Manila Standard - 2018 February 05 - Monday

FILIPINO PUGILIST KEEPS IBF CROWN

Story on Sports A8

VOL. XXXI • NO. 353 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

PINOY CHAMP. Filipino Jerwin Ancajas (right) and Mexican Israel Gonzales trade shots to the head during their championship bout. Ancajas went on to score a technical knockout victory to retain his International Boxing Federation superflyweight crown.

Mikey Williams/TopRank (Story on Sports, A8)

Tit for tat: Reds vow to retaliate

PAO, Cabral feud over Dengvaxia One soldier a day—Joma

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Public Attorneys Office on Sunday hit back at former Health secretary Esperanza Cabral and threatened her with obstruction of justice charges if she continues to call on the PAO to stop its investigation into the death of children who were given the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

“If I were her, I would study Presidential Decree 1829, obstruction of justice,” PAO chief Persida Acosta told

radio dzMM in Filipino. “If you block the search for evidence, hide evidence, or stop the presentation of evidence, you can be charged with obstruction of justice.”

Cabral, former Health secretary Manuel Dayrit and 100 other doctors earlier called on the PAO to stop conducting autopsies on children who had died after being given Dengvaxia.

The doctors said it would be better to let “competent forensic pathologists” investigate the deaths.

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Vitangcol fails to stop extort raps THE Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of former Metro Rail Transit Authority general manager Al Vitangcol III to overturn its earlier decision upholding the resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman finding him administratively liable for trying to extort $30 million from Inekon, a Czech supplier.

In its resolution, the CA’s former Eighth Division ruled that Vitangcol failed to raise new arguments to warrant the reversal of its July 3, 2017 decision.

“We do not find any bona fide effort on the part of Vitangcol to present additional matters or reiterate his arguments in a different light. Thus, there is no need to reconsider or revisit what was already presented before this Court when we rendered the July 3, 2017 decision,” the appellate court said.

The CA said even granting Vitangcol’s request to issue a subpoena commanding National Bureau of Investigation

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By Francisco Tuyay

T

HE Communist Party of the Philippines has threatened to eliminate one soldier daily in the 17 regions where it operates in retaliation for the government’s decision to junk the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees and arrest National Democratic Front consultant Rafael Baylosis last week.

In a statement, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison also threatened to punish the Duterte administration by launching tactical offensives across the country.

“The NPA in 17 regions has... the capacity of knocking out at least one AFP soldier every day per region. That eliminates at least 510 enemy troops or some five companies every month nationwide. That translates to the elimination of some 60 companies or 20 basic battalions every year,” Sison said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines was quick to dismiss Si-

son’s threat as a desperate ploy as more New People’s Army rebels were giving up the armed struggle and rejoining mainstream society.

“Sison is hallucinating ,” said a military official who asked not to be named.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the CPP are delusional if they think they can win and establish a communist government in the Philippines.

“The empty talk of the CPPNPA will not diminish our defenders’ resolve to finally put a stop to the communist-terrorists’

WARRIORS. This file photo taken on July 30, 2017 shows guerrillas of the New People’s Army in formation in the Sierra Madre mountain range, located east of Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the cancellation of peace talks with communist rebels waging one of Asia’s longest insurgencies in a blow to efforts to end a half centuryNext page long conflict. AFP

Thurman breaks silence about Weinstein scandal LOS ANGELES, United States—Actress Uma Thurman, who is indelibly linked to Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax studio thanks to her iconic roles in “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill,” has broken her silence about the disgraced Hollywood mogul, accusing him of attacking her and threatening her career.

Dozens of Hollywood women—including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek—have accused Weinstein of acts ranging from sexual harassment to rape.

The scandal touched off a deluge of allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media, forcing many industries to reexamine workplace policies.

Thurman, 47, told

‘Customs men excluded from shabu raps’

The New York Times in an interview published Saturday of two incidents in London that took place after the release of 1994’s Oscarwinning “Pulp Fiction.”

They followed an episode in Paris during which Thurman said Weinstein, dressed in a bathrobe, led her into a steam room during a meeting about a script.

In the first “attack,” in Weinstein’s suite at London’s Savoy Hotel, “he pushed me

By Macon RamosAraneta

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MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL. Performers from Bacolod City belonging to the Kagayon Dance Troupe highlight the opening of the Pasinaya Open House Arts Festival at the CCP Complex in Pasay City. Now on its 14th year, Pasinaya is the country’s biggest multi-arts festival gathering featuring performances from CCP resident companies, film screenings, mini-workshops, and visual arts exhibitions, among others. Norman Cruz

Marcos dares Robredo: Clear way for recount

REVELATION. Actress Uma Thurman, who is indelibly linked to Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax studio thanks to her iconic roles in ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Kill Bill,’ has broken her silence about the disgraced Hollywood mogul, accusing him of attacking her and threatening her career. Dozens of Hollywood women—including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek—have accused Weinstein of acts ranging from sexual assault to rape.

Thurman, 47, told The New York Times in an interview published Feb. 3, 2018 of two incidents in London that took place after the release of 1994’s ‘Pulp Fiction.’ AFP twitter.com/ MlaStandard

THE camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday renewed its challenge to Vice President Leni Robredo to sign a joint motion withdrawing all their pending motions before the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to speed up the recount for the election protest.

Marcos lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes in the May 2016 elections, which the former senator claimed was marred by fraud.

“To clear the issue conclusively on the ballot images, undervotes and overvotes, we would like to challenge facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

Mrs. Leni Robredo to sign a joint motion withdrawing all our outstanding motions so we could go straight to the recount,” Marcos’ spokesman Victor Rodriguez said in a statement.

“We have been instructed by senator Marcos to draft the joint motion and senator Marcos is ready to sign it anytime. We are fervently hoping that Mrs. Robredo will do the same.

“In so doing, we could hasten the process and go straight to the ballots. The ballots are the best evidence and we should just proceed with the recount.” manilastandard.net

Marcos earlier claimed that he found “proof” of fraud to support his election protest against Robredo after they reviewed some of the soft copies of ballot images from the clustered precincts in several towns in the pilot provinces of Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental.

He said copies of the ballot images from Barangay Salvacion in Tigaon, Camarines sur, and barangays Poblacion and Jilocon in Negros Oriental showed that the votes for him were not counted and were considered undervotes.

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SENATOR Richard Gordon on Sunday said he will ask Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II why corruption charges were not filed against Bureau of Customs officials over the P6.4 billion worth of shabu that slipped past Customs inspectors in May last year.

From all angles, Customs officials did not do their job, they changed the system, and they failed to investigate the incident.

“How did they investigate? It appeared that [they] were lax,” said Gordon, who is leading the Senate investigation into the smuggling incident.

Gordon also expressed fears that alleged Customs fixer Mark Taguba, who had confessed in the smuggling of drugs from China during Blue Ribbon committee hearings, might be absolved Next page of the charges.

Poll machines buy questioned

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Commission on Elections on Sunday was urged to explain the P2.2-billion vote-counting machines it acquired from Smartmatic that it used in the 2016 elections.

Rep. Sherwin Tugna, chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, questioned the Comelec’s purchase of the VCMs in December 2016, or seven months after it was used in the conduct of national elections last year.

“Medyo gulat na binayaran na pala. Kumbaga, [nung nakaraang] Pasko nagbayaran kung kailan tahimik lahat,” Tugna told a radio interview.

Tugna said his panel will look into matter following the revelation of former Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim on the issue at a hearing conducted

by Congress oversight committee on automated elections last Thursday.

“Within the course of the hearing, naitanong nung cochairman ko na si Senator Next page

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News

Ombudsman’s deputy urged to give SC a try

By Maricel V. Cruz

O

VERALL Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang may question Malacañang’s order to suspend him at the Supreme Court if he feels the suspension order was illegal, a House leader said on Sunday.

“Kung agrabyado si Carandang, umakyat na siya sa Supreme Court,” Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso told a radio interview.

“Hindi naman aakyat ang Office of the President, pupunta doon para humingi ng declatory relief because under the Rules of Court, Rule 2, Section 2, ang may cause of action, as of now, as it appears, ay si Carandang,” Veloso, vice chairman of the

House committee on justice, said the high court was in the best position to a justiciable action on Carandang’s case in the event he elevated his case before it.

“Hindi ka naman puwedeng umakyat sa husgado kung wala pang cause of action,” Veloso said.

“And by express provision of the Constitution, prohibition nandoon talaga sa Korte Suprema and it becomes a justiciable action.”

Vitangcol...

Tit for tat:...

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Director Dante Gierran to produce the final report of agent Jose Gabriel Jr., and James Calleja, which purportedly exonerated him, would not help Vitangcol’s case.

“Here, while Vitangcol has sufficiently designated and described the document requested to be subpoenaed, he failed to show its relevance to the instant controversy,” the appellate court ruled.

The CA noted that Vitangcol admitted that the final report was merely submitted to then Director Virgilio Mendez, who in turn disregarded the conclusion and recommended that complaints be filed against him.

“On this score alone, the final report cannot be construed as ‘a solid proof’ of Vitnagcol’s innocence,” the CA said.

Associate Justices Celia Librea-Leagogo and Amy LazaroJavier concurred with the ruling.

In its July 3, 2017 decision penned by Associate Justice Pedro Corales, the appellate court denied the petition for review filed by Vitangcol seeking the reversal of the Ombudsman’s joint order issued on Feb. 12, 2016 and June 14, 2016.

The Ombudsman’s resolution found Vitangcol guilty of two counts each of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and unlawful solicitation and imposed upon him the penalty of dismissal from service with cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The appellate court did not give credence to Vitangcol’s defense that the Ombudsman had lost disciplinary authority over him as he was no longer a public officer at the time the complaint was filed and the case was rendered moot and academic by his resignation prior to its filing.

Vitangcol resigned on May 27, 2014 while the complaint against him was filed on June 23, 2014.

The charges are in relation to the awarding of the contract for the P3.7 billion ($80.16 million) MRT 3 expansion project in 2012.

The appellate court also dismissed Vitangcol’s claim of political persecution for exposing anomalies committed by some officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications in connection with the operations of MRT 3.

It held that Vitangcol’s attempts to extort money from Inekon and compel the company to enter into a joint venture agreement were sufficiently proven by Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar and Inekon representative Joseph Husek’s sworn statements.

The appellate court noted that the statements sufficiently detailed how the meetings were conducted, the proposals made, and the amount asked by Vitangcol for the contract.

It said Vitangcol failed to present any evidence to counter the declarations of Husek and Rychtar.

decades-long exploitation of indigenous peoples and rural communities. For far too long, they have impeded progress, denying the Philippines a chance to fully develop and depriving the Filipino people the opportunity to improve their quality of life,” Lorenzana said Reacting strongly to the termination of the Jasig, Sison adviced NPA foot soldiers to intensify tactical offensives against armed units of the AFP, the Philippine National Police and

PAO,...

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Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon accused people from the Department of Health of concealing documents that showed how former Health secretary Janette Garin forced the Food and Drugs Administration to issue a permit for the distribution of Dengvaxia, even though tests on the vaccine had not yet been completed.

Gordon did not name the officials whom he said were in cahoots with Garin and Sanofi, but said he would release documents during the continuation of Senate hearings on the Dengvaxia purchase.

He said his committee obtained documents related to the Dengvaxia vaccines that DoH officials had tried to conceal.

He said they did not report some failures of Sanofi.

He also said people linked to the procurement of the vaccine, who may already be liable for graft, may be eventually charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

He said the homicide charge may be recommended against members of the Aquino Cabinet involved in the purchase if test would prove that Dengvaxia is the reason behind the deaths of several children who recently died from dengue.

The findings of Philippine General Hospital team released last week, he said, is the “first step.”

The DoH had earlier said the results of the investiga-

Poll...

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Chiz Escudero, lumabas doon sa hearing, naitanong niya kay former Comelec commissioner Lim kung binili na ba yung mga 97,000 PCOS machine ng Comelec mula sa Smartmatic?”

Tugna said.

“Ito yung inupahan nung 2016 at ang sagot ay binili na daw ng

Marcos...

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Marcos said in some of the ballot images, even though two or more candidates were shaded in the vice presidential race, the votes still went for Robredo in-

Veloso echoed the statement of Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque that Carandang may question the Palace’s suspension order on him before a court if he felt President Rodrigo Duterte was wrong in sanctioning him.

Last week, Malacañang imposed a 90-day preventive suspension against Carandang, even as he was also accused of grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for unauthorized disclosures of the alleged bank transactions of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family.

Roque said Carandang’s suspension was executory in the absence of a temporary restraining order from a court.

The suspension order came after Manuelito Luna and Eligio Mallari and former lawmakers Glenn Chiong and Jacinto Pa-

ras separately filed cases against Carandang.

Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales earlier said she would not comply with the Palace’s order.

Meanwhile, Veloso proposed that the Ombudsman’s functions should be transferred to the Department of Justice to get rid of the perception that it was functioning as an “office of persecution.”

Veloso said Justice undersecretaries, who are career officials, should perform the role of the Ombudsman. He believes the Justice department can competently solve the Ombudsman’s backlog in cases.

He said the action of the Sandiganbayan to dismiss most of the cases filed by the Ombudsman due to ‘‘inordinate delay” was a sign of the latter’s incompetence.

auxiliary forces to compel the government to resume the peace negotiations.

He said the government should stop arresting NDF negotiating personnel and violating the Jasig.

“It is good to keep open the possibility of resuming the peace negotiations rather than violate the Jasig and undermine confidence in the peace process in a longlasting way,” he added.

Sison said with or without President Rodrigo Duterte, the government will decide to negotiate peace when the “people’s war” inflicts larger casualties on soldiers, “including notorious

human rights violators, local tyrants, land grabbers, drug lords and other notorious criminals.”

“The NPA has the advantage of having a just cause and enjoying the support of the people and being able to launch ambushes and raids by surprise. In sharp contrast, the reactionary troops are hated by the people, are exposed to public view and are practically deaf and blind in operations against the NPA most of the time,” Sison said.

At present, the military said a total of 320 NPA regulars have surrendered, bringing along their firearms since the military stepped up its operations.

tion conducted by PGH team strengthened the Department of Health’s resolve to keep the dengue vaccination program suspended.

The DoH said the results also indicated that Dengvaxia, manufactured by French firm Sanofi Pasteur, is not fit for a mass immunization program that does not screen for prior dengue infection before the administration of the vaccine.

The report said that in three cases, a causal association was observed. The children died due to dengue despite being vaccinated with Dengvaxia—two of which may be on account of vaccine failure.

However, Gordon, said that there are no officials findings yet that would tie Dengvaxia directly to the children’s deaths.

He said among the officials who may be liable for graft are former President Benigno Aquino III, Garin, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad and other officials from the past administration and the DoH. The senator explained that Aquino may be included because he was the one who instigated the purchase by meeting with Sanofi officials.

He said the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption should have waited for the official findings before filing complaints related to the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The VACC filed complaints against Aquino, Abad and Garin for allegedly violating the election law through the anti-dengue vaccination program.

“I don’t agree necessarily with

what they filed. Their cause of action is that they used the money of government for campaigning. That has not been proven.

We are not there yet,” Gordon said in Filipino.

As this developed, Senator JV Ejercito told the PAO to let the experts do their job and perform the autopsies on children who died after receiving the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The chairman of the Senate health committee said the PAO should leave the investigation on the death of the 14 children who were administered with the controversial antidengue vaccine to experts of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.

Ejercito supported the stand of Cabral and her group, Doctors for Public Welfare (DPW), who questioned the autopsies being performed by the PAO. Ejercito also called on the PAO to cooperate and work together with the experts from PGH. Also on Sunday, a lawmaker urged Sanofi S.A. to put up a fund that would “secure Filipino families against any loss or financial burden” suffered due to their anti-dengue vaccine.

“It is high time for Sanofi to comply with Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s request for an indemnity fund to pay for the treatment of Filipino schoolchildren rendered sick after receiving Dengvaxia shots,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability. With Maricel V. Cruz

Comelec, roughly yata sa halagang P2.2 billion.

Lim earlier said he signed the contract on Jan. 12, but the decision was made by the Comelec en banc on Dec. 18, 2017, after consultations with various offices, agencies and stakeholders.

Tugna said Congress. oversight committee should have at least notified lawmakers of its decision to purchase the machines.

“Walang FYI, parang ‘Uy, di

ko pa pala nasabi sa ‘yo?” Tugna said.

“Agencies, they have the responsibility to the oversight committee para magreport sila.

At yung pinagrereportan naman nila, hindi naman talaga technicality lang yun.”

Tugna said the oversight committee will press the Comelec to explain about the undertakings it took on the purchase of VCMs when it resumes hearing on Feb. 22.

stead of being declared overvotes.

He also questioned the presence of square shapes in the ballot images instead of the oval shapes that the voters shaded for their choice of candidates.

Robredo’s counsel, Romulo Macalintal, shrugged off Mar-

cos’ claims, saying they were “highly ridiculous if not outright frivolous.”

Rodriguez then insisted that the ballot images under their possession, which are being claimed

by Robredo’s camp as “fabricated,” were obtained from the high court.

Trillanes heeds Duterte dare, wants Senate probe

By Macon R. Araneta FOLLOWING President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to Congress to investigate his alleged ill-gotten wealth, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will file a resolution today to ask the Senate to start the investigation.

Trillanes said his proposed resolution seeks to look into bank documents under the name of President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio showing their undisclosed ‘‘covered transactions, or transactions exceeding P500,000.00, which might have violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act. ‘‘President Duterte must address this issue squarely once and for all and stop fooling the Filipino people, Trillanes said.

He said if the President had nothing to hide, he should bare it all and sign the waiver.

On the contrary, he said, the President had been dilly-dallying in his statements and instead had been bluffing the people by publicly ordering the AMLC to investigate his alleged bank accounts, although the AMLC would not do it unless he signed a waiver on bank secrecy. ‘‘And now, despite Duterte’s continued denial of the existence of his alleged undeclared wealth, he suspended Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melcor Carandang for supposedly releasing his bank documents from AMLC.

Thurman...

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down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things,” she said.

Thurman said she took a friend with her to confront Weinstein not long after, but his assistants pressured her to meet him alone.

Thurman said she told Weinstein: “If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.”

Weinstein told the paper “she very well could have said this.”

‘Don’t deserve a bullet’ Thurman’s friend Ilona Herman, Robert De Niro’s long-time makeup artist, recalled in the Times that the actress came out of that meeting “very disheveled and so upset.”

Herman said Thurman told her that Weinstein had threatened to end her career.

Weinstein “acknowledges making an awkward pass 25 years ago at Ms. Thurman in England after misreading her signals, after a flirtatious exchange in Paris, for which he immediately apologized and deeply regrets,” his spokeswoman said in a statement received by AFP. “However, her claims about being physically assaulted are untrue... Mr. Weinstein is saddened and puzzled as to ‘why’ Ms. Thurman, someone he considers a colleague and a friend, waited 25 years to make these allegations public.”

Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sexual addiction.

Until now, he has insisted all his sexual encounters have been consensual.

His lawyer Ben Brafman said Weinstein was “stunned and saddened.”

Thurman’s comments to the Times “are being carefully examined and investigated before deciding whether any legal action against her would be appropriate,” Brafman said in a state-

What is there to leak when they deny such documents being released by AMLC? Trillanes said.

In the proposed resolution, Trillanes particularly noted the report made by Vera Files that Duterte and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio failed to fully disclose in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth their joint deposits and investments, which allegedly exceeded P100 million in the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

According to Vera Files’ report, the transactions in their bank accounts included a P48.17 million placement in 2006 that grew to P55.13 million by 2013; a P40.55-million investment in 2009 that stood at P41.72 million in 2013; about $220,000, roughly P10 million, from 2006 to 2012; the purchase of P80 million in insurance policies in 2014; and a P16.85-million investment which begun in 2014.

Trillanes first raised the issue of Duterte’s supposed ill-gotten wealth in April 2016 and filed a plunder complaint against him before the Ombudsman in the same year. ‘‘With this resolution, I am accepting President Duterte’s challenge to investigate his alleged ill-gotten wealth to once and for all reveal the truth on this issue,” Trillanes said.

“The public wants to know the truth and it’s in the hands of the Senate to uncover it.” ment received by AFP. The actress had suggested mistreatment by Weinstein in an Instagram post last November when she said: “you don’t deserve a bullet—stay tuned.”

In the Times interview, Thurman also accused director Quentin Tarantino—who has often referred to her as his “muse”—of forcing her to drive an unsafe car during filming of “Kill Bill,” leading to a serious crash.

In footage posted by the Times, the actress is seen speeding down an unpaved road before crashing into a tree. Thurman is jolted and left dazed for several moments until crew members carry her away.

“I felt this searing pain and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to walk again,’” she said.

“Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me.”

Tarantino did not respond to requests by the Times for comment.

‘Broken tool’ Miramax told her at the time that she could see the footage of the crash if she gave up her right to sue, Thurman said. She declined.

“When they turned on me after the accident,” she said, “I went from being a creative contributor and performer to being like a broken tool.”

Thurman said she has complex feelings about her experiences.

