.

Former three-time Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner Cyna Rodriguez and recent Forest Hills leg champion Chihiro Ikeda also bogeyed No. 18 and wound up with 69s for joint fourth while LPGA and Symetra Tour veteran Dottie Ardina birdied the last hole to salvage a three-over 70 in a tie with Thai Yupaporn Kawinpakorn and Marvi Monsalve.

Pauline del Rosario, winner of four of the last seven legs of the LPGT, failed to get going, making the turn with a birdie-less seven-over card then battling to an even 34 at the back for a 74, eight strokes off Superal in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf.

victory over Denver.

The league-leading Houston Rockets stretched their win streak to 14 games with a 120-99 rout of visiting Utah as Eric Gordon scored 33 points, making a careerhigh seven 3-pointers, and James Harden added 26 points, six rebounds and six assists with Chris Paul contributing 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. AFP

Manila Water to operate in Cavite economic zone B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

B1

San Miguel expects P927-b sales

By Alena Mae S. Flores

IN BRIEF

C

ONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. expects revenues to climb 14 percent in 2018 to P927 billion from the projected sales of P815 billion this year, a source said Tuesday.

Marsch UK questioned at insurance body

THE Insurance Commission met with representatives of global reinsurer Marsh UK and leading Filipino insurance company Prudential Life and Assurance to discuss the ongoing complaint against Marsh UK for alleged regulatory violations. The practice of using Filipino “fronting insurers” in order to do business in the Philippines was reviewed.

For the insurance needs of a leading airline, Marsh appointed Pioneer Insurance as its “fronting insurer,” while assuming all the insurance risks and liabilities.

Under Section 100 of the Amended Insurance Code, however, a reinsurance broker may only tender brokerage services to an insurer, and cannot tender insurance brokerage services nor insurance services directly to a client.

Moreover, the same section states that the original insured would have no cause of action to recover insurance proceeds from the reinsurer.

PGA legal counsel Jose Bernas noted that apart from violating Section 100 of the insurance code, it constituted a clear case of doing business in the Philippines without a license.

“We believe that Marsh is operating illegally in the Philippines, and the IC should do something about in order to protect the industry and to assure that the insured will be protected,” Bernas said.

Under the guidance of IC hearing officer Brian Sibuyan, a mediation meeting was set between the two parties.

Villar Group expanding retail business

BUSINESSMAN Manuel Villar is expanding his retail business with the opening of retail brands All Home, All Day, Coffee Project and Bake my Day in Global South complex in Las Piñas City.

Villar, chairman of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., said in an interview the company was accelerating the development of retail business not only to take advantage of the significant growth in the domestic economy but also to enhance the development within its mixed-use projects.

“As millennial families grow, they begin to look for bigger homes outside the hustle and bustle of central business districts,” Villar said.

Villar said the group was also adopting a strategy to open various brands in one location as this would fast track the expansion of the retail business.

All four retail brands are located within the 20,000-squaremeter Global South complex being developed by the Villar group.

All Home Las Piñas is the 17th outlet since the company started in 2013 while All Day Supermarket is the 12th store.

Villar the said group planned to have 28 All Home stores and 26 All Day outlets by 2018.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Japan firm keeps PH debt rating

JAPANESE credit rating agency R&I affirmed the Philippines’ ‘BBB’ or investment grade rating with a stable outlook as it expects the economy to post solid growth this year, driven by aggressive infrastructure investment under the Duterte administration.

The latest development came a week after global debt watcher Fitch Ratings raised the country’s credit score by a notch to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB’, or the medium investment grade.

R&I said the anticipated widening of the fiscal deficit and another current account deficit would unlikely be a major disturbing factor for the growth of the economy.

“The financial system remains stable. In light of these circumstances, R&I has affirmed the foreign currency issuer rating at BBB. The rating outlook is stable, because at present there are few factors that will exert downward pressure on the sovereign’s creditworthiness,” it said.

“R&I will keep an eye on whether solid economic growth will bring about a steady rise in income levels. Going forward, given likely inflation pressure from tax reforms, higher oil prices and the weaker currency, as well as from buoyant domestic demand, consumer price trends and the way the central bank controls the situation would draw our attention,” it said.

Julito G. Rada

TELEPERFORMANCE-ADAMSON PARTNERSHIP. Teleperformance, a global leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management services, signs a memorandum of agreement with Adamson University, a private and Catholic university in Manila, to formally unify the efforts of both organizations in promoting business process outsourcing career opportunities for Adamson University students. Signing the agreement are (from left) Teleperformance marketing manager Rodolfo Tan, Teleperformance senior director for communications and marketing Marilyn Ventenilla, Adamson University president Fr. Marcelo Manimtim and Adamson University guidance director Richmond Yap.

Meralco ventures into electric vehicle operation MANILA Electric Co. said Tuesday its board approved the creation of a whollyowned subsidiary to engage in the operation of electric vehicles and charging stations.

Meralco said in a disclosure the subsidiary would “engage in the business of owning, maintaining and operating transport service networks of charging stations, batteries and vehicles utilizing electric energy and other alternative energy sources.”

“Part of our support to create an ecosystem in EV. We see opportunity in the development of e-vehicles

moving forward. At the same time, it’s pro- environment,” Meralco first vice president and head of legal and corporate governance William Pamintuan said.

Pamintuan said that by investing in e-vehicles, Meralco would help reduce the country’s carbon emissions.

“It is a way towards the effort to reduce carbon emission. We also see it as an opportunity since it will also create a market of power users hoping to increase demand of electricity,” he said.

Pamintuan said Meralco would likely forge partnerships for the e-vehicle and

charging stations later on, but the project was still on development stage.

“As more people adopt EV, we are hoping demand will increase exponentially.

It will initially be Meralco franchise area. We will put up charging stations, EV, provide EV public shuttles,” he said.

Meralco teamed up with Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and the government to put up electric vehicle charging stations in four locations.

“Aligned with the company’s goal of pioneering innovative energy solutions, Meralco supports

sustainability in transportation via the company’s initiatives in helping create an effective and viable electric vehicle ecosystem. We have actually partnered with several customers from the government, academe and business sectors who have ventured into this greener path, with collaborations on EV charging stations development,” Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said earlier.

Meralco, Mitsubishi and the Trade and Environment Departments earlier agreed to construct four electric vehicle charging stations.

Alena Mae S. Flores

“All of San Miguel’s subsidiaries are performing well, namely Purefoods, Ginebra, Petron, even power,” the source said.

The source said San Miguel’s financial performance would continue to improve next year as income from operations was expected to grow 18 percent to P125 billion from the forecasted P106 billion in 2017.

“All of San Miguel’s organic businesses have stabilized,” he said.

The source said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and appreciation were seen to go up to P166 billion in 2018 from the expected P146 billion this year.

San Miguel’s revenues rose 20 percent in the first nine months ending September 2017 to P597 billion, on higher sales by core food, beverage and packaging businesses.

Consolidated recurring net income, excluding the effect of foreign exchange transactions and the onetime gain from the sale of its telecommunications business, reached P43.8 billion in the nine-month period, or 21 percent higher than P36.3 billion a year earlier.

Consolidated operating income reached P82.8 billion, up by 13 percent from a year ago, while consoli-

Megawide-GMR awarded P9.36-b Clark airport deal

PAL plans non-stop flights to New York

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Duterte administration awarded to Megawide-GMR Consortium the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Clark International Airport new terminal building, the government’s first hybrid infrastructure project under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.

Megawide-GMR, a joint venture of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure of India, was declared the bidder with the “lowest calculated responsive bid,” after passing the post-qualification evaluation phase of the competitive bidding―beating the offers of four other bidders.

The ‘post-qualification’ process, done in accordance with Philippine government procurement rules, involved validating and verifying the authenticity and veracity of statements made and documents submitted by lowest bidder.

Megawide-GMR submitted the lowest financial proposal for the airport expansion project at P9.36 billion on Dec. 14.

The other four groups which joined the bidding after passing the evaluation of technical proposals were China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd., China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. and the consortium of Tokwing Construction Corp. and China Machinery Engineering Corp.

ABOITIZ EXPANSION TO CHINA. Aboitiz Construction Inc., the privately-held construction arm of the Aboitiz Group, visits two large companies in China to explore further business opportunities overseas—Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation III and Dongfang Electric Company. Shown are Aboitiz Construction’s Jaime Jose Aboitiz and Alberto A. Ignacio Jr. (third and first from left, respectively), and Sepco3 chairman Wang Lujun and senior vice president Zhang Hongson.

PT&T, Chinese company team up to roll out wireless broadband PHILIPPINE Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (PT&T) said Tuesday it signed a deal with a Chinese technology company to roll out a wireless broadband project nationwide.

PT&T said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed a memorandum of agreement with Chengdu Zhongxing Tiantong Technology Corp. to explore the feasibility of engaging in a project to provide free wireless broadband services in designated public areas before, during and after the occurrence of disasters in any part of the country.

“PT&T together with the other party will conduct a study on the feasibility of the project. Actual participation of each party shall be discussed after the conclusion of the said study and will be reflected in the definitive agreement that maybe reached by the parties,” PT&T said.

PT&T said the agreement would be effective for a period of 90 days from the signing of the contract.

PTT, which secured a franchise extension last year for another 25 years, offers fixed broadband to residential and business establish-

dated Ebitda rose 13 percent to P108.8 billion.

San Miguel earlier announced a plan to consolidate all traditional food and beverage businesses under a holding company through a share swap that was expected to result in significant synergies and unlock the value of its units.

Combined revenues of the consolidated units–San Miguel Brewery, Ginebra San Miguel and San Miguel Purefoods –hit P180 billion, up 11 percent, making up a significant 30-percent of SMC’s total revenues.

San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Group’s revenues and operating income both grew 13 percent to P22.4 billion and P2.2 billion, respectively on higher sales by plastics and metal businesses and the continued growth of Australian operations.

SMC Global Power’s revenues amounted to P62.1 billion, or 2 percent higher than last year, brought about by higher average realization and spot market prices.

Petron Corp., the oil unit, continued to deliver outstanding results, posting a profit of P11.8 billion, up 58 percent from last year, led by the continued focus on high-value segments and strong sales volumes in the Philippines and Malaysia.

ments in Metro Manila.

It aims to become a significant player in the broadband industry which is currently being dominated by Globe Telecom, PLDT Inc. and Sky Broadband.

Eliseo Rio Jr., officer in charge of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, said only 17 percent of the country’s homes and offices had fixed line internet access, compared to 100 percent in Japan and South Korea.

“Having more fixed line access would greatly decongest the mobile network of Globe and Smart, improving

their QoS [quality of service].

