Manila Standard - 2018 January 29 - Monday

KABUL AMBULANCE BOMB KILLS 95 PEOPLE

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 346 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

ISABELA FESTIVAL. With a giant scarecrow (Bambanti) in the background, dancers perform during the Bambanti Festival 2018 in the province of Isabela. The festival, named after the Bambanti (scarecrow) showcases a wide array of farm produce and pays tribute to the Bambanti which in local folkfore keep watch over the fields. Teddy Pelaez

‘Tokhang’ spares drug users—PNP P

OLICE will no longer be able to arrest suspected drug users but only urge them to seek medical help when they go house-to-house under the revamped “Oplan Tokhang” campaign, Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said Sunday.

In an interview on radio dzMM, Albayalde said drug users could surrender to the visiting policemen or turn themselves in at the police station and seek rehabilitation voluntarily, but if they refuse to surrender, there was nothing the police could do.

Police would target drug pushers in buy-bust operations outside of the Tokhang campaign, Albayalde added.

Guidelines for the new “Oplan Tokhang” anti-drug campaign released earlier this month limited such house calls to weekdays during office hours.

Also, police teams of four must first coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and local governments and validate their information before visiting the house of a suspected drug dependent.

None of the police may enter the homes of suspects without their permission, the PNP guidelines state. Next page

Indian pharma experts to help lower drug cost INDIA’S government has committed to send pharmaceutical experts to the Philippines to help lower the cost of medicines here, Malacañang said Sunday.

“That is the commitment of India, that they will send their experts in making medicines in order to help lower the cost of our medicines,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar told dzBB radio.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has said at least nine Indian companies from the renewable energy, wellness, pharmaceuticals and information technology-business process management sectors have pledged at least $1.25 billion, or about P64 billion, in investments in the Philippines.

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Solon pushes all-Pinoy team to check on Benham Rise

By Rio N. Araja

So sorry: DoTr apologizes over ‘smoking MRT’

STILL A THREAT. Steaming lava and pyroclastic deposits are seen at the foot of the Mayon volcano, from the town of Daraga in Albay province on Jan. 28, 2018, as heavy rains pound areas near the volcano. Millions of tons of ash and rocks from the erupting volcano are threatening to bury surrounding communities due to continuous rain, authorities warned. (Story on A2) AFP

THE Department of Transportation apologized to the public after a seat on a Metro Rail Transit Line 3 train billowed smoke, causing 600 passengers to get off between the Cubao and Kamuning stations at 1:20 p.m. Friday.

The passengers were assisted to the nearest station, and regular service resumed at 2:50 p.m. ending the day with 321,397 riders.

The department said an investigation was being conducted, and the findings would be released as soon as possible.

“The Department of Transportation [DOTr] expresses sincere apologies to those who were affected and inconvenienced by the recent smoke incident that occurred last Friday in one of MRT 3’s trains,” the department said in a statement late Saturday.

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Probe of Sereno’s SALN forges on—Justice department

By Rey E. Requejo THE Justice department will take jurisdiction and investigate the criminal complaint filed against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, even though she enjoys immunity from criminal suit while in office.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Sunday said his department would conduct a preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo

Gadon for alleged failure to file her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for 17 years when she was still a law professor in the University of the Philippines. Gadon is also the complainant in the impeachment case against Sereno in the House of Representatives.

“We will conduct preliminary investigation to determine if there is probable cause to charge her for any offense,” Aguirre said in a text message.

MUNTINLUPA City Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon on Sunday called for a tight watch over the research team of Chinese scientists in the resource-rich Benham Rise to ensure that they do not set up any structures or surveillance equipment in the area.

Biazon, vice chairman of the House committee on national defense, urged the government to send an all-Filipino team to conduct a study on the continental shelf.

“We should closely monitor their activity to ensure that they are just doing research [work], and not building any structure or leaving equipment there,” Biazon told radio dzBB. “Their mission could be more than marine research... [it could be an] intelligence operation. They might leave their own sensors under the sea so they could detect surface ships [passing the area]. They could also place listening posts underwater,” he said. Next page

Aquino dared to issue apology for vaccine mess

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

This would mean that the DoJ will summon Sereno and require her to answer the allegations in the complaint for violations of Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) and Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).

While the DoJ will proceed with the resolution of Gadon’s criminal charge against the Supreme Court chief,

FORMER President Beningo Aquino III should apoligize for the P3.5-billion anti-dengue vaccination program that has put the lives of a million Filipino children af risk, said Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

“You just wait, I will be very frank.

It’s time that he should be [held] liabile,” Gordon said of Aquino, after his committee held its fourth meeting last

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TRAIN sends rice prices rising, farmers say

By Bill Casas RICE prices rose in the third week of January as a result of the TRAIN law, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said Sunday.

The average increases were P1 per kilo of special and premium rice, P1 per kilo of regular well-milled rice, and P2 per kilo of premium well-milled rice, the farmers’ group said, citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority .

The PSA also noted an upward trend in the wholesale and retail prices of wellmilled rice and regular milled rice this January compared to the prices a year ago.

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For well-milled rice, a P3-per-kilo increase was noted in Kidapawan City and a P2-per-kilo increase in Metro Manila and Naga City.

Price hikes ranging from P.50 to P3 per kilo of regular milled rice were also observed in six regional centers nationwide.

The prices of other agricultural produce such as beef, meat and pork lean meat increased by as much as P10 per kilo. The prices of dressed chicken increased by P2 to P20 per kilo, while the market prices of fish and vegetables also increased.

The price hikes were the result of the cumulative increase in petroleum prices SUN-DRIED. A farmer spreads palay to dry naturally under the heat of the sun along Next page

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NHA assures Marawi of temporary shelters

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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HE National Housing Authority will turn over 500 temporary shelters for the war victims in Marawi City on Jan. 30, an official said Sunday.

NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. said they had built an initial 500 units of the 6,400 temporary shelters for the “internally displaced persons” of Marawi.

“Our mission is to construct 6,400 temporary shelters and 2,700 permanent shelters for Marawi IDPs,” Escalada told reporters.

“These [temporary] shelters located at Barangay Sagongsongan

are constructed in 40-square-meter lots with a 22-square-meter floor area. These are single-detached, pre-fabricated units with individual power and water installations.”

Escalada made his statement even as Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said Marawi City must become groiund zero of the country’s Build, Build, Build program.

He said the “bombed out capital of Lanao del Sur” could be the

showcase of the government’s promised infrastructure boom.

“From the center of fighting, let Marawi be the center of reconstruction in the country,” Angara said.

By March, the NHA is expected to finish another 1,170 temporary shelters in Sagonsongan village, Escalada said.

With site 1’s 50-percent completion, the NHA was now preparing to start site 2 construction, he said.

“For site 2, we will be hosting another 1,000 IDPs. Once we are 50-percent complete with site 2, my instruction is to proceed with sites 3, 4 and 5, so that we shall be able to complete the 6,400 units.”

Escalada said the Marawi City

government, along with the ulama, sultan and beneficiaries, had requested for a much bigger space for site 2.

“We are seriously considering this and we continue to converse with them. Hopefully, after several dialogues, we shall be able to perfectly provide what is best for the people of Marawi,” he said.

As for the permanent shelters, he said, they would start exploring for sites that could accommodate 2,700 units.

“While we are constructing the temporary shelters, I am also trying to explore the possibilities of developing the permanent shelter [sites]. Something that is very secure, something that is stable,” Escalada said.

Mayon spews lava fountain

By Rio N. Araja TWO episodes of sporadic lava fountaining from the crater of Mayon Volcano lasting 23 minutes and 55 minutes, respectively, occurred Sunday, officials said.

The fountaining led to lava flowing on the Mi-isi and Bonga Gullies, sprayed lava spatter and fed rockfall on the summit area, the officials said.

In between the lava fountaining episodes, lava effusion continued to feed lava flows on the Bonga and Miisi Gullies.

Meanwhile, the Taguig City government said Sunday it will provide P3 million in calamity assistance to the residents of Albay.

The assistance comes on the heels of the declaration of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Albay placing the province under a state of calamity after the continuous eruption of Mayon Volcano from Jan. 13 to 19.

Taguig City’s P3-million assistance will provide 3,000 in relief goods consisting of hygiene kits, face masks, rice and canned goods.

Probe...

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MAYON MOTOCROSS. A father and son on a motorcycle cross a river channel where ash and rocks from Mayon volcano have flowed into the ravine at a remote village at the foot of the volcano near the town of Daraga in Albay province on January 28, 2018. Heavy rains continue to pound areas near the volcano. Millions of tons of ash and rocks from the erupting Philippine volcano are threatening to bury surrounding communities due to heavy rain, authorities warned on January 27. AFP

TRAIN...