“The complicated feeling I have about Harvey is how bad I feel about all the women that were attacked after I was,” she told the Times.

“I am one of the reasons that a young girl would walk into his room alone, the way I did.”

But fellow actresses were quick to express support for Thurman on social media, with Reese Witherspoon describing her story as “deeply upsetting.”

“Uma Thurman has seen the inside of our industry for 30 years. I have great respect for her. She is a warrior,” added Jessica Chastain. AFP

‘Customs...

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The senator cited reports that Taguba is contemplating on applying to be a state witness in the drug smuggling case.

Taguba, he said, should not be a state witness because he’s the most guilty.

“He was with them,” he said.

The Justice department filed 24 drug importation charges against Taguba and eight others linked to the shabu shipment before a Manila regional trial court on Jan. 24.

A separate complaint was also filed gainst the same people at the Valenzuela City regional trial court.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

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Uniwide sues 5 finance execs

UHI, Uniwide Sales Inc., and Uniwide Sales Realty Resources Corp., acCOMPLAINT for qualified theft and cused UHI Chief Finance and estafa has been filed before Officer Jaime Cabangis, the Department of Justice against Comptroller and Assets Manager Corazon Rey, and finance officers of Uniwide Holdings former Land Bank chairInc. and former executives of the Land man Roberto de Ocampo, former Land Bank presiBank of the Philippines for allegedly dent Margarito Teves and conspiring to defraud the Uniwide loan officer Peter Edmard owner almost P 4 billion worth of prime Tamayo of committing the crime of qualified theft real properties and shares of stocks and estafa through alleged through deceit and fraudulent means. deceit, rigged and manipulated “dacion en pago” of In a 13-page complaint Prosecutor’s Office, Jimmy real properties and UHI filed with the Quezon City Gow, board chairman of the shares of stock to Land

By Rey E. Requejo

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Bank, “without the knowledge and prior approval” of the UHI’s board of directors and its investors.

Also named respondents were lawyer Monico Jacob, who chaired the Interim Receivership Committee, and members Cornelio Peralta and Arthur Aguilar. The IRC was created by the Securities and Exchange Commission arising from the petition for rehabilitation invalidly filed by Cabangis.

“As a consequence of the crime perpetrated by respondents and Land

Bank through its officials [De Ocampo, Teves, and Tamayo], we suffered damages,” Gow said, in seeking for the prosecution of the respondents for qualified theft and estafa charges.

The UHI owner estimated the financial damages he suffered to about P3.843 billion, representing P1.5 billion worth of mortgaged real properties sold by means of dacion en pago; P143,840,193, representing the 20 percent addition to the original P500-million loan of Uniwide Sales Warehouse Club Inc., which

was fraudulent transferred and converted as UHI loan; P1.8 billion worth of shares of stock, which Land Bank should return to UHI; and P400 million representing the current appraised value of Gow’s Wack-Wack property “which was mortgaged illegally and under deception.”

Go recalled that sometime in 1993, he allowed Cabangis, who introduced thimself as partner of Sycip Gores Velayo, to join in the UHI Group of Companies after the latter promised to make UHI a pub-

licly-listed corporation and generate capital investment of P4 billion.

In 1996, UHI became publicly listed corporation with capital investments of P4 billion generated from 27,000 investors.

Cabangis organized the UHI, made himself the chief finance officer with annual salary of P5 million, got Rey, also from SGV, as comptroller and assets manager, named Cezar Virata and Bernardo Villegas as board of directors and retained prominent law firms.

House okays funding for ‘Timbangan’ centers

By Maricel V. Cruz

A PANEL in the House of Representatives has approved the budgetary provision of a measure that promotes honesty in the marketplace, particularly with the use of weighing devices.

Given the nod of House of Representatives committee on appropriations, chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, was the still unnumbered substitute to House Bill (HB) 2957, or “An Act for the establishment of Timbangan ng Bayan Center in all markets nationwide, amending for the purpose, Chapter II of Republic Act No. 7394, otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines.”

“This measure seeks to further improve the protection of consumers by the state. The Consumer Act has been in effect for almost 26 years now, so some of its provisions need to be attuned to the times,” Nograles said.

HB No.2957 was principally authored by former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

During a congressional deliberation on the measure, the Nograles panel recommended that the measure’s appropriations provision (Section 6) indicate that

“the amount necessary to carry out the provisions of Section 1... shall be charged against the internal revenue allotment and other funds of the local government unit concerned.”

Section 1 of the measure effectively inserts a new provision under Article 62 of Chapter II of RA No. 7394. The provision calls for the establishment of Timbangan ng Bayan Centers in all markets in the country “where instruments for determining weights and measures shall be open for and accessible to anyone who wants to verify the accuracy of the quantity and measurement of the products they purchased.”

“Once in place, Timbangan ng Bayan Centers will give Filipino homemakers and other individuals the assurance that they will not be duped by shrewd vendors with their under-calibrated weighing scales. It’s also a good way to pinpoint who the cheaters are in the marketplace,” Nograles said.

“We’re putting provincial, city, and municipal governments in charge of this undertaking through their IRA,” the panel chairman noted. The IRA is the share that LGUs receive from taxes collected by the national government.

Binay quizzes NFA over rice buffer stock THE National Food Authority must explain the alleged shortage of its rice supply, Senator Nancy Binay said, pointing out that the agency is required to keep a 15-day buffer stock.

The senator said that while it is true that rice supply is available in the market, the NFA appears to be in short supply of the NFA rice to unload in the market.

Consumers are forced to buy the more expensive commercial rice, Binay said, citing a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority that prices of regular and wellmilled rice have increased

by P1 to P3 per kilo in six regional centers, including Kidapawan City, Naga City and the National Capital Region.

NFA should ensure that the

staple grain is available and at affordable prices, Binay said in a press statement.

NFA sells rice between P27 and P32 per kilo, while commercial rice varieties are sold from P36 to P41.

Binay also asked the Council why it chose to defer the importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice despite NFA’s admission that its current buffer stock is good for only three days.

“The Council should not rely on mere projections and instead be flexible and sensitive to the needs on the ground,” she said.

Binay urged the NFA to maintain a 15-day buffer stock at any given time and 30-day buffer stock during lean season, which is usually from July to September.

Federalism to solve BBL problems, says lawmaker

By Maricel V Cruz AN ADMINISTRATION lawmaker on Sunday backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for Congress to pass the propsed Charter change to effect federalism ahead of the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, to avoid constitutional challenge on the latter.

“We support the President’s call to have a federal form of government first before approving the BBL,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Barbers said.

As proposed, Barbers said the Bangsamoro entity “has a semblance of a federal state.”

The proposed BBL had a hard time passing during the 16th Congress because of constitutional infirmities.

But Barbers said these infirmities could be resolved if lawmakers get rid of the current unitary system of government in favor of a federal system where the country will be divided into federal states.

“The federalism issue should be handled first before the BBL. It is a legitimate and the fastest solution to the constitutional problems being raised against the BBL,” said Barbers, chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.

The federalism model being pushed by the House of Representatives’ committee on constitutional amendments identifies five federal states—one of which is the Bangsamoro.

The others are Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Metro Manila.

CARRIEDO CUP. Former President Fidel V. Ramos hoists a token gift for taking part in the Carriedo Cup golf tournament during a celebration hosted by the Maynilad Water to highlight the 140th anniversary of the water agency this month. Witnessing the event are MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco (right), Maynilad and MAP president Ramoncito Fernandez, and Maynilad AVP Anette de Ocampo who served as tournament director.

MWSS rolls out water eco-tourism hub master plan THE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has unveiled the Water Eco-Tourism Hub Master Plan at the MWSS Lobby to kick-start its 140th founding celebration this month with world- class urban planner Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox tasked to transform the 79-hectares Old Balara Picnic Grove into a water eco-tourism hub and to make it environmentally compliant.

“This grand plan also jibes with the “build, build, build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte as well as our vision to build a water and environment institute to better serve the present and future generations,” said MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco. “Having proven that we have collectively experienced successful Water Public Private Partnership in the

last 20 years through a workable concession agreement, I am confident that this Palafox Master Plan will become a reality under the Duterte administration.”

Velasco also thanked MWSS concessionaires—Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services—for their contributions to the project.

Manila Water president and CEO Ferdinand M. Dela Cruz added, “Water and sanitation services re-

quires a master plan, it requires a sustainable planning and really a long-term view. We extend what we can do through MWSS to promote good water and sanitation.” For his part, Maynilad president and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez, said, “This serves as a showcase for the local water industry and is definitely a good legacy of Admin Velasco together with Maynilad, Manila Water and MWSS.”

A4

Opinion

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

EDITORIAL

A sober reckoning

A

TIMELY warning came last week from two former Health secretaries and 100 doctors who are concerned that the hysteria caused by the Dengvaxia controversy may spill over to and hurt tried and tested immunization programs.

“The unnecessary fear and panic, largely brought about by the imprudent language and unsubstantiated accusations by persons whose qualifications to render any expert opinion on the matter are questionable at best, have caused many parents to resist having their children avail

Adelle Chua, Editor

of life saving vaccines that our government gives.

Even deworming efforts are being met with suspicion and resistance, with many parents afraid to give consent; all because of the misinformation that has been allowed to take hold of the collective psyche,” former

Health secretaries Esperanza Cabral and Manuel Dayrit and 100 doctors said in statement last week.

The doctors said they fear that if the trend continues and parents refuse vaccination for their children, life-threatening outbreaks may occur.

Controversy broke out in November 2017, when the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur announced that new clinical analysis showed that its Dengvaxia vaccine was more risky for people not previously infected by dengue. The government promptly suspended the vaccination program, but by then it had already spent P3.5

billion to buy the vaccines and administered it to 830,000 schoolchildren.

The case has been complicated by the speed by which the previous administration under President Benigno Aquino III, had approved a largely untested drug and allowed its widespread use in a matter of months.

After a few deaths were reported among Dengvaxia recipients, the Health department convened an independent group of experts from the Philippine General Hospital to review these cases. The panel’s initial findings, released last week, strengthened the government’s resolve to keep

the dengue immunization program suspended, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

This course of action— relying on experts in the field to conduct a science-based investigation--was both responsible and measured response. The same cannot be said, however, of the Public Attorney’s Office, which has been crusading for the families that have lost children who died after receiving the vaccine.

In its efforts to use these cases to file civil and criminal complaints against Sanofi and other officials involved in the procurement of the vaccines,

the PAO has aggressively pushed a publicity campaign that Cabral, Dayrit and the doctors view as alarmist.

Nor do they see the value of the PAO’s autopsies—14 so far—given its lack of expertise in this field. Even more questionable is the PAO’s reported refusal to share its findings with the PGH team.

There is no question that the Dengvaxia program must be investigated, and those who are found guilty of rushing the drug’s procurement must be held accountable. The way in which this is done, however, must not endanger other legitimate health programs or put the public at risk.

If you can’t stop it…

Is anything the matter with dynasties?

THERE has been constant railing against dynasties. There is a state policy against it, and the persistence, if not increase in dynasties, has been perceived to be one of the failings of Philippine democracy. By contrast, there are some thoughtful people who argue that if dynasties come into power by popular choice, then that is exactly how a democracy works. Originally, of course, dynasties were farthest removed from notions of democracy.

They were connected either with some pretension at ethnic if not genetic supremacy that made one tribe, clan or family entitled to rule and to subject all others to their sway. The obsession with a male heir who would continue the bloodline was part of this belief-system. Then there was also the Divine Right theory that thought of earthly power as a bestowal from above upon God’s anointed, where the oil of anointing passed on from generation to generation.

One of the basic tenets of democracy is that people should be free to choose their rulers— at least most, if not all, and they should do so in such wise as to allow themselves to continue choosing their leaders. It would therefore be a perversion of democracy for them to choose a leader who, by assuming the posture of a dictator, would make all future choice impossible. It is the same kind of auto-limitation that one finds at work in the almost absolute power of the British Parliament. Parliament can enact any law it wishes— provided that it does not impair future parliaments from doing so. An Act of Parliament, therefore, abolishing parliament itself would be rejected, not judicially but by the people, as being unconstitutional, even by the tenets of an unwritten constitution.

To elect members of the same family to public office— that could be an admirable

This is the stuff of which injustice is made.

expression of trust indeed and a healthy exercise of one’s political rights.

But the assumption is that the choice is fair and free. But that assumption is not granted; it should not be granted! The fact is that one in office corners a sizable portion of the voting population by dispensing favors, privileges and offices. He amasses a fortune, sometimes through means fair and legal; often, regrettably, underhandedly.

When one is in office, one has every

opportunity to tilt the playing field to one’s advantage, and to that of one’s progeny. That is where the unfairness of dynasties lies in. And when one sees to it that public office passes from oneself to one’s spouse for a few years, and then back to oneself, or to one’s son or daughter, then one of the requirements Rawls lays down for the permissibility of inequality found in privileges and prerogatives is no longer met: That public office be open to all. What is theoretically open to all may, as a matter of fact, be closed to all but one clan, family or dynasty! This is the stuff of which injustice is made.

And with the prospect of a federal form of government looming largely over the horizon, the concern with dynasties takes on an urgency it did not have before. Then the sovereignty of the Republic is devolved into several autonomous regions, then the likelihood of a dynasty

lording it over one region or state increases many times over. That is exactly how feudal societies organized themselves: the feudal lord as grand protector and guardian of his people, passing his coronet from one generation to the next along the same bloodline, holding all else as lieges and serfs. The difference between a feudal estate and an autonomous region is that the people of the latter freely choose their leaders in a contest that is truly free and fair, so that whoever emerges as leader is a trustee of the people, is accountable to them and cannot live off the fat of the land!

It is formulating a self-executory provision against dynasties in the rewritten constitution that will be the challenge. What does one prohibit: the successive or the simultaneous holding of office of relatives by consanguinity. Does one include affinity? And how far down the light does one go,

EARN from it.

Some will violently disagree with the views in this article.

Some will agree that it makes sense. Whatever, this is my take on the age-old problem called “jueteng.”

When I was growing up in my lola’s house in San Pablo, I would always see a middleaged man come entering the back-gate of our house where the car was parked and nearest to the “dirty” kitchen. He would talk to our driver, my yaya, our gardener and the other house helpers, and scribble something on a piece of paper. Sometimes even my lola would send word to him, in between her mahjong sessions with a permanent circle of friends.

It was the village “kubrador.” And even when I was already a college student, on occasional visits I would see the same guy, now much older and walking with a slight limp, collecting bets from our household help.

When Joey Lina was running for governor of Laguna, I once heard our gardener who had also aged by the time and now deceased, debate with someone about local politics.

“Ayaw ko kay Lina. Basta kontra sa jueteng, ayaw ko rin,” said the poor guy.

There was a time my yaya’s daughter, now an executive in a food manufacturing firm, told me that in San Pablo, as many as four jueteng draws (“bola” is the local term) were held in a day.

The jueteng trade in San Pablo used to be run by a Don Terio, later by a Doña Charing (see how they called these lords and ladies of jueteng), then succeeded by heaven knows who. Doña Charing was even invited to open branches of universal banks in her prime. Money talks.

Or as a Roman emperor once said, “money has no smell.”

When we moved to Butuan City, they said someone from Batangas brought jueteng there, but it did not flourish.

But they had “masiao” and “last two,” and also “suer-tres” in most parts of Mindanao.

Turn to A5

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Opinion

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

A5

Rethinking TRAIN LIKE most ill-conceived government measures, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law might have to be reviewed.This was according to Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez who said there might be a need to reduce the excise tax that is bringing heavier burden to the people.

Dominguez said the proposal of Senator Risa Hontiveros to increase the tax exemptions in several consumer products could be considered. He cautioned, however, that more exemptions could severely affect tax revenues for the government’s big-ticket infrastructure projects.

Perhaps the impact of such tax measures on the people should have been factored in by the bright boys in the finance chief’s consultative team in the first place. In focusing too much on how much tax revenue government can make for its Build Build Build infrastructure expenditures, the DoF failed to take into account its adverse effect on the people. While there are some bright spots in TRAIN such as the exemption for filing income tax returns for workers earning below P25,000 a month, the overall downside is the increase in the cost of basic commodities.

This was nudged by the heavy excise tax on fuel products like oil, gasoline and diesel.

The consequence of this is that fuel distributors pass on the cost to the transportation industry which in turn passes

it on to the consumers.

Thus, we have a domino effect of consumers complaining a b o u t the spiraling prices of basic commodities in the marketplace.

In a way, the hastily passed TRAIN is so much like the errant management of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and the Light Rail Transit. These have brought misery to some 500,000 daily commuters looking for relief in a public mass transport system.

Again, the government’s failure to look at the larger picture has resulted in a well intentioned law becoming a bane instead of a boon.

Speaking of another locomotive, the Cha-Cha train being railroaded by the House of Representatives is gaining a lot of opposition. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has made known it is opposed to the current congressmen convening themselves into a constituent assembly to revise the 1987 Constitution. The CBCP stand on the indecent proposal of the House has gained adherents of opposition among members of the academe, legal circles an the citizenry.

The Senate is also strongly against the House Con-Ass move. The senators insist on the constitutional provision of separate voting in any revised

Charter The senators know that if they go along with the congressmen in shelving next year’s midterm election, they would like the members of the lower chamber become holdover officials. But the senators know that a proposal to make the legislative into a unicameral form would be abolishing the Senate. To be absorbed into a parliament would give the 24 senators a weak voice in voting on major bills against nearly 300 congressmen We have received a report that reelectionist senators have formed themselves into a group not aligned with either the ruling PDP-Laban nor the Liberal Party. The group, according to our sources, is seeking reelection that would validate their status as duly elected senators. This, in a way, is opposition to a parliamentary form the House is pushing. The reelectionist senators it is said would also make known their standard bearer for president in 2022.

The 2019 mid-term polls, therefore, is a prelude to the presidential race in 2022.

So far no one has declared his or her intention to run for president in 2022 but speculations are rife that those who might seek the presidency include the billionaire Manny Villar whose business empire ranges from real estate to

mining. He is a former senator and House Speaker. Not to be ruled out are Senators Richard Gordon and Panfilo Lacson.

Former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is also in the presidential equation. With the vote-rich Ilocano bloc as base support, Bongbong Marcos would be a formidable contender if he wins his poll protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. To be officially declared as vice president would make Bongbong cool to a parliamentary form being pushed by present House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who could be eying the post of Prime Minister.

Some interesting notes on Philippine politics. The Senate is considered the cradle of presidential wannabes. On the list are former senators Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III. Estrada and Arroyo were vice presidents who went on to become presidents.

Those who became presidents outside the Senate were former Defense secretaries Ramon Magsaysay, Fidel Ramos and incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, a former Davao City mayor.

If former senator Bongbong Marcos were to win his vice presidential poll protest against Robredo, are the stars aligning for him to also become president? Note that Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino are children of former presidents.

Will we see another Marcos in Malacañang?

Preserved in time: WWII bunker hidden under Paris train station

By Jean Liou IT LIES hidden deep beneath Paris’s bustling Gare de l’Est railway station, its sprawling subterranean rooms and sparse furniture pristinely preserved if a little dusty.

Originally built a few years before World War II for luggage storage, the underground bunker was repurposed after war broke out.

French railway historian Clive Lamming said its 1939 overhaul was to provide “a place to retreat in case of an air attack” so staff could keep the trains running east towards Germany.

Leading this AFP reporter through a concrete air lock and heavy door to the shelter, he said: “The concern was gas.”

“We remembered World War I—a perfectly airtight place was needed,” he added.

If you...

From A4

And always, they had police and local warlord protection.

The masiao kings and the suer-tres operators eventually entered politics and won. The same is true in Luzon. Why, even in Italy, there are jueteng operators. Imported from the Philippines!

There have been countless congressional investigations on jueteng after another.

Cor rection: Senate investigations. Congressmen would not want exposés on the jueteng “intelihensya,” he he he.

Jueteng-gate caused the downfall of a duly-elected and highly popular president.

The son of a former president was also implicated in several Senate hearings on jueteng, with the prima sumbungera (whistleblower in English) now ensconced as a director of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, upon which jueteng has piggybacked its local operations, or so it is accused of.

During martial law days, they whispered the name of Mang Gusting of Tarlac as the biggest jueteng operator.

With its three-meter (10foot) thick concrete ceiling, it was designed for about 70 people to be able to take refuge in the small rooms of the 120-square-meter (1,300-square-foot) shelter.

But, in the end, the bunker never really saw any action— Paris was largely spared from air attacks during WWII, and there was little danger of poison gas.

After France’s defeat in 1940 and Nazi occupation, the bunker was requisitioned by the Germans and traces of their presence remain, including a sign that reads “Notausgang” (emergency exit).

“In my opinion, it hasn’t been finished,” said Lamming, as a high-speed TGV train loudly rumbled overhead.

‘Sleeping Beauty’ Today, few of the thousands of travelers passing through

Then there was a Santos in charge of NCR, and a young kid on the block, now much older and much richer—Bong Pineda of Lubao upon the plains of Pampanga.