So the immediate solution to improve internet speed and cost is to provide more fixed line access,” Rio said.

“We showed this in Edsa, where we put up around 800 free Wifi access points along MRT 3. Now, 700,000 people access these daily, enjoying double-digit speeds, greatly decongesting the cell sites covering Edsa,” he said.

Riod also said the government could provide it with a big market because it intended to subscribe to at least 250,000 free Wifi

access points nationwide in compliance with Republic Act No. 10929.

“The third player won’t have to worry about its International Gateway Facility or their nationwide backbone because the government will take care of this. So initially, the third player will deal mostly with fixed access to the internet, bringing fast and low cost internet to even the remotest areas of the country, where small BPOs can exist, on-line government services will be available, health and education services will greatly improve etc.,” Rio said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PHILIPPINE Airlines said it plans to operate direct, non-stop flights via the polar route (North Pole) between Manila and New York in the second half of 2018 to cut down the travel time between the two cities.

The flag carrier controlled by tycoon Lucio Tan said would use the A350 aircraft for the planned polar route between Manila and New York.

PAL recently flew its milestone first ultra-long polar flight from Toronto, Canada nonstop to Manila-marking the first-ever crossing of the Polar region by a Filipino airline.

The state-of-the-art 370-seater Boeing 777300ER, with registry number RP-C7779, flew 7,200 nautical miles or 13,300 kilometers and traveled over Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Circle, Russia, Mongolia and parts of China. The flight was conducted at cruising altitudes ranging from 29,000 to 37,000 feet.

“This was the first non stop direct flight from Toronto to Manila over the polar region [north pole]. Kudos to the PAL team which made this flight a reality and most importantly, congratulations to our PAL flight deck crew under the leadership of Capt.

Chuck. You make us proud,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said. Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Manila Water to operate in Cavite economic zone

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MANILA Water Co. Inc. of conglomerate Ayala Corp. said a unit signed a 25-year lease agreement with Philippine Economic Zone Authority to operate and manage the water facilities of Cavite Special Economic Zone.

Manila Water said in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc. would lease, operate and manage the water and used water facilities of Peza in the Cavite Special Economic Zone to provide services to companies operating in the industrial park.

Manila Water said MWPV would use its expertise in industrial zone operations and provide capital expenditures for the duration of the agreement.

The Cavite Special Economic Zone is a 275-hectare industrial estate with 297 locators consuming approximately 0.35 million cubic meters per month, or

12 million liters per day.

MWPV, formerly known as AAA Water Corp., is engaged in wastewater processing and maintenance services.

It operates Laguna Water under the joint venture agreement with the provincial government of Laguna.

MWPV also provides water and used water services to all Ayala Land projects as well as its subsidiaries, including Alveo Land Corp., Avida Land Corp., Amaia Land Corp., Bellavita Land Corp., Portico Land Corp., Cebu Holdings, Cebu Property Ventures, Asian I-Office Properties Inc., Saline Inc., Avencosouth Corp., Accendo Commercial Corp., Cagayan De Oro Gateway Corp., Nuevocentro Inc., Aurora Properties Inc., Ceci Commercial Ventures Corp., Amaia Southern Properties Inc., Long Land Realty Corp., Buklod Bahayan Realty and Development Corp., SouthPortal Properties Inc., Ten Knots Philippines Inc. and AyalaLand Hotels and Resorts Corp.

Stock market retreats; PLDT, JG Summit down

T

HE stock market declined Tuesday on profittaking after the Philippine Stock Exchange Index surged past the 8,400-point mark Monday.

The PSEi fell 56.86 points, or 0.7 percent, to 8,365.96 on a value turnover of P6.9 billion. Losers beat gainers, 116 to 89, with 47 issues unchanged.

PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications firm, sank 5.8 percent to P1,450, while JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei tumbled 4.8 percent to P71.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, dropped 2.9 percent to P150.30, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the

biggest fastfood chain, lost 1.9 percent to P244.60.

Most Asian markets, meanwhile, extended gains Tuesday, taking a lead from fresh records on Wall Street where a longawaited tax-cut bill is expected to be passed this week.

After months of uncertainty, the controversial fiscal reforms are due to be voted on in the next few days. They could be on Donald Trump’s desk for signature before year-end, giving the embattled US president his first

major legislative victory.

“Equity markets have started the week in an extremely enthusiastic manner, anticipating tax reform holiday cheer,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. “There’s a definite buzz on the street as we approach the finishing line, as there are few if any signs of buyer fatigue.”

All three main indexes on Wall Street ended at record levels for a second successive day and those advances filtered through to Asia.

Hong Kong added 0.7 percent and Shanghai ended up 0.9 percent, while Sydney put on 0.5 percent and Singapore edged up 0.1 percent.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.35 62,000 59.5 470 104.8 2,113,920 3.7 32,000 150.3 3,632,940 1.96 192,000 33.25 682,000 15.4 3,100 31.9 1,273,000 1.7 1,176,000 930 50 0.58 1,209,000 99 4,544,440 1 5,825,000 12 55,000 57.2 33,430 236 1,310 100 1,050 88.95 600 55.75 302,340 254 1,206,710 1,900 415 86.8 4,700 1.21 1,287,000

205,160 28,055 220,634,671 118,720 549,356,784 375,060 22,697,590 47,700 40,904,440 2,123,740 46,500 693,740 449,880,403.50 5,753,920 660,000 1,906,090.50 308,010 104,995 53,376 16,858,975 305,698,318 788,500 407,071 1,574,350

-2,965 -38,190,778 -210,773,403 20,000 12,056,475 -2,993,775 -63,270.00 25,257,305.50 42,850 -1,579,438 -94,000 -100,000 11,025,312.50 20,289,906 -90,112.50 -

INDUSTRIAL 39.55 1,441,200 12.4 841,500 0.62 1,457,000 1.38 103,000 17.9 78,100 0.214 1,820,000 120 890 4.83 6,035,800 16 1,240,100 168 70 44.8 743,600 20.75 5,900 62.65 362,630 65 9,840 1.97 126,000 5.6 43,400 11.24 1,800 11 8,885,200 14.8 1,554,900 11.24 1,351,000 7.28 55,500 5.58 8,026,700 1.75 5,000 16.96 1,375,600 62.5 22,330 28.9 1,797,600 11 55,800 18.06 936,400 2.33 2,297,000 244.6 945,440 69 420 3.33 47,000 20.75 10,900 28 936,700 18.2 35,600 18.1 3,128,600 326.6 812,100 0.21 3,150,000 8.8 10,100 2.34 2,513,000 6 175,500 9.31 1,792,700 7.2 97,200 8.38 24,400 1.54 324,000 12.4 1,173,100 61.5 5,200,150 6.53 3,110,000 530 35,000 4.95 225,000 4.3 5,000 1.96 635,000 13.48 1,423,900 5.41 165,700 0.161 272,240,000 1.24 490,000 151 786,810 2.85 12,000 1.8 4,603,000 0.8 213,000

57,013,730 10,403,264 892,660 139,790 1,370,022 398,880 107,483 29,995,394 19,841,314 12,774 33,121,350 121,402 23,196,324.50 717,639 244,820 239,799 20,242 99,174,796 22,979,252 15,173,966 403,249 44,865,087 8,330 23,425,056 1,398,365.50 50,429,655 614,382 16,889,258 5,336,110 232,977,644 29,100 153,290 220,580 26,485,570 649,438 56,215,592 264,235,072 648,200 87,805 5,899,010 1,065,455 16,815,331 687,286 204,568 498,900 14,701,582 319,831,486.50 20,374,120 18,907,180 1,099,680 21,500 1,251,780 19,125,978 896,003 45,227,160 602,370 118,841,387 34,710 8,313,970 169,850

-13,001,505 -794,508 620 42,891 1,764,670 29,980 -593,908 -3,788,436 5,139,236 -2,606,782 -1,460 -29,014,030 -8,000,184 -696,719.50 7,474,285 -433,820 -7,587,204 -23,500 -78,557,332 6,900 -7,725,015 69,348 8,551,202 169,347,244 30,350 -1,266,380 45,600 -311,084 -2,002 -83,800 -2,271,800 -12,569,621 -20,154,180 -10,990,155 345,500 -239,950 4,548,308 -277,500 -1,486,115 -544,170 -

222,500 58,663,334 34,550,512 22,380 77,328 5,491,950 5,130,050 231,175,137.50 13,681,746 97,939,064 14,784 13,090 130,653,380 1,150,520 106,242,525 5,714 526 508,240 915,922 11,541,694 95,500 110,979,648 535,830 392,200 206,540 37,080 1,286,230 227,580 224,248,465 53,060 5,380,600 1,803,128 20,020 18,850

-17,391,752 6,554,698 1,804,000 -52,770,527.50 -1,330,137 -4,891,568 68,327,605 -10,886,180.50 -507,104 4,854,202 24,973,624 -55,640 -37,080 -67,969,935 20,220 11,234 -

25,451,297 3,243,780 48,827,240 318,040 1,054,170 388,952,585 1,392,530 3,444,250 2,210,451 13,157 2,356,000 201,700 146,790 1,290,780 59,300 8,589,115 147,400 604,620 13,690,700 3,376,540 270,820 97,647,902 19,126,500

-7,255,483 -2,850,175 96,163,180 -159,900 1,132,700 708,812 -296,050 -28,750 -635,305.00 -147,400 1,610,100 100 -30,951,273 141,000

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.32 59.75 106 3.83 153.9 1.99 33.25 15.4 32.6 1.76 930 0.57 99.05 0.91 12 57.45 235 99.9 88.95 55.95 250 1,900 86.55 1.25

3.41 59.75 106 3.83 154 2 33.35 15.4 32.9 1.94 930 0.58 99.5 1.05 12 57.5 236 100 89 55.95 255.2 1,900 87 1.25

3.14 59 103.6 3.7 150.3 1.94 33.25 15.32 31.9 1.7 930 0.57 98 0.9 12 56.8 235 99.9 88.95 55 250 1,900 86.55 1.2

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION 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 LIBERTY FLOUR MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

40.25 12.34 0.63 1.36 18 0.223 113.6 5.09 15.82 184.9 44.95 20.95 64 68 2 5.4 11.26 11.2 14.76 11.4 7.3 5.63 1.6 17.2 63.1 28 11.04 17.94 2.26 249.2 70 3.2 20 28.75 18.7 17.98 324.2 0.219 8.9 2.33 6.2 9.42 6.8 8.39 1.54 12.3 61.9 6.55 540 4.95 4.3 2.01 13.14 5.44 0.138 1.22 152 2.94 1.78 0.8