Aquino...

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since Jan. 1 when TRAIN took effect.

This week oil prices will once again increase, according to oil companies.

“This unending cycle of price hikes will not stop as long as TRAIN is in effect. It will only continue to worsen the economic hardship of Filipinos, the KMP said.

The group demanded that the government strictly implement a total price freeze in Albay due to the active Mayon volcano.

National agencies and LGUs in Albay should strictly monitor the prices of commodities in the calamity-affected areas to avoid overpricing. The agencies should provide relief and rehabilitation assistance, KMP said.

As of Jan. 28, there were 28,885 families or 89,109 individuals staying in the evacuation centers in Bacacay, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, Daraga, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo and Legazpi City.

week on the government’s hasty purchase and widespread use of the Dengvaxia vaccine before clinical trials were concluded and before reports surfaced that the drug could have severe effects on those who had not had contact with the dengue virus before.

Gordon said the purchase of the vaccines was done in haste, coming shortly after Aquino met officials of the Sanofi Pasteur drug company in Paris in 2015.

He accused Aquino of ducking responsibility, first for the Mamasapano massacre, and now for the dengue vaccine mess.

Gordon said his recommendations would be in the committee report.

Based on the Blue Ribbon committee timeline, the Special Allotment Relese Order for the Dengvaxia purchase was issued in December 2015, the same month that Aquino met with Sanofi officials in Paris.

Aquino has repeatedly denied that the purchase of the vaccines was rushed.

Testifying before the Blue

Indian...

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Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte embarked on a threeday trip to India to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-India Commemorative Summit and the host country’s Republic Day. Duterte in November last year expressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Philippines’ eagerness to welcome Indian investments to provide affordable medicines to Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Lopez said the investments in the IT-BPM sector alone could generate around 100,000 jobs in one year. Bill Casas

Ribbon committee in December 2017, Aquino said his administration began to focus on dengue after receiving a memo from Ona in 2010. He said the memo highlighted that there were five regions that reported alarming increases in dengue cases, adding that around 2.8-million people were at risk of contracting dengue then.

Aquino met with officials of the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur on Nov. 9, 2014 in Beijing, China and on Dec. 1, 2015 in Paris, France.

Aquino has been charged before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the Dengvaxia case.

Earlier, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption said it may include Aquino and former Health secretary Janette Garin in the plunder complaints it will file with the Ombudsman.

Gordon said Garin would surely be held accountable. “She needs to fully explain,” he added.

Meanwhile, the expert panel formed by the Department of Health to investigate the controversy behind Dengvaxia is expected to recommend the completion of Dengvaxia vaccination for those who already took the first

and second doses of the anti-dengue vaccine.

During a hearing, one of the members of the expert panel disclosed that based on their initial findings, it is recommended for those already vaccinated by Dengvaxia on the first and second doses to complete the third dose to fully experience the full efficacy of the vaccine.

The findings of the expert panel, which will be released this week, show that Dengvaxia is effective 95 percent of the time when administered to patients who had already contracted the dengue virus.

The possibility of those who were vaccinated by dengvaxia without a history of dengue virus infection is 0.0002 percent chances of developing severe dengue.

Symptoms of severe dengue, according to experts, includes having fever for two days at least, some form of rashes and possible low blood count. Dengue is not a lethal disease. It is curable if immediate medical attention is taken by the patient suspected of contracting the virus.

The vaccination program of the DoH initially targeted a million children. It was to be given in three doses spaced six months apart.

‘Tokhang’...

Solon...

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Police are also encouraged to use body cameras.

The stricter guidelines for Oplan Tokhang were released after President Rodrigo Duterte allowed the police to rejoin anti-drug operations.

The PNP had been sidelined in the drug war after a number of high-profile deaths of minors at the hands of police.

Under the new guidelines, those who voluntarily surrender will not be subjected to mug shots and fingerprinting, the guidelines state.

The guidelines also impose sanctions against police personnel for unwarranted violations.

“Any violations of this PNP supplemental operations guidelines shall be dealt with under existing PNP disciplinary mechanisms,” he said.

He urged the government to assert the country’s rights.

“We should be assertive of our rights and the rights of the Philippines over Benham Rise,” he added.

Benham Rise is part of the Philippines’ continental shelf awarded by the United Nations in 2012 providing the country exclusive sovereign rights over it.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the government has approved the applications of 26 research firms from the United States, Japan and South Korea to conduct scientific research in Benham rise or Philippine Rise, contradicting allegations the Duterte administration favors China to sea bed.

In a statement, Roque also said he never said Filipinos had no capability to do research in Benham Rise, saying there were fixed guidelines to follow and, so far, China qualified.

Aguirre admitted that any results would have to be shelved at this time while Sereno remains in office.

“Since she is an impeachable official, assuming that there exists probable cause, we could not file [a case] as long as she remains an impeachable official,” he said.

Should the investigating prosecutors find probable cause in the complaint, the findings would still have to be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman for review, since the charges fall under the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. The DoJ only has a concurrent jurisdiction with the Ombudsman in investigating graft charges.

Any government official or employee found guilty of non-filing of SALN under Section 8 of RA 6713 shall be penalized with imprisonment not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding P5,000 or both, and in the discretion of the court, disqualification to hold public office.

So sorry:...

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“The DOTr appeals to the riding public’s understanding while it pushes ahead, in the most expeditious manner, strategies and actions to effectively and sustainably restore and rehabilitate the current MRT 3 system—a system that has deteriorated due to cumulative errors in policy and operational decisions made across several administrations,” it said.

A Maintenance Transition Team was formed after the government terminated the maintenance contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. due to its failure to procure the spare parts needed by the aging trains.

A Special Bids and Awards Committee has procured the spare parts with an initial batch set to be delivered in February.

Japan has also committed to provide its assistance for the rehabilitation and maintrenance of the MRT 3.

The department expects to mobilize the MRT’s new maintenance service provider by May 2018.

The department is also pursuing an unsolicited proposal for the 30 year operation and maintenance of the MRT 3 with the original proponent status granted to Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and its proposal soon to be endorsed to the National Economic and Development Authority.

DOTr has also hired the services of independent audit and assessment firm TUV Rheinland to evaluate and make recommendations on the feasibility of using the 48 Light Rail Vehicles that were delivered by Chinese railway firm CCRC Dalian and other components of the MRT 3.

On Sunday, party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles blamed government officials of the past and present administrations—including “an

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said heavy rainfall throughout the day generated sedimentladen stream flows in the channels draining the volcano edifice.

At least four volcanic earthquakes and seven tremor events, two of which correspond to the lava fountaining events, and 23 rockfall events were recorded.

Rockfall events were generated by the collapsing lava front and margins of the advancing lava flow on the Bonga and Miisi Gullies.

Alert Level 4 remained in effect over Mayon Volcano.

The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and to stop entering the eight-kilometer radius danger zone, and to be additionally vigilant against pyroclastic density currents, lahar and sediment-laden stream flows along the channels draining the edifice.

Mt. Mayon spewed ash and lava thrice on Sunday.

Phivolcs said a hazardous eruption was possible within days.

“We will dismiss it if there is no probable cause,” Aguirre said.

In his complaint, Gadon accused Sereno of violating the laws when she only filed SALNs for three years—1998, 2002 and 2006—during her tenure as law professor at the UP College of Law for 20 years from 1986 up to 2006.

He cited records from the Office of the Ombudsman, UP, and the Judicial and Bar Council that were submitted during impeachment proceedings in the House.

Because of this alleged criminal offense, Gadon said Sereno shouldn’t have been qualified as a justice of the Supreme Court when she applied for the position. Sereno became a member of the Court in 2010 and became Chief Justice in 2012.

Gadon denied that his DoJ complaint is forum shopping since the same charge was already raised in his impeachment complaint in the House.

“The impeachment is about determining the fitness of a public official to retain her position or disposition. This complaint, on the other hand, is about criminal violations of the laws,” he said.

alcoholic one”—for the corruption in the MRT 3.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Nograles called the MRT Line 3 a “rolling stock of corruption.”

Nograles declined to name names, but said the officials were mentioned in a House committee on good government and public accountability report.

Nograles is a member of the committee chaired by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel.

He said many of the Cabinet officials under the Aquino administration must be held culpable for the repeated breakdowns and glitches, and the poor service of the MRT line 3.