And Atong Ang. Among the well-known politicians, the most famous of all was Chavit Singson, the hero or heel (depending on which side of the political fence you were in at the time) who accused his compadre Erap, then President of the Republic, of being a jueteng coddler, and earning oodles of cash from it.

It goes on and on.

Now a marine general who became famous because he stood up against the commander-in-chief on Hello Garci’s circumlocutions of the electoral process, has been appointed to head the PCSO, whose “legal” STL, or so it is alleged, is a camouflage for illegal jueteng.

There will never be an end to the accusations.

And because it is easy money made from a “victimless” crime, the corrupting influence will always be around.

My point is simple.

Countless administrations have either tolerated it or tried to stop it, but jueteng continues

the busy central Paris station will likely have any inkling of the time capsule under their feet.

Just a discreet trapdoor on the platform opens up to reveal a staircase leading down to the bunker, which is not publicly accessible except on certain occasions.

“For 80 years, it has been ‘Sleeping Beauty,’” Lamming said. “Everything is in mint condition from 1939.”

Entering the machine room is like stepping back into the 1930s, with the old contraptions, dials, copper piping and Bakelite handles only in need of a good polish.

The room also has two bicycles. If the power went out, ventilation would have been provided by batteries— if they failed, anyone sheltering in the bunker was to hop on the bikes and pedal to circulate fresh air.

Other rooms also feel

to flourish, from the dawn of the 20th century well into the present 21st.

How to solve a problem like jueteng?

Legalize it.

Each year, hold a public bidding in the capital plaza, with both national and local officials in attendance, for the franchise to operate jueteng in a congressional district (or whatever unit of local government, be it town, city or province). In places outside of Luzon where jueteng is not in flavor, hold the bidding for the masiao or last two or whatever franchise.

Start with a f loor price, say, P200 million annually for the territory covered.

Anyone who participates will have to bid higher than the f loor price.

Assume the winning bidder offered P250 million. He has to pay half of it up-front to the National Treasury, and the balance on July 1 of the year.

Half of the total revenue collected from the public bidding goes to the local government, and the other half to the national. The legislators can even earmark where the funds can be dedicated to, whether to health, or public schools, or the police.

The winning operator gets

frozen in time, like the telephone exchange with its tangle of wires, but most are more spartan, furnished with a few period tables and chairs where staff could have directed the train traffic above.

The shelter was designed to host 72 workstations, and some yellowing documents remain. There is even a bed.

Post-war, with its purpose now passed, it gradually took on an almost mythic status among employees of SNCF, France’s national train operator.

“The aim is to preserve it,” especially as the shelters built in other stations at the time have all disappeared, said the SNCF branch in charge of stations.

Chances to visit are rare as the bunker was not built for large crowds but it does open up for annual Heritage Days events. AFP

a franchise for one year, and government could not care less how he operates his gambling business. He is not bothered by the police, or the barangay chieftain, or the mayor, not even the congressman. Since he paid up-front, he does not need to bribe anybody. He is “legit,” and his business, no matter what moralists say, is “legal.”

If the parish priest or his lord bishop, the pastor, the whoever religious leader dislikes jueteng or masiao, he can fulminate against it day and night in his pulpit. The tr uly “moral,” the tr uly “religious” should pay him heed. Those hardheaded guys who prefer to be “victims” of a victimless crime and thus “invest” their f ive bucks or more in the numbers game, bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo.

Then the police can go after criminals whether drug lords or killers or robbers or syndicates and even perpetrators of petty crimes who truly victimize the citizenry, and the politicians are no longer corrupted by “intelihensya.”

Government and its leaders have more things to attend to than be bothered by jueteng and its variants.

A blueprint for South China Sea cooperation WHILE the geopolitics of the South China Sea row continue to be debated and negotiated by heads of states and diplomats, ordinary folk have long felt a drain in the area’s resources.

Fishermen in a number of countries have reported not only smaller hauls but a catch of small, juvenile fish. Sharks have also left the area. All these point to one thing: unhampered human activity has had a drastic impact on the maritime environment of the all-important sea lane.

It’s a race against time, too. According to experts, things might be irreversible for certain species in as little as five to 10 years. We already know that coral reefs are especially slow and arduous in recovering. With a Code of Conduct from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations slow to come by, there is a need to institute a separate declaration on marine and shoreline cooperation, one that should be above politics.

A timely forum on the subject was recently held at the Manila Golf and Country Club.

Organized by private think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario The solutions Institute in partnership with the US Embassy, “A need to come Blueprint for Fisheries sooner rather than and Environmental Cooperation in the later.

South China Sea” is the first in a series designed to look at critical maritime issues.

“The South China Sea is one of the world’s most productive fishing zones, and preserving our ocean ecosystem and securing our peace upon it is of critical national, regional, and international importance,” said US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim. The diplomat stressed that the ocean not only constitutes almost 70 percent of the planet; it is also historically a critical source of food and a vital lane for trade. For the Philippines, an archipelago, this dependence is even more pronounced, as the oceans surrounding the country has faced continuous threats of overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

Indeed, for Gregory Poling, the Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and a fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, this visible decline in fisheries should be enough impetus for creating a blueprint for a conduct of cooperation in fisheries and environment in the South China Sea. This blueprint, created by about two dozen CSIS experts from Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia, is politically feasible and in keeping with inter national law, Poling said, skirting sovereignty issues in the meantime.

“The fundamental starting point of the blueprint is science,” he added. “Where do the fish actually live?

The blueprint includes establishing fishery and environmental management areas similar to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia without prejudice to maritime and territorial claims, with zones to be determined solely using scientific criteria and layouts by multilateral experts and officials from all claimant countries bordering the area. Gulf of Thailand countries will be included in an advisory body.

Such blueprint, Poling added, has legal support in Unclos 123 and 192, which legally obligate signatories to care for the marine environment and, especially, cooperate on such matters. In the context of territorial tensions in the region, he said issues of sovereignty shouldn’t interfere with the institution of the blueprint. “[It’s] most important [that] all the countries agree that nothing they sign up for is going to prejudice their claims down the road. So if you agree, if you cooperate on marine scientific research and fishing, it’s not a recognition of anybody’s claim. You are only recognizing the reality that there are outposts out there, and we need to protect fish today.”

The other points in the blueprint include: enforcement, prohibition against subsidies, the reintroduction of giant clams and other threatened species to depopulated reefs, avoiding activities that damage the marine environment, and cooperation on marine scientific research.

“It’s going to be very difficult to preserve marine life when we don’t know exactly how threatened it is.”

Albert del Rosario, former foreign affairs secretary and Stratbase ADRi chairman, said that while the attempt to put the environment and science at the center of the blueprint and include non-government bodies in the initiative are laudable, he stressed the political dimension of the matter.

“At the end of the day we’re dealing with China, the claimant countries, and above all our government,” he said, adding that it could be a “test of how effective our foreign policy with China is.”

Thus, it seems that a combination of a science-centric and mindful diplomacy should do the trick, and with time running for the marine resources in the South China Sea, the solution needs to come sooner rather than later.

Is anything...

From A4

without falling into the careless assumption that there is a limitless pool of leader material in the community? The devil is in the details. The opportunity is in the details. And so, even if some members of Congress fume and rage at a committee constituted by the chief executive to offer suggestions, it is still the better part of prudence to allow a hundred flowers to bloom and hundreds of schools of thought to contend. rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Republic of the Philippines Province of Northern Samar MUNICIPALITY OF LAOANG 6411 E. Lagrimas St. Barangay Guilaoangi, Laoang, N. Samar Invitation to Bid forthe Construction of Evacuation Center at Barangay Guilaoangi, Cangcahipos and Candawid, Laoang N. Samar (2nd Publication) 1.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 A6 Standard TODAY Manila

The Local Government Unit of Laoang, through funds from the Local Government Support Fund LGSF-Assistance to Disadvantage Municipalities (ADM), F.Y. 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) with counterpart funding from the LGU intends to apply the sum of Fifteen Million Three Hundred Thirty Five Thousand Eight Hundred Forty Nine and 05/100 Pesos. (Php15,335,849.05) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Construction of Evacuation Center at Brgy. Guilaoangi, Cangcahipos & Candawid. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The Local Government Unit of Laoang now invites bids for the Construction of Evacuation Centers1. Completion of the Works is required within One Hundred Twenty Four (124) Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, inSection II.Instruction to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from LGU Laoang Bids and Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested bidders on February 5, 2018from 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 Fifteen Thousand Pesos (Php15,000.00).

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.

6.

The Local Government Unit of Laoang Bids and Awards Committee will hold a Pre-Bid Conference2 on February 12, 2018, 10:00 a.m. at the Multipurpose Hall, 3rdFloor, New Executive Building, E. Lagrimas Street, Bgy. Guilaoangi, Laoang, N. Samar,which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 10:00 o’clock in the morning, February 26, 2018. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Free PhilHealth pushed for typhoon victims F

By Maricel V. Cruz

OURTEEN lawmakers from the Eastern Visayas have sought free Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for their constituents who were victims of typhoons that hit the region in the past few years.

The appeal to the PhilHealth was contained in joint letter-request initiated by Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, chairman of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries.

It was co-authored by 13 other lawmakers, namely Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt-Romualdez, Henry Ong, Vicente Veloso, Lucy Torres and Jose Carlos Cari of Leyte; Edgar Mary Sarmiento and Mila Tan of Western Samar; Edwin

Ong and Raul Daza of Northern Samar; Rogelio Espina of Biliran; Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte; and party-list representatives Victoria Noel of An Waray and Harlin Abayon III of AANGAT Tayo!

“Because of the spate of storms, we are making this appeal initiated

by Congressman Evardone for our constituents,” said Romualdez, vice chairperson of the House committee on government enter-

prises and privatization.

Evardone lamented that Tropical Depressions “Urduja” and “Vinta” in December 2017 and Typhoon “Agaton” in January this year batted Eastern Visayas.

“Eastern Visayas is still recovering from the adverse impact of Typhoons “Yolanda” (2013) and “Ruby” (2014). Unfortunately, we again experienced heavy rains and severe flooding all across the region due to typhoons,” the lawmakers said in their joint letter to Health secretary and PhilHealth chairman Francisco Duque.

After Typhoon “Yolanda” hit Eastern Visayas in 2013, PhilHealth lifted the payment of premiums and granted all typhoon victims in the region free coverage under its “All Can Avail” program, which ended December 2016.

In a related development, Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay urged the Health department to look into the case of Eduardo D. Borja, a 74-year-old, who sought her assistance for alleged violation of the Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act of 2010 Aquino-Magsaysay said Borja was purportedly charged more than P200,000 for an overnight stay for suture at St. Patrick’s Hospital and Medical Center in Batangas City on Aug. 25, 2016 without allegedly deducting the 20-percent senior citizen discount and 12 percent valueadded tax.

She said senior citizens must fully enjoy and not be deprived of the statutory privileges given by the State in the twilight years of their lives.

Rappler seeks CA review on SEC order

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 o’clock in the morning, February 26, 2018 at the Multipurpose Hall, 3rd Floor, New Executive Building, E. Lagrimas St., Bgy. Guilaoangi, Laoang, N. Samar. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from LGU-Laoang BAC Secretariat at cellphone number 09273751816 during office hours.

9.

The Local Government Unit of Laoang 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 RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders

By Jenniffer B. Austria

10. For further information, please refer to: SALVADOR P. ACEBUCHE BAC Secretariat Municipal Planning and Development Office 2nd Floor, New Executive Building Laoang, Northern Samar Cell phone No.09498927931 & 09273751816 bac_lgulaoang@yahoo.com sgd) ENGR. LEO KARL EDUARDO B. SERRONA Chairman-Bids and Award Committee 2nd Publication: February 5, 2018 A brief description of the scope of Works should be provided, including quantities, location of project, and other information necessary to enable potential bidders to decide whether or not to respond to the invitation.

1.

2.May be deleted in case the ABC is less than One Million Pesos (PhP1,000,000) where the Procuring Entity may not hold a pre-bid conference.

(MS-FEB. 5, 2018)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE Invitation to Bid PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS GOODS 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2018 intends to procure the following projects listed below: IB No.

2018-065 2018-067 2018-068 2018-069

Name of Contract Procurement of Diphenhydramine, 50mg/mL Procurement of Ferrous Salt Solution Procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) Procurement of Ready-to-Use Supplementary Food for Moms

ABC (PHP)

Cost of Bidding Documents (Php)

14,474,250.00

25,000.00

10,680,885.00

25,000.00

66,886,500.00

50,000.00

46,000,000.00

25,000.00

2.

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the abovecaption projects. Delivery of the Goods is required as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed contracts similar to the cited projects, equivalent to at least twenty five percent (25%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila on the schedule given below: IB No. 2018-065 2018-067 2018-068 2018-069

6.

Name of Contract

Procurement of Diphenhydramine, 50mg/mL Procurement of Ferrous Salt Solution 13 February 2018; Procurement of Ready-to-Use 9:00 AM Therapeutic Food (RUTF) Procurement of Ready-to-Use Supplementary Food for Moms

FOLLOWING Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade’s assurance to improve MRT 3’s service with the arrival of new spare parts for the trouble-ridden train system, Senator Grace Poe said the public will hold him to his self-imposed deadline.

“What they were saying that by the end of February, the sufferings would be lessened since the spare parts which they ordered eo-

(b) Bank draft/guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank: Provided, however, that it shall be confirmed or authenticated by a Universal or Commercial Bank, if issued by a foreign bank. (c) Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security. (d) Bid Securing Declaration

Amount of Bid Security (Not less than the required percentage of the ABC)

Two percent (2%)

Region 3 Bulacan-Aurora-Nueve Ecija-Irrigation Management Office

Office Address: Telephone Nos.: Email Address:

No percentage required

COBAC-A Secretariat Building No. 6 Department of Health San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775 (SGD) ROGER P. TONG-AN, DMPA, MAN, RN Undersecretary of Health COBAC – A Chairperson (MS-FEB. 5, 2018)

Telefax No. (044) 766-3888 TIN No. 000-578-009-000

1.

The National Irrigation Administration – Bulacan-Aurora-Nueva Ecija Irrigation Management Office through the GAA 2018 intends to apply the sum of Nineteen Million Four Hundred Five Thousand Seven Hundred Fourteen & 35/100 (P19,405,714.35) Pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for ANGAT RIS (AMRIS) – Lateral D-1 and Lateral F, Canal Lining – ITB No. R3-BANE-RRRENIS-2018-BU-11. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The National Irrigation Administration – Bulacan-Aurora-Nueva Ecija Irrigation Management Office now invites bids for Lining of Lateral D-1 and Lateral F both in Baliwag,Bulacan.1 Completion of the Works is required within One Hundred Eighty (180) days. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”

maintenance of MRT 3 after it canceled its contract with the train system’s previous maintenance contractor, Busan Universal Rail Inc. The government accused BURI of being remiss in its contractual obligations to procure sufficient spare parts for the trains.

Poe said the government must consider other solutions to address the problems hounding the MRT if it fails to improve its services based on its target.

High court hikes Bar exams fees

By Rey Requejo THE admission fees for the 2018 Bar examinations have increased from P3,500 last year to P3,750.

In a resolution approved last month, the Supreme Court approved the P250 increase per examinee.

According to the tribunal, the increase in the fees is necessary to cover the expected hike in operational costs and other logistical expenses in the conduct of the

four-Sunday exams in November.

“The Court resolved, upon the recommendation of lawyar Ma. Cristina Layusa, Deputy Clerk of Court and Bar Confidant, with recommending approval of Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, chairperson 2018 Bar Examinations, to approve the increase in the Bar examination and admission fees for the 2018 Bar examinations of P250 or equivalent to 7.14 percent,” read the notice of resolution.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NIA-BANE IMO, Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested bidders on January 29, 2018 from the address below and upon payment of non-refundable fee of Nineteen Thousand [P19,000.00]Pesos.

It may also be downloadedfree of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The NIA-BANE IMOwill hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 5, 2018 at NIA Region 3 Conference Room, Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacanat 10:00 am which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids shall be dropped on designated drop box at the address below on or before February 19, 2018 at 12:30 pm. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

The DOH 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 RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan (044) 766-3888 niabaneimoes@gmail.com

Invitation to Bid for ANGAT RIS (AMRIS) Lateral D-1 and Lateral F, Canal Lining

Five percent (5%)

Bid opening shall be at COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted.

uld be arriving. We are all indeed bored [from waiting]. So perhaps our deadline for Sec. Tugade is his promise that by the end of February, the MRT situation will be better,” because the parts will arrive,” said Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services.

The average number of MRT passengers has significantly dropped due to the continuous decline in the aging train system.

The government took over the

Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION (Pambansang Pangasiwaan ng Patubig)

27 February 2018; 9:00 AM

Bid must be duly received by the COBAC-A Secretariat at the address below on or before the date given above. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below:

(a) Cash, Cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank.

8.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Activity (Date & Time) Pre-bidding Submission and Conference Opening of Bids

Form of Bid Security

7.

Tugade told: Meet Feb. deadline for better MRT 3

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila and inspect the Bidding Documents at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), provided that Bidders who interested to participate shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

5.

CLEANUP DRIVE. Members of the Department of Public Order and Safety, together with workers of the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department of Quezon City conduct a cleanup drive along Alibangbang St. in Veterans Village and Dangayan Street in Muñoz. Manny Palmero

ONLINE news organization Rappler Inc. and and its controlling stockholder Rappler Holdings Corp. filed a petition for review before the Court of Appeals on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s order to revoke their certificates of incorporation for violating a Constitutional restriction on foreign ownership in mass media.

Rappler and RHC, through their legal counsel Francis Lim, also sought to overturn the SEC order, which it described as “too severe and grossly disproportionate” compared to the violation it has committed.

Rappler said it should have given due process considering that its violation did to result in injury to the public.

The SEC ruling, Rappler said, also deprives other investors and stockholders of the company of their right to returns on their investments.

“In hastily issuing the assailed decision to put rappler and RHC out of business and void the Omidyar PDS, the SEC en banc deprived them of their constitutional right to due process. In applying a procedure different from that found in the SEC riles, the SEC en banc deprived Rappler and RHC of equal protection of the law. As cub the assailed decision is void,” Rappler said in its petition.

Bid opening shall be on February 19, 20181:00 pm at NIA Region 3 Conference Room, Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The NIA – BANE IMOreserves 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 RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: ENGR. CLARITA G. SILVERIO BAC Secretariat NIA-BANE IMO Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan 044-766-3888

(MS-FEB. 5, 2018

SGD. ENGR. MA. BLANCA B. ALDOVINO BAC Chairperson

BACK IN BUSINESS. Ambulant vendors are back on pedestrian sidewalks along Gonzalo Puyat St. at Manila’s Quiapo district a month after they were forced to relocate for the annual Traslacion. Ey Acasio CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

All set for World University Golf

I

T’S all systems go as the Philippines plays host to the 17th World University Golf Championship at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga from May 16 to 19 this year.

WUGC Technical Head Dominic Wall (center) visited the Pradera Verde Golf course in the Municipality of Lubao, assisted by FESSAP Athletes Committee members Kert Bryan Ocampo (left) and Janeo Sanchez, who are both from Mapua University.

With the strong commitment and dedication of the workforce of the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines, which is organizing the prestigious event that is sanctioned by the International University Sports Federation, preparations for the WUGC have been going on smoothly.

Spearheaded by Marius Aseron as the Chair of the WUGC Organizing Committee, Atty. Baldomero Estenzo, David U. Ong, Godofredo Gallega, Alvin Tai Lian, Prof. Robert Milton Calo, Col. Ariel Querubin, Atty. Maria Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, and Dr. Diosdado Amante, the FESSAP is teaming up with the Provincial Government of Pampanga.

The group is led by Gov. Lilia Pineda and her husband, philanthropist-businessman Rodolfo Pineda, Lubao City Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab, and Pradera Verde Golf Club Manager Mike Singgaran.

Over the past months, members of the FESSAP National Secretariat have made several visits to the Pradera golf course to make sure everything

is in order.

WUGC-OC Chairman Aseron will be assisted by his Vice Chairs’ Emmanuel Edward Co and Benito Techico.

So far, 21 countries namely USA, Switzerland, China, Australia, Czech Republic, France (defending team champion), Great Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Nepal, Poland, New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mongolia, Canada and the Philippines, have registered with the WUGC Secretariat supervised by Joseph Sy, Cecil Sarmiento, Nga Yee Rodas, Fructuso Raytos, Eloisa Guillermo, and Ann Janeth Garcia.

This will be the largest number of participating countries since the debut of the WUGC events in 1986.

FESSAP is a member of International University Sports Federation, which is sanctioning the Golf championship.

FISU president Oleg Matysin of Russia may yet visit the country to grace the opening on May 16 as per the advice of the WUGC Organizing Committee.

Designated by the FISU, Australian-born Dominic Wall is the technical head of the 17th World University Golf Championship in Lubao, Pampanga.

Each country will be sending a delegation of three male and three female athletes, a Coach, a Team Leader, and a Head of Delegation.