40.3 12.44 0.63 1.38 18.18 0.223 125 5.15 16.1 184.9 44.95 20.95 67.5 82 2 5.62 11.26 11.2 14.84 11.44 7.3 5.64 1.76 17.32 63.1 29.05 11.04 18.14 2.36 250 70 3.34 20.9 29.1 18.7 18.28 326.6 0.219 8.9 2.37 6.23 9.48 7.22 8.39 1.54 12.68 62 6.72 549 4.95 4.3 2.01 13.54 5.45 0.19 1.25 152.1 2.94 1.82 0.8

39.4 12.2 0.61 1.35 16.96 0.214 113.6 4.75 15.82 168 43 19.36 62.6 64.2 1.93 5.4 11.24 11 14.72 11.06 7.26 5.58 1.6 16.96 62.5 26 11 17.92 2.24 244.2 69 3.19 20 28 18.2 17.8 322.2 0.196 8.61 2.31 5.95 9.31 6.8 8.3 1.53 12.3 61.05 6.53 530 4.85 4.3 1.93 13.14 5.4 0.138 1.18 150 2.81 1.78 0.79

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.31 69 16.2 0.91 7.04 0.42 0.435 1,006 7.68 14.1 7.8 0.187 1,271 7.4 73.2 5.19 5.26 0.71 5.85 18.3 0.305 6.65 3.44 0.045 1.07 2.06 2.69 2.95 976 0.79 1.59 283 0.182 0.189

0.31 69 16.2 0.97 7.04 0.43 0.445 1,016 7.77 14.3 7.8 0.187 1,297 7.4 74.6 5.2 5.26 0.72 5.85 19.4 0.34 6.71 3.44 0.046 1.08 2.06 3.9 3.14 978 0.79 1.66 283 0.182 0.189

0.3 68.05 15.98 0.91 6.88 0.405 0.42 997.5 7.66 14.04 7.71 0.187 1,271 7.38 70.8 5.19 5.26 0.68 5.63 18.24 0.305 6.65 3.33 0.045 1.07 2.06 2.69 2.83 969 0.78 1.55 280 0.182 0.188

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

5.93 1 24 2.27 0.86 43.4 3.92 4.75 5.69 5.65 0.49 1.12 1.19 0.21 0.47 38.5 0.67 0.143 1.85 1.42 0.74 5.19 0.345

6.35 1.01 29.25 2.35 0.89 43.85 3.92 4.75 5.87 6.19 0.49 1.14 1.22 0.212 0.47 39.5 0.67 0.164 1.86 1.43 0.76 5.2 0.35

5.91 0.99 23.5 2.24 0.86 43.1 3.81 4.69 5.62 5.65 0.485 1.1 1.15 0.208 0.455 38.2 0.67 0.14 1.81 1.41 0.74 5.11 0.33

VOLUME

NAME

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LOW

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VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.365 0.6 5.84 21.95 2.18 3.2 36.9 1.04 8.2 0.84 5.97

0.365 0.61 5.84 21.95 2.26 3.2 37.1 1.04 12.3 0.84 5.97

0.36 0.58 5.4 21.3 2.15 3.2 36.7 1 8.2 0.84 5.8

0.365 0.6 5.4 21.5 2.17 3.2 36.7 1.03 12.3 0.84 5.95

1,260,000 8,754,000 1,739,800 2,062,400 1,733,000 141,000 5,421,000 605,000 79,800 12,000 1,440,200

455,750 5,238,160 9,580,959 44,371,185 3,785,110 451,200 199,355,465 612,290 946,060 10,080 8,507,410

-525,460 -24,583,450 27,862,220 -2,079,924

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA 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 PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

19.3 34.95 1.41 0.485 0.043 12.2 4.81 11.12 0.07 98.25 9.38 8.9 2.88 41.15 1,804 5.75 17.42 4.5 2.63 105 12.14 8.35 0.139 1.37 3.23 14.9 4.19 1.19 22.2 0.56 4.21 7.52 3.85 2.5 11.1 5 2.97 117.5 7.92 1,545 1.28 0.35 49.5 93.9 5.77 3.2 1.65 4.5 4.15 0.97 8.15

20.1 34.95 1.41 0.49 0.043 12.2 4.81 11.18 0.072 98.25 9.38 8.92 2.88 41.15 1,815 5.75 18.18 4.75 2.7 105.8 12.14 8.36 0.146 1.4 3.62 14.9 4.19 1.22 22.45 0.56 4.44 7.69 3.85 2.58 11.1 5.14 4.21 120.9 8.01 1,550 1.29 0.36 50.1 93.9 5.9 3.27 1.68 4.65 4.17 0.99 8.15

19.3 34.65 1.36 0.485 0.043 12.18 4.81 10.82 0.07 95 9.38 8.78 2.6 41 1,800 5.71 17.42 4.5 2.63 104.9 12.14 8.35 0.139 1.36 3.08 14.9 4 1.18 22 0.53 3.99 7.49 3.8 2.41 11.1 4.99 2.97 113.6 7.86 1,450 1.27 0.32 49.5 92 5.77 3.16 1.65 3.3 4 0.96 8.09

SERVICES 19.8 34.8 1.4 0.49 0.043 12.2 4.81 10.88 0.071 96.75 9.38 8.9 2.73 41.15 1,810 5.73 18.18 4.65 2.64 105 12.14 8.35 0.143 1.37 3.38 14.9 4.1 1.18 22 0.53 4.2 7.5 3.8 2.44 11.1 5.1 3.23 116 7.9 1,450 1.27 0.34 50.1 93 5.9 3.2 1.67 3.56 4.05 0.97 8.1

40,400 20,000 96,000 310,000 8,100,000 10,800 2,000 2,926,400 7,000,000 336,980 1,000 1,199,200 915,000 155,600 96,245 254,700 19,900 5,773,000 21,000 319,670 3,000 325,000 4,650,000 2,924,000 2,241,000 1,000 3,802,000 280,000 1,609,400 7,000 3,771,000 4,199,300 1,816,000 3,492,000 1,200 67,000 6,717,000 31,630 293,400 214,795 2,632,000 1,520,000 639,300 192,190 12,000 628,000 6,409,000 30,406,000 848,000 3,743,000 5,584,700

791,090 696,390 132,240 151,700 348,300 131,750 9,620 32,086,056 493,040 32,748,817 9,380 10,584,857 2,483,080 6,402,830 174,124,140 1,459,207 352,538 26,972,900 55,520 33,644,274 36,420 2,713,760 660,920 4,000,620 7,620,730 14,900 15,467,810 333,720 35,441,505 3,800 15,523,100 31,817,978 6,920,410 8,592,890 13,320 339,930 25,927,300 3,688,215 2,329,351 319,971,060 3,344,370 511,850 31,959,260 17,894,078.50 69,266 2,009,480 10,619,030 115,640,980 3,434,910 3,636,130 45,395,129

-11,900.00 24,300 6,143,418 -5,264,666.50 2,215,145 -42,440 923,182 -89,150 -53,860 40,500 17,668,075 11,429,684 -1,255,900 63,840 -351,300 -795,653 -78,684,415 -279,400 -12,269,155 -3,182,587 -44,200 3,830,350 357,680 -462,690 400 38,312,003

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING BENGUET A BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A 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

0.0022 1.5 4.43 1.76 1.72 1.58 0.32 7.2 2.6 0.153 0.155 0.0098 1.74 6.24 1.59 0.475 0.9 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.09 5.77 8.36 36 0.007

0.0024 1.51 4.44 1.76 1.72 1.6 0.32 7.31 2.62 0.155 0.157 0.0098 1.74 6.26 1.6 0.5 0.91 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.09 5.9 8.4 36.3 0.007

0.0022 1.48 4.4 1.74 1.66 1.57 0.31 7.07 2.56 0.151 0.153 0.0098 1.69 6.07 1.51 0.475 0.89 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.08 5.5 8 35.8 0.007

MINING & OIL 0.0023 740,000,000 1.49 2,387,000 4.4 477,000 1.74 7,000 1.67 333,000 1.58 996,000 0.31 1,250,000 7.17 24,700 2.6 2,115,000 0.153 6,440,000 0.157 450,000 0.0098 3,000,000 1.69 241,000 6.11 1,507,300 1.6 134,000 0.5 330,000 0.9 115,000 0.012 56,100,000 0.012 200,000 0.012 21,800,000 2.08 13,000 5.5 1,844,700 8.01 2,005,900 36.05 3,671,000 0.007 1,000,000

1,692,800 3,564,300 2,103,200 12,240 560,440 1,575,690 390,150 177,659 5,451,520 978,720 69,330 29,400 408,760 9,235,809 208,730 160,300 103,120 673,200 2,400 240,500 27,060 10,456,239 16,304,938 132,182,435 7,000

-13,250 -505,330 474,000 541,980 90,969 -4,800 -1,468,493.00 325,126 -27,050,125.00 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2A PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SFI PREF

34.45 515.5 521 106 114 115.5 523 5.55 1,022 101.8 1.1 1,049 1,003 103 115 2.4

34.5 515.5 521 106 114 115.5 523 5.55 1,030 101.9 1.1 1,060 1,003 103.1 115 2.92

34.4 515.5 521 106 113.5 115.5 523 5.43 1,020 101.8 1.09 1,049 1,002 103 115 2.4

PREFERRED 34.4 62,400 515.5 5,850 521 10 106 70 113.5 40 115.5 22,200 523 1,050 5.5 18,900 1,030 140 101.9 400 1.09 51,000 1,060 10 1,003 615 103 410 115 160 2.92 144,000

2,149,835 3,015,675 5,210 7,420 4,555 2,564,100 549,150 103,860 143,820 40,730 55,700 10,545 616,620 42,240 18,400 390,120

-682,265 -53,873 103,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.56

2.58

2.43

WARRANTS 2.47 803,000

1,998,110

-

11,094,796 2,358,190 268,540 14,676,000

-40,248 25,070 2,570,140

359,358

-

51,645 79,310

-

MS

HOLDING FIRMS 0.305 740,000 68.9 852,670 16.08 2,149,800 0.97 24,000 7.04 11,000 0.42 13,210,000 0.435 11,840,000 1,016 229,595 7.67 1,771,500 14.2 6,902,200 7.8 1,900 0.187 70,000 1,293 101,155 7.38 155,800 71 1,490,100 5.2 1,100 5.26 100 0.71 732,000 5.63 162,300 19.4 600,300 0.335 290,000 6.71 16,569,900 3.33 158,000 0.045 8,700,000 1.08 193,000 2.06 18,000 3.9 347,000 2.96 78,000 975 230,420 0.78 68,000 1.62 3,376,000 283 6,400 0.182 110,000 0.188 100,000 PROPERTY 6.34 1.01 26.5 2.35 0.88 43.6 3.85 4.7 5.87 6.19 0.485 1.1 1.15 0.208 0.455 38.3 0.67 0.14 1.82 1.42 0.74 5.15 0.335