A recent committee hearing, Nograles said, showed out of the 73 total coaches of MRT 3, only one maintained its original parts, while the rest were using “chopchop” or fake parts.

“The investigation began in September and was terminated last week. And we decided to begin writing and drafting the committee report. I assure you the committee report has nothing but the truth,” he said.

In November last year, the Department of Transportation filed a plunder and graft complaint against former Interior and Local Government secretary Mar Roxas II and former Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya over the alleged anomalous maintenance contract for the MRT 3.

Also charged were former President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet officials—former Budget secretary Florencio Abad, ex-Finance secretary Cesar Purisima, former Energy secretary Jericho Petilla, ex-Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin, former Public Works secretary Rogelio Singson, former Science and Technology secretary Mario Montejo and former Neda chief Arsenio Balisacan as well as the MRT 3 maintenance contractor, BURI. Rio N. Araja with PNA

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‘Senate snub means jail for Faeldon’

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ORMER Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon may be sent to the Pasay City jail if he does not appear before the panel’s hearing into the alleged corruption at the Bureau of Customs, Blue Ribbon committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB that the likelihood of a jail detention for Faeldon loomed strong.

If I were him, Gordon said, Faeldon should just testify and he’ll be set free.

Another Senate public hearing on the issue has been set for Monday.

Faeldon has been named deputy administrator for operations of the Office of Civil Defense, but remains “indefinitely” detained at the Senate since September last year for refusing to appear before the Senate’s

investigation into the P6.4billion shabu shipment.

Faeldon cannot just simply appear before the panel and invoke his right against self-incrimination once he is questioned, as he has to “properly” and “validly” address every question, Gordon said.

“The senators have been saying all along that we have to protect the Senate. Can you imagine, one

is summoned and does not attend the hearing, then we will all be in the dark in such controversial cases as Dengvaxia and shabu,” Gordon said.

“I don’t threaten, I just do it. Kasi pag nag-threaten ka nabawasan ka na ng sinasabi mo...sorry ah, ayaw mong sumunod, ayaw mong respetuhin ang Senado, then we have to do something about it,” Gordon said.

Faeldon’s lawyer Jose Diño earlier said that his client has already been issued another subpoena to attend the Senate hearing on Monday, 1 p.m.

Diño, however, doubts that Faeldon will attend the Blue Ribbon hearing.

“I doubt it. He will maintain, I think, his right to personal dignity, specifically his right not to be browbeaten [again] with

hopelessly unprovable and garbage allegations,” he said in a statement.

On Gordon’s statement that Faeldon may be transferred to Pasay City jail if the latter doesn’t attend Monday’s hearing, Diño said: “Real men do, they do not threaten, Gordon can do anything he wants because he is a very, very powerful man and he wants to flaunt his power.”

Ex-PCSO execs told to return cash perks

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Audit has ordered former board members of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to return P13.75 million in unauthorized package of benefits given to them from 2010 to 2011.

Held culpable were former PCSO chairman Margarita Juico, former general manager and chief operating officer Jose Ferdinand Rojas II along with members of the board of directors for unauthorized allowances, bonuses and cash incentives amounting to P13,751,229.25 paid to them over a 15-month period from September 2010 to December 2011.

CoA Chairman Michael Aguinaldo, along with Commissioners Jose Fabia and Isabel Agito, dismissed the petition for review filed by the respondents for lack of merit.

Juico and the other officials said such benefits and allowances were approved dating back to the administration of former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada.

“The prior presidential approvals obtained by PCSO

Dureza raked over the coals in Davao FOR three hours, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza took the “hot seat,” as he engaged senior high school students of the Ateneo de Davao University in a spirited discussion on a range of peace and security issues, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

But the rules of the dialogue were clear from the start: The seasoned peace negotiator would be on equal footing with his young hosts. No one was above the other, OPAPP said.

The student participants, mostly senior high school leaders and staff of the school’s secondary and college publications, relished each and every moment of their encounter with the cabinet official.

They took the opportunity to “grill” Dureza and ask him probing questions that did not seem to come from 17- and 18-year olds but from veteran political analysts.

On several occasions, the tables seemed to be turned between expert and novice, as the peace adviser listened intently to the students as they articulated their opinions on the peace process, violent extremism, the Marawi crisis and press freedom.

“Clearly, the stars of the show were the students who demonstrated that the youth of today are not unhinged from present day realities, particularly on issues affecting the nation’s peace, security and development,” OPAPP said. Bill Casas

were superseded by Executive Order Nos. 7, 19 and 24… thus, by executive fiat, the authority of the board members to receive various allowances, benefits and other perks… were considered withdrawn,” the CoA’s Commission Proper decision read.

CoA said board members were not entitled to receive allowances and benefits, and that the only authorized form of compensation was “reasonable per diems.”

“To stress, petitioners are not salaried employees of PCSO but members of the board of directors who are not entitled to receive fringe benefits, unless expressly provided by law,” CoA said.

Such issue was already clarified by the Department of Budget and Management Circular Letter No. 2002-02 stating board of directors of agencies were not salaried officials of the government.

“As officials who are directly responsible in authorizing and approving the payment of the disallowed benefits, they are solidarily liable for their reimbursement. Their payment of the disallowed benefits cannot be deemed in good faith,” CoA cited.

PROCESSION. Thousands of devotees join the annual procession in honor of Senor Santo Niño along the busy stretch of Roxas Boulevard from Pasay City to Manila’s Quirino Grandstand. Ey Acasio

Angat rehab to mitigate Big One’s impact; MWSS, agencies ink MOA ENSURING the safety of Angat Dam, the main source of water for Metro Manila and its environs, is the focus of the ongoing Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project, according to MWSS Administrator Reynaldo Velasco.

With the absence of adequate alternative source of water, damage to the dam in the event of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake will

greatly impact not only on the health and well-being of the Filipinos but also on food supply, public safety and energy resource.

Velaso pointed out that “Because we all can’t take risks, we should always be prepared and ready when and where disaster strikes.”

The frequent occurrence of earthquakes and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s pronouncement

on the dangers posed by the West Valley Fault prompted MWSS to initiate and sign a Memorandum of Agreement with state agencies such as PSALM, NPC, NIA, PhilVolcs, PagasA, OCD and the provincial government of Bulacan aimed at identifying, prioritizing and implementing a project that will ensure the safety and reliability of the Angat Dam and Dyke from geological and hydro-meteor-

ological hazards.

The West Valley Fault lies 200 meters east of the Angat Main Dyke which is located in Barangay San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, Bulacan. Movement in the West Valley Fault may affect the local fault.

This is the first time Angat Dam is undergoing a massive rehabilitation project since it was constructed in the 1960s and operationalized in 1968.

The dyke strengthening according to Velasco is very timely adding “In the business of water and water security, there must be no limit given the growing population, and, God forbid the occurrence of the Big One in our lifetime.”

Although Angat Dam is under the management of the National Power Corp., being a multi-purpose hydro facility, it provides irrigation to 20 municipalities in Pam-

panga and Bulacan; supplies the domestic and industrial water requirements of residents in Metro Manila; generates hydroelectric power to feed the Luzon Grid; and reduces flooding to downstream towns and villages, as well as releases water for the MWSS through the auxiliary turbines where it is diverted to two tunnels going to the MWSS owned and operated Ipo Dam.

El Nido priority area for protection—DENR

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos gets a warm welcome at the Lingayen airport by Pangasinan Christian leaders led by Norman Velasco and PNP Provincial Director Ronald Lee.

Marcos rallies Christian leaders for natl stability LINGAYEN, Pangasinan— Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos rallied Christian leaders to be more aggressive in promoting brotherly love in our radically changing society during National Bible month in a speech here on Jan. 27.

She congratulated the Christian leaders led by Dr. Nora Lucero, PBS secretary general, for their work, citing the reign of peace

in Pangasinan under Gov. Amado “Pogi” Espino III. She recalled that it was her father, former President Ferdinand Marcos who signed the week-long celebration into a law in 1982.

She lauded President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for expanding the celebration to one month.

Gov. Espino’s message was read by Provincial Em-

ployment Service Office manager Alex Ferrer, underscoring the power of God’s word in the upkeep and progress of society. He said the province has strongly adhered to its spiritual moorings, under Gov. Espino even during the administration of his father, now Rep. Amado Espino Jr. Board Member Niki ‘Boy’ Reyes, who repre-

sented Vice Gov. Ferdie Calimlim, cited Pangasinan’s peaceful atmosphere as a reflection of the Pangasinenses’ spiritual nature.