Thais seek to sustain Ladies Golf Tour run THE Ladies Philippine Golf Tour resumes this week at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Cavite with Thailand fielding in another crack 14-player contingent in an attempt to keep its win run going on the country’s premier circuit.

The Thais have ruled three of the last four LPGT tournaments, including two to close out last year’s edition, and all are ready to stamp their class again when the third leg of the 2018 LPGT season unwraps Wednesday (Feb. 7) at the Aoki layout of the sprawling ERGCC complex in Gen. Trias.

Although Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, winner of the final leg at South Forbes last December and in the 2018 season’s second stop at Beverly Place last month, won’t be around to honor a previous commitment, the Thai delegation remains talent-laden as ever with former LPGT leg winners Wannasiri Sirisampant and Saruttaya Ngam-usawan leading their charge.

Chonlada Chayanun is also due for a big win after a series of top three finishes while the likes of Chatprapa Siriprakob, Chayuda Singhsuwan, Mookharin Ladgratok and Tiranan Yoopan are also tipped to contend for the crown in the 54-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas

Golf Tournaments, Inc. But the local aces are also going all-out to end the Thais’ romp, including Dottie Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez and Princess Superal, who are in the final phase of their preparations for the Symetra Tour in the US. Other local players expected to figure in the title race of the P750,000 event are last year’s Forest Hills leg winner Chihiro Ikeda, former champion Sarah Ababa and Apple Fudolin while Singapore’s Amelia Yong will also be trying to sneak in and spoil the fancied bets’ bids.

Nine top amateurs are also joining the hunt, including newly crown Philippine Amateur champion and former LPGT leg winner Hwang Min Jeong of South Korea. Others in the fold are Sam Dizon, Mafy Singson and Laia Barro of Team The Country Club along with Koreans Kim Hui Won, Baek Yeun Jea, Kim Hee Ji, Park Kyung Hee and Lee Ji Hyeon.

Other Thais seeing action in the event, backed

by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf, are Jaruporn P Na Ayyuttaya, Chouvarest Chourkittisoporn, Kanyalak Preedasuttijit, Numa Gulyanamitta, Pavarista Yoktuan, Sarinee Thitiratanakorn and Thanuttra Boonraksasat.

JAPAN CUP WINNER. Jockey JD Juco (5th from left), who steered Mystic Award to victory in the Japan Cup Imported Division, displays his trophy during the awards rites. He is joined at the winner’s podium by (from left) Manila Jockey Club Inc. Manager Jose Ding Magboo, Philracom Commissioner Dondon Bagatsing, JRA official Kazuhiro Youfu, representative of Mystic owner Jade Bros Farm, JRA’s Masashi Shoju and Hiroyuki Koezuka, MJCI president and CEO Atty. Alfonso Victorio G. Reyno III and Philracom Executive Director Andrew Rovie Buencamino. Formerly known as the JRA (Japan Racing Authority) Cup, which has been going on for more than a decade, the prestigious event featured the local and imported divisions offering a total of P1 million in prizes.

By Peter Atencio NEWCOMER John Otico wrapped up the Philippines’ campaign with a 6-3, 6-4, win over Anthony Susanto in the fifth rubber match yesterday at the Gelora Bung Karno Tennis Stadium Complex in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Otico’s two-set triumph provided the Filipinos a 4-1 win over Indonesia in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 2 tie.

The Filipinos, who came into the tie with less experience as Fil-Am Davis Cup mainstays Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales were unable to play, advanced to the second round.

With homegrown talents Francis Casey Alcantara, Jeson Patrombon, Alberto Lim Jr. and Jurence Mendoza also picking up the pace in their absence, Team Philippines will next take on Thailand in the second round on April 7 and 8.

AJ Lim earlier opened up the Philippine campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 beating of Muhammad Althaf Dhaifullah.

After that, Patrombon took a 2-6, 5-7 setback at the hands of David Susanto in the second singles.

Alcantara and Mendoza then came away with a 7-6 (75), 6-3 stopping of Justin Barki and Susanto in the doubles.

Later, Lim prevailed over Susanto, 6-3, 6-4, in the first reverse singles.

It was a successful debut for two first timers, Otico and Mendoza.

Mendoza, a former junior standout and varsity player at Oklahoma State University, is expected to be back in the Thailand tie with Otico, who is the newly-crowned Philippine Columbian Association Open champion.

Visayans dazzle in PSC-Pacquiao Cup Go named adviser MORE than 100 amateur boxers from the Visayas region battled out to solidify their slots in the preliminary leg of the PSC-Pacquiao Boxing Cup in Bago City Gymnasium yesterday.

Aspirants from Bago City, Bawayan City, Calabayog City, Cadiz City, Cebu City, Don Salvador Benedicto. Escalante City, Himamaylan City, La Carlota City, Leyte Province, Maasin City, Murcia, San Carlos City, Sipalay City, Talisay City, Mandaue City and Victorias City were present in the hopes of advancing in the Visayas Quarterfinals slated in Naga City on Feb. 17 and 18.

Brawlers Joenel Francisco of Murcia, Negros Occidental as well as Kane Paul Redondo of Don Salavador Benedicto and Kim Catedrilla of Bago City (Jr.

Boys Pinweight 44-46kg) were standouts in the two-day tourney after winning their respective bouts via technical knockout in the first round of the fight.

The 16-year-old Francisco, who annihilated his opponent Perlito Exclamada Jr. from San Carlos City in Cebu, said that the cup is a stepping stone for him to follow in the footsteps of fellow Murcia-native and four-time World Boxing Champ Donnie “Ahas” Nietes.

“Nagsimula po ako sa boxing nu’ng 12 years old pa lang ako.

Pangarap ko pong maging champion katulad ni Donnie Nietes kaya masaya po ako na pasok ako sa quarterfinals,” shared Joenel, who fought in the Jr. Boys’ Flyweight (50kg) division.

Joining the three

in the quarterfinals were Angelo Bulasa of Cebu City, Rodel Gamo (44-46kg) and Joshua Belicena of Bago City (50kg), Kent Perocho of Escalante City (44-46kg), Gaudfrey Lubiano of Mandaue City (50kg) and Nixon Anito (50 kg) and Jay Torela Jr. of Sipalay City (52kg).

The boxing cup is part of the national grassroots sports development program of the Philippine Sports Commission in partnership with Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

San Jose, Antique will be hosting the Visayas SemiFinal round on March 10, while victors from the semis will clash again in Maasin City for the Visayas Finals on March 31.

Sorsogon City hosted the Luzon preliminary leg last Jan. 27 and 28 with close to 100 boxers.

Brad y oldest NFL best player MINNEAPOLIS—New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady became the oldest winner of the National Football League’s Player of the Year award on Saturday, winning the honour for the third time on the eve of his eighth Super Bowl appearance.

The 40-year-old superstar, who will on Sunday attempt to win his sixth Lombardi Trophy against the Philadelphia Eagles, enjoyed another dazzling season as the Patriots talisman.

Brady threw for 4,577 yards this season for 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.

Brady could become the oldest quarterback in history to win the Super Bowl if he is able to steer the Patriots past the Eagles at US Bank Stadium on Sunday.

In other awards Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams earned recognition for their stellar turnaround year, picking up three top honours.

Rams head coach Sean McVay -- the youngest head coach in NFL history at 31 -- was named coach of the year for transforming the California outfit into the league’s most potent offense after a 4-12

PH whips Indonesia, 4-1, in Davis Cup

season in 2016.

The Rams won the NFC West championship for the first time since 2003 before being eliminated in the playoffs.

Rams running back Todd Gurley picked up the offensive player of the year award following a season which saw him rack up 2,093 running and receiving yards with 19 total touchdowns.

Rams team-mate Aaron Donald was named defensive player of the year.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was named rookie of the year following a dazzling debut season.

Kamara finished the year with 14 touchdowns and 1,554 yards from scrimmage.

He was only the second rookie in history to post five rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns and a kick-off return touchdown in the same season.

Saturday also marked the selection of the Hall of Fame’s latest inductees, with former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and wide receivers Terrell Owens and Randy Moss among the newest entrants. AFP

of scribes’ group

SPORTS patron Go Teng Kok will be one of the honorary advisers of the newly-formed Tabloid Organization in Philippine Sports.

Go formally accepted the invitation to serve as TOPS’ adviser during a lunchmeeting with editors, columnists and sportswriters at the Tao Yuan Restaurant in Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo.

A former president of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association, Go said the formation of this new sportswriters’ group comes at a time when both the traditional and social media are facing a challenge with the proliferation of alleged fake news.

“The formation of TOPS is very timely.

I fully support the advocacy of the group to work closely with both the National Press Club and the Philippine Sportswriters Association to promote responsible journalism and disseminate real news without fear or favor,” said Go. TOPS is headed by Ed Andaya of People’s Tonight, president; Matthias Dennis Eroa of the Inquirer Group, vice presidentinternal; Beth Repizo of Pilipino Star, vice president–external; Edwin Rollon of Balita, secretary; Nympia Miano-Ang of Bulgar, treasurer; and Mae Balbuena of PangMasa, auditor.

The board of directors are Enjel Manato of Abante/Abante Tonite, Fred Nasiad of Bandera, Jeff Venancio of Police Files Tonite, Clyde Mariano of Pilipino Mirror, Rico Navarro of Remate, Jesse Ong of Market Monitor and Danny Simon of H.O.Y.

LOTTO RESULTS

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up during the New England Patriots practice at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The New England Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4. AFP

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Sports

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

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

Alaska survives GlobalPort challenge

By Jeric Lopez THE rampage continued for the Alaska Aces.

The red hot Aces came through in the clutch to pull off a hard-fought 10598 overtime grinder over gritty GlobalPort Batang Pier for their sixth straight victory in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City last night.

Vic Manuel continued his resurgence, scoring a team-high 21 points and grabbing five rebounds to lead the way for the Aces while Chris Banchero added 16 markers.

Calvin Abueva was likewise solid for Alaska with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.

With the game hanging in the balance in the extension, Alaska uncorked a decisive 5-0 spurt to grab a pivotal 101-96 edge with 1:28 left after two free throws from Chris Exciminiano.

GlobalPort ran out of answers, allowing the Aces to escape in the final minute and keep its winning run intact.

With the victory, the Aces (6 wins, 2 losses) could grab solo second place behind the Magnolia Hotshots (6-1) if the Hotshots win their game against San Miguel Beermen (5-1) later tonight. Or the Aces could wind up in a tie with the Hotshots at second if the Beermen prevail.

Trailing them are the TNT KaTropa (4-3), the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters (4-3), and the GlobalPort Batang Pier (3-3), Phoenix (3-4), the NLEX Road Warriors (34) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-4).

Filipino Jerwin Ancajas (right) connects with a right hand to face of Mexican challenger Israel Gonzales. Ancajas went on to score a technical knockout victory to retain his International Boxing Federation superflyweight crown. Mikey Williams/TopRank

Ancajas retains IBF title with TKO win

By Randy Caluag

F

OR a while, Mexican challenger Israel Gonzales looked like he would deny Jerwin Ancajas a spectacular show on American soil.

But Ancajas patiently and methodically worked his way to a grand finish, stopping the Mexican via a technical knockout (TKO) in the 10th of their 12-round bout to retain his International Boxing Federation (IBF) superflyweight title before a stunned crowd on Sunday (Manila time) at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“Hindi ko inexpect na makap-

analo ng knockout dahil naramdaman ko na determinado rin ang kalaban ko,” said Ancajas, who admitted to carrying the pressure of being compared with his idol, eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.

“Pag naiisip ko na ikinukumpara ako kay sir Manny, sinisikap ko talaga na kahit konti man lang maging katulad ako kay sir Manny.”

And he made sure Gonzales

felt that, too.

The challenger sat down on his pants after receiving a solid left hook to his jaw from Ancajas right in the first round.

That knockdown easily gave Ancajas a 10-8 advantage.

From then on, Gonzales refused to engage with Ancajas who dominated the rest of the rounds with his right jabs, and one-two combinations which came in trickles because the Mexican always maintained a safe distance and waited for the right time to throw his counter.

It never came.

Instead, Ancajas pressed the action all throughout the match until that fateful end with barely a minute gone in the tenth.

Ancajas threw a Pacquiaolike left hook to the jaw of the stunned Gonzales for a knockdown and a mandatory eightcount. Few seconds after that, with Gonzales still dazed, Ancajas again unleashed a left hook that knocked down his foe for the second time.

Referee Rafael Ramos didn’t bother to count as he waved Gonzales out in favor of Ancajas who defended his title for fourth straight time and improved his record to 29 wins, 20 by knockout, one loss and one draw.

With the impressive win, Ancajas is hoping to get more big fights in the US courtesy of promoter Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who signed him up recently.

POSF Houston Rockets rout Cleveland Cavs to hold more races in 2018 ACTIVITIES in obstacle sports competitions are expected to go into high gear in the coming months.

Philippine Obstacle Sports Federation president, Atty. Alberto Agra, said this after the POSF was given recognition as an associate member of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The General Assembly of the POC gave its collective nod to the POSF during its regular meeting last Wednesday at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

With the acceptance of the POSF, Agra said they will be able to hold many of their activities at a faster pace.

“We have a lot of races.

We will be able to put up our factory here. And, international brands will be here,” said Agra.

For the past year, the POSF has been making plans to get things going in 2018, with a series of international events to be held this February.

These activities are expected to put the Philippines in the spotlight in the map of obstacle sports events. Peter Atencio

LOS ANGELES—Chris Paul finished with 22 points and 11 assists as the Houston Rockets became the latest team to pummel LeBron James’ struggling Cleveland Cavaliers with a 120-88 win on Saturday.

The Rockets did it without a big night from James Harden who finished with 16 points, while on the other side James had just 11 points and didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

Harden has been averaging 31 points a game this season for the Rockets, who won their fourth consecutive game and their 11th in their last 13. Ryan Anderson stepped in with 21 points.

Since losing at Golden State on Christmas Day, the Cavaliers have been humiliated in several matchups against top level NBA clubs. They lost by 28 at Minnesota, 34 in Toronto, 24 at home to Oklahoma City and now by 32 to the Rockets.

The Cavaliers looked nothing like the team that has made it to the last three NBA finals.

“I’m lost for words,” James said.

The defending Eastern Conference champs played their second game without injured all-star forward Kevin Love, who suffered a broken left hand earlier this week and could be out for two months.

Isaiah Thomas scored 12 for Cleveland, who have lost 12 of 18 and don’t seem to have any answers on the floor for what ails them.

“They should take us off every nationally televised game for the rest of the season,” said James. “We haven’t played good at all and we get our butts kicked every time we play on national television, so I’m at a loss for words.”

In Denver, Nikola Jokic scored 19 points and added nine rebounds as the Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (3) explodes past Cleveland Cavaliers Nuggets came from behind to beat the defender Derrick Rose (1) on February 3, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. AFP Golden State Warriors 115-108. AFP

Baby Falcons trounce UST

By Peter Atencio Games Wednesday

(at the Blue Eagles gym) 9 a.m. NU vs Adamson 11 a.m. FEU vs UPIS 1 p.m. UE vs Ateneo 3 p.m. UST vs La Salle Zobel

THE Adamson Baby Falcons failed to stop top MVP candidate CJ Cansino from scoring.

But denying Cansino’s three other productive teammates from contributing important baskets allowed the Baby Falcons to frustrate the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs, 91-74, yesterday at the Blue Eagle gym in Katipunan, Quezon City.

Two of last year’s bench warmers, Andray Doria and Jose Sabandal, provided leadership for the rookieladen Baby Falcons, who went on to post their sixth win in 12 matches in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) junior basketball tournament.

Cansino delivered one of his best games for the season, shooting 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds for the Tiger Cubs, who found their semifinal hopes in trouble after Adamson gained a share of fourth place with them.

Doria showed the way for the Baby Falcons with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jose Sabandal contributed in 20 points and eight rebounds for the Baby Falcons.

Zverev powers Germany past Australia

Alexander Zverev of Germany hits a return to Nick Kyrgios of Australia during their fourth round rubber of the Davis Cup World Group tennis match at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane on February 4, 2018. AFP

BRISBANE, Australia – German number one Alexander Zverev beat Nick Kyrgios in straight sets to give his country a 3-1 win over Australia in their Davis Cup World Group tie in Brisbane on Sunday.

Zverev produced some superb tennis to down Kyrgios 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in one hour, 48 minutes and put Germany into a quarterfinal against either Spain or Great Britain. “(To win) against a very strong Australian team makes us very confident for the next round, for the upcoming years,” German captain Michael Kohlmann said.

“We showed we have a lot of good players, a lot of strong players.

“We showed that we are able to go further than this.”

Zverev served beautifully throughout, only facing two break points in the match, both at the end of the second set and both of which he saved.

He also returned well, getting many of Kyrgios’s thunderbolts back in play and then winning the battle from the back of the court.

“It’s awesome, it’s an amazing feeling and without my teammates it wouldn’t have been possible,” Zverev said.

“Obviously we’re happy but hopefully this is just the beginning for us.”

Kyrgios went into the match full of expectation after an impressive win over Jan-Lennard Struff in Friday’s opening singles.

Zverev, on the other hand, had looked out of touch on Friday and was pushed for almost four hours before seeing off 18-yearold Alex de Minaur in five sets.

But following the Germans’ win in the doubles on Saturday to give them a 2-1 lead, all the pressure was on Kyrgios, who had to win to keep the tie alive. AFP

Sideways trading seen; investors eye Q4 profits

B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

B

Ayala investing over P200b in 2018

By Jenniffer B. Austria

IN BRIEF Landbank, DBP may sell MRT stake THE government is studying the sale of stakes held by Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines in the problematic Metro Rail Transit Line 3 but only after the operational issues are resolved, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

Dominguez said in a briefing his department was currently working with the Department of Transportation to finally resolve all the issues surrounding MRT-3.

“And that will include what to do with the interest of LBP and DBP in the MRT. It’s a rather complicated deal because it involves selling the shares,” he said.

“First of all, it involves getting a new maintenance contractor and then putting ahead with privatizing it or selling the enterprise,” he said.

Dominguez said once all the issues were settled, the government would determine exactly how it would treat the interest of the two state-run banks. He said what should be prioritized is the interest of the riding public. Julito G. Rada

C

ONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. said capital expenditures in 2018 may exceed P200 billion, higher than the P185-billion programmed spending last year to support the expansion plans of core subsidiaries.

Ayala Corp. chief finance officer Teodoro Limcaoco said in an interview over the weekend the group’s P200billion capital spending this year would include P20 billion to P25 billion to support the banking unit’s planned stock

rights offering.

“It will be more than P200 billion for the group-wide capital expenditures. The BPI [Bank of the Philippine Islands] rights offering is considered a capex for us and we will take out proportion share,” Limcaoco said.

“BPI rights offering is about P40 [billion] to P50 billion, so if we have about 48-percent stake in the bank, that is about P20 billion to P25 billion for us,” he said.

Electronics unit Integrated Microelectronics Inc. is also raising P5 billion through a rights offering.

Limcaoco said Ayala Corp. was also planning a peso bond offering to partially fund this year’s capital expenditures.

“We are looking at all opportunities.

We have strong support from banks, but

we are also looking at the possibility of maybe a bond issue if markets are conducive,” Limcaoco said.

“I think we should be in the Philippine bond market once a year because it is good to have investors know you all the time,” he said.

Aside from BPI and IMI, other subsidiaries of Ayala Corp. are Globe Telecom, Manila Water Co. Inc., AC Energy Holdings Ltd. and AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.

Meanwhile, Limcaoco said the final structure of the proposed merger of unit AC Education Inc. and Yuchengcoowned iPeople Inc. were still being finalized.

Limcaoco said due diligence was still ongoing and a definitive agreement could

be signed within the first quarter.

The parties need to secure an approval from the Philippine Competition Commission.

Limcaoco said iPeople, a listed company, would most likely be the surviving entity. The merger would include iPeople and subsidiary Malayan Education System Inc. operating under the name of Mapua University, Malayan Colleges Laguna and Malayan Colleges Mindanao.

Ayala Corp. will put in the University of Nueva Caceres, one of the oldest and largest universities in Bicol region and Apec Schools, the largest stand-alone chain of private high schools in the country.

The merger will cover a total student population of 40,000.

DBP LOAN. Staterun Development Bank of the Philippines signs a P200-million facility to support the secondgeneration Solar Powered Community of Imperial Homes Corp. that uplifts the Filipino home standard with 100 years of material warranty. At the loan signing ceremony are DBP executive vice president Mario Palou (fourth from left) and Imperial Homes Corp. president and chief executive Emma Imperial (third from right). With them are (from left) Noel Benitez Jr., Fe Evangelista, Jeanne Adamos, Alice Corpuz and Mary Ann Jiao.

Meralco wants ERC reconstituted POWER RETAILER Manila Electric Co. asked the government to “reconstitute” the Energy Regulatory Commission amid delays in the issuances of decisions on pending applications.

“I hope, the main thing about Meralco is our PSA [power supply agreements].