4,108,200 3,246,000 1,792,800 141,000 1,219,000 8,946,700 363,000 733,000 383,900 2,300 4,850,000 181,000 125,000 6,180,000 130,000 222,900 220,000 3,970,000 7,476,000 2,382,000 361,000 18,968,000 56,290,000

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

8.67 3.24 4 5.01

8.71 4.5 4 5.26

7.86 3.1 3.85 5

FIRST METRO ETF

126.8

127.5

126.7

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.1 10.3

10.1 10.3

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

26,865,262

INDUSTRIAL

345,477,872

HOLDING FIRMS

71,866,188

PROPERTY

145,580,635

SERVICES

117,769,418

MINING & OIL

846,537,930

GRAND TOTAL

1,558,986,946

10 10.3

8.29 3.1 3.98 5.09

SME

1,326,100 602,000 69,000 2,879,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 127 2,830 10 10.3

DDS

5,140 7,700

VALUE 2,143.77 (DOWN) 25.44 1,955,729,295.42 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,089.73 (DOWN) 115.58 1,687,632,486.193 HOLDING FIRMS 8,482.98 (DOWN) 25.81 1,072,340,555.463 PROPERTY 3,900.11 (UP) 7.38 SERVICES 1,594.36 (DOWN) 29.74 895,844,294.785 MINING & OIL 11,202.22 (DOWN) 152.99 1,044,594,723.82 PSEI 8,365.96 (DOWN) 56.86 186,639,942.064 All Shares Index 4,904.14 (DOWN) 7.65 6,871,588,808.56 Gainers: 89; Losers: 116; Unchanged: 47; Total: 252

But Tokyo ended down 0.2 percent after jumping 1.6 percent Monday on the back of a pick-up in the dollar against the yen. Wellington, Bangkok and Jakarta rose but Taipei was lower.

However, while equity markets are pushing ever higher the dollar is struggling to break out against its peers.

Despite a series of positive developments, Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader, said forex traders may not be as excited about the outlook as their stock-dealing counterparts.

“Not (excited by) the actual growth level, not the fact the Federal Reserve is so far ahead of the (European Central Bank or Bank of Japan) when it comes to monetary policy, not what the Fed says it is going to do, and not that the tax plan could add an additional impetus to growth,” he said.

The dollar, which rallied Friday on news that Republican senators had the votes to pass the tax bill, struggled against the yen, euro and pound.

It also lost more than one percent against the South African rand as investors cheered news that the businessman Cyril Ramaphosa had been elected president of the ruling ANC, putting him on course to take over from Jacob Zuma to lead the country. With AFP

SN Aboitiz beefing up power output by 500 MW

By Alena Mae S. Flores SN ABOITIZ Power Corp., the joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and SN Power of Norway, plans to add 500 megawatts of power capacity with total investments of $1.75 billion until 2027.

“We are making progress (on the 500 MW expansion).

We continue to make progress on the socio-political acceptability. Looking optimistic but let’s see. We will also definitely look at other hydros.

Hopefully, there is privatization and if there is, we will be interested with that,” SNAP president and chief executive officer Joseph Yu said.

“We are also looking at other RE sources that can complement our hydro. I think if we could store solar... but it involves a different set of competence,” he said.

SN Aboitiz currently has a total hydro generation capacity of 633.5 MW. It owns and operates the Magat hydro that has a maximum output of 380 MW on the border of Isabela and Ifugao.

SN Aboitiz also owns and operates the 105-MW Ambuklao hydro and the 140MW Binga hydro in the province of Benguet.

The company recently started operations of the 8.5-megawatt Maris Main Canal 1 hydro power plant in Isabela.

Yu said the company might spend about $1.75 billion for the expansion.

“Funding will be a mix of equity and bank loan,” Yu said, “Right now, our hydro piece is far more realistic between building something and privatizing,” he said.

The company, meanwhile, expects a 20-percent increase in revenues this year amid stronger water input.

“For us, 2017 is a very strong year because the front half of the year, we had a lot of inflow. We had very good hydrology so we were able to generate much, much more in the front half of the year than we normally can. In first two quarters of the year, very strong. And in fact I think Magat has set a record in terms of total kilowatt-hours produced,” Yu said earlier.

World Japan set to boost defense TOKYO―Japan’s government on Tuesday approved the introduction of the US military’s land-based Aegis missile interceptor system, beefing up its defense against “serious” and “imminent” North Korea threats.

The regime in Pyongyang has fired two missiles over Japan this year and has threatened to “sink” the country into the sea.

Last month, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that plunged into the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

“North Korea’s nuclear and missile development has entered a new stage of threat that is more serious and imminent to our country’s security,” the government said as it endorsed the introduction of Aegis Ashore at a cabinet meeting.

Japan needs to drastically improve its missile defense, Tokyo added.

Speaking later Tuesday at a lecture hosted by Jiji Press, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to take a hard look at whether Japan’s defense capability is sufficient to protect its people.

“While keeping our defense-only policy as the basic premise, I will examine what our defense capability should truly be like while facing up to the severe reality for our country,” he said.

Abe argued that the UN sanctions on Pyongyang must be taking effect now and dismissed the view that too much pressure could trigger an “explosion” of violence.

“Thinking that way gives North Korea the maximum bargaining power... What is important is not to give in to North Korea’s bluff,” he said, vowing to keep imposing pressure until Pyongyang begs for dialogue. AFP

Derailed train going too fast DUPONT―The passenger train that derailed in Washington state was traveling 80 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone, transport investigators said late Monday.

Bella Dinh-Zarr, vice chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told journalists “it’s too early to tell” why the train was traveling at such a fast speed, an estimate that came from preliminary information obtained from an event data recorder in the rear locomotive.

The Amtrak train― which Dinh-Zarr said was likely carrying some 80 passengers, three crew and two service personnel― was traveling on a new route for the first time before plunging off a bridge onto a busy highway, leaving at least three people dead.

Federal investigators would be on the scene for a full day Tuesday, she said, kicking off a probe into the incident that would likely last seven to 10 days.

Information obtained from the front locomotive’s data recorder, which has been more difficult to access, would potentially lend more insight into the train’s exact speed, according to Dinh-Zarr.

Pictures captured following Monday morning’s derailment showed one Amtrak train car overturned and crushed on the interstate highway and others dangling from the overpass. AFP

B3

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Sexual harassment firestorm puts US workplaces in flux NEW YORK―The Christmas party at the Advertising Specialty Institute is the chance to eat, drink and be merry after a year of hard work, relaxing with colleagues in the festively decorated cafeteria at the family firm near Philadelphia.

So far, so normal. Except that plenty of other companies have axed the annual tradition, determined to avoid untoward behavior as the United States closes out 2017

reeling from a firestorm of sexual harassment and abuse scandals.

The tsunami of allegations, which have ended the careers of a litany of powerful men from Hollywood, from politics to journalism, have left staff from the top down wondering if a hug here or a remark there could be misinterpreted.

“You usually hug for the holidays―that’s the norm. It’s a very close knit company,” says trade show

manager Tricia Walter, 45, who has worked at ASI, which produces promotional products, for 10 years.

“They may not feel so comfortable this time because maybe I’ll take it the wrong way and it could cause trouble for them, which is kind of a shame.”

Overall, Walter welcomes the accusations for giving the “power or the voice” to those who may have previously felt hesitant or fearful,

though she also wonders “if there are a few shady or vindictive women... jumping on the bandwagon.”

“I hope people have a great time,” says colleague Dave Vagnoni who heads up ASI’s specialist magazine. “I don’t want workplaces to become vanilla, you should still be able to joke with people of the opposite gender.”

Outwardly, at least, ASI appears exemplary when it comes to harassment.

Women of different ages, speaking to AFP during the Christmas festivities, say they feel totally safe compared to other companies where they may have worked previously.

CEO Timothy Andrews, 55, sacked a manager for inappropriate conduct in 2016 and recently emphasized a zero-tolerance policy, inviting anyone to report any grievances straight away, promising a prompt investigation. AFP

Trump leaves world on edge W

ASHINGTON―President Donald Trump erupted onto the global stage under the isolationist banner “America First”―bent on tearing the multilateral world order down to its foundations.

COLD DAY. Military cadets walk under the snow in front of St Basil Cathedral on Red Square on December 18, 2017. AFP

US National Security Strategy slams China, Russia WASHINGTON―President Donald Trump used the launch of his first National Security Strategy on Monday to laud the benefits of cooperation with Russia, a striking departure from the document’s more combative tone toward the Kremlin.

Unveiling a text that pilloried both Russia and China as “revisionist powers” bent on rolling back American interests, Trump hailed the recent counter-terror cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

Trump claimed that a recent CIA tip-off about a terror attack on a cathedral in Vladimir Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg had prevented deaths “in the thousands.”

“They were able to apprehend these terrorists before the event with no loss of life and that’s a great thing, and the way it’s supposed to work,” Trump said, offering the prospect of better ties.

His conciliatory tone toward Putin came in sharp contrast to the 68-page strategy that was put together by key aides and which was designed to serve as a framework for the Trump administration’s ap-

proach to the world.

The text uses remarkably biting language to frame Beijing and Moscow as global competitors.

“China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity,” the document says.

It warns that “Russia aims to weaken US influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners,” while Russian nuclear weapons are deemed “the most significant existential threat to the United States.”

Trump’s presidential campaign is being investigated for possible collusion with Russia in the runup to his shock 2016 election win― allegations the 45th president has dubbed “fake news.”

The strategy accuses China of seeking “to displace the United States” in Asia, listing a litany of US grievances, from deficits, to data theft to spreading “features of its authoritarian system.”

“Contrary to our hopes, China expanded its power at the expense of the sovereignty of others,” it says.

A Chinese Embassy spokesperson responded sharply, saying “it is

completely selfish for a country to claim that its own interests are superior to the interests of other countries and to the shared interests of the international community.”

“This mentality will only lead to isolation,” the spokesperson added.

The document―which has been 11 months in the making―is required by law and is designed to form a framework for how America approaches the world.

Previous national security strategies have been released without much fanfare and served as guideposts, rather than doctrinal commandments.

But in this unorthodox administration, the document had taken on extra significance.

Foreign officials in Washington often complain that there are effectively “two administrations”―one that they hear from day-to-day in contacts with the State Department and Pentagon and another coming from Trump, often via Twitter in 280 characters or fewer.