Marcos thanked the Pangasinenses for their support to her family led by the late president, adding that even Bongbong got 80 percent of the votes when he run for vice president.

“We are forever grateful to Pangasinan,” she said.

RECOGNIZING the gravity of problems facing El Nido in Palawan, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will enforce its policies to help minimize the negative impact of tourism pressure on the area.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said El Nido, one of the country’s top tourist spots, is beset with problems of diminishing water quality, biodiversity loss, flooding, and proliferation of informal settlers, business establishments and structures without permit as well as a host of other problems.

“I want people to experience the beauty of El Nido and other natural wonders of our country for as long as possible,” he said. “That is why I have instructed all personnel of the department to address such priorities as clean water, clean air, and solid waste management—issues that are even more pressing for island tourist destinations like El Nido and Boracay.”

In line with Cimatu’s

directive, officials of DENR in Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan have identified El Nido as a priority area.

“We do not want El Nido to face the same problem as Boracay,” Mimaropa regional director Natividad Bernardino said.

She was referring to the worsening garbage problem and water contamination due to unregulated activities in Boracay.

“We value El Nido’s contribution to the economy of Palawan and of the country. We cannot help, however, but worry that the magnitude of tourist activities in El Nido is already way beyond its carrying capacity,” she said.

Citing the 2016 report of the El Nido municipal tourism office, the DENR said tourist arrival in the town has increased by more than 30 percent annually in the last three years with last year reaching almost 200,000. Rio Araja

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Tested and found wanting

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HE recent debates over constitutional amendments have been revealing, not only of the issues behind the push for federalism, but also of the character of some of our leaders.

In particular, the discussions have laid bare an almost obsessive need among leaders of the House of Representatives to assert their supremacy.

On Friday, House leaders played down President Rodrigo Duterte’s appointment of a consultative committee of 25 legal experts to propose amendments to the Constitution, saying they had the final say over what changes would be made.

“The matter or manner of proposing amendments to or revision of the Constitution is a power exclusively retained by the sovereign Filipino [people] directly or through their duly elected representatives, that is, the Congress of the Philippines,” said House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas.

“As the name connotes, it is a consultative, or advisory, commission of the President. It cannot, and will not work in tandem with the Congress,” he added.

The statement was an odd one to make, given that the announcement of the consultative committee, to be headed by former chief justice Reynato Puno, was an initiative of their party leader and one of the foremost advocates of federalism, President Rodrigo Duterte.

Certainly, the President’s handpicked committee deserved more respect than this.

But exhibiting little faith in the President’s choice of legal experts, Fariñas made it a point to say Congress still has the final say on whether it will approve or reject the proposed amendments to be submitted by President Duterte’s consultative committee.

Then, suggesting that proposals from the commission were no better than those from “any citizen,” Fariñas added: “The Congress may consider the commission’s recommendations, as well as those of any citizen, and may adopt or not adopt them at all.”

The Ilocos Norte congressman’s statement comes on the heels of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s curious declaration that the House of Representatives may, on its own and without Senate participation, propose amendments to the Constitution and bring these directly to the people in a plebiscite, a notion that most experts in constitutional law

view as ludicrous.

But eager to flex their muscles, the Speaker’s allies in Congress have begun proposing amendments to the Constitution, including a patently unacceptable plan to limit the protection of free speech in the Bill of Rights.

True and faithful representatives of the sovereign people would not plot in such a manner to strip them of what we all know to be inalienable rights.

The 19th century American jurist Bob Ingersoll, referring to Abraham Lincoln, said nothing discloses real character like the use of power. “Most people can bear adversity,” he wrote. “But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test.”

In these Charter change debates, our House leaders have been tested and found wanting.

Going, going…

A superfluous committee?

THE members of the socalled Consultative Committee tasked with “reviewing the 1987 Constitution” have yet to be sworn in— and already, some leaders of the Lower House have announced that they will not consider themselves bound by the recommendations of the committee.

That, of course, is a self-evident proposition. A “consultative” committee is consulted, and a proffered an opinion is plainly different from an ordinance laid down.

But what is more disturbing about this position than belaboring the obvi-

ous is that it signals what might be an obduracy that is based more on a vain claim to power than reliance on reason. There is one big difference between the members of the committee and the members of Congress. None of the members of the committee sought appointment there.

All of us have our hands full—mine, very full, and I do not intend in any way to go slack on my principal duties to which I must return after the six-month life-span granted us shall have run its course. Representatives and senators, by contrast, sought power and position and by means presumably fair but sometimes foul, got it. That should be suggestion enough that if the members of the committee accept their appoint-

provisions ments, of a conthen they stitution do so with that prono other It can never vides for motive be the aim of a federal than to form of contribthe consultative governute to the committee to ment. The rewriting wipe the slate President of the funhas been damental clean. very open law of about his the land. option to A n y w a y, federalthe wise seek counsel and welcome ize the republic. Retired advice. The foolish think Chief Justice Reynato themselves wise, and so Puno—whose competence, remain unyielding in their expertise, fairness and cerebral acuteness none but petulance.

“To review the 1987 the mentally challenged Constitution”—that in will doubt—has been one itself does not say very of the principal advocates much, and I think that the of federalism. And afcommittee should first ask ter we are clear about our whether it was tasked to mandate, the question will suggest to Congress the be whether or not the na-

tion really wants a federal government. It can be argued, of course, that the latter decision can be made when the draft Constitution—that Congress, not our committee, will craft— is presented to the people in a plebiscite. But why wait till then? Clearly, a prerequisite to the question of whether or not it is the nation’s choice that we decentralize the sovereign powers of State is the challenge of informing the people and guaranteeing their freedom to express themselves freely in this regard.

I respectfully propose that our committee meet and debate less at its initial stages and study and write more. Debates are good for television audiences—and there will and should be time for that. It is the study

part that is difficult. In a federal republic, sovereignty resides in the republic as it does in the constituent states or regions. So it is the difficult balancing act of distributing powers among the national government and the states or the regions that must be the subject of intense study. It must include both reliable empirical data as well as sound theory. I taught a course at the Graduate School of Law of San Beda College last year on “Comparative Constitutions,” focusing on those constitutions that lay down a federal form of government, and paying closer attention to the separation of powers between the central government and the regional governments. My readings then are certainly

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REPORTS coming in from friends in Aklan point to the massive environmental problems plaguing what is arguably the best beach in the world—Boracay.

This is quite sad, infuriating even. Can we not take care of a treasure endowed by nature upon us? For that is what Boracay is—a naturally endowed national treasure. Through the years, over-development (using the word “development” is really an oxymoron in the case of Boracay), neglect, and corruption have exacted an almostirreversible destruction of this premier tourist destination.

When I briefly headed the Philippine Tourism Authority in 1998-2000, Boracay’s visitor arrival index was reeling from the coliform scare. There was no water system and no wastewater and sewerage system. The annual visitor arrivals went down to about 170,000.

Now DOT reports twomillion visitors, a morethan-a-thousand percent improvement. With the influx of Chinese visitors, DOT expects the 2018 arrivals index to go as high as 2.4 million.

The Ramos administration had started building a water supply system, where potable water was piped in across the Tanon Strait from the Nabas River into Boracay. We saw to the completion of that project, which was eventually inaugurated by the newlyinstalled president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after the fall of Joseph Estrada.

The FVR administration had also awarded a wastewater and sewerage contract under a yen loan package, and it was under our watch that this was constructed. Completed again during GMA’s long tenure, the water and wastewater systems were later “privatized” with the Ayala conglomerate in a joint venture with PTA. We initiated talks with Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: manilastandard.net Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

A5

Against all odds DESPITE the economic blockade imposed by four Middle East Countries, the State of Qatar has managed to survive and even thrive against all odds imposed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Known as the infamous Quartet by the people of Qatar, the four unilaterally severed diplomatic relations with Qatar for reasons known only to them.

With the break in diplomatic ties, the national airline of Qatar cannot fly into the capitals of the four mentioned countries. Qatar Airlines nonetheless is able to make up on the air traffic lost by the air embargo against it with flights to

other major destinations in Europe and the United States.

Filipino overseas workers in Qatar who number nearly 300,000, board Qatar airlines to and from the capital Doha to Manila. Filipinos in Qatar are among the highest paid in the Middle East.

And unlike in Kuwait, there hasn’t been any reports of our OFWs being maltreated in Qatar.

In a dinner he hosted for media at his residence in Forbes Park, Qatari Ambassador Ali Inbrahim Al-Malki said that while Kuwaiti incidents have yet to be proven, it is fortunate. He added that if the Philippine government decides to impose a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, the state of Qatar can probably absorb some of them.