We can’t proceed to build one or two of our plants without the PSA, so we hope the government will see its way through to reconstitute the ERC,” Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Meralco and other power players asked the government to fill the leadership vacuum at ERC as a result of the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend its four commissioners.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered a one-year suspension of all four commissioners―Josefina Patricia Asirit, Alfredo Non, Geronimo Sta. Ana and Gloria Yap-Taruc in December―for allegedly giving Meralco an undue advantage when it extended the submission of its PSA applications.

Pangilinan said the ongoing impasse at the ERC would affect the timetable of the power plants. Alena Mae S. Flores

340-MW coal plant set to deliver power ABOITIZ Power Corp.’s 340-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Bato, Toledo City, Cebu is now 95-percent completed and expected to deliver power to the grid this year.

Construction of the baseload power plant started in April 2015. The project employs more than 2,000 workers on-site.

The Therma Visayas Inc.’s energy project, Aboitiz Power’s second baseload power plant to feature a coal dome, recently achieved 20 million safe man-hours with zero lost time injury.

“Reaching this new milestone demonstrates the team’s dedication to safety as well as consistency in pursuing an incident and injury-free workplace,” said Aboitiz Power Coal Business Unit president and chief operating officer Sebastian Lacson.

TVI said it was committed to ensuring that every person on site was safe while working. “TVI is fully committed to ensuring that every person at site, organic or contractor, returns home safely,” Lacson said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PH economy listed as ‘moderately free’ WASHINGTON DC-based think tank said the Philippines remains a “moderately free” economy.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano the Philippines achieved an economic freedom score of 65 out of a possible 100, in the Heritage Foundation 2018 Index of Economic Freedom.

This which was significantly better than the global and regional averages, Romualdez said.

The Philippines moved down slightly from a global rank 58th in 2017 to 61st place in 2018, but it improved its regional standing by one rank to number 13 among 43 countries in the Asia-Pacific that were surveyed.

IEF is an annual survey of 180 countries published since 1995 by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC-based think-tank.

The 2018 Index graded economies based on 12 independent factors called economic freedoms.

“The Philippines notes the release of the 2018 Index of Economic Freedom. It clearly indicates the sustainability of Philippine economic growth particularly on the back of serious economic reforms, particularly in ease of doing business and taxation,” Romualdez said. Julito G. Rada

Megawide-GMR signs Clark airport contract

TODAY HEAD OFFICE: PBCom Tower, 6795 Ayala Avenue corner V.A. Rufino Street, 1226 Makati City Customer Care: (02) 777-2266 or 1-800-10-777-2266 (Domestic Toll Free)*Email: customercare@pbcom.com.ph*Website: www.pbcom.com.ph

BALANCE SHEET (Head Office and Branches)

MEGAWIDE-GMR consortium and state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority signed the engineering, procurement and construction contract to expand Clark International Airport, according to International Finance Corp.

Megawide-GMR is the consortium of local company Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India. Its unit GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. is the builder and operator of Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

“This project [Clark Airport expansion] builds on IFC’s long-standing track record in advising the government of the Philippines in delivering crucial infrastructure. Infrastructure is key to the sustainable and inclusive economic growth of the country,” IFC country manager for the Philippines Yuan Xu said.

Following the Philippine government’s hybrid public-private partnership policy, IFC helped structure the transaction for the EPC contract to build a new passenger terminal that will help Clark International Airport become a world-class facility.

IFC also assisted BCDA in conducting a competitive and transparent bid process that took less than six months, one of the fastest PPP mandates globally for IFC as an advisor, and resulted in significant government savings. Project preparation was supported by the Global Infrastructure Facility.

Clark International Airport is the second main gateway into the country, and the new 100,000-square meter terminal will double its capacity to eight million passengers a year, boosting air transport capacity for the Greater Manila Area.

The project is expected to reduce the strain on the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport and help create jobs and increase development in Central Luzon, a growing economic center.

This is on top of the nearly P175 billion or $3.4 billion of capex that PLDT invested in network building in the immediately preceding fiveyear period (2011 to 2015).

“What this means is that for every P1 of service revenue, we reinvest between P0.30 to P0.35 in the business to super-charge our networks and advance our digital transformation program.

This is a massive effort to turn our networks into powerful, pervasive and resilient platforms for delivering relevant digital services and solutions that our people can use to improve their daily lives, as well as enable the country to compete and thrive in this

digital age,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.

“Aside from building vital digital infrastructure, the PLDT Group is doing its share of nation building through the payment of taxes. In 2011 to 2016, PLDT and its subsidiaries paid a total of P206.9 billion in various forms of taxes,” Pangilinan said.

Smart Communications, the group’s wireless unit, is utilizing its capex to roll out aggressively more LTE and 3G base stations to provide high-speed mobile broadband to over 90 percent of the country’s cities and municipalities by 2018. Darwin G Amojelar

BALANCE SHEET (Bank and Financial Subsidiaries)

As of December 31, 2017

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT set to spend P150b in three years PLDT Inc. is spending over P150 billion over a threeyear period to modernize and expand its fixed and mobile networks and provide worldclass communications, internet and digital services in the country.

The country’s largest telecom company said capital expenditures in 2018 would exceed P50 billion and stay at that level over the next two years.

This would bring PLDT Group’s total capex from 2016 – the year PLDT embarked on its network and IT transformation programs – to nearly P260 billion, or about $5 billion (at current exchange rates).

Manila

Standard

AsofSeptember30,2017

As of December 31, 2017

ASSETS

ASSETS

Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets - Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets - Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans - Net Loans and Receivables - Net Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures - Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture & Equipment - Net Real and Other Properties Acquired - Net Other Assets - Net

P

940,731,604.65 15,279,083,879.84 1,425,180,971.84 2,738,821,492.52 52,242,432.50 15,800,989,428.50 3,273,252,255.28 47,380,188,725.68 62,412,500.00 47,783,269,279.00 465,493,053.32 541,704,367.36 995,024,594.74 1,687,789,483.98 527,637,404.51 5,727,336,901.95

P

834,715,489.09 12,201,063,744.58 2,087,868,953.69 1,102,810,047.07 52,242,432.50 14,903,779,420.61 3,360,404,095.44 45,744,934,538.93 63,518,750.00 46,132,098,842.25 450,683,053.32 433,991,377.64 993,766,986.17 1,718,325,764.40 569,335,637.58 5,680,140,282.79

TOTAL ASSETS

P 96,369,983,543.35

P

89,683,378,770.49 TOTAL ASSETS

Cash and Cash Items P 973,096,072.75 Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas 15,340,710,554.15 Due from Other Banks 1,625,539,660.17 Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss 2,738,821,492.52 Available-for-Sale Financial Assets - Net 52,242,432.50 Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets - Net 15,800,989,428.50 Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans - Net 3,273,252,255.28 Loans and Receivables - Net 49,021,762,958.83 Interbank Loans Receivable 62,412,500.00 Loans and Receivables - Others 49,442,119,412.86 General Loan Loss Provision 482,768,954.03 Other Financial Assets 566,046,267.14 Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures - Net 27,201,870.51 Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture & Equipment - Net 1,790,324,017.51 Real and Other Properties Acquired - Net 600,493,937.19 Other Assets - Net 6,321,901,638.52

976,975.32 69,031,862,144.13 12,567,399,445.87 4,600,000,000.00 7,967,399,445.87 632,941,774.85 2,127,488,377.60

P

64,183,203,054.79 10,535,616,506.93 1,800,000,000.00 8,735,616,506.93 876,322,937.30 2,160,009,497.93

TOTAL LIABILITIES

P 84,360,668,717.77

P

77,755,151,996.95 TOTAL LIABILITIES

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

P 12,009,314,825.58

P

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

P 96,369,983,543.35

P

89,683,378,770.49 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

P 14,278,374,781.56 1,822,618,663.61 -4,091,678,619.59

P

P 2,071,783,781.58 482,827,569.30 944,839,042.95 27,770,491.74 947,163,795.68 5,267,279,338.04 1,129,107,599.70 4,138,171,738.34 177,351,268.59

P

TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

P 9,919,015,287.88

P

1,991,999,862.33 Financial Standby Letters of Credit 958,455,885.63 Commercial Letters of Credit 1,011,621,227.81 Trade Related Guarantees Commitments 1,308,038,875.40 Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts 5,237,850,817.18 Trust Department Accounts Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts 1,115,946,273.82 Agency Accounts 4,121,904,543.36 Others 135,383,371.19 10,643,350,039.54 TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

976,975.32 70,734,617,277.45 12,568,053,191.87 4,600,000,000.00 653,746.00 7,967,399,445.87 645,125,146.21 2,238,882,027.78

P

66,031,983,066.20 10,535,616,506.93 1,800,000,000.00 8,735,616,506.93 893,986,391.65 2,268,406,953.92

P 86,187,654,618.63

P

79,729,992,918.70

P

49,544,603,393.20 1,698,921,614.20 2,188,900,338.08 4.42% 489,978,723.88

e. Ratio of total allowance for credit losses to gross NPLs (%)

P

P

14,278,125,906.49 1,755,464,019.56 -4,153,020,310.49 -9,626,671.97 11,870,942,943.59

P

91,600,935,862.29

P 2,071,783,781.58 482,827,569.30 944,839,042.95 27,770,491.74 947,163,795.68 5,267,279,338.04 1,129,107,599.70 4,138,171,738.34 177,357,406.59

P

1,991,999,862.33 958,455,885.63 1,011,621,227.81

P 9,919,021,425.88

P

P 98,132,382,585.57

1,308,038,875.40 5,237,850,817.18 1,115,946,273.82 4,121,904,543.36 135,390,023.19 10,643,356,691.54

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

0.99%

98.88%

f. Ratio of specific allowance for credit losses on the gross TLP to gross NPLs (%) 77.62% Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance for credit losses 1,265,139,190.98 DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross allowance of credit losses 16,951,194.60 Ratio of DOSRI loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to gross TLP (%) 0.03% Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables 10,874.41 Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) 0.00% Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises 1.34% b. 2% for Medium Enterprises 12.07% Return on Equity (ROE) (%) 2.64% Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) 15.85% b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) 12.88% c. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ 12.88%

47,905,082,372.72 1. List of Financial Allied Subsidiaries (excluding Subsidiary Insurance Companies) 1. Banco Dipolog, Inc. a Rural Bank 1,709,464,780.47 2. List of Subsidiary Insurance Companies 2,216,599,337.40 1. PBCom Insurance Services Agency, Inc. 4.63% 3. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Consolidated Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations 507,134,556.93 a. Total CAR (%) 15.85% 1.06% b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) 12.95% 97.45% c. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ 12.95% 77.12% 1/ Common Equity Tier 1 is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

16.04% 13.11% 13.11%

1,227,936,175.95 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) City of Makati )S.S. 16,899,562.31

Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

0.04% We, Arlene M. Datu and Patricia May T. Siy, of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all 10,874.41 matters set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

0.00% 1.72% 13.59% 2.62%

(SGD.) ARLENE M. DATU Controller, SVP

(SGD.) PATRICIA MAY T. SIY President & CEO

16.06% 13.07% SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 25th day of January 2018 at City of Makati, affiants exhibiting 13.07% their SSS nos. 0356633451 and 0373099955, respectively.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) City of Makati )S.S. We, Arlene M. Datu and Patricia May T. Siy, of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

Doc. No. 232 Page No. 48 Book No. V SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 25th day of January 2018 at City of Makati, affiants Series of 2018. exhibiting their SSS nos. 0356633451 and 0373099955, respectively.

Doc. No. 231 Page No. 48 Book No. V Series of 2018.

91,600,935,862.29

CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Financial Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Trust Department Accounts Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts Agency Accounts Others

(SGD.) ARLENE M. DATU Controller, SVP

P

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY P 14,278,125,906.49 1,836,552,071.60 -4,159,364,975.59 -10,585,035.56 P 11,944,727,966.94

Capital Stock 14,278,374,781.56 Other Capital Accounts 1,741,530,611.57 Retained Earnings -4,091,678,619.59 Minority Interest in Subsidiaries 11,928,226,773.54 TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

1/

870,017,681.71 12,265,168,712.02 2,337,804,110.06 1,102,810,047.07 52,242,432.50 14,903,779,420.61 3,360,404,095.44 47,463,723,038.12 63,518,750.00 47,868,329,308.73 468,125,020.61 467,291,879.64 27,448,459.844 1,821,480,017.04 633,369,537.50 6,295,396,430.74

LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Bills Payable: BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) Interbank Loans Payable Other Deposit Substitutes Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities

P

Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a. Gross NPLs b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c. Net NPLs d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%)

P

P 98,132,382,585.57

LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Bills Payable: BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) Other Deposit Substitutes Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities

Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings

AsofSeptember30,2017

(SGD.) PATRICIA MAY T. SIY President & CEO

(SGD.) ATTY. GERVACIO B. ORTIZ JR. NOTARY PUBLIC City of Makati until December 31, 2018 IBP no. 656155 - Lifetime Member MCLE Compliance No. V-0006934 Appointment no. M-104 -(2017-2018) PTR no. 6607879 Jan. 3, 2018 Makati City Roll no. 40091 101 Urban Ave., Campos Rueda Bldg. Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City

(SGD.) ATTY. GERVACIO B. ORTIZ JR. NOTARY PUBLIC City of Makati until December 31, 2018 IBP no. 656155 - Lifetime Member MCLE Compliance No. V-0006934 Appointment no. M-104 -(2017-2018) PTR no. 6607879 Jan. 3, 2018 Makati City Roll no. 40091 101 Urban Ave., Campos Rueda Bldg. Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City

Member: Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation Maximum Deposit Insurance for each Deposit P500,000.00

B2

Business

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Meralco aims to widen sources of power supply

By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, is seeking to diversify power generation sources while balancing the supply cost, its top official said over the weekend.

“In a way it’s different because natural gas is gas and solar is solar. It can’t be all coal, it can’t be all gas. So we’re trying to diversify fuel sources just in case. For example, if a typhoon hits a particular area and solar is affected, you have other sources, so it’s good for Meralco to diversify,” Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Meralco is reviewing the offer of P2.99 per kilowatt-

hour by Solar Philippines in response to Meralco’s invitation for a price challenge of an unsolicited proposal by First NatGas Power Corp. to supply 414 MW from its San Gabriel gas power plant.

Solar Philippines did not say where it would obtain the supply, while San Gabriel power plant started operating.

Pangilinan said Meralco did not want to be seen as favoring any particular supplier and was taking seriously its mandate “to source the least cost.”

“On the other hand, we must also diversify the sources because if you’re dependent on just a single source, then that’s not good,” he said.

Sideways trading seen; focus on 2017 earnings

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HARE prices are expected to trade sideways this week as investors await the release of corporate earnings and the meeting of the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral on Feb 8.

Online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said investors would closely monitor the Feb 8. meeting of the Monetary Board to carefully assess the impact of the amended tax law on inflation and interest rates.

“Following the Fed’s status quo on US interest rates,

the spotlight will revert to local monetary authorities during their first meeting for 2018. Given hints from officials that the peso-dollar rate is still within range and no significant spikes is seen for consumer prices, players are pricing-in for local interest rates to remain firm,”

2TradeAsia.com said.

Investors, meanwhile, will monitor the release of full-year 2017 financial results of listed companies and the possible outlook for 2018 earnings.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week declined 2.6 percent to 8,810.75, while the broader All Shares Index fell 1.66 percent as the market succumbed to profit-taking.

Despite last week’s market decline, BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said trading could still range between

8,600 and 9,000 points over the near term period.

Except for the service index, which climbed 1.26 percent, all other subindices ended in red led by holding firms (-3.74 percent), property (-3.22 percent), industrial (-1.64 percent), financials (-1.47 percent) and mining and oil (-0.87 percent).

Foreign investors were net sellers for the week by P6.7 billion, while the average daily value traded reached P9.12 billion from the previous week’s average of P8.3 billion.

Weekly top price gain-

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 2, 2018 Close Volume Value 3.51 59 153.50 120.00 3.70 1.89 36.15 9.99 15.6 29.1 12.10 0.68 1.69 1005.00 0.550 98.6 1.5 13.4 25.95 57.70 88.25 104.1 246 51 243.4 1995.00 91.00 1.23

JANUARY 22-26,2018 Close Volume Value

925,000 39,970 17,771,190 6,462,730 1,323,000 2,876,000 720,500 3,200 50,400 7,616,800 243,500 1,007,000 136,000 30 4,338,000 12,592,010 111,485,000 437,200 7,100 842,800 500 2,380 60,700 3,763,890 3,422,820 640 372,960 796,000

FINANCIAL 3,291,540.00 2,366,089.00 2,741,138,895.00 770,757,171.00 4,941,660.00 5,482,510.00 26,298,930.00 30,990.00 776,882.00 219,283,975.00 2,803,137.00 654,670.00 230,320.00 30,025.00 2,338,230.00 1,251,266,609.00 170,156,290.00 5,867,616.00 184,295.00 49,037,459.00 43,899.50 472,382.00 14,924,880.00 198,104,105.50 843,448,794.00 1,247,145.00 33,852,656.50 979,080.00

3.6 59.7 157.50 117.80 3.80 1.96 36.75 9.8 15.5 29.1 9.22 0.65 1.71 1000.00 0.550 101.3 1.23 13.4 26.00 57.50 89.5 104.2 245 55.05 251.6 1945.00 90.00 1.24

1,266,000 79,320 14,205,700 13,527,710 482,000 3,840,000 1,673,100 3,000 46,200 8,720,200 3,900 142,000 244,000 210 3,590,000 11,793,940 41,981,000 312,700 1,400 867,470 1,410 1,020 43,040 3,188,230 3,802,580 1,345 332,860 643,000

4,371,050.00 4,679,905.00 2,245,117,944.00 1,628,633,960.00 1,838,000.00 7,604,170.00 61,719,655.00 29,980.00 715,662.00 260,926,540.00 36,105.00 93,140.00 419,910.00 207,650.00 1,998,210.00 1,189,664,593.50 50,332,640.00 4,211,988.00 36,360.00 49,340,289.50 125,540.00 107,037.00 10,341,196.00 175,069,781.50 955,605,554.00 2,647,115.00 29,677,497.50 795,740.00

INDUSTRIAL 257,162,820.00 103,703,510.00 5,171,010.00 1,640,570.00 4,984,279.00 12,792,150.00 99,960.00 1,735,838.00 168,547,380.00 55,312,326.00 37,850.00 130,908,820.50 541,174.50 820.00 562,212.00 2,467,870.00 445,546.00 1,033,452.00 116,382,846.00 141,968,584.00 101,463,466.00 65,072,434.00 87,130,718.00 95,780.00 71,262,744.00 66,259,190.00 63,283,695.00 8,195,628.00 451,438,086.00 12,423,220.00 1,155,374,912.00 220,248.00 5,060,720.00 91,360.00 150,989.00 226,567,455.00 29,566,790.00 540,168,375.00 534,440.00 528,300,464.00 856,411.00 68,299,040.00 3,310,832.00 237,534,879.00 13,284,033.00 2,685,396.00 3,522,080.00 42,975,736.00 104,486,919.50 288,820.00 5,051,840.00 20,480.00 295,130.00 177,758,770.00 10,445,290.00 110,294,722.00 3,703,598.00 1,850,400.00 1,396,170.00 1,154,640,574.00 1,375,320.00 63,506,100.00 34,715.00 1,010,130.00

41.75 11.9 0.62 1.32 17.26 0.219 125 19.82 4.59 16.24 186 54 60 102 64.9 1.91 5.61 10.9 12.400 14.82 13.00 8.70 5.62 1.66 16 62.7 30.70 10.72 18.66 1.970 292.20 55.05 4.45 3.19 20.75 28.5 18.08 21.6 0.196 335.00 9.03 2.88 5.12 9.21 6.43 8.30 1.74 13.20 65.05 6.2 4.80 2.05 3.85 628 1.71 14.8 5.48 0.132 1.17 171 2.85 2.04 25.65 0.82

5,216,600 6,923,500 1,602,000 1,858,000 63,100 10,660,000 810 27,700 21,301,000 4,405,900 1,150 3,319,090 3,820 460 479,590 675,000 46,600 70,700 12,603,400 8,986,900 3,668,300 14,864,500 33,871,000 143,000 4,547,000 408,700 2,895,000 3,586,600 11,210,500 10,417,000 3,762,250 631,558 2,270,000 187,000 3,200 14,610,600 1,810,200 33,247,700 5,260,000 1,003,340 274,300 40,472,000 1,057,600 14,350,900 1,599,100 162,600 11,026,000 6,565,500 4,297,710 268,300 683,000 44,000 146,000 739,920 16,176,000 8,893,200 608,700 10,800,000 832,000 5,689,970 7,840,000 35,408,000 10,700 1,093,000

216,590,915.00 78,656,938.00 985,560.00 2,426,130.00 1,079,392.00 2,298,640.00 105,963.00 519,874.00 100,269,180.00 71,043,974.00 217,050.00 183,058,283.50 224,629.50 46,260.00 29,531,975.00 1,284,170.00 257,421.00 759,806.00 155,947,380.00 135,187,824.00 47,355,662.00 125,893,024.00 190,886,787.00 242,860.00 72,670,728.00 25,612,165.00 90,973,670.00 37,038,597.00 202,872,860.00 20,092,980.00 1,069,521,974.00 115,429.00 9,807,660.00 598,650.00 66,570.00 416,517,225.00 32,646,014.00 670,112,176.00 1,040,090.00 334,793,092.00 2,543,123.00 113,097,100.00 5,265,337.00 131,848,622.00 10,557,428.00 1,345,471.00 19,884,800.00 84,842,060.00 280,406,105.50 1,671,200.00 3,220,520.00 91,300.00 572,280.00 446,467,175.00 26,436,580.00 134,842,672.00 3,316,576.00 1,425,240.00 964,170.00 964,454,237.00 17,895,610.00 72,129,600.00 281,085.00 888,620.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement EEI Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide MG Holdings Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Pilipinas Shell Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza SPC Power Corp.