Trump and his advisors often publicly differ starkly on fundamental security issues from the Middle East to talks with North Korea. AFP Manila

Standard

TODAY

VIOLENCE. Riot police officers take cover from the stones thrown by demonstrators protesting the proposed pension reforms outside the Congress in Buenos Aires on December 18, 2017. Protesters angry at the proposed pension and welfare reforms by the center-right government of President Mauricio Macri lobbed stones, bottles and firecrackers at police in the second protest in a week to turn violent. AFP

Now, at the end of his first year in office, the United States and its shell-shocked allies face several escalating crises that could plunge the world into devastating new conflicts.

When Trump came to office in January, his predecessor Barack Obama warned that North Korea’s breakneck dash to develop long-range nuclear missiles was his most pressing threat.

As 2017 comes to an end, that threat has soared dramatically―last month Kim Jong-Un test fired an ICBM and boasted that his nuclear arsenal can now hit any city on the US mainland.

Trump himself has stirred tensions with reckless language, sneeringly branding Kim “Little Rocket Man” and threatening to visit “fire and fury” on his authoritarian regime.

Alongside the bravado, US diplomats have put together a punishing international sanctions regime designed to force Pyongyang to the table―so far to no avail.

South Korea and Japan― also in North Korea’s firing line―are facing a potentially cataclysmic conflict and China is concerned about chaos erupting on its border.

But perhaps for the first time, it is not the erratic behavior of the North Korea dictator that worries the world, but the unpredictable signals coming from the White House.

“I think before President Trump there was always a consistency about US policy and preferences, with some exceptions,” said Paul Stares, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“But President Trump’s behavior, the erratic decision making, the tweeting and seemingly impulsive behavior has I think rattled a lot of capitals around the world,” he said.

To produce the annual Global Conflicts to Watch survey, which rated US wars with North Korea or Iran as “tier one” threats, the CFR interviewed 436 government officials and outside experts. AFP

Tokyo crowds flock to the zoo to see baby panda on first day TOKYO―Hundreds of fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo Tuesday for the first public viewing of baby panda Xiang Xiang, after winning a lucky lottery ticket that a quarter of a million applied for.

Long queues formed outside the zoo as fans―many wearing panda cub hats or gloves―waited patiently for a brief glimpse of Xiang Xiang, whose name is derived from the Chinese character for “fragrance.”

Such was the demand to see the hot new attraction that the zoo held a lottery and only those lucky enough to win the coveted golden ticket gained access to the panda enclosure.

Nearly 250,000 people applied to see Xiang Xiang and the zoo will limit the maximum number of visitors to 2,000 a day until the end of January to reduce stress on the animals.

Inside, Xiang Xiang rolled around in her pen, munching on bamboo and scrambling up trees while her mother watched

laconically.

To spare the pandas from overexposure, visitors were alloted only a few minutes to watch them in action before being moved on by a strict team of timekeepers.

But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the fortunate fans who got to see Xiang Xiang on her first day on public display.

“Oh how cute,” cooed university student Haruna Yamada, 21, dressed for the part with fluffy panda ears and matching panda accessories―earrings, necklaces and rings.

“I’ve been a fan of pandas since high school. They are my favorite animal,” enthused Yamada, pleased to see that Xiang Xiang was “really active, moving around”.

Eriko Mihara, 35, had dressed her one-year-old baby in a panda jacket for the occasion.

“She was really active, eating bamboo and rolling around. We are very happy to see her. She was fluffy and cute,” said Mihara. AFP

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

B4

wednesday, december 20, 2017

LGUs LocaL government units

BSP issues Muntinlupa centennial coin IN CeleBrATIoN of Muntinlupa’s 100th founding anniversary as an independent municipality, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has released a Commemorative Coin at P100 value.

The Centennial Commemorative Coin features the city’s landmark and symbols, which include the new Muntinlupa City Hall, the City Seal, and the Muntinlupa Centennial logo.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the launching of Muntinlupa’s Centennial Commemorative Coin last Dec. 16 along with the launching of Centennial Coffee Table Book.

Fresnedi thanked the BSP for the issuance of Centennial Coin. The mayor said the coin brings honor to the people of Muntinlupa in the commemoration of the historic locality’s 100th founding year.

While pegged at P100 value, the Coin may not be exchanged for cash.

Muntinlupa held its Grand Centennial Celebration on Dec. 19 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in barangay Tunasan.

The Centennial Commemorative Coin issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas features the city’s landmark and symbols, including the new Muntinlupa City Hall, the City Seal, and the Muntinlupa Centennial Logo.

QC bans cutting of old trees

By Rio N. Araja QUeZoN City has banned the cutting or destruction of trees declared as “century” or “heritage” trees, Mayor Herbert Bautista said Tuesday in approving City ordinance 2638.

The ordinance states: “All trees declared as ‘Century and Heritage Trees’ shall not be subjected to any cutting or any form of destruction, except for medical, public emergency, public safety and botanical reasons and shall be preserved and maintained in its natural state.”

The prohibition shall also apply “to all plants and animals that live within or are dependent on said tree for their survival, including mammals, birds, reptiles or ferns,” the ordinance adds.

Bautista tasked the city parks development department to head a special technical committee to make an annual inventory of trees.

Trees identified to have lived for more than 100 years shall be declared as “century trees,” while those that have not yet reached 100 years but are considered ecological, historically, or culturally valuable or belonging to rare species shall be declared as “heritage trees” and shall receive the same protection as century trees.

MinDA hails ADB loan

M

INDANAo Development Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto has lauded the Asian Development Bank’s infrastructure assistance to spur connectivity projects in Mindanao, citing its significant contribution to developing the Mindanao economic corridor.

In a statement last week, of Mindanao-specific loan ADB announced that it has dedicated to improving naapproved P19 billion worth tional roads and bridges.

“This reaffirms ADB’s commitment to help strengthen the Mindanao Development Corridors and promote economic growth in Mindanao,” said Alonto.

The assistance, Alonto added, will create ripple effects in Mindanao regions, as enhanced connectivity will also drive more investors, economic activities, and jobs.

This is also in line with the Duterte Administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program through investments in infrastructure, specifically connectivity projects.

“This is really all about bringing progress closer to the people, through connectivity infrastructure and we could not be more grateful to have ADB’s usual support,” he said.

royal caribbean team impressed with subic

MAN OF THE DAY. Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group Director Chief Supt. Arnel B. Escobal (second from right)

receives a plaque of recognition from Atty. Jose Malvar Villegas Jr. (center), founding chairman and national president of Citizens Crime Watch, together with Atty. Diego Magpantay (left), national executive vice president of CCW, and other officials of the group during the 2017 CCW yearend assembly at Aberdeen Court, Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City. Roy Tomandao

July to December this year.

Governor Jesus Crispin remulla led the provincial government’s distribution and turnover of checks representing the third and last quarter of this year’s pay

to the barangay workers throughout the province. of the amount, P14.36 million were distributed to the health workers, while P2.05 million were earmarked for the nutrition scholars.

remulla thanked the barangay workers for “their untiring efforts in realizing the provincial health care program.”

Cavite’s accredited BHWs, who are actively and regularly performing their duties, are

entitled to hazard and subsistence allowance under the implementing rules and regulations of republic Act 7883 or “An Act Granting Benefits and Incentives to Accredited Barangay Health Workers.”

PSBank donates P300k to 3 children’s charities STreNGTHeNING its commitment for the welfare of indigent, visually impaired, and special children, PSBank recently turned over its annual donation of P300,000 to its three corporate social responsibility partners, geared toward educating, nurturing, and protecting underprivileged children.

The bank handed its donations to World Vision Development Foundation, resources for the Blind, Inc., and Chosen Children Village Foundation, Inc. It presented

the island-region, allowing it to achieve balanced and inclusive growth among its regions, MinDA said.

The corridor approach divides the island economy of Mindanao into four development corridors―one each for Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Western Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro area.

In BrIef

Cavite health workers, nutrition scholars get P16m in incentives INDANG, Cavite―Around P16 million worth of cash incentives were distributed Tuesday to some 2,394 barangay health workers (BHWs) and 328 barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) for the period covering

The transport and logistics studies of ADB served as critical input in firming up the strategic priorities for the Mindanao Development Corridors, Alonto said.

The corridor plan is a key spatial strategy aimed at improving infrastructure, establishing connectivity, and spurring the development of growth clusters within

the donation to World Vision during WVDF’s Corporate Partners Night last Nov. 23, to assist the organization’s activities centered on child welfare, education, and disaster relief. last Dec. 11, the bank’s employees, through PSBank HrG-employee engagement, donated new clothes to children with special needs at Chosen Children Village in Silang, Cavite.

CCVFI provides for the daily sustenance, special education, and therapy of about PSBank Vice President and Human Resources Group Head Mark Lord Limson (fourth from left) 80 special children. presents the bank’s check donation to Resources for the Blind Inc. during a visit to their facility.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT―Officials of one of the biggest cruise ship lines in the world came out visibly impressed after visiting the Subic Bay area over the weekend to gauge its potential in the international cruise tourism scene.

Dr. Zinan liu, president for China and North Asia Pacific region of the royal Caribbean International, based in Miami, Florida, arrived here on Saturday along with his assistant Anna lian and company director Antonio Muresu. liu’s entourage was escorted by Isabela Vice Governor Antonio Albano, and was welcomed here by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. eisma.

During their two-day stay here, eisma toured the cruise officials through tourism sites in Subic Bay, and also briefed them on local history and tourism features.

The tour included the Zoobic Safari, ocean Adventure, Segara Villas, and the famed Philippine heritage destination las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. liu said he was impressed over the potential of the area and declared that the Subic Bay Freeport should be included in the Philippine itinerary of their cruise tours.

“Three days I’ve seen some ports in the luzon region and I think it’s very attractive to Chinese,” liu said. “We have only been here for a few hours, and from your presentation, I can already imagine that we can develop a tour suitable and appealing to different age groups.” liu also noted that the Subic area also has attractions for people interested in culture, history and religion. He said that the Subic Freeport’s modern amenities give it a unique quality not found among most free port zones.

“So I think we will be very interested in making Subic Freeport a part of the Philippine tour. Thank you for your presentation and we want us to work together and make a dream come true,” he told eisma before the group departed Subic.

The group also visited Subic’s Alava Pier where passenger, as well as military, ships usually dock during their stay in the Subic Bay Freeport. Butch Gunio

navotas holds motorcade for ms. tourism winner THe City Government of Navotas held a motorcade in honor of Miss Tourism International 2017 Jannie loudette V. Alipo-on on Friday.

Mayor John rey Tiangco accompanied Alipo-on as she went around the town to greet fellow Navoteños.

Alipo-on bested other 49 candidates in the pageant held on Dec. 6 in Malaysia.