Ambassador Al-Malki said the deployment of

OFWs to his country has bright prospects. A visiting trade and investment delegation from Qatar was recently in Manila to look at areas of economic cooperation in infrastructure and food exports.

Qatar is economically self-sufficient in food, science and technology although it has to bring in a few food items from Europe, one of its major trading partners. It’s in the area of human rights that is a problem; it is a topic that is already being looked at by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Qatari Muslims are being prohibited from joining the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Qatari families are separated from those living in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt because of the air blockade against Qatar airlines from landing at the airports of the four major

capitals.

Members of the Philippine media suggested to the Ambassador that perhaps the Embassy could arrange a small group of Filipino journalists to visit Qatar and write about the beneficial bilateral relations between the two countries. The press was impressed by the ambassador’s articulate explanation of his country’s situation and his wide knowledge of the internecine politics in the region.

Despite the political intrigues against his country, Ambassador Al-Malki made known that the Red Crescent of Qatar donated $280,000 to the victims of Typhoon ‘‘Vinta’’ in Mindanao. Red Crescent volunteers are still in the region working and coordinating with Philippine National Red Cross in the relief and rehabilitation of the houses destroyed by the typhoon’s strong winds and rain.

Senator Richard Gordon, the concurrent head of the PNRC, is overseeing relief efforts despite his hectic schedule at the Senate.

There may be some kind of a Gulf crisis in the Middle East because of the unreasonable demands of the Quartet but there is no gulf of communications between the Philippines and Qatar.

Qatari investments in infrastructure projects in Doha and Manila could deepen the close cooperation between the two countries and the deployment of more Filipino workers in the Gulf region. While the diplomatic stalemate between Qatar and the Quartet does not have enough impact on the lives of the people of the region, the right to travel has been curtailed. I hope the mediation of the United Nations and other neutral countries could solve the impasse.

Desert magic

By Karim Sahib LIWA DESERT, Abu Dhabi—I first saw the desert in 2006, when I moved to the United Arab Emirates for work.

My country Iraq, the land of two rivers, is green.

We do have some desert areas, but I wasn’t born or raised there. So I was fascinated by this new landscape. Still am.

There is this misconception that the desert isn’t a “picture-worthy” place, that it’s stagnant, unchanging, flat. I disagree. The desert fascinates me and the more I work in it, the more I love it.

The UAE is very good—and unique—in how well it develops and maintains both its urban centers and its deserts.

The deserts here are pristine. There is cellphone coverage almost everywhere, making work (and life) much easier.

I love my trips into

this wilderness. They take me away from the routine of the city. No noise, no overcrowding. I usually head to the Liwa desert, which is about 650 kilometers outside of Dubai and a three-hour drive west of Abu Dhabi.

I usually camp out with local tribes for three or four days. It’s impossible to get good pictures unless you spend time here and build friendships.

The tribe I usually stay with now treats me like part of the family.

The first time I went to visit the desert in 2013—my very first trip was to Liwa—I couldn’t drive all the way in, so I had to walk. When I reached the local tribe, they were praying—so I set my cameras aside and prayed with them.

That’s how we met and first connected. They were intrigued by the cameras, so we spent the afternoon talking. I felt it wasn’t appropriate to

A superfluous...

From A4

handy and useful now.

To dispel doubt and suspicion that the constitution is to be rewritten so that those presently in power get new leases on their terms in office, there should be a fundamental commitment at least by the members of the Committee that no proposal shall ever be made that results, whether directly or indirectly, in term extensions. And if, as has been rightly pointed out repeatedly, dynasties are the bane

ask if there was a nearby hotel. But as I was mulling over how to broach the subject, they brought dinner out and told me I wasn’t going anywhere— that I was their guest and would stay with them as long as I needed. And I did. I stayed in one of their tents.

On that first trip, it hadn’t rained in Liwa for about six years. At 5:00 in the next morning, it started to pour. I went out with my cameras and snapped a picture of two men guiding their camels across the wet sand dunes. By mid-morning, when I returned to the tent, they greeted me with such warmth—they said I was their lucky charm, that I had brought the rain. Now, when it doesn’t rain all year, they joke around with me, “Hey Karim! Where are you? We could use some rain over here!”

Many members of the desert tribes live in Abu

to a vision of a federal Philippines, then there should be inscribed into the Constitution an operative provision against dynasties, leaving nothing more for Congress to enact—a self-executory provision, in other words.

Going federal is conceived to be some kind of an “omnibus” solution to issues such as the challenge of Muslim Mindanao that the Bangsamoro Basic Law was supposed to fix, in piece-meal fashion. Federalism is held to be a reorganization of government that obviates the need for ad hoc solutions. But it would not be helpful,

Going...

From A4

Neda and the JBIC for a third project, this time on solid waste management, but Erap-gate exploded and cut his term short. I hope the Duterte administration goes through with this and quickly. Trash, I am told, is being dumped in the crevices of the hills in the middle of the island, and sludge from the five-star hotels goes into a lagoon.

The DENR and the local governments which issued ECCs and permits to construct and operate failed through the years to ensure that all establishments would connect to the PTA-built wastewater and sewerage system. The local officials just granted construction permits willynilly. Anything that would add to their coffers (maybe private pockets as well) was given a permit.

The Department of Tourism, along with the DENR under the Duterte administration, has compiled a list of erring establishments which have grossly contributed to the coliform levels now again plaguing the seas off Bora.

In a recent hearing called by the House chairman of the Tourism Committee, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez of Ormoc, it was established that many new resort-hotels and restaurants simply disgorged their wastewater into pipes leading to the sea or small tributaries and lagoons that

Dhabi, but they have a deep connection to their roots. In the desert, they have stables for their camels, which are powered by solar panels and have water storage facilities.

Since that first visit, I drive out to the Liwa desert pretty regularly.

The tribe’s hospitality is all-encompassing. I feel like a true Arab here, connected to my Arab roots. The idea of hospitality and of being one with the earth. The holy books—the Koran, the Bible and the Torah—all say that man is from the earth and will return to the earth. No place reminds you of the earth more than the desert. It’s just you and the stars and the earth. It reminds you of where you came from, of where you are headed, your final destination. It humbles you.

The Liwa is considered one of the region’s largest, around 100 kilometers shaped like a

I think, to use the BBL proposal as the pivotal springboard for any design for a federal system because I fear that what we will be writing will be “reactive” provisions: Constitutional decrees and norms written in reaction to given historical contingencies—and I do not think that this is any way to write a constitution.

Whatever political shades the Constitution of 1987 may bear, it remains a good constitution, drafted by very thoughtful and wise people. It can never be the aim of the consultative committee to wipe the slate clean. That would be clear

eventually seeped into the ocean.

At this point, draconian measures are needed if we are to preserve this national treasure.

During the Estrada administration, I drafted legislation where Boracay would be administered by a GOCC similar to the Subic Bay Management Authority, independent of the local government, because even then, I foresaw how small-minded LGU autocrats (from a long-time mayor of Malay to his son to the long-time vice-mayor, now the incumbent) could destroy the island’s environmental balance, and imperil the effectiveness of massive national government-funded projects.

But Erap’s reign was cut short by Edsa Dos and that queer Supreme Court pronouncement called “constructive resignation.”

Boracay is a case of going, going, and soon gone.

It is a prime example of the potential dangers of a rushed federal system. Sadly, the best way to reverse the irreversible destruction of this national treasure is for the national government to come in, administer the island itself, and place a ban on any new establishment, prohibiting meanwhile the intervention of the local government of Malay, Aklan.

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, which replaced the Philippine Tourism Authority under Senator Richard Gordon’s Tourism Act of 2005, has recently approved an P800-million waste and storm drain

crescent and laced with dunes. It’s endlessly enjoyable to discover them, particularly when they are so pristine—no footprints, only the sounds of the birds. And the way the light plays on them is almost like an art lesson every time.

Another fascinating part of the desert for me are the animals. Emiratis have a tradition of falcon hunting—hunting using falcons to catch smaller birds. The way they take care of their falcons and their camels is fascinating. When they drive around with their birds, the falcons seat in the front, the air conditioning adjusted to the ideal temperature for them.

Over my time working here, I’ve seen plenty of tribesmen who live in the cities as well. It’s their place of residence, their place of work. But their place of belonging is the desert—a feeling I can now relate to. AFP

folly and hubris. But if it is a federal constitution about which we are consulted, then this will have to be made clear so that the task— paltry in no sense at all—of doing our homework of studying models, analyzing configurations and falling back on political and juridical theory—may be off to an auspicious start.