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

41 12.8 0.63 1.32 19.2 0.230 122 18.62 4.47 15.8 189 51 57 82 62.5 1.91 5.55 10.6 11.820 14.8 12.36 8.06 5.68 1.66 16 63.05 30.00 10.36 21.2 1.870 294.00 55.00 4.2 3.29 20.85 28.35 18.18 21.5 0.197 336.20 8.43 2.89 4.96 9.80 6.64 8.29 1.66 12.70 61.6 6.2 4.95 2.05 3.79 630 1.58 15.44 5.47 0.131 1.10 162.2 2.95 2.07 24.50 0.84

6,263,800 8,250,500 8,108,000 1,256,000 260,700 48,536,870 850 93,800 38,354,000 3,479,200 200 2,575,910 9,230 10 9,000 1,296,000 82,400 96,600 78,471,030 9,607,600 8,088,700 7,998,800 15,437,100 58,000 4,486,100 1,068,560 2,090,100 775,700 22,896,000 6,682,000 4,034,810 4,060 1,210,000 28,000 7,600 7,961,100 1,657,400 25,109,800 2,730,000 1,576,070 95,700 23,508,000 672,600 24,677,500 2,004,300 330,300 2,101,000 3,235,100 1,675,500 46,700 1,038,000 10,000 78,000 285,410 6,485,000 7,295,300 681,100 14,000,000 1,242,000 7,062,690 484,000 30,487,000 1,400 1,230,000

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

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

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.300 75.30 15.60 0.98 7.05 0.550 0.570 1050 7.5 14.56 5 5 7.50 0.185 1350 7.30 77.40 5.36 5.35 0.74 5.69 23.15 0.345 6.46 3.35 0.0420 1.250 2.640 2.62 152.00 2.6 1030.00 1.62 0.76 283.000 178.40 0.2500 0.1800 0.200

5,020,000 5,560,620 47,617,700 86,000 37,900 577,473,000 173,917,000 1,435,075 6,073,900 32,676,900 1,500 17,400 312,800 410,000 462,240 230,000 9,267,510 5,600 37,300 10,322,000 6,145,800 15,350,700 330,000 101,370,100 52,000 97,700,000 1,744,000 44,280,000 177,000 3,831,010 58,000 3,143,920 4,176,000 32,000 19,040 200 18,930,000 500,000 1,370,000

HOLDING FIRMS 1,487,950.00 426,025,739.50 732,519,114.00 82,220.00 264,530.00 328,778,340.00 110,637,320.00 1,510,923,015.00 44,719,367.00 469,746,356.00 7,500.00 87,720.00 2,349,764.00 76,060.00 624,950,230.00 1,679,551.00 714,499,288.50 30,550.00 220,592.00 7,622,510.00 33,948,399.00 347,468,135.00 107,750.00 660,731,822.00 174,200.00 4,010,300.00 2,269,060.00 118,399,350.00 445,890.00 559,353,772.00 150,800.00 3,285,145,360.00 6,747,750.00 24,320.00 5,342,050.00 35,969.00 5,059,750.00 90,010.00 271,450.00

0.300 78.50 15.84 0.94 7.00 0.430 0.465 1040 7.48 14.50 5 5.5 7.60 0.186 1350 7.38 78.00 5.97 5.74 0.68 5.7 23.5 0.335 6.69 3.35 0.0400 1.350 2.680 2.50 141.10 2.6 1140.00 1.61 0.82 282.000 180.10 0.2350 0.1800 0.200

1,669,000 4,354,630 45,185,900 246,000 124,600 31,120,000 24,120,000 1,649,380 14,502,000 23,459,500 250,000 3,700 271,500 1,320,000 658,160 80,400 6,567,810 20,400 78,600 2,479,000 3,635,500 55,202,000 589,900 59,604,100 73,000 178,100,000 10,670,000 36,015,000 269,000 3,225,570 93,000 1,694,395 3,311,000 170,000 23,480 140 5,180,000 1,820,000 4,350,000

631,250.00 335,107,351.50 717,446,120.00 235,930.00 870,693.00 13,383,300.00 11,472,450.00 1,717,562,560.00 109,130,784.00 344,395,374.00 1,235,790.00 20,350.00 2,049,084.00 274,810.00 891,400,510.00 598,225.00 515,601,558.50 117,749.00 500,249.00 1,669,860.00 20,421,122.00 1,304,547,350.00 185,450.00 401,105,332.00 263,460.00 7,186,400.00 15,430,880.00 93,127,920.00 673,990.00 448,188,101.00 242,440.00 1,836,761,330.00 5,375,960.00 134,900.00 4,446,240.00 26,848.00 1,280,670.00 332,600.00 910,450.00

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

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

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

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

6.180 0.95 15.50 2.160 0.900 45.850 3.77 4.74 5.89 0.465 1.10 1.090 0.245 0.455 39.5 0.660 0.137 1.87 1.39 0.79 4.23 4.96 0.325 0.3350 0.550 37.00 32.05 4.65

6,838,800 24,673,000 547,900 942,000 12,523,000 76,063,500 6,261,000 8,290,000 282,000 27,910,000 143,000 1,499,000 206,880,000 3,210,000 873,500 8,771,000 660,000 42,102,000 23,939,000 768,000 1,000 173,233,700 308,370,000 7,560,000 13,020,000 39,300 1,400 5,743,200

PROPERTY 43,058,804.00 23,350,680.00 8,978,210.00 2,062,830.00 11,241,080.00 3,450,049,315.00 23,987,890.00 38,787,840.00 1,649,874.00 12,978,500.00 159,170.00 1,660,620.00 51,027,280.00 1,422,900.00 34,071,075.00 5,785,750.00 90,560.00 78,318,850.00 32,158,430.00 592,580.00 4,230.00 862,964,395.00 99,554,800.00 2,576,550.00 7,039,190.00 1,522,520.00 45,105.00 27,636,259.00

6.270 0.99 16.38 2.170 0.900 47.500 3.85 4.82 5.86 0.470 1.10 1.100 0.240 0.455 40 0.660 0.137 1.89 1.37 0.77 4.24 5.05 0.320 0.3500 0.550 41.00

14,952,200 19,638,000 407,900 1,571,000 12,593,000 59,879,400 2,277,000 4,076,800 477,500 24,700,000 112,000 1,097,000 180,950,000 9,180,000 964,700 25,030,000 1,560,000 117,929,000 12,892,000 504,000 9,000 141,084,400 283,680,000 4,690,000 42,218,000 163,200

93,079,154.00 19,495,030.00 6,143,896.00 3,415,190.00 11,399,980.00 2,770,584,125.00 8,815,160.00 19,698,579.00 2,782,652.00 11,690,400.00 125,350.00 1,208,850.00 42,271,560.00 4,243,350.00 38,209,895.00 17,282,590.00 219,720.00 219,487,420.00 17,420,840.00 375,700.00 40,720.00 711,317,967.00 87,543,800.00 1,650,800.00 23,228,220.00 7,799,065.00

5.09

12,735,100

64,925,638.00

STOCKS

JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 2, 2018 Close Volume Value

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

20.85 2.01 3.26 36.95 1.04 19.1 0.860 6.700

17,745,200 3,150,000 931,000 73,900,700 1,192,000 8,090,000 4,796,000 210,194,300

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

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

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

19.6 33 1.38 0.450 0.048 11.6 4.95 12.10 0.0680 100.9 8.8 9.16 8.70 2.76 49.40 980 1899 5.90 173.00 11.26 5.37 110 2.85 13.28 8.31 0.146 1.6300 3.36 15.5 4.14 1.12 23.65 18.42 0.520 4.89 8.87 3.68 5.640 10.72 10.18 3.02 9.35 105.00 6.91 1558.00 0.365 1.230 53.00 96.90 6.39 3.12 1.520 0.6 3.85 0.920 9.620

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

United Paragon

JANUARY 22-26,2018 Close Volume Value

367,609,175.00 6,310,440.00 3,018,830.00 2,755,304,715.00 1,235,410.00 145,001,579.00 4,031,320.00 1,430,849,603.00

21.15 2.09 3.22 38.60 1.03 19.3 0.850 6.500

26,085,300 4,739,000 305,000 43,293,000 2,079,000 9,446,000 1,813,000 40,016,500

547,323,440.00 9,734,610.00 981,470.00 1,686,388,005.00 2,153,640.00 189,951,486.00 1,581,480.00 241,102,771.00

SERVICES 1,364,900 27,555,429.00 328,800 10,836,070.00 486,000 657,330.00 8,580,000 3,795,200.00 334,830,000 15,623,190.00 12,500 145,044.00 14,000 71,249.00 45,576,100 562,973,234.00 74,940,000 5,071,990.00 1,246,350 123,868,188.00 87,700 772,561.00 17,674,700 166,593,739.00 1,348,200 11,739,526.00 1,191,000 3,421,810.00 2,381,480 119,328,906.50 1,260 1,234,800.00 409,925 767,370,220.00 1,313,300 7,721,979.00 2,110,550 269,188,376.50 11,500 129,210.00 79,194,000 405,569,142.00 5,553,870 617,321,388.00 480,000 1,381,740.00 38,900 507,364.00 155,200 1,287,136.00 138,500,000 20,557,220.00 23,719,000 38,917,890.00 92,000 298,920.00 46,300 709,958.00 9,864,000 41,311,890.00 6,132,000 6,937,290.00 22,222,400 500,901,190.00 20,600 367,572.00 1,136,000 589,490.00 6,481,500 30,582,723.00 27,906,200 241,800,756.00 4,195,000 15,313,960.00 213,849,600 1,283,260,089.00 17,400 185,888.00 48,600 493,366.00 844,000 2,653,190.00 4,600 40,656.00 259,650 27,515,099.00 7,590,400 52,622,771.00 834,295 1,317,234,500.00 2,100,000 736,350.00 5,594,000 6,901,800.00 4,235,140 225,010,496.00 2,889,930 278,135,591.00 3,431,700 21,328,814.00 4,841,000 14,920,900.00 16,153,000 24,554,210.00 3,056,830,000 2,007,485,850.00 4,038,000 15,930,300.00 27,729,000 25,742,520.00 42,673,100 406,996,357.00

21.7 33.75 1.35 0.440 0.050 11.8 4.86 12.80 0.0700 99.6 8.8 9.23 8.19 2.83 50.50 980 1746 5.90 99.00 11.26 4.64 113 3.10 13.5 8.33 0.140 1.4600 3.19 15.1 4.20 1.13 22.70 18.28 0.520 5.1 9 3.69 5.780 10.6 10.30 2.8 9.49 109.50 7.04 1503.00 0.345 1.250 54.00 98.50 5.76 3.23 1.540 3.68 4.11 0.950 9.780

2,579,800 358,800 1,688,000 3,150,000 211,700,000 2,019,100 19,400 112,739,000 46,670,000 2,629,410 39,400 13,086,300 3,610,100 1,797,000 3,796,400 1,085 265,060 2,742,700 6,788,110 5,200 18,224,000 3,270,730 1,567,000 73,300 97,400 27,860,000 9,952,000 267,000 52,100 7,764,000 2,328,000 31,265,700 11,300 494,000 15,787,700 49,245,200 3,427,000 417,303,500 98,300 64,300 177,000 8,800 324,510 10,966,600 525,915 1,920,000 15,452,000 9,231,000 1,454,480 462,000 6,500,000 21,322,000 39,917,000 2,754,000 34,243,000 44,030,200

57,674,770.00 12,116,595.00 2,323,880.00 1,380,500.00 10,183,500.00 23,422,124.00 97,137.00 1,357,571,730.00 3,227,410.00 263,171,407.50 349,082.00 115,957,137.00 31,798,467.00 4,911,780.00 213,807,924.50 1,063,600.00 459,342,850.00 12,812,901.00 402,349,353.00 61,550.00 82,342,140.00 368,028,333.00 4,837,450.00 957,196.00 810,395.00 3,912,700.00 14,764,990.00 882,880.00 809,040.00 31,673,600.00 2,627,320.00 738,131,820.00 198,040.00 258,890.00 76,756,136.00 427,834,582.00 12,517,840.00 2,172,130,881.00 1,101,588.00 679,852.00 497,440.00 86,207.00 36,224,053.00 78,100,748.00 790,457,955.00 680,250.00 19,432,040.00 497,141,986.00 142,954,722.50 2,631,327.00 21,468,310.00 33,251,820.00 136,456,580.00 11,220,940.00 33,086,490.00 417,699,851.00

0.0024 1.53 5.00 13.18 1.7500 1.6600 1.62 0.320 7.36 2.600 0.189 0.153 0.157 0.009 0.0094 1.65 6.89 1.39 0.4750 0.9200 0.0120 0.0120 6.94 9.13 0.0110 2.1600 37.90 0.0070

MINING & OIL 3,777,000,000 8,866,900.00 17,554,000 26,771,460.00 1,310,000 6,416,780.00 14,400 187,046.00 104,000 175,100.00 191,000 321,550.00 3,506,000 5,595,880.00 1,050,000 339,900.00 193,000 1,399,786.00 7,940,000 20,854,500.00 2,750,000 518,580.00 58,370,000 8,967,050.00 5,290,000 830,920.00 144,000,000 1,346,000.00 16,000,000 151,900.00 2,229,000 3,698,520.00 30,442,700 206,126,642.00 1,065,000 1,446,530.00 1,160,000 543,450.00 819,000 757,570.00 10,700,000 130,000.00 160,300,000 1,930,400.00 2,431,300 16,723,304.00 15,739,300 147,471,219.00 664,500,000 7,927,800.00 391,000 855,940.00 18,953,400 709,714,625.00 49,136,000 1,269,500.00

0.0023 1.58 4.95 13.50 1.7000 1.7100 1.6 0.335 7.30 2.650 0.185 0.153 0.156 0.010 0.0095 1.69 6.52 1.44 0.4500 0.9300 0.0130 0.0120 7.10 9.31 0.0120 2.2600 38.55 0.0070

892,000,000 26,814,000 1,209,000 20,100 106,000 112,000 6,496,000 830,000 103,700 14,806,000 3,150,000 54,130,000 9,393,000 28,000,000 7,900,000 2,106,000 33,272,200 1,059,000 200,000 1,171,000 33,800,000 11,700,000 4,017,300 28,307,900 513,400,000 182,000 7,798,500 21,000,000

1,988,500.00 41,127,890.00 5,999,980.00 272,760.00 179,160.00 194,960.00 10,311,280.00 271,750.00 751,702.00 37,613,450.00 602,900.00 8,290,150.00 1,501,990.00 266,700.00 74,460.00 3,574,870.00 214,392,169.00 1,449,300.00 93,100.00 1,095,900.00 410,600.00 142,600.00 27,846,510.00 261,883,837.00 6,083,300.00 419,860.00 300,898,880.00 145,000.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

33 109 518 527 104.5 105 111.5 523 5.78 1006 1015 101.9 1.04 107.9 1041 1146 1002 104 108.5 76.5 81 75.7 77 81 77 79 78.1 2

605,600 1,440 2,240 450 53,780 60 15,000 8,600 1,438,400 3,105 20,735 24,650 2,152,600 650 1,775 635 3,290 20,830 8,210 19,050 225,990 12,100 13,700 145,280 11,100 36,300 80,600 85,000

33.3 108.2 528 528 104.5 107.9 113 523 5.6 1006 1020 101.2 1.04 105.7 1065 1098 1000 104 112 76.65 81 75.8 79 80 77 79.25 77.85 2.15

579,300 3,600 2,270 220 34,470 360 30,750 9,250 2,634,000 450 4,095 43,540 1,650,000 900 5 1,520 14,500 9,410 1,090 18,000 330,300 27,000 71,700 141,820 870,080 156,650 78,010 137,000

19,423,410.00 389,400.00 1,172,090.00 116,160.00 3,597,763.00 38,864.00 3,465,800.00 4,847,020.00 14,934,965.00 452,790.00 4,148,110.00 4,409,223.00 1,720,020.00 95,513.00 5,325.00 1,674,320.00 14,607,720.00 1,066,535.00 122,080.00 1,368,834.50 26,742,079.00 2,046,600.00 5,519,808.00 11,161,739.50 7,765,168.50 12,217,013.50 6,091,698.50 280,170.00

LR Warrant

2.410

WARRANTS & BONDS 2,671,000 6,606,300.00

2.440

1,462,000

3,474,300.00

2.79 8.55 3.74 4.65

3,000 18,706,400 687,000 7,242,000

8,370.00 168,800,254.00 2,455,930.00 33,343,120.00

PREFERRED 19,825,250.00 156,960.00 1,147,830.00 234,560.00 5,603,362.00 6,358.00 1,702,322.00 4,497,800.00 8,051,334.00 3,133,050.00 21,062,710.00 2,511,987.00 2,338,030.00 69,770.00 1,801,185.00 697,470.00 3,297,045.00 2,166,320.00 910,560.00 1,461,601.50 18,306,790.00 916,143.00 1,055,050.00 11,628,958.00 854,700.00 2,849,525.00 6,298,068.00 169,750.00

SME 149,480.00 83,140,809.00 27,147,760.00 25,070,160.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

3.06 8.07 4.02 4.27

49,000 13,113,200 6,193,000 5,647,000

First Metro ETF

134

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 297,870 40,103,480.00

136.1

140,770

19,066,102.00

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

10.2 10.28 1.06

DDOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 12,510 127,853.00 10,080 102,822.40 23,500 24,874.00

10.28 1

24,760 10,880

235,537.00 55,776.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Transpacific Broadcast Philodrill Corp. `A’ ATN Holdings A Apollo Global MRC Allied Ind. NOW Corp.

Vista Land & Lifescapes Crown Equities Inc. ATN Holdings B

VOLUME 3,777,000,000 3,056,830,000 664,500,000 577,473,000 334,830,000 308,370,000 213,849,600 210,194,300 206,880,000 173,917,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ SM Investments Inc. SM Prime Holdings Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Transpacific Broadcast Ayala Corp `A’ Vista Land & Lifescapes PLDT Common NOW Corp.

Metrobank

VALUE 3,450,049,315.00 3,285,145,360.00 2,755,304,715.00 2,741,138,895.00 2,007,485,850.00 1,510,923,015.00 1,430,849,603.00 1,317,234,500.00 1,283,260,089.00 1,251,266,609.00

ers were Golden Haven Inc., which surged 74.5 percent to P173; Globe Telecom Inc., which advanced 8.7 percent to P1,899; and San Miguel Corp., which jumped 7.7 percent to P152.

Weekly top price losers were SM Investments Corp., which declined 9.6 percent to P1,030; Emperador Inc., which dropped 7.3 percent to P8.06; and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., which fell 7.3 percent to 51.

US stocks, meanwhile, plunged Friday on worries about rising interest rates following a better-than-expected jobs report as the torrid Wall Street rally that opened the year flamed out dramatically.

The Dow alone slumped more than 650 points, or 2.5 percent to 25,520.96.

Equity markets elsewhere were also weak, with Tokyo, London, Paris and Frankfurt all falling. The dollar gained on expectations of more Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, while oil prices slid.

But it was Wall Street itself where the moves were most dramatic, selling off on the latest indication of a tightening labor market.

The US economy added 200,000 jobs in January, with unemployment holding at 4.1 percent. With AFP

Ayala Health eyes hospital holdings of Ayala Land AYALA Health Care Holdings Inc. plans to venture into the hospital business by bidding for the planned sale of Ayala Land Inc.’s stake in hospital chain QualiMed. AC Healthcare chief executive Paolo Maximo Borromeo said the group had always been committed to healthcare and interested in hospitals.

“We are considering it.

We are participating in the process and considering if we will put in a bid. We are trying to implement a fair process wherein our partners and Ayala Land could go to the market to try to get the best bid for their asset,” Borromeo said.

“It will be a fair process and we will participate in the process so no one can complain,” he added.

Ayala Land, a sister firm, is studying options on how to move forward with its hospital business.

The QualiMed brand is Ayala Land’s partnership with Mercado General Hospital Inc. It operates under three formats, namely mallbased multi-specialty clinics, stand-alone ambulatory or day surgery centers, and fullservice hospitals.

Borromeo said his group was also looking to team up with existing hospitals where its primary care clinics under the brand name FamilyDoc are located.

“We are looking at other hospitals near our FamilyDoc clinics so it will be easier to refer patient in inpatient facilities,” he said.