She was also crowned as Mutya ng Navotas 2011 during the celebration of the city’s 105th founding anniversary.

“We are proud that a Navoteña brought home the crown for Miss Tourism International. Miss Alipo-on serves as an inspiration to all of us, to persevere until we reach our dreams,” Tiangco said.

During her visit to the city hall, Alipo-on mentioned that her crown was “seven years in the making.” Jun David

Life

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

wednesday, decemBeR 20, 2017

fashion & beauty

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INSPIRED BY AN ICON.

The Slim’s Best of Student Work 2017 exhibit at SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall features works that take inspiration from the iconic designs of Slim’s Fashion & Arts School founder, Salvacion Lim Higgins.

SLim

inspires student designers S

LIM’S Fashion & Arts School recently paid tribute to Salvacion lim-Higgins, the school’s founder, during the recent Best of Student Work 2017 exhibit at the SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall. The event also launched the Salvacion Lim Higgins education Fund to provide scholarships to promising students.

A joint project of Slim’s Fashion and Arts School and SM with support from Swatch, this year’s theme “Slim Inspires” brought students back to their fashion roots, looking to her body of work for inspiration.

The exhibit showcased garments cut and sewn by Dressmaking/Patternmaking, and Draping students as part of their exams; as well as sketches conceptualized and drawn by Fashion Design students. Also on view were handsewn barongs of the school’s British Bespoke Tailoring Course.

It was interesting to see how 28 aspiring designers explored the elements and ideas from Salvacion Lim Higgins’ body of work for inspiration—color, line, surface, texture, and shape. Slim was known for unexpected palettes, and was fond of concocting “surprises” like a flash of color or half concealed embellishment peering from under a fold.

continue to serve as a solid foundation for the school’s curriculum today – a procedure that is widely known as the Slim’s method. It is the most established fashion school in the country with regular courses designed to equip students with the skills necessary to embark in careers in fashion or to establish their own shop.

Year after year, graduates of Slim’s Fashion & Arts School move on to become part of the fashion industry. Many have achieved remarkable success and have become icons of contemporary Philippine fashion. Beginning with oskar Peralta, their first graduate in 1961, these include Joe Salazar, Cesar gaupo, oliver Tolentino, michael Cinco, Ezra Santos, and Joey Samson, among others.

The Slim’s Best of the Student Work 2017 is one of the many exciting fashion events at SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall.

In terms of Surface, all ornamentation on Slim’s work was hand sewn from scratch, and apart from conventional beads or embroidery, she constantly experimented with different components and techniques. Slim also had a preference for varying textures, combining seemingly incompatible weights of fabric and oftconcocted contrasting surfaces.

Shape, on the other hand, was perhaps the most striking of Slim’s archetypes expressed in constructions that defied gravity. She habitually interpreted the silhouette of a woman, manipulating fabric to rise and take on different, often geometric forms.

Slim’s Fashion & Arts School was founded in Manila by iconic Philippine couture designer Salvacion Lim Higgins and her sister Purficacion. Together, the sisters wrote the highly technical lessons that

Student sketches on display show the elements and ideas from Salvacion Lim Higgins

Perfection is boring

Hollywood actor Robert De Niro and French choreographer Benjamin Millepied star in Ermenegildo Zegna’s global advertising campaign

Zegna’s ‘Defining Moments’ ErmEnEgildo ZEgna is proud to unveil the second chapter in its Defining Moments campaign starring robert de niro and French choreographer and dancer Benjamin millepied.

The global advertising campaign, compelling images and video was first seen on print and digital in August.

Recognized as one of the greatest actors of our time, De Niro needs no introduction. Millepied, on the other hand, has spent most of his life outside the Hollywood spotlight. After a successful career dancing in some of the world’s most prestigious ballets, he founded the LA Dance Project and was the Director of Dance at the Paris

Opera Ballet. He also received international acclaim for his choreography in The Black Swan. He also had a leading role in the film, playing the Prince opposite natalie Portman’s Swan.

Like mcCaul lombardi, protagonist of the first Defining Moments campaign, Millepied and De Niro possess an affinity that transcends age and heritage. Although the men represent two different generations, both share a love for New York, a natural penchant for elegance, and an inner strength that permeates their characters.

Together in the city that never sleeps, alessandro Sartori, artistic director Turn to C2

DIeSeL has always stood to challenge conformity. Today conformity is the chase of perfection, look at your social channels: perfect holiday, perfect pictures, and perfect life fitting in with the status quo.

It’s going with the flow.

It’s time to GO WITH THe FLAW. That’s right, we said FLAW. Not flow. Be unordinary because #flawless is forgettable. Roll with what you’ve got, even though it’s not ideal. embrace what you can’t control. Find a little bravery to wear your flaws with pride, take a front seat and enjoy the ride.

It’s time to go with mistakes, go with remakes, go without knowing if you have what it takes. GO WITH being reckless, megalomania, compulsive shopping, being lazy, forgetfulness, being nosy. even your sunburns.

“I was fifteen years old when I made my first pair of jeans by hand. Of course they weren’t perfect. But that made them special – and unique, like everything we have done across our history so far,” says Diesel founder renzo rosso. “I have always been more interested in imperfection because it stands out from the crowd, and it’s more real.”

A film by François Rousselet, the French director who has created videos for Snoop dogg, madonna and The rolling Stones, is the centre of the Go With The Flaw campaign. During the mini-movie Edith Piaf provocatively sings ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ as the cast embrace the uncomfortable of their everyday lives – and rise above, laughing.

Diesel launches an intriguing campaign that celebrates imperfection and going with the ‘flaw’

Always late? You’ll make a big entrance.

Secret snorer? Your lover has a soundtrack.

Bad dancer? You’ll be a YouTube sensation. Lazy? You won’t waste energy. Style your shortcomings into something extra – because success lives outside of conformity. Perfection is overrated.

“Being unique is much more beautiful than being perfect,” explains Diesel Artistic Director nicola Formichetti, whose casting approach finds incredible looking people with interesting features, affirming the message of self-love. “Change the way you look at things so even the bad becomes positive, overcoming obstacles and fears.

You’ll have the best life possible.”

The 2017 Fall Winter campaign was officially launched in Beijing. At this occasion Diesel partnered with Chris lee, Chinese music industry idol, unveiling a limited edition capsule collection that advocates a candid approach towards one’s ego and celebrating imperfection.

Campaign imagery for billboard and print is photographed by Tom Sloan, while the concept is in collaboration with creative agency Publicis.

In the Philippines, Diesel is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 3, and Power Plant Mall.

Life

C2

wednesday, december 20, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

McJim Classic Leather bags adhere to global standards and trends, accommodating any kind of gadgets with its different international sizes.

A

BAG is every modern gentleman’s staple accessory, especially now that technology has significantly altered the way he conducts his day-to-day business.

Multitasking, highly mobile young professionals now bring along all manner of gadgets— cell phones, chargers, tablets, power banks, laptops—and they need sleek but roomy bags to stash them in.

If clothes make the man, the kind of bag he uses reveals the kind of personality he has. A corporate type may get a bag that can carry his hoard of

Style meets function gizmos anytime, but choosing one that also complements his fashion image is something else.

This is why McJim Classic Leather, a trusted brand known for its authentic leather goods and classy accessories, offers its wide selection of classic yet modern-looking leather bags that a man can pair with any item from his wardrobe.

When it comes to form, McJim Classic Leather bags are finely crafted, using classic lines and lasting color. Adhering to international standards and trends, McJim Classic Leather bags are

also made from durable and refined materials that mature elegantly.

As for function, McJim bags are sturdy, durable, well balanced, and come in international standard sizes that accommodate all kinds of gadgets.

Start with the classic McJim shoulder bag that hardworking students and young professionals can use to replace their tattered old knapsacks. This bag has room for any number of gizmos, and keep school stuff or office documents and files neatly organized. Thanks to its adjustable leather strap, the classic McJim shoulder bag is comfortable to

lug around wherever you go.

Next is the perpetually stylish McJim cross body bag that millennials—college students and young professionals—can’t do without. It features multiple compartments for stashing gadgets, school and work essentials, and even lunch bags.

Last but definitely not the least is McJim’s gadget bag, the ultimate carrier for the tech-savvy guy. This handy, lightweight bag is sturdy enough to stow all the gadgets Mr. Techie might needs when on the road.

And while you’re at it, check out other

styles in the McJim Classic Leather collection. You could find one or two more classy bags in other styles that suit your other needs and requirements.

For almost 50 years now, McJim Classic Leather has been the leading and trusted brand for making classic leather goods and accessories of superior quality and design.

McJim products are available in leading online shopping sites and all major department stores nationwide. For more information, visit and like the official McJim Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OfficialMcJIM/.

FitneSS craze

Spin your way to fitness

INDOOr cycling is easily one of the top fitness trends in the country today and it’s easy to understand why. For a group exercise class, it’s rather efficient. For 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the class you take, you’ll be sweating buckets while working on your cardio.

Add to that the powerful, upbeat music in the background, as well as a motivating instructor, you’ve got yourself calorie-torching party.

Getting your lungpower up isn’t the only benefit you’ll get from indoor cycling— it’s also a full body workout particularly targeting your core and lower body. “It is a high-intensity but low-impact workout that involves full body movements,” explains Eric Seegers, National Fitness manager of Fitness First.

Variety is another aspect that makes indoor cycling classes a hit among fitness buffs. riders are put through levels of intensity with a combination of various body positions, pedaling speed, and resistance. Classes also mimic outdoor biking situations like uphill climbs, downhill rides, and quick sprints.

Fitness First offers numerous group cycling classes for its members who are looking for variety in their workouts for free as part of the membership package. They currently have three different classes that cater to different fitness levels. rPM allows a fun workout aided by powerful music involving short, quick bursts of sprinting, that gradually slows down to longer stretches of pedaling.

Meanwhile, the rPM™ Challenge is a more intense type of class with shorter recoveries guaranteed to give riders a strength and endurance workout.

There’s also the Fitness First Signature Cycling Class - Pro 45 for those looking to level up their spinning and become a stronger, more efficient rider.

Sharpen up riding technique and work through a series of specific preparation drills to get you ready for the final race.

Develop strength, speed, power and endurance, and improve overall athletic performance with an enhanced flexibility regime at the end to optimize recovery. Elements of track racing and road cycling make this class an authentic and holistic riding experience.

Members who do the different indoor cycling classes at Fitness First really enjoy the workouts. “What I like about Fitness First’s spinning classes is that they offer it in different intensities, which easily fits how I feel and how much I can push on certain days,” says one Fitness First member of Platinum Alabang. “The equipment is really top notch and the instructors also ensure we’re doing everything with the correct form.”