For the wise, advise and counsel are never superfluous, still less, a threat. rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

system project for the island. Without proper implementation and strict enforcement of connectivity issues to the system which would require a moratorium on further “development,” however, Bora would eventually be just a memory of the heady fun and glorious times. *** Which brings me to a pleasant experience, and good news. In a very recent visit to Cebu, I was surprised to see the very quick construction of the New Mactan International Airport Terminal from my plane window.

Sometime in the middle of last year, the winning bidder—Megawide, was just starting construction. Now, it is almost finished, and airport officials told me that they would inaugurate the beautifully designed facility within the year, ahead of programmed schedule. Trust reliable private sector companies more than government, ever and always.

As it is, turning the operation and management of the existing terminal building to private sector management has produced infinitely better airport services to the riding public. *** The bidding for the construction of the New Clark International Airport Terminal was won also by Megawide, the new kid on the block with Indian partners.

The submitted bid was several billion pesos cheaper than the closest rival, which I am told was a Chinese firm. The awarding was almost

A social license to operate THE level of acceptance by stakeholders and most especially the people of the local community is a critical element in the successful operations of any enterprise, whether it be in manufacturing, services, transportation and most especially the mining industries.

According to the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian public policy think tank, the concept of Social License to Operate is “the level of acceptance or approval by local communities and stakeholders of mining companies and their operations.”

“The SLO does not refer to a formal agreement or document but to the real or current credibility, reliability, and acceptance of mining companies and projects. The SLO is granted by stakeholders based on the credibility of a mining company and the type of relationship that companies develop with the communities. Stakeholders tend to grant an SLO when they feel that their values and those of the company are aligned.”

Taking the cue from President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark to shape up or be “taxed to death,” the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines has officially adopted the mining sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada called the Towards Sustainable Mining which aims to responsibly provide the growing demand for mineral and energy. The COMP is the first Southeast Asian mining association to adopt the TSM standard and only the fourth outside of Canada to do so, after Botswana, Argentina and Finland.

This industry-led initiative sets the highest standard in guiding principles and protocols to monitor the performance of mining operations.

Before 2017 ended, two Philippine miners received top honors at the inaugural of the Asean Minerals Awards. Nickel Asia’s Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. in Palawan won in the Best Practices in Mineral Mining category and OceanaGold’s Didipio Gold-Copper mine in Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya received honors for the Best Practices in Mineral Processing category.

However, uncertainties in policy direction still hound the mining industry which started during the last administration when Executive Order 79 imposed a moratorium on new contracts, effectively stopping what experts saw as the revitalization of the hibernating mining industry.

Prompted by the doubling of mining excise taxes in the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, The Department of Environment and Natural Resources now plans to hold consultations with the Mining Industry Coordinating Council on re-

solving issues in Executive Order 79.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu was quoted by reporters during the opening ceremonies of EcoWaste Management as saying that while this is a significant boost in government revenues, the moratorium remains in effect.

Still, they will look into the matter since a precondition for the lifting of the ban on the processing of new mining projects is higher taxes which the TRAIN law has increased from 2 percent to 4 percent.

Unlike his predecessor, Secretary Cimatu has demonstrated a more balanced approach on the complicated problems of the mining industry. During a recent consultation meeting with the representatives of COMP, he emphasized that more than just higher tax revenues, mining compa-

Responsible mining does exist.

nies must strictly practice responsible mining and ensure the minimal impact on the environment to improve the public’s perception on mining.

Cimatu said: “The areas you disturb are visible or shown to the public and this easily causes a bias against you. Do not disturb areas which you do not plan on using immediately, so that you minimize the damage.”

He talks about progressive rehabilitation—a method of managing the impact on forest cover, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and water contamination in areas disturbed by mining operations. This limits the maximum area allowed to be exposed and sets a timeline for rehabilitation.

The COMP assured Cimatu that their members will strictly implement progressive rehabilitation which has been a standard practice of its member-companies.

Worth mentioning are models of successfully rehabilitated open pit mines in Taganito Mining Corp.’s mine in Claver, Surigao del Norte, TVI Resource Development’s Canatuan Mine in Zamboanga del Norte, Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. in Bataraza, Palawan, and Philex Mining Corp.’s Bulawan and Sibutad Projects in Negros Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte.

Seeing for himself solid proof that responsible mining exists, Cimatu hit the nail on the head when he told miners that the bigger problem is not in paying higher taxes but in changing the public’s perception. It’s about earning the Social License to Operate from the people.

stalled by an attempted bid to derail vial legal machinations attributable, it turns out, to no less than a director of BCDA, the government agency which oversees the development of former military bases.

But BCDA management and Malacañang quickly acted, and the project has broken ground. If it is done as well and as quickly as the contractor did Mactan’s airport terminal, then we can see another world-class facility in Clark by 2020.

Change is happening in some government agencies, and hopefully that ethic of quick decision-making and transparent actions infects the rest of the laggard bureaucracy.

How we wish “Tatay” Digong could crack the whip more often.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News

A6 Standard

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

Manila

mst.daydesk@gmail.com TODAY

P1-m bounty for blast suspects A BRA Rep. Joseph Bernos, who was injured in a grenade attack last week, offered a P1-million bounty for the arrest of those responsible for the explosion that killed four people, including two policemen.

“We are calling on our fellow Abreños and all people who may know the whereabouts of this person to help us in holding him responsible for the fear and terror he has sown, for those injured, and for the death of two brave policemen,” he said.

“We need this person alive, so that we may know

his motives and of those behind this unsuccessful attempt on our lives,” the lawmaker added.

Bernos’ wife, La Paz Mayor Menchie Bernos, was also wounded in the attack along with 10 others.

The hand grenade exploded Tuesday dawn during the fireworks display sponsored by the local government in celebration of the town fiesta in the impoverished province notorious for political violence.

Initial reports said at least two persons were seen throwing the grenade, which Bernos slammed as a “cowardly act.”

“It was, in my opinion, a deeply personal attack against me, my family, and my mandate as the Representative of the Lone

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS SERVICES 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2018 intends to apply the amount of One Hundred Fifty Million Philippine Pesos (PhP150,000,000.00) for the projects listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening: IB No.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2018-050 IB No. 2018-053

Cost of Bidding Documents (Php)

ABC (PHP)

Procurement of Brokerage 30,000,000.00 Service Provider Procurement of Service Provider for the Hauling and Delivery of Health 120,000,000.00 Commodities for 3 Geographic Clusters Total 150,000,000.00

25,000.00

Single Largest Completed Contract At least Fifty Percent (50%) of the ABC within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet

50,000.00

2.

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-caption projects.

Delivery of the Goods as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. 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 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 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

4.

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.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents for each procurement package listed above may be acquired by interested bidders on 29 January to 20 February 2018 from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB Resolution No. 04-2012, dated 24 February 2012, in the amount specified above.

District of Abra. The perpetrators—whoever they are—disrupted the reign of longstanding peace and order in our province,” he said.

“I am enraged that you threatened me and my wife with two explosives, but you cannot bring us down in a time when the people are seeing and feeling the gradual progress and development in Abra,” Bernos added.

Both the congressman and his wife were treated for minor injuries before being sent home.

Regional police spokeswoman Carolina Lacuata said investigators found two hand grenade levers at the crime scene, though it was unclear if there was more than one explosion.

BERNOS

DFA partners with UP to address passport woes THE Department of Foreign Affairs has tapped the University of the Philippines to work on a research that will project demands for passports in the next 10 years.

“After what we have experienced in the past and the current difficulties we are facing at present, we cannot afford to stay complacent and simply react to problems when they arise,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Frank Cimafranca said.

“We must be able to anticipate them and always have measures in place to counter any risks,” he added.

Cimafranca said the partnership with

statistical experts from UP is primarily intended for budgeting purposes as well as for planning and programming of future expansion as the DFA increases capacity to meet any anticipated spike in the passport demand.

For 2018, the agency plans to put up eight additional consular offices nationwide to fill the gap brought by the lack of capacity in processing passports.

At present, there are 27 consular offices, including the DFA-Aseana, with an overall capacity of processing 9,000 passports a day.

According to Cimafranca, the demand

now reaches 12,000 a day.

“You can just imagine – that is daily, so it will pile up,” he said. “We have to really resolve that by increasing capacity drastically.”

The official said the only way to address the gap was to provide a long-term solution, which is to open new consular offices, especially in populated areas and provinces surrounding Metro Manila.