FamilyDoc clinics are located in Laguna, Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, Pateros and Pasig. It will soon open clinics in Quezon City, Marikina and Rizal.

Meanwhile, Borromeo said AC Healthcare planned to spend between P500 million and P1 billion in capital expenditures to expand its Generika pharmacies and FamilyDoc across the country.

The group plans to open 150 Generika branches this year to bring its total to 900.

“We are looking at halffranchisees and half-company owned,” Borromeo said.

Each store costs at least P1.5 million. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business/World

B3

Manila

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Standard

TODAY

The Board of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Philippines, headed by its Chairman, former Philippine President and now Manila City Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada (seated, 3rd from right),with Board members (Seated L-R) Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis; Former GMA Network President Menardo Jimenez; Former Finance and Trade Secretary and current Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Chairman Jose Pardo ; Budget Secretary Ben Diokno; Philippines Inc. President Tony Lopa; (Standing L-R) National Center for Mediation (NCM) Executive Director and PCCI Committees Chairman Pol Aure; former Senate Chief of Staff and current DARE Philippines Executive Vice-President Atty. Donna Gasgonia; former Presidential Chief of Staff Eki Cardenas; former Press Secretary and Spokesperson and current Head of MVP Group Media Bureau Atty. Mike Toledo; and former Labor Secretary Atty. Benny Laguesma.

WHO DARES WINS I BORROW the erstwhile motto of the British SAS or Special Air Service as a title to this piece.

Unlike, however, in a previous column piece where I wrote about the birthday celebration of the US Marine Corps, this article has nothing to do with the military or the armed forces.

Well, not directly, at least.

We all know that one of the campaign promises of thenpresidential candidate Rodrigo Roa Duterte was to wage an allout war on illegal drugs. From Day One of his assumption of the presidency, Tatay Digong, as he is fondly called, has given out instructions to the government agencies concerned, especially those in law enforcement and justice administration, to put an end to the illegal drug trade and to stamp out drug addiction.

As a loving father to the nation, so to speak, he also cannot let those addicted to illegal drugs just fall to the wayside and be unnecessary burdens to society.

Belief in the ability of addicts to be able to heal and change themselves, in the same way that society heals and changes itself from time to time, has paved the way for rehabilitation to be pursued as a necessary component in the illegal drug campaign.

But it has also been identified that education is as vital a component as rehabilitation and that proper drug education could even curb not just the need for rehabilitation but also the problem of addiction. Proper drug education can eradicate addiction which also impacts on the illegal drug trade.

This is where DARE comes in.

DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education whose primary goal is to teach effective peer resistance to substance abuse among the youth and to equip the youth, who are more prone to giving in to drug usage, with the awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and violence.

The DARE program was designed and implemented in the US by the Los Angeles Unified School District in coordination with the Los Angeles Police District or LAPD. Back in 1993, then-Vice President Joseph Ejercito Estrada invited the LAPD to the Philippines to train PNP officers

to become DARE officers in the Philippines.

Back then, however, without the necessary private sector support, the program could only do so much in training the PNP. In recent years, there was a clamor for the revival of the program; thus, in 2015, DARE Philippines Association Inc. or DARE Philippines was born.

Just recently, the DARE Philippines Board, under the able chairmanship of President Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada, met to discuss its plans and programs for 2018. ERAP has been instrumental in bringing DARE to the Philippines and continues to be its prime mover even under this current administration.

I have the honor of serving as a Member of the DARE Board together with other luminaries and former colleagues, such as: Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis; Former GMA Network President Menardo Jimenez; Former Finance and Trade Secretary and current Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Chairman Jose “Tito” Pardo, who also serves as DARE Philippines Honorary Vice-Chairman; Budget Secretary Ben Diokno; Philippines Inc. President Tony Lopa who is also DARE Treasurer; National Center for Mediation (NCM) Executive Director and PCCI Committees Chairman Pol Aure; former Senate Chief of Staff and current DARE Philippines Executive Vice-President Atty. Donna Gasgonia; former Presidential Chief of Staff and current DARE Philippines President Eki Cardenas; and former Labor Secretary and current DARE Philippines Corporate Secretary Atty. Benny Laguesma.

The DARE Board plans to meet President Duterte soon to present its programs for the year.

It is only with the involvement of all sectors concerned, especially in the realm of education, that we can win this war on illegal drugs.

I DARE you to get involved.

DARE officer PO3 Frederick Tugade, Pasay Police Station, Southern Police District – conducting DARE lesson in a public elementary school in Pasay

DARE Officer, PO2 Florence May Gumilab talks to streetchildren inside Boys town to say NO to drugs

DARE Officer PO1 Rosana Malana, Manila Police District explains “peer pressure” to student of F. Torres High School, Tondo Manila

Philippine Army soldiers of the Civil Military Operations Regiment presenting a DARE lesson

Crime-ridden Brazil off to bloody start in 2018 Michigan R town in water fight with Nestle

OSCEOLA―Global food conglomerate Nestle is in a battle with critics in tiny Osceola Township, Michigan, where residents complain the Swiss company’s water extraction techniques are ruining the environment.

Maryann Borden, a retired teacher who has lived in the western Michigan town since 1953, has photos documenting changes in the Twin Creek river since Nestle began pumping water in the region in the early 2000s for its “Ice Mountain” brand of bottled water.

“It’s not the same creek,” Borden, 73, told AFP. “It’s narrower and deeper and therefore warmer,” compared with the “biting cold” water of her youth.

“The trout can’t survive in it because the water is warmer,” she added.

Located about four hours north of Detroit and with a population of just 900, Osceola Township is a sleepy rural community whose biggest employer is SpringHill Camp, a Christian-oriented program for kids.

The town opposes granting Nestle a permit to build a pumping booster station along a water pipeline that feeds a tanker load dock in Evart, another small town nearby.

The booster station would help the company pump more water from a controversial Osceola County wellhead if the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approves the project.

Nestle wants to pump 400 gallons of water a minute, up from the 250 a minute currently. AFP

IO DE JANEIRO― The year was just a few hours old when a prison riot near the capital Brasilia left nine inmates dead―two of them decapitated―and set the stage for what is proving to be a deadly 2018 in Brazil.

Since then, the country has seen a wave of violence that prompted Defense Minister Raul Jungmann this week to declare that “the security system is broken.”

There have been 688 shooting incidents reported in Rio de Janeiro state in January, many of them focused in the same few sprawling, poor neighborhoods known as favelas where police are barely in control.

Then came the massacre of 14 people at a nightclub in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza, followed by the deaths of 10 peo-

PIA T. MANALASTAS

GREEN LIGHT

I REALIZED how mainstream bitcoin has become when my 90-year old aunt asked me about it. I do not think my answer that it is a cryptocurrency enlightened her. Her blank stare and continued silence mean that I did not do a good job answering her query. So for my aunt and others who are interested, here’s my report on bitcoin.

What’s a cryptocurrency?

Finder.com reports that the crypto part in the name “cryptocurrency” comes from the fact that transactions—the act of transferring assets such as currency and digital or reallife assets between a sender and a recipient— are encrypted for security, a process known as “cryptography.” This process ensures the security of the transaction and protects the identity of the transacting parties.

Cryptocurrencies are also referred to as virtual currencies. In 2012, the European Central Bank defined virtual currency as “a type of unregulated, digital money, which is issued and usually controlled by its developers, and used and accepted among the members of a specific virtual community.”

While bitcoin is the most known of the cryptocurrencies, it is not the only one that can be traded. As of this month, there are 1384 cryptocurrencies in existence, including Ether, Litecoin, Bitshares, and Monero.

How are bitcoins created?

Bitcoins are mined. There is no physical mountain where one goes to mine, instead miners validate transactions in cyberspace.

As a reward for their efforts, miners get new bitcoins. In theory, anyone with access to the internet and suitable hardware can participate in mining. In practice, mining bitcoins is a painstaking and expensive endeavor.

Is it worth mining bitcoins?

Yes and no. Once a miner has verified 1 MB (megabyte) worth of Bitcoin transactions, they are eligible to win the 12.5 BTC. At today’s rate, that’s P7,061,396.43!

However, there is no guarantee you will be awarded the prize. You also have to be the first miner to arrive at the right answer. To be the first, you will need a lot of computing power, which means having to invest in very expensive supercomputers.

Is there another way to get bitcoins?

An easier option is by exchanging traditional currency for bitcoin. Here in the Philippines, you can buy it on an exchange. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has authorized two virtual currency exchanges in the Philippines, namely Betur (more popularly known as coins.ph) and Rebittance. As of January 29, one bitcoin is equivalent to Php 564,640.

How do you use bitcoins?

ple in clashes at a prison nearby.

While Brazil has long suffered high crime and Rio in particular is beset by drug gang wars, there was dismay this week in the “Marvelous City” at television footage of drivers on a main artery being forced to stop and hide behind their cars because of shooting between police and traffickers nearby.

Jungmann told Globo television that urgent change is needed.

“We have to take the necessary measures before it’s too late and we find ourselves on the trajectory of other countries,” he said, referring especially to Mexico.

But the task of taming criminal gangs and adequately training the police continues to elude politicians, partly because the root of the chaos stretch far beyond security and into poverty, poor education, poor municipal services, racism and deep inequality.

Drug trafficking gangs, meanwhile, have ever better weapons and operate often with impunity in favelas, while their leaders issue orders from prisons that the authorities only partially control.

On the other side are police forces—notably in Rio—crip-

pled by corruption, poor funding, and a military style training that does not necessarily work in modern policing.

Jungmann said “penetration of crime throughout the police has to be combated.”

Some trace Brazil’s seemingly insoluble crime problems to the 1988 constitution, written at the end of a two-decades long military dictatorship. This gave almost all budgetary and strategic responsibility for security to individual state governments.

“Public security was like the stepchild. We were coming out of a dictatorship and no one wanted to talk about public security,” said Jose Mariano Beltrame, Rio’s former security secretary.

“Why were health and education put under the federal government? Because they were considered important, they won votes. Today we’re paying for that.”

Arthur Trinidade, a former security chief for the capital and now at the University of Brasilia, told AFP “there is no doubt that Brazil needs a new federal agreement. Public security has to be a federal matter.” AFP

WINNER. Moroccan

Hamza Labyad (2nd-L) reacts to being named the winner of season two of the ‘The Voice Kids: Ahla Sawt’ on February 3, 2018, at the Pan Arab Satellite MBC TV Station studios in Zouk Mosbeh, north of the capital Beirut.

The Voice Kids: Ahla Sawt (best voice), is the Arabic version of the international reality television singing competition franchise.

AFP

Bitcoin 101—To buy or not to buy?

In today’s online world, bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies are becoming the favored means of payment. Bitcoins can be used to pay for online transactions. However, for most, bitcoins are seen as investments. Social media has been inundated with stories of bitcoin millionaires since that value of bitcoins has surged since it was first mined and traded in 2009. Then, each bitcoin was valued at only P4.50 each.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and only computer geeks would have been the early investors. So, what if you decided to invest in bitcoins two years ago? If you bought two bitcoins in January 30, 2015 for P20,194 and held it for two years, your two coins are now worth P1,127,418.29 or a gain of 4,583%! So, yes, you would have been a millionaire today.

Is it legal?

Currently, cryptocurrencies are not regulated by the BSP. In BSP Circular No. 994, Series of 2017, our regulatory body clearly states that “the BSP does not endorse any virtual currency, such as bitcoin, as a currency since it is neither issued or guaranteed by a central bank nor backed by any commodity.”

However, the BSP and many other central banks may consider regulating it because of its “volatility, decentralized nature, perceived threat to the current monetary system, and link to illicit activities like drug dealing and money laundering.”

So, should you invest in bitcoins?

I asked this question to my financial advisor. Her answer was “NO, NO, NO!” The Motley Fool, an investment advisory service, has strongly cautioned its followers against investing in bitcoin, as have several of the world’s central banks and financial gurus.

Going against the advice of these professionals, I joined the bitcoin bandwagon earlier this month. While I kept to the rule of not investing money that you cannot afford to lose, I had high hopes of making some money on my P15,000 investment. Yes, I am now the owner of 0.0204 bitcoin (at that time, 1 bitcoin was equivalent to P731,726).

Two days after I invested, my small investment rose by P3,000. But because greed got the better of me, I did not sell hoping for even greater profits. Three weeks later, my money is down to P11,177 (today’s rate is 1 bitcoin = 564,640).

So, to answer the question, should you buy bitcoins, I would say no. As I learned the hard and expensive way, it just is too volatile!

The author is an Assistant Professor in the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She is currently on her sabbatical leave. The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

LGUs

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

B4

LocaL government units

monday, february 5, 2018

PEARLY WHITES. Students of La Paz Elementary

School in Makati City hold up their toothbrushes as they are taught proper brushing techniques, part of activities lined up by the city government in observance of National Dental Health Month this February. Makati’s Dental Health Bus is going around public schools without in-house dentists and giving children dental examinations, fluoride flushing, and sealant treatment to prevent permanent teeth from getting damaged. Puppet shows are also scheduled at selected schools in the shows sponsored by Colgate, which aims to teach children the importance of oral health care.

Cavite opens 4 school buildings GENERAL TRIAS CITY, Cavite—Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis “Jon Jon” Ferrer IV recently led the blessing and inauguration of four school buildings and three covered courts in his district in a span of 22 days.

Ferrer, his brother General Trias City Mayor Antonio Ferrer, Vice Mayor Maurito Sison, city councilors and school principal Dr. Prudencio Animas unveiled two four-storey, 16-classroom buildings in Governor Ferrer Memorial National High School (Main) in Barangay Pinagtipunan here.

The buildings will accommodate the Grade 7 and 8 students of the school with a population of 2,500 for the school year ending 2018.

The Cavite lawmaker and Amadeo Mayor Conrado Viado later handed over another four-storey, 16-classroom building to Amadeo Memorial National High School to address the classroom shortage there.

Ferrer, Tanza Mayor Yuri Pacumio, Councilor Icel Del Rosario, ABC’s Simon Matro and DPWHCavite officer Oscar Dela Cruz then inaugurated a four-storey, eight-classroom structure in Paradahan Elementary School in Tanza.

The solon also turned over covered courts in Barangay Navarro to Chairman Raul Dela Cruz and Barangay Captain Jaime Clamosa in Riverside Subdivision in San Juan 1.

He also inaugurated a covered court in Kanggahan Elementary School in Barangay Cabuco, Trece Martires City with former mayor Jun Sagun.

Tacloban seniors start receiving stipends today MORE than 4,000 senior citizens of Tacloban City will receive their social pension as the City Social Welfare and Development Office releases their government stipend on Feb. 5 until the last week of the month.

“The welfare of senior citizens is one of my priority concerns. The CSWDO gives them financial assistance, medical assistance and burial assistance, among others,” said Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez.

A total of 4,373 senior citizens will receive their pension pay-out of P1,500 that covers the last quarter of 2017.

“Social pensioners use the monthly stipend of P500 to buy necessities such as food and medicines. We also learned that the allowance keeps the elderly recipients motivated and active in any activity related to their sector. This is very important for me—to keep our elderly happy and dynamic,” added Romualdez.

Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 states that Filipino citizens who are sickly, disabled, have no income or any other means of livelihood, no pension from private and government pension bodies, and no regular support from relatives are qualified for the pension program.

Pension applications are accepted at the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs.

Requirements are a filled-out application form, a copy of the applicant’s baptismal or live birth certificate, and barangay certification. Robbie Pangilinan

QC eyes more libraries

Q

uEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista is aiming to build more libraries and encourage reading in the barangays or communities of the city.

Bautista said although Quezon City has a worldclass public library in city hall, there is still a need to develop more libraries in the barangays.

“It’s more challenging now that we have a laudable public library at city hall.

We still need to improve our community libraries,

and better if we can add to them,” he said.

The mayor acknowledged that the lack of vacant spaces and number of licensed librarians in the barangays pose problems.

“Managing a library is a science, it’s why the college course for this is Library Science, and you even have

to pass the board exams.

I just don’t know if we’ll have librarians available,” he said.

Meanwhile, the city government will mark the first anniversary of the Quezon City Public Library with the launching of its radiofrequency identification or RFID tagging system, the first and only public library in the Philippines to use this new technology.

The RFID can thwart thefts from the library’s more than 15,000 books

and track its collection.

Bautista will lead the celebration on Monday, Feb. 5, at 8 a.m. at the QCPL within the city hall compound.

Along with the RFID launching, QCPL will also present a new website to access digital books and Quezon City ordinances and resolutions.

Highlighting the event will be the book launch of “QC Milestones: Timeline of Events that Shaped a Great City” published by the Public Library.

“We have broken and continue to break the mediocrity of public libraries.

The library understands the changing needs of the community, that is why we have gone beyond print resources.

E-books and e-journals are now available,” QCPL head Emelita Villanueva said.

The three-storey library boasts of state-of-the-art data storage, retrieval and archival systems. The facility also has a café and conference room. QCPL also has computers for public use, which

Silay hosts center for abused girls

Officials break ground for the Cameleon Center in Silay City, Negros Occidental, a place for abused children. It is the second center of its kind in the country after one built in Passi City, Iloilo.

Isabela foots bill for checkup of all provincial govt workers GOV. Faustino Dy 3rd said the Provincial Government of Isabela will provide free executive medical checkups for all capitol officials and employees to ensure that all who are serving their constituents are fit and healthy.

are programmed for Online Public Access Catalog, encoding, and web surfing.

“We aim to bridge the physical gap between the library and its users,” Villanueva added.

Bautista wants schoolchildren in communities to have direct access to information.

Thus, the Quezon City government under his administration vows to continue to upgrade the city’s public libraries for these to be more technologydriven to increase the employability of the residents.

“The untimely death of some of our capitol employees last year clearly shows the need to require them to undergo executive checkup to prevent any health problems or even sudden death while serving Isabeleños and

performing their respective jobs,” Dy said.

The governor said they have already started sending capitol officials and employees to the clinics for the required medical checkup.

“We will see to it that

all of our officials and employees have undergone the checkup being undertaken by the Provincial Health Office,” Dy said.

“We want to harness your good health in serving our constituents,” he told the

officials and employees in one of the flag raising ceremonies earlier this month, The executive checkup expenses will be shouldered by the Provincial Government, Dy added.

Brenda Jocson

Biñan shifts Liberation Day to Feb. 3

Officials of the city of Biñan celebrate the new date of their Liberation Day with green shirts to mark the occasion. Pictured are (seated from left) Mayor Walfredo ‘Arman’ Dimaguila Jr., Rep. Marlyn ‘Lenlen’ Alonte Naguiat, and Vice Mayor Angelo ‘Jel’ Alonte together with city councilors.

Roy Tomandao

STARTING this year, the city of Biñan will mark Feb. 3 as its Liberation Day instead of Feb. 5, following research by the National Historical Commission and a proclamation by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Biñan celebrated its 73rd Liberation Day—to commemorate the freeing of the Laguna town from the Japanese Imperial Forces during World War II—over

the weekend along with its 8th cityhood anniversary and foundation day.

Officials led by Mayor Walfredo “Arman” R. Dimaguila Jr., the Sanggunian Panglungsod led

by Vice Mayor Angelo Alonte, and Rep. Marlyn “Lenlen” Alonte Naguiat led the city’s grand parade with the theme “Buhay ang Nakaraan, Sumasalubong sa Hinaharap, Lungsod ng Biñan, Mamamayan ay

Maasahan” (From past to present, the City of Biñan and its citizens can be counted on).

Dimaguila express his gratitude for the success of the events after the parade. He hosted a short press conference with city government officials, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and city tourism officers at the Biñan City Museum.

A CENTER for sexually abused girls and disadvantaged children will soon rise in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

The organization behind the initiative, Cameleon Association, recently joined its partners—the local government of Silay and BDO Foundation, among others—in a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the Cameleon Center.

Silay City, led by Mayor Mark Golez, facilitated the donation of an 8,000-squaremeter property to Cameleon Association.

The Cameleon Center to be built on the property in Bonbon Village in Barangay E. Lopez, will serve as a home for girls, where they can also study, undergo therapy, receive counselling and rebuild their lives.

BDO Foundation’s involvement in this project started in 2016 when it forged a partnership with Cameleon Association, an international non-profit organization that operates a similar center in Passi City, Iloilo.

The groundbreaking ceremony was made special by the blessing officiated

by His Excellency Bishop Patricio Buzon of the Diocese of Bacolod.

The event was led by Mayor Golez, Cameleon Association founder Laurence Ligier, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, BDO Foundation program director Rose Espinosa, Zonta Club of Makati Ayala president Rita Dy, and Zonta Club of Makati and Environs president Mita Rufino. They were joined by other local government officials and stakeholders.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife

FOOD

@MStandardLIFE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

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Cantonese Dishes Redux Lung Hin, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s award-winning restaurant, treats its guests to a lavish experience with its abalone dishes.

T

HERE are auspicious dishes, and there are delicious dishes. And then there is Lung Hin for both.