Fitness First clubs nationwide are upgrading their indoor cycling equipment to the latest Stages Cycling “SC3” bikes. Dubbed as “the ultimate studio

Zegna’s...

ful interplay of ideas and experiences, De Niro and Millepied contemplate the demands of their respective trades, the marked differences between them, and the power of creative spontaneity.

First introduced for the Spring-Summer 2017 season, the Fall-Winter 2017 campaign represents an evolution of the acclaimed Defining Moments omnichannel initiative, which reflects the emotion and community-centric voice that Ermenegildo Zegna has authenticated through its brand statement.

Along with this second phase of the global campaign, the Defining Moments platform on zegna.com will feature conversations from successful individuals of different ages and cultural backgrounds, from different parts of the world.

From C1

for Ermenegildo Zegna, and filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini initiated a dialogue with De Niro and Millepied. The two performers share their passions, values, and moments that are now seen as milestones of their careers.

De Niro and Millepied engage in an intimate conversation about life, artistic expression and unique defining moments. De Niro discusses his love for a city unlike any other; a city where freedom reigns and dreams are realized.

Millepied naturally concurs. He came to New York to follow his dreams and is still struck by its rich culture and vibrant sense of opportunity. Amid an insight-

bike,” the SC3 is ergonomically engineered for maximum function for riders. SC3 is the choice of elite cycling clubs worldwide because it’s equipped with unique features such as Stages Sprintshift, FitLoc, and Fore Aft that allows indoor cyclists to be in complete control of their rides and assists in their next best performance. The SC3 is also the only stationary bike that uses Stages Power Meter, used for accurate direct power measurement for indoor cycling progress allowing riders to monitor and measure their performance and ultimately follow a workout that’s more precise to their fitness goals.

Aside from its indoor cycling classes, Fitness First also has other group workouts designed to get you in the best shape for your everyday life. Find out more about their programs by logging on to www.fitnessfirst.com.ph/all-classes/.

Fitness First offers a range of group cycling classes to its members

Don’t spoil your holiday parties with blotched skin

Skin care

Be your most attractive self any time, any day, any season WHATEVEr the time of the year is and whatever reason for celebration, it is best that you look good and be attractive enough. Looking clean with radiant and blemish-free skin is a plus and more importantly, it boosts one’s selfconfidence.

As you face familiar people or even those you’ll meet for the first time, wouldn’t you want to be the best-looking person you’d ever want to be? At parties, reunions, weddings, and other important gatherings for the upcoming holidays, make yourself the most nice-looking and charming in any room at any event by having clear and flawless skin.

This you can achieve with Proactiv Solution, with its unique, three-step skincare regimen that’s so effective it’s been proven the world over. Whatever race or skin color, people from all walks of life have already tested the power of Proactiv when it comes to removing acne from the face of anyone here on Earth.

As a complete regimen, Proactiv Solution boasts of a three-step cleansing system that will do wonders in eradicating acne from your face. renew that natural glow with the Proactiv renewing Cleanser. revitalize the power of your skin with the Proactiv revitalizing Toner. Complete the process by repairing dead skin by using the Proactiv repairing Treatment.

There’s no denying the fact that most people want to avoid being the focus of attention in any event just because of unhealthy and flawed skin punctuated with the presence of acne. So don’t spoil your holiday parties with blotched skin. Make sure you have the proven Proactiv Solution at home. It’s your perfect companion for that tarnish-free skin and give meaning to your celebrations this Yuletide season.

Just get the Proactiv Solution at P2,495 for the 30-day kit and P3,995 for the 60day kit. It will be your most perfect gift for yourself. Just visit any Watsons and SM Department Store nationwide.

YSA goes south TruSTED brand YSA Skin and Body Experts is conquering the south as it opened its 24th branch at Ayala Malls’ South Park Mall in Muntinlupa on Oct. 28.

Another clinic opened in Sta. rosa Vistamall on Nov. 9.

YSA Brand Manager Murielle Villanueva says that more branches and franchises open this month and next year.

“People trust YSA but sometimes the clinics are far or not accessible. So we are trying to bring YSA closer to them by opening more clinics and stores,” says Villanueva.

YSA stores in Dasmariñas and Imus in Cavite; and Festival Mall were given a “make-over” and re-launched with even better services.

“We keep on introducing innovations, new technology, and updated services so we can keep our excellence in giving world-class skin and body treatments and products to our loyal clients,” says YSA Operations Director Sheila Nazal.

YSA Operations Director Sheila Nazal with Nadine and Robert Nazal Jr.

YSA Skin and Body Experts will expand throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao through franchising and our other business concepts. For interested parties, business options call Ysa hotline 09209727000. – Robbie Pangilinan

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

Daisy Ridley (left) as Rey and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

‘The Last Jedi’ invades the metro SO MUCH has been written about the latest installment of Star Wars movie franchise including why it was predicted to dominate box office charts around the globe. And seeing long queues at major cinemas in the metro easily makes us understand why.

While almost everyone, including those who are not diehard fans, thinks The Last Jedi is the best installment yet, those who haven’t seen the film are asking: “Does it serve as the ending or just the beginning of a new era of Jedi Masters?

Of course, the answer is a resounding “no” as The Last Jedi is just the second film in the sequel trilogy and the yet to be named third installment will still hit the big screen in 2019. And this movie franchise, with more than $40 billion in total revenue as of 2016, wouldn’t end just like that.

More than a movie, Star Wars is a cultural icon and a business jewel for merchandise makers. The vast world of Star Wars and its appealing characters have been made into toys, clothing, bags, coffee mugs, and even toilet seats. The possibility is endless, so to speak.

In Manila, before Star Wars captured both the hearts of its longtime fans and its new generation of followers, SM Cinema brought the eighth installment of The Last Jedi by mounting a lifesize replica of the X-Wing, the Rebel Alliance’s Starfighter that’s designed for long missions and intense battle, in its malls.

Only diehard fans would really understand how immersive it is to experience this full-scale installation first hand because although the craft has been merchandised as a variety of toys, it’s the first time that they could get to see, touch and take pictures of an X-Wing this size. It’s like a physical reunion with your best friend, whom you only see on Facebook because he’s been away for a long time.

And taking about size, there’s no better way to watch the latest Star Wars episode than in an IMAX format as you get to appreciate its immersive universe, visual storytelling style, and special visual effects.

In the movie, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

The film continues to add strong female character with Daisy Ridley’s character of Rey playing the central hero while the Resistance is in trouble and on the verge of being defeated. However, the main highlight of the film still lies on the epic battle between Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) that left the audience rather surprised and curious.

It was revealed that Luke had never actually left the island where he put himself in exile, rather, he was just using the Force to project a manifestation of himself on the salt fields of the planet Crait, the site of the Resistance’s stand-off with the First Order, to trick (or battle) Kylo Ren. What’s more interesting about The Last Jedi is not just the most talked about battle between Skywalker and his nemesis as it also continues the trend of delivering messages about hope and courage, and the theme of growing up where a hero’s journey begins, which hints the transition for the next film. And that simply makes The Last Jedi one of the most anticipated films this year.

Slapshock counts 20th with new studio album T HEY say the more things change, the more they stay the same.

That’s exactly the case with Pinoy metal core legends Slapshock. Not only has the core line-up of the band pretty much stayed the same since it was founded 20 years ago, the firm resolve of front man Jamir Garcia, bassist Lee Nadela, drummer Chi Evora and guitarists Lean Ansing and Jerry Basco has not at all changed.

“We still feel like a new band, still hungry and still ready to prove what we can do as a band,” Jamir declared.

“There were some changes, of course. We did cut down on our partying. We have more tattoos now and we now get to sleep a little more.”

And after 20 years, Slapshock shows no sign of slowing down as evidenced by the release of Atake, their first studio release of original songs since their 2014 EP Night Owls and their first full length album since 2011’s Kinse Kalibre.

In describing their new album, Jamir says, “A “Atake is all about pushing forward no matter what happens in life. The album as a whole matches the aggression that we bring when we perform onstage.

The title comes from the phrase, ‘Atake Na’ which we use when we invite our fans that we call the Slap Armies to our shows.”

Jamir added that Atake also refers to the state of the band after 20 years. “We are still very much in attack mode and not compromising our sound which is even heavier than before.”

Although the members consider Slapshock as an “old school band,” they did not just want a fresh release, they want an album on a different kind of media, something they have not tried before. So rather than releasing Atake on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital, which they have done before, the new album is marketed as a USB only release accompanied by a free bandana (Jamir’s trademark

ARJO Atayde and Sue Ramirez’s tandem in the afternoon series Hanggang Saan had netizens and their growing fan base raving after their intimate kissing scene in a pat episode that proved their undeniable on-screen chemistry.

Known as ArSue to their followers, the first kiss of Arjo and Sue’s characters Paco and Anna sent netizens into frenzy and impressed viewers with their truthful portrayal.

Viewers are glued to the love story of Paco (Arjo) and Anna (Sue) who both first met when the young man applied as the latter’s driver. Their friendship then turned into romance, bridging their families together. Little do they know that their lives are connected as Paco’s ( mother, Sonya (Sylvia Sanchez), as a suspect in the death of Anna’s father.

Both Arjo and Sue are happy to have been given the chance to star in a series with their own on-screen partner, especially after they started their careers as third wheel to big love teams.

“Even in interviews before, I would say that I’ve always I wanted to work with Arjo. I am thankful to GMO unit (headed by Ginny MonteagudoOcampo for giving me this chance to Ocampo) be with him in the show,” said Sue. “I’ve been looking forward to

working with her. I believe in working with people who can help me grow, and that’s what Sue is to me,” Arjo also added.

As their story continues, Paco and Anna romance continues to blossom, as they are now officially a couple.

Hanggang Saan airs after Pusong Ligaw on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

Wednesday, December 20, 2017 51 Byline name 53 Locker locale 56 Metric measure 58 Kind of bus 60 Like helium 61 Salt or pickle 62 Dah partners 63 Succinct 64 Mellows 65 Sheriff Taylor’s kid DOWN 1 Goatee spot 2 Theta follower 3 Twig shelter 4 Ben & Jerry rival 5 Wraith 6 Scent carrier 7 Mama — Elliot 8 Up till now (2 wds.)

9 Air-safety org.

10 Divvies up 11 Worthwhile 12 Lacking apparel 13 Mars, to Plato 18 Gentleman callers 22 Judges 24 Female parents 26 That yacht 27 Fall short 28 Mr. Moto’s reply (2 wds.)

29 Bronco “brake”

head gear and a popular Slapshock fan item).

“We want to show that we can continue to innovate by embracing technology and doing things first and that’s what we did with this album,” Jamir further pointed out.