Cimafranca said the commissioned study was expected to conclude by March in time for the DFA to present its budget to the Department of Budget and Management. PNA

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 who are interested to participate shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

Bidding Documents Fee may be refunded in accordance with the aforementioned Guidelines based on the grounds provided for under Section 41 of 2016 Revised IRR of RA 9184.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: IB No.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2018-050 Procurement of Brokerage Service Provider Procurement of Service Provider for the IB No. 2018-053 Hauling and Delivery of Health Commodities for 3 Geographic Clusters

7.

Activity (Date & Time) Submission and Opening of Bids

Pre-bidding Conference 06 February 2018; 10:00 AM

20 February 2018; 09:00 AM

Bids must Bids must be delivered to the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below: Form of Bid Security

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

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

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.

Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security.

Bid Securing Declaration

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

Two percent (2%)

Five percent (5%) No percentage required

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 DOH reserves the right to accept or 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.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC-C Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830

(SGD) MARIA FRANCIA M. LAXAMANA, MD, MHSA, CHS Assistant Secretary of Health COBAC - C Chairperson

(MS-JAN. 29, 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 of 2018 intends to apply the sum of Sixty Seven Million Philippine Pesos (PhP67,000,000.00) for the projects listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening: IB No.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2018-046

Supply, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of DOH Regional Offices Hyper Converged Infrastructure

IB No. 2018-047

Supply, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of DOH Hospitals Hyper Converged Infrastructure

TOTAL

2.

3.

Cost of Bidding Documents (Php)

ABC (PHP)

32,000,000.00

35,000,000.00 67,000,000.00

25,000.00

25,000.00

Single Largest Completed Contract Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project, equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project, equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the ABC.

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-caption projects. Delivery of the Goods is required within the specified period under Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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.

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.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 29 January 2018 – 21 February 2018 from the address above and upon payment of an applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB in the amount specified above.

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

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: IB No.

Name of Contract

Activity (Date & Time) Pre-bidding Conference

Supply, Installation, and Commissioning IB No. 2018-046 Configuration of DOH Regional Offices Hyper Converged Infrastructure 07 February 2018; 10:00 AM IB No. 2018-047 Supply, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of DOH Hospitals Hyper Converged Infrastructure

7.

Submission and Opening of Bids 21 February 2018; 09:00 AM

Bids must be duly received by the COBAC-B Secretariat at the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

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.

8.

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 it IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC B Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830 (Sgd.) MARIO C. VILLAVERDE, MD, MPH, MPM, CESO I Undersecretary of Health COBAC –B Chairperson

(MS-JAN. 29, 2018)

FOR A HEARTY MEAL LATER. Salted fish are dried under the heat of the sun along Manila Bay on Sunday. Lino Santos

House measure aims to strengthen volunteerism

By Maricel V. Cruz THE leadership of the House of Representatives has backed a measure thay seeks to strengthen volunteerism especially during emergencies when they should be given ample protection from liabilities.

House Bill No. 6743, authored

by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, declares that the inculcation of volunteerism as a way of life rekindles in every Filipino the timehonored tradition of bayanihan to foster social justice, solidarity and

sustainable development.

The bill defines a volunteer as “an individual or group who provides reasonable assistance and contributes time, service, and resources in an emergency situation and who does not receive compensation for rendering volunteer service.”

The bill provides that no volunteer shall be liable for harm caused by an act or omission if the volunteer was acting in an emergency situation at the scene of an accident.

A volunteer is also not liable if

he was properly licensed, certified, or authorized by appropriate authorities, either government entities or non-government organizations, for the activities under taken in an emergency at the time of the act of omission.

The bill prescribes that the volunteer is not liable if the harm was not caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer.

DENGVAXIA WATCH.

Women’s group Gabriela reports their findings after holding a monthlong Dengvaxia Hotline where they received calls from angry and fearful parents of children who received the antidengue vaccine.

To date, 26 children have died of mutiple organ bleeding after being vaccinated.

Norman Cruz

Villanueva urges DoLE to plan for contingencies

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Joel Villanueva has urged the Department of Labor and Employment to prepare its contingency plan for the overseas Filipino workers who may be affected by the impending deployment ban to Kuwait.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to withdraw all OFWs in Kuwait if another migrant Filipina worker dies from abuse in the Middle Eastern country.

The Labor department has already suspended the processing of overseas employment certificates of Kuwait-bound workers in light of the death of seven OFWs, all domestic workers.

“We support the President’s deployment ban to Kuwait but we believe that this move must be accompanied with review and implementation of strict regulation,” said Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.

Villanueva said data from the Labor department showed there were 1,447 cases of maltreatment; 2,959 cases of contract violation; 227 sexual abuses; and 63 cases of rape involving OFWs from 2016 to 2017.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Wozniacki recalls hard road M ELBOURNE, Australia – Caroline Wozniacki said “nobody knows” how much hard work and sheer guts she had to put in before realizing her Grand Slam dream.

Twelve years, 67 weeks at world number one, 149 Grand Slam matches, three major finals and countless disappointments were all made worthwhile on Saturday night when she was crowned Australian Open champion.

An epic 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4 win against Simona Halep in a near-three hour match in brutal heat and humidity also elevated her back to the top of the world rankings after a six-year hiatus, the longest gap in history between spells at the top.

“Honestly, nobody knows how much work, dedication you put into it,” she told reporters with the winner’s Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy by her side.

Following Wozniacki’s second Slam final in New York in 2014, where she lost to Serena Williams, her fitness and form went on the slide.

Many observers believed she was

finished and would retire, but the determined Dane had other ideas.

“All I could tell myself was: ‘You know what, you’ve given it everything you have. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen’.”

She went into the US Open in 2016 at a lowly 74th in the world, but with her desire undiminished.

“I think just I’d been through a lot of injuries at that point,” the 27-yearold reflected.

“Then you start losing to some players who you’re not really thinking you should lose to. It’s frustrating.

I was, like, hoping eventually it’s going to turn around.”

Unseeded, she reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows that year, losing to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, and it kickstarted her climb back up the rankings.

WTA titles at Tokyo and Hong Kong followed in the next two

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki arrives in a gondola with the winner’s trophy at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne a day after beating Romania’s Simona Halep in their women’s singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament. AFP

months and she ended the 2016 back in the top 20.

“Since then I’ve been playing really consistent and really well,” she said.

In 2017 the resurgence continued and she reached six finals, eventually getting over the finish line by retaining her Pan-Pacific title in Tokyo in September.

Her biggest win followed at the

WTA Tour finals in November -- that was until Saturday in Melbourne.

“Being here tonight as a Grand Slam champion, Australian Open champion, it’s very special,” she said.

Wozniacki became the first Dane to win a Grand Slam and moved behind only Jana Novotna (45), Marion Bartoli (47) and Flavia Pennetta (49) for the most major appearances before claiming one.

It is 12 years since Wozniacki first came to notice, winning junior Wimbledon.

A first Grand Slam final defeat came against Kim Clijsters in New York in 2009 and on October 11, 2010 she became world number one for the first time.

Even if she hadn’t won on Saturday, Wozniacki said she would be able to hold her head high.

“To be honest with you, regardless, I think I’ve had an incredible career.

The end of the day, I think a lot of people would like to be in my position,” she said.

“Obviously adding a Grand Slam to my CV is what caps it off.”

And she revealed she had received a royal seal of approval for the victory.

“I’ve heard from the (Danish) royal family -- they’ve congratulated me, they were very thrilled for me,” she said as she paraded her new trophy in Melbourne’s botanical gardens on Sunday morning.

“It’s still pretty surreal. It’s been a crazy last 10 hours or so. I think I’m overwhelmed, I had an hour and a half sleep last night,” she added. AFP

2018 World Slasher Cup starts today at Big Dome

By Peter Paul Duran ALL roads lead to the historic Big Dome as the biggest cockfighting event in the world gather the best of the best among local and international champions on Monday at the 2018 World Slasher Cup Invitational 9-Cock Derby.

More than 300 sabong enthusiasts will vie for the most prestigious derby title and a couple of familiar names are raring to go all out at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum during the duration of the tourney from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7.

WSC 2 2017 Triple champs Anthony Lim, Frank Berin and the Escolin Brothers have all signed up and geared for repeat wins, while other local fighters include cockfight idol Rep. Patrick Antonio, Boy Marzo, Doc Ayong Lorenzo, Biboy Enriquez Dicky Lim, James Uy, Paolo Malvar, Eddie Aparri, Art de Castro, Vice Mayor Jubee Navarro, Denny Salazar, and Joey Sy. The international contingent, meanwhile, will beef up the competition hosted

by Pintakasi of Champions and backed by Excellence Poultry & Livestock Specialists along with Manny Berbano’s PitGames Media Inc., as media partner.