Peking duck with osmanthus flower jelly on potato chips

At Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s award-winning restaurant, serving flavorful Cantonese dishes is not left to luck. Its new dishes—some exclusive for the Chinese New Year period while others will form part of its revamped menu—showcase contemporary Chinese flare made by the hotel’s own Hong Kong chefs.

To open the year, Chinese Executive Chef Lai Cheuk Kou prepared dishes with a twist such as baked prawns with cheese and avocado, Peking duck with osmanthus flower jelly on potato chips, and chilled dragon fruit with mango mix, as well as two new dim sum offerings, namely the steamed vegetarian dumpling and the steamed mushroom bun.

He also created indulgent Cantonese delicacies to add to Lung Hin’s line-up, such as the Mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup and the braised Japanese sea cucumber with Canadian wild rice.

Lung Hin also treats its guests to a luxurious gastronomic experience with its exquisite abalone, considered to be among the finest ingredients in the world of culinary. There is the braised whole Australian abalone with supreme oyster sauce and the braised South African abalone with Hong Kong dried sausage, a perfect foil to the abalone that reminds one of halcyon days by the ocean, perhaps with a bottle or two of wine to wash down the taste of the sea.

Guests can enjoy these new treats with other signature dishes, such as the steamed garoupa with cordyceps flower in supreme soy sauce, three-flavored prawns, steamed live lobster with garlic, steamed scallop dumplings, crispy roast suckling pig (in whole, half, or single order) roasted barbecue pork, wok-fried Wagyu beef, crispy avocado roll with goose liver, and the deep-fried Hong Kong pigeon.

And to usher in great abundance for the Year of the Earth Dog, Lung Hin also offers auspicious and traditional glutinous rice cakes, known as nian gao, which have always been present in Chinese New Year ceremonies and festivities. You can choose between the Double Happiness Koi Nian Gao, which includes two pieces of the cake in orange and coconut flavor, and the Traditional Round Nian Gao, with a choice of ube or brown sugar flavor.

That Lung Hin has been serving delicious dishes without a miss comes as no surprise. After all, it has recognized globally as one of the most outstanding Chinese restaurants outside of China during the 16th China Hotel Industry Golden Horse Awards Gala, known as the “Oscars” in the hotel industry – a feat that was achieved definitely not by sheer luck alone.

Prawn and vegetarian dumplings and steamed mushroom buns

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com

Steamed live lobster with garlic

The Mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup

Why you should join the ‘Meatless Monday’ campaign IF YOU’VE been eating meat ever since you can remember, cutting it from your diet can feel like scaling a savory, juicy, tender mountain.

But healthy eating proponents proposed a way to cut back on meat consumption—to go “meatless” once-a-

Chopsuey with Jolly corn and mushrooms

week, preferably every Monday.

The Meatless Monday campaign is originally a nonprofit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, which was developed in association with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, USA. It became a growing

global advocacy that eventually made its way to the Philippines in 2011.

Here at home, the campaign is supported by the Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines which underscored the health benefits in its position paper in support to the Meatless Monday Motivational Cam-paign of House Bill 6311, which should be passed into law will “lessen the risks of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and obesity.”

Canned food brand Jolly’s version of Meatless Monday aims to promote healthy eating habits at home by motivating individuals, especially home cooks and mothers to conveniently add a meat-free dish to their weekly routine once a week.

“Jolly has always been an advocate of healthy eating,” says Fly Ace Cor-

Garlic Mushroom is a perfect ‘Meatless Monday’ meal

poration group product manager for Canned Fruits and Vegetables Marilou Acuna. “We believe that cooking should be a platform to revive the interest and fundamental aspects of eating right and healthy, as well as promote the knowledgeable use of choice ingredients and creative ways of cooking.”

Going on a meat-free diet can be achieved easily by incorporating nonmeat options in your weekly meal plan.

One particular ingredient that can easily be incorporated in any dish is Jolly Mushrooms. Mushrooms are a rich source of L-Ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant, which can protect the body cells from within, thus boosting one’s immune system and helping prevent future diseases such as cancers.

As per tests of SGS (a leading inspection, testing and certification company), Jolly mushrooms contain an impressive 14mf of L-ergothioneine per 400g can.

Life

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monday, february 5, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Kitsho treats dining couples to a complete lineup of authentic Japanese cuisine including sashimi, sushi rolls, tempura, sukiyaki, and more—all at discounted prices during the month of February.

Heart-shaped sushi for dining couples J

aPanese chef Mizumoto “Hiro” Masahiro treats lovelorn couples this February with best-tasting, authentic Japanese fare at Kitsho.

Kitsho offers a complete lineup of Japanese cuisine including sumptuous heart-shaped sushi rolls, sukiyaki, sashimi, teppan, tempura, yakimono, ramen and rice toppings, bento boxes, and hot pot dishes.

Diners get to enjoy 15 percent discount on all ala carte orders during the entire love month.

On Valentine’s Day, aside from the discount, lady guests will receive complimentary roses and chocolates.

Meanwhile, dining couples who will partake of the weekend buffet today, Feb. 10 and 11, Feb. 17 and 18, and Feb. 24 and 25 get to enjoy the special rate of P2,400, inclusive of bottomless iced tea.

Don’t worry, those who have no significant other can still take advantage of this February promo as you may also share the love with your friends, family, or even colleagues at work. at Kitsho, there’s always good food to share the bond between kith and kin.

Chef Hiro also offers consultancy services to those expanding their food options to include Japanese dishes or those who want to create an entire Japanese menu in their respective establishments. For particulars, simply get in touch with him through his email address masahiro1964mizumoto@live.jp.

Kitsho is managed and operated by MCK Millennium Ventures Inc. It is conveniently located on the ground level of Hotel Jen Manila, right across the CCP Complex, along Roxas Boulevard.

For reservations, call (02) 795-8888 local 2312 or (02) 994-3623.

Share a heart-shaped rolled sushi with your loved one.

Sweet surprises for your sweetheart ROses are red, violets are blue; flowers are fine but sweet treats will do, too. showering your significant other with love does not mean doing grand gestures that can break the bank. You can show how special they are to you with small surprises. Here are some Valentine’s Day gift ideas that satisfy the palate and warm the heart.

Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar

express your love with a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk which features a Limited edition Valentines sleeves on which you can write a short message. It’s the perfect way to confess your feelings to your crush! (Available at supermarkets nationwide)

Baked pastries

Does your sO love pastries? Lucky for you, the choices are endless.

Choose from Cinnamon Rolls, Cookies, Double Chocolate Cupcakes, Muffins, Lemon Bars, and Revel Bars. (Available at FamilyMart)

Villa Del Conte artisanal chocolate

Indulge your love in luscious Italian chocolates. Choose from Villa Del Conte’s new flavors: crunchy almonds covered in 70 percent dark chocolate, extra dark chocolate pralines with three different fillings. (Available at Villa Del Conte stores nationwide)

Twirl-All-You-Can sundaes

Give your sweetheart an ice cream twirl after lunch just because. The Vanilla, Ube, and Ube Cream flavors are cold treats that are truly heartwarming. (Available at FamilyMart)

Toblerone Valentine-inspired packs

Heart-shaped donuts

say “I love you” with creamy Bavarian or fruity strawberry doughnut. (Available for P35 each at FamilyMart)

arts and chocolate lovers will appreciate Toblerone’s Limited edition dition sleeves featuring alessa Lanot, Googly Gooeys, anina Rubio, and June Digan’s designs. But if you prefer a more personal approach, design your own Toblerone sleeves—just buy the blank packs. (Available in leading supermarkets nationwide)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

‘KAMBAL, KARIBAL’

M

star aims to keep momentum

IGUEL Tanfelix is pleased with the current development on his GMA prime time offering Kambal, Karibalopposite Bianca Umali. Based on the latest ratings survey conducted by the AGB, the supernatural drama is gradually climbing the charts. In fact, it has slightly beaten its more established rival show (La Luna Sangre) on one recent occasion.

“It does feel good that slowly, the audience takes notice of our program,” he avers. “At least, all our efforts get appreciated. It’s not easy to mount it because the storyline is not the usual. From the director, cast, down to the crew and utility personnel, we’re giving it a hundred percent in every taping day. Bianca and I are very grateful.”

The appealing lad attributes the show’s present triumph to its plot.

“That’s true! We know that we have a different concept. It has an interesting story and the people look forward to each episode nightly. It adds excitement to prime time viewing to have a supernatural love story such as this, don’t you think so?

“Admittedly, our ratings weren’t this impressive during the initial airing weeks. I’m happy that with its uniqueness, our numbers started to pick up. That’s why we are more inspired and motivated to give it our best shot, especially me and Bianca.”

Speaking of Bianca, it seems that their closeness deepens as days go by. Last December, they went hiking and enjoyed the activity to the hilt.

“Oh, yes! It was the first time that we did this adventure together. We climbed Mt. Nagpatong in Cavite and it turned out to be one thrilling experience. It was our quick get-away because it was nearing Christmas then.”

What’s his wish for their tandem this 2018, especially that come March, Bianca will celebrate her debut.

“I really hope that we can do more travels together this year.

That’s one activity we enjoy doing the most. As for her 18th birthday celebration, of course, I’ve plans but I’ll keep it to myself at this point.”

The talented young actor hopes that the public will continue patronizing Kambal, Karibal.

“Yes! Every taping day, we give our 100 percent to ensure that our viewers will enjoy quality entertainment. As I’ve said earlier, it’s so heart-warming to know that we are gradually making our presence felt in the ratings game. It’s enough reward for all the hard work we put in,” ends Miguel. ***** According to Bela Padilla, her friendship with Zanjoe Marudoremains on the same level until now and hasn’t progressed on the next level yet contrary to what some quarters think.

“That’s true. Zanjoe and I are okay. We communicate. But as in there’s the courtship element, no, we haven’t reached that stage. So I appeal to everyone to stop speculating that we’re already playing beautiful music together because in truth, we’re just friends,” she says.

So, there are no hints from Zanjoe at this point that he wants to pursue her?

“Oh, no! Nothing like that. We communicate, yes but for the record, he’s not courting me!”

Does it have anything to do with Zanjoe’s being in showbiz too?

“Not really! Ha-ha-ha! Actually, I don’t have any preference.

It’s just that I feel I still haven’t met the guy who would make me balance my professional and private life. I’m so careerdriven. I’m just really waiting for that special someone who would sweep me off my feet and prove worthy of my attention and love. As of now, there’s none yet,” Bela states.

Miguel with Bianca Umali, his co-star in the primetime series.

Miguel Tanfelix is thankful for the positive reviews 'Kambal, Karibal' gets from viewers and critics.

Ryzza Mae...

From C4

Coincidentally, Ferre needed to produce a late morning program that will air before Eat, Bulaga. When she saw how natural Dizon was in front of the camera, an idea hit her -- make the then sevenyear-old Ryzza the star of her own talk show, The Ryzza Mae Show Show.

Ferre’s peg: American comedian, television host, and actress Ellen DeGeneres DeGeneres.

“Ryzza is my biggest gamble.

During that time I didn’t know what to do or how to start it but the show survived for two and a half years. I am so proud of her.

You just need to give her time and opportunity to grow and to become a real star.”

Six years on, that same passion and hunger when she first auditioned in Little Miss Philippines is still very much present in Dizon.

Her mother, Rizza, who is the constant companion of the child star, said that their family still couldn’t believe the opportunity afforded to them by Eat, Bulaga. She said that from their humble beginnings

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, February 5, 2018

ACROSS 1 Moe’s cohort 6 Sheepskin holder 10 Garden hose crimp 14 Old cattle town 15 Allot 16 Nefertiti’s god 17 Layout 18 Pull over 19 Pew locale 20 Grandfathered, perhaps 22 Picnic fare 24 A Gershwin 26 Quick raids 27 Entourage 31 Cen. fractions 32 Due 33 Freighter hazards 36 MTV hosts 39 Tennessee team 40 Not flexible 41 Warden’s fear 42 Stretch pennies 43 Fable guy 44 Formation flier 45 Fly ball’s path 46 Tough nut 48 Puck game 51 Mongkut portrayer 52 Hanging plants 54 Blot out 59 Pre-college

60 Sigh of relief 62 Raw cotton 63 Blackthorn 64 Enameled metal 65 Gas guzzlers 66 Autocrat of yore 67 Like a bearskin rug 68 Search blindly DOWN 1 Back the wrong horse 2 NYSE rival 3 Have status 4 Baba au — 5 Canine noise 6 Mdse.

7 Campus org.

8 Haughty 9 Stationed, as troops 10 Sunflower grower 11 It’s east of Monaco 12 Exploding stars 13 Was informed 21 Capote, to pals 23 Does the wrong thing 25 Zeus’ shield 27 Roam about 28 Jedi ally 29 Domino

30 DEL neighbor 34 Back when 35 Given to back talk 36 Strad 37 Canseco or Ferrer 38 Flower part 40 Vouchers 41 Be a burglar 43 Havens 44 Tiger’s tote (2 wds.)

45 More sore 47 Regret bitterly

48 Shucks peas 49 Lorena of the links 50 Coarse person 52 Gala 53 Narcissus’ love 55 Trey topper 56 Low voice 57 Hoofbeat 58 To be, to Brutus 61 Clammy

in Angeles, Pampanga, their lives definitely changed for the better.

“Until now, we couldn’t believe the blessings we received from the Lord.

Our lives have changed because of Ryzza’s hard work. I’m constantly reminding her that not all kids were given the same opportunity so we have to be grateful always. Not everyone gets the same chance to perform in Eat, Bulaga!

Dizon, on her part, said s h e ’ s living her dream.

She also wants to do more movies, portray m o r e roles and e v e n work with different actors.

B u t more than anything, s h e wants to continue to make people happy.

“When I hear praises, that I did a good job, it pushes me to do more and better my work. When someone says good comments about me, I get super happy. And when I feel I can’t do a certain role, I just think of all those good words to inspire me to work again.”

As for her message to kids her age who also want to join show business, Dizon said to hold and believe in that dream.

“Always pray to Papa Jesus because he will give it to you. It is also important to always say ‘thank you’ for all the blessings you received. If they really want to become a star, they need to have

diligence and passion for work,” she ended.

Don’t miss new episodes of “Barangay Jokers” from Monday to Saturday in Eat, Bulaga! only on GMA-7.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

What’s up with ALING MALIIT? R

YZZA Mae Dizon continues to impress the viewing public with her wit, charm and humor as she takes on a new role in longest running noontime variety program Eat, Bulaga!.

Ryzza Mae's character Boss Madam enjoys exchanging banters with the cast of EB's 'Barangay Jokers.'

Gone are the days when the former Little Miss Philippines winner was recognized by many through her moniker “Aling Maliit”. Now, the 12-year-old is making headlines for her grumpy, fierce and strict character “Boss Madam” in EB’s hit segment “Barangay Jokers”.

Every day, the young television host would dress-up in adult clothing, exchange banters with EB Baes Jon Timmons, Kenneth Medrano, Joel Palencia, Tommy Penaflor, Kim Last and Miggy Tolentino, and re-enact the sent in comedy gag sketches and jokes created by the dabarkads.

“I realized that it’s nice to be the boss,” says Dizon, who was comfortably wearing a fur coat, over-sized shades and kitty heels.

“I enjoy playing this role because it is something new to me. Also, even if she’s ill-tempered, she still has a good heart.”

Dizon added that she likes portraying “Boss Madam” because it allows her to add personal nuances to her character and she gets to work closely with

Eat, Bulaga! creative head, Jeny Ferre.

“There’s really no secret on how to play this role. You just have to focus on work at hand. It also helps that I get the support of everyone in EB. They help me on what to do and how to properly deliver my lines. I also have a stylist who does all the costume picking for me. I also get help from Tita Ruby (Rodriguez) and Tita Pia (Guanio) for some of the bags I use. I enjoy this role and it does not feel like work to me.”

Ferre said these days, it’s not difficult to think of roles that fit Dizon as the latter listens and very focus on her craft.

The television executive admitted though that six years ago, they initially struggled to think of a perfect concept for television for the child star, who by then just won Little Miss Philippines. “I really don’t know what to do with this cute girl. Then I noticed that every time we post something on social media, netizens response positively. So, I thought there’s really something special in her.”… continued on C3

From Aling Maliit, kid wonder Ryzza Mae Dizon embraces her new role as the quirky Boss Madam.

ALDEN RICHARDS holds successful show in AUSTRALIA THE Kapuso actor network followers endearing refer to as “Pambansang Bae” was a big hit in Australia, according to GMA network drumbeaters.

Alden Richards reveled in the company of the Kapuso in Sydney, Australia kickstarting GMA Pinoy TV’s series of international events for 2018.

Fans of the Kapuso heartthrob from the United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand flew to Australia for a chance to personally meet and take photos with their idol.

The show, entitled Alden Richards Live in Sydney on Jan. 20 at the Evan Theatre in Panthers Penrith with Betong Sumaya who spiced up the entertainment fare was the first for the popular TV star in the Land Downunder.

Alden and Betong had the chance to meet fellow Pinoys at a press conference before the big event. They also made a courtesy call at the Philippine Consulate General.

In their free time, the two Kapuso stars had the opportunity to explore Sydney and see famous landmarks such as the Bondi Beach, Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, Darling Harbour, and the iconic Sydney Opera House. The pair also attended Sunday service at Hillsong.

Betong, a mainstay in the longrunning gag show Bubble ISAH V. RED Gang, opened the night with a medley of OPM songs and funny anecdotes of his experience i n Australia.

The crowd went wild when Alden stepped on the stage, showed off his dance moves, and sang his biggest hits. The Kapuso star expressed gratitude to his loyal fans for their continued support as he closed the show with his heartfelt rendition of “God Gave Me You” dedicated to the Kapuso Abroad.

The successful Alden Richards Live in Sydney was organized by Memory Bliss Productions with the exclusive media sponsorship of GMA’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV. Lyca TV, one of GMA Pinoy TV’s carriers in Australia, was also present during the event. *** At a luncheon hosted by Bravo Food Supplement last week at its West Avenue facility, the popular food supplement for adult men was re-launched with the Padilla brothers as celebrity endorsers – Rommel Padilla and Robin Padilla.

Continuing with their campaign “Ang Bagsik mo,” Bravo has remained as one of the top contenders in the male enhancement supplements

Alden Richards, a first-timer in Australia, poses in front of the famous Sydney Opera House a few days before his show in Penrith.

market. Kauffman President German A. Panghulan and Product Manager, Gil Caoile, along with bloggers and members of the press, graced the celebration at White House in West Avenue, Quezon City.

The Padilla brothers, known to be magnets to the opposite sex, didn’t shy away from giving tips on when it is best to take Bravo. They also shared stories about the times they used Bravo, giving light to the event’s attendees, both users and non-

Padilla Brothers Robin (leftmost) and Rommel (second from right) with the executives from Kauffman.

users of Bravo, about its effects and benefits.

Be a certified Bravo Man! Be like Mr. Robin and Rommel Padilla, take Bravo food supplement for men is the mantra the manufacturers of the supplement want every male in the country to subscribe to.

With proper diet and exercise, Bravo food Supplement for Men is recommended for alpha males, and not limited to those who encounter Erectile Dysfunction syndromes. Bravo is available at Mercury Drug and other drugstores nationwide at an affordable price of P90.00 per capsule SRP. *** GMA News pillar and multiawarded broadcast journalist Mel Tiangco remains a loyal Kapuso. She renewed her ties with GMA Network on Jan. 31.

Tiangco co-anchors GMA’s flagship newscast 24 Oras with Mike Enriquez and Vicky Morale. She has been with the Network for two decades. She is also the founder and ambassador of GMA’s socio-civic arm, GMA Kapuso Foundation.

Speaking about her being a Kapuso for almost 21 years now, Tiangco only has kind words to say. “Kung

Brian also just signed a threegaano ako kasaya noong una akong pumasok sa premises year contract with the ABS-CBN ng GMA, ganun pa rin ang music label. Aside from singing, kaligayahan ko hanggang the young Atenean, who is now ngayon. Unang-una, sapagkat in his last year in senior high napakabuti sa akin ng mga school, is also an aspiring actor namumuno sa GMA, at lahat who was seen in cameo roles ng aking colleagues dito, mga in the films Seven Sundays, and kasamahan,” says the veteran Love You To The Stars And Back, broadcaster, who also hosts and also in hit TV programs La the award-winning drama Luna Sangre and Ipaglaban Mo. anthology Magpakailanman.

GMA Network’s top management, in turn, acknowledged Tiangco’s contribution to the Network.

“Ang kanyang integridad is unquestionable. At ang puso ni Mel na makatulong doon sa mga nangangailangan ay makikita sa kanyang involvement sa Kapuso Foundation ng GMA. Even after she retired, ang involvement niya sa GMA Kapuso Foundation ay hindi nababawasan,” says Atty.

Felipe L. Gozon, Chairman and CEO of the network. *** New Star Music artist Brian Gazmen launched his first single on Jan. 31 on MOR 101.9, a break-up song entitled “Ayoko Nang Makarinig ng Love Song.”

His debut song features an upbeat tune, a must-hear for millennial listeners aiming to be inspired and hopeful despite heartbreaks.

Music newcomer Brian Gazmen