As with every new release, the band subsequently embarks on a tour to support the album. Since Slapshock is also celebrating 20 years of being together, they have just concluded their 20th anniversary tour with 20 concerts nationwide.

This year, the band has also successfully performed in many parts of the world including Miri in Malaysia, Sarawak in Borneo, Dubai and several East Coast cities in the United States.

“Touring is something we still enjoy up to now.

I guess it’s what keeps us bonded even while

Arjo, Sue’s kissing scene a hit among netizens

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Movie house 5 Humane org.

9 The birds and the bees 14 Broke ground 15 Edible seeds 16 Ritual table 17 Wee (hyph.)

19 Just the same 20 — King Cole 21 Taped over 23 Flamenco shouts 24 Junk or snail — 25 Experimented with 27 Groovy (hyph.)

30 Codgers’ queries 31 Attention grabbers 32 Jingle, maybe 35 Good name for a cook?

38 Wife of Osiris 39 Equals 40 Neighbor’s kid 41 Chaney of horror flicks 42 Small coins 43 Insurance giant 44 Wood-shaving tool 45 Make ripples 46 Clumsy 49 Iridescent stone 50 Tire

TWO DECADES OF MUSIC. Slapshock members Amir Garcia, Lean Ansing, Jerry Basco, Chi Evora and Lee Nadela celebrate their 20th year in the business.

32 Stipe’s group 33 Laugh syllable 34 Cen. fractions 35 Mlle., in Baja 36 Catches some rays 37 Jazz’s home 39 Domino’s offering 40 Kind of pepper 42 Banned pesticide 43 Discrete 44 Boring tools 45 Future ferns

46 Actor Kevin — 47 Not now 48 Agave 49 Windy City airport 50 Dart about 52 Hoodlum 53 Knife handle 54 Hairy Himalayan 55 Inventory wd.

57 AAA suggestion 59 Tokyo, once

Sue Ramirez and Arjo Atayde share a passionate kiss in a scene from "Hanggang Saan"

we’re away from our respective families.

We know each other’s hang ups so we know how to adjust to each other. But we also have a lot of fun on tour,” Jamir confessed.

We get to meet new friends when we’re overseas and we’re also able to see our fellow Filipinos especially the OFWs. Just to get our kababayans out of their normal routines and make them feel at home for even for a little bit when they’re watching our shows inspire us and give us a lot of fulfillment.”

On another note, Slapshock will continue their tour with Dickies as part of their 20th anniversary until the end of the year. Slapshock is also one of the main bands at the on-going 2017 Red Horse Beer Pambansang Muziklaban that culminates this January 2018.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017

Jericho Rosales and Erich Gonzales star in "Siargao," a movie centered on a colorful twist in the love story of the central characters that gives perfect attention to the majestic splendor and exceptional beauty of the surfing island

‘Siargao’ has romance, environmental awareness and tourism promotion

T

HE surfing capital of the Philippines finally takes front and center in acclaimed director-producer Paul Soriano’s first Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry Siargao, starring Asia’s Drama Prince Jericho Rosales and celebrated actresses Erich Gonzales and Jasmine Curtis-Smith.

Deviating from his previous serious projects, Soriano finally dips his fingers into the lighter romance-drama genre with his first travel-themed movie focusing on the story of a woman who is finding, recreating and rebuilding herself in the picturesque island of Siargao.

“It was very light. It was very peaceful. I really had the most fun shooting this film out of all my films,” he said.

More than showcasing and promoting the beautiful island and its majestic tourist spots, He also aims to create an awareness to match the province’s booming tourism.

“Now that we have this voice, we have this media attention, we also want to make sure to create an awareness that let’s take care of Siargao. Let’s take care of the beauty of Siargao, the beauty of

the beaches. Let’s respect the locals and let’s not saturate it,” he explained saying that they made sure to interlace their advocacy into the film’s script and their ongoing promotional efforts.

Joining him in this cause are Jericho, who plays the role of Diego, the island-lover love interest of the brokenhearted video blogger Laura, played by Erich and the environmental activist and Siargao native, Abby, played by Jasmine.

Although Soriano’s Ten17P Productions produced Jasmine’s indie film Transit (2013), in Siargao he to direct her, Erich and Jericho.

“I’ve always thought ‘This girl has it!’ She takes her craft seriously and I’ve always wanted to work with her as a director,” he said of Jasmine. “What was nice

Jericho Rosales also shares the screen with Jasmine Curtis-Smith

about Jasmine was even when we were shooting, she was really immersed to the experience.”

Although he’s long been wanting to work with him, Soriano shared that he wasn’t able to get Jericho’s approval right from the get go.

“When I was starting to think of my actors, of course Jericho was top of mind. Jericho has

been a good friend of mine for how many years. I pitched it to Echo it wasn’t a ‘yes’ agad it was more of ‘Let’s meet usap muna tayo, kape muna tayo.’

Tapos we talked and talked and we talked and talked more,” he described.

Erich caught Soriano’s attention as early as her promising Katorse days. True

enough, he was able to discover Erich’s passion for acting while filming Siargao.

“When we went to Siargao, she had a really crash course on surfing and she did it. I mean it’s not easy to get up on your surfboard but she did it. I remember pa when we had our dinner she had cuts and bruises all over her legs and her arms pero go pa rin siya,” he said.

Erich couldn’t be any happier that she’s returning to the big screen after four years and with her first-ever title MMFF entry at that.

“Well it’s nice to be back to be back and to do a movie na… nakaka-excite ito yung story mismo. And then siyempre yung setting niya, one of the beautiful destinations in the country and swerte tayo na napasali rin siya sa Metro Manila Film Festival,” she said. Erich’s last film was 2014’s Shake Rattle and Roll.

The film also saw a lot of first for Erich including surfing, cliff jumping, going to Siargao, riding the motorbike and working with her co-stars and her director.

“Nandoon kami for a like a month, I mean balikan naman.

Sobrang ganda n g experience namin

dun kasi parang you’re working pero at the same time parang nagbabakasyon ka rin doon,” she said.

Erich describes their set as “one big happy family” as she learned life lessons from Jericho, got along well with Jasmine and appreciated the passion of Soriano for his craft.

“We all got along, like what I said kami-kami lang and andun eh. Nagtutulungan rin kapag kailangan ng example sa camera or ilaw, tulong-tulong walang diva or ano,” she said.

After trying and getting rejected in the Metro Manila Film Festival thrice, Soriano finally made it. But, according to him, he’s looking forward to experiencing one particular thing this coming Metro Manila Film Festival season.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to finally having one of my films watched by a lot of people. Yun lang. Most if not all of the films I’ve done in the past, my audiences are very niche lang.

It would be nice to see the cinema more than 50 percent full. Sanay ako sa 10 people lang watching my film, 20 people watching my film, 30 people watching my film,” he ended.

Great reasons to watch the largest ‘Disney On Ice’ show

By Nickie Wang AT LEAST 50 performers from 13 different countries are going to make the annual Disney on Ice at the Mall of Asia Arena one for the books.

According to Producer Nicole Feld, the production that will run beginning Christmas Day until Jan. 3, is by far the largest Disney On Ice show that they currently have as they

bring together favorite Disney characters from Snow White, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to Elsa and Anna.

With great anticipation on the annual live spectacle, we are having a rundown of the best reasons why Disney On Ice, with a theme, “Everyone’s Story,” is a must watch this holiday season: Unforgettable Disney stars Mouse-ter of Ceremonies Mickey Mouse, sweetheart

Disney takes Olaf's adventure with Princess Elsa on the ice rink

Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy take to the ice with their friends from beloved Disney movies that span decades from Pinocchio to Frozen.

Travel into the heart of Africa with Disney’s The Lion King, come along for an adventure in friendship with the gang from Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story and watch in amazement as Belle breaks the Beast’s curse in the tale of Beauty and the Beast.

Guests will also enjoy a special appearance by royal sisters Anna and Elsa from the number-one animated feature film of all time, Disney’s Frozen.

Melodious masterpieces With at least 30-speaker enclosure and 16 channels on the sound console, Disney on Ice is going to be an immersive experience. Producer Nicole Feld said that their vision is for audiences everywhere to dance and sing along to their favorite Disney songs, so they have included 30 tunes that they know and love.

The collection of Disney melodies includes family favorites like “Hakuna Matata,” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “Let It Go.” Rock out with Squirt and his rambunctious turtle friends from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo with the original song “Turtle Rock.” Fall in love with a musical montage of dazzling prince and princess pairs skating to “At Last I See the Light,” and “A Whole

"Disney on Ice" Mouse-ter of Ceremonies Mickey Mouse with his friends Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy

New World,” to name a few.

Stunning choreography Choreographers Cindy Stuart and Sarah Kawahara created breathtaking production numbers to showcase the magic of each Disney tale.

The choreography reflects the individuality of the 14 stories while staying true to the legacy of Disney. Some of the most enticing elements include Aladdin’s comical Genie duplicating before your eyes and the energetic moves of Mickey and Minnie’s marching band.

Intricate sets It takes 14 hours to set up Disney on Ice’s theatrical ambiance, which is created on ice with an iconic castle that allows for a smooth transition throughout the narrative. Designed by David Potts and Robert Bissinger, the elaborate set that measures 38 feet and weighs 12 tons (with Elsa’s ice palace being the largest),

also used to aid in the immersive environment like a traditional Chinese dragon in the festival on ice from Disney’s Mulan.

Audiences will be awestruck as the set pieces and props come together for a truly mesmerizing atmosphere as seen when Elsa’s ice palace builds itself from the ground up complete with a majestic staircase and icy curtain.

Beautiful costumes Complementing the fabulous skating sequences are gorgeous costumes designed by Scott Lane and Greg Poplyk with the help of around 40 people worked on them. Some costumes weigh as little as a couple of pounds while others are as heavy as a grownup person weighing 50 plus pounds (Elsa’s cape alone for example, already weighs 20 pounds).

The astounding designs range from the citizens of Arendelle to the stars of Finding Nemo.

The bright colors and minimal structure in the underwater creature costumes allow the characters to move freely in order to mimic the natural movement in water, whereas the attire for the citizens of Arendelle provides a seamless transition from summer to winter.

The best in the business To put together a captivating show with a cavalcade of Disney characters, the father-daughter producing duo of Kenneth Feld and Nicole Feld called on the best and brightest in the business. With Director Patty Vincent leading the way and a creative team of choreographers and designers, Disney On Ice celebrates Everyone’s Story is sure to be a timeless favorite among all Disney fans.

Tickets are available for as low as P190 and on sale at www. smtickets.com or in SM Cinema ticket booths nationwide.