Among the returning champs are the powerhouse foreign teams bannered by Alabaman and WSC mainstay Ray Alexander. He is joined by Lonnie Harper of Mississippi as well as Mike Formosa from California.

They will be joined by Roger Roberts and Larry Whitehead of Georgia, Wilber Le Blanc and Richard Harris of Louisiana, Jorge Goita, Zaldy Sandoval, and Rene Median of California; Kini Kalawaii and Butch Cambra of Hawaii; Nathan Jumper and Looney Parks of Mississippi; Randy Hall of Texas,; Owen Medina and Peter Elm of Guam; Ferdinand Macaraeg of Indonesia, and Rene Penalosa of Australia.

Patrick Aisbeth and Bel Amojera from Florida will also heat up the event alongside Johnny Moore of Tennessee; Matthew Dunne of Alabama, James and Charles Wolf, Soan Sogianto of Indonesia; Joey Melendres and Greg Berin of Australia and Mark Salazar of Malaysia among others.

Follow the WSC official website @ www.worldslashercup.ph or the official Facebook page World Slasher Cup Official for more info, videos, photos, and other updates.

Local bet and 2017 champ Frank Berin and veteran Lonnie Harper from Tennessee, USA, do the ceremonial pitting of the roosters at the press conference of the 2018 World Slasher Cup Invitational 9-Cock Derby last Saturday at the Novotel Manila-Araneta Center, witnessed by the 2017 Binibining Pilipinas Queens. Local and international sabong champions will gather at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum for the 2018 World Slasher Cup Invitational 9-Cock Derby that had its grand opening yesterday. A tough cast of more than 300 participants are vying for the most prestigious derby title known internationally.

SSC tossers close in on Final 4 volley slot SAN Sebastian College took the closely fought first set to take the fight out of Lyceum of the Philippines University and hammered out a 25-23, 25-6, 25-14 victory yesterday as the Lady Stags closed in on a Final Four seat in the 93rd NCAA women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.

Nikka Dalisay unloaded a match-best 16 points she laced with four service aces, while team captain Joyce Sta. Rita and Dangie Encarnacion chipped in 10 apiece to propel the Lady Stags to

their fourth win in row and fifth overall in seven outings.

The Lady Pirates showed some fight in the opening set, but couldn’t hold on to it and was never the same the rest of the way after the Lady Stags snatched the set.

LPU fell to 1-6.

Dalisay starred for SSC as she filled the vacuum left by the struggling Sta. Rita, who came into the game averaging a sizzling 22 points in their last two outings but came up with a dud of a performance on this one.

“We’re only few but the players I have are mostly veterans and I will not be surprised if we have different top scorers in every game,” said SSC coach Roger Gorayeb.

While the win secured SSC solo third spot, Gorayeb remained wary of their Final Four chances as his team will face San Beda College, currently No. 2 with a 6-1 record, on Tuesday and defending champion Arellano University, the leagueleader with a pristine 7-0 card, on Thursday.

Jins vie for PH team slots in Palanca tilt SLOTS on the 2018 Philippine Team will be up for grabs when the Philippine Taekwondo Association stages its first event this year – the SMART/MVP Sports Foundation/PLDT Home Ultera National CPJ (Carlos Palanca Jr.) Championships on Feb. 3-4 at the Rizal Memorial coliseum.

The country’s best jins including Elaine Alora, Pauline Lopez, Francis Aaron Agojo, Arven Alcanatara and Samuel Thomas Morrison Harper will lead around 1,500 participants in the two-day

Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (forms) competition.

Kyorugi will feature male and female bets in the Senior, Junior, Cadet and Grade School divisions while Poomsae contestants will show their wares in individual, team and mixed pair events.

Makati Congressman and PTA Secretary General Monsour del Rosario III said the tournament will serve as preparation to the Asian, World Junior and World Poomsae Taekwondo Championships,

World Grand Prix, Youth OlympicGames and the much awaited 18th Asian Games in Jakarta for those who will make the Philippine Team.

The sponsors of the first in a series of PTA’s important annual events include PLDT, Meralco, Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee.

Parents interested to enroll their children in taekwondo and other sports enthusiasts are invited to watch the competition Ateneo’s Pauline Lopez (right) executes a full moon kick to the head of Lyka Angel Bulayungan of Region 2 Thunder in one of their meetings last year. starting at 9 a.m.

Quirino edges Pusing at National Age-Group triathlon

WITH a stroke of luck on the way to the finish line, Miggy Quirino narrowly edged Clifford Pusing for the men’s Super Sprint title during the opening leg of the 2018 2018 National AgeGroup Triathlon series held Sunday at the ACEA Resort area at San Bernardino in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Quirino won the men’s Super Sprint (500-meter swim – 10 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) title with a time of 41 minutes and 30.1 seconds, while Pusing clocked in at 41 minutes and 30.4 sec-

onds resulting in a razor-thin time difference of 0.3 seconds between them.

Adian Dionisio took the bronze with 42:22.

Meanwhile, the women’s Super Sprint title went to Moira Erediano with 45:27 followed by Jana Macalalad with 46:30 and Marielle Estreba at 48:04.

The Paratriathlon competitions of the race sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Gatorade, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s

Tourism Department, Harbor Point Ayala Mall, Standard Insurance and Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines were won by Jerome Nelmida (category PT5) with 1:42:06 and Alex Silverio (category PT4) with 1:34:03 respectively.

On the Standard Distance (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 5 Km run) race, declared as champions were Neil Aynera (Men 18-24), Andrea Villanueva (Women 18-29), Melvin Santiago (25-29), Michaela Barinova

(Women 30-34), Jet Ramos (Men 3539), Francis Peralta and Mary Grace Olfindo (40-44), Edward Luna (Men 45-49), Celma Hitalia (Women 45over), RJ Lorenzo (50-54), Eduardo Francisco (55-over).

The national team’s John Chicano handily outperformed teammate Nikko Huelgas 2:05:27 to 2:08:11, while on the distaff side Kim Kilgroe took advantage of the retirement of Claire Adorna during the bike leg to finish first timing 2:22:41.

Batangas Athletics outlast Valenzuela FORMER PBA players Val Acuna and Lester Alvarez conspired in a big Batangas run early as the Athletics outlasted the Chris Gavina-mentored Valenzuela Classic, a7365, in the MPBL Anta Rajah Cup at the packed Muntinlupa Sports Complex late Saturday night.

While the Batangas supporters went home very happy, the home crowd was disappointed after Muntinlupa suffered an 82-76 loss to Navotas.

The 6-foot-3 Acuna scored 18 points highlighted by four triples, to lead his squad’s production.

Alvarez, a member of the grand slam squad of San Mig Coffee in 2014, was fortunate to find a spot in the MPBL. “Maganda kasi nashishare naming sa mga teammates ko ngayon yung na-experience namin sa PBA,” added Alvarez. “Talagang push hard kami sa practice, double yung effort, kasi kami inaasahan.”

Batangas raced to a 3819 lead at the half, but was outscored 29-18 in the third period, but recovered just in time to prevail.

Navotas turned to hotshooting Yves Sazon, who responded with 24 points, including six three-point shots, and became the scourge of Muntinlupa.

Veteran Egay Billones shoved the host team to within 76-74 inside the final two-minute mark, but Sazon scored a tough long jumper while Rey Publico added two more free throws to put Navotas on safer grounds.

Tiger Cubs stay in contention Peter Atencio THE University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs banked on the timely baskets of Cyril Narvasa in the second half to put away the University of the East Junior Warriors, 88-76, last Saturday at the Arena in San Juan.

This kept the Tiger Cubs in contention for a Final Four semifinals seat in the 80th University Athletic Association junior basketball tournament.

Narvasa struck for 17 points behind top scorer CJ Cansino, who drilled 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

He struck in the last 5:45 and after breaking a 51-all deadlock, Narvasa’s basket touched off a decisive blast that saw the Tiger Cubs grabbing a 70-57 cushion.

Narvasa’s efforts

in the fourth period, allowed the Tiger Cubs to enjoy a big spread, 80-57, in the last period.

Teammates John Bismarck Lina had 14 points and 16 boards, while Jezreel Villapando shot 11.

The Tiger Cubs share third place with the defending champion Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws. The Adamson Baby Falcons are close with their 5-6 win-loss card.

Earlier, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets shot an amazing 55.74 percent on their field goals to clobber the La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, 93-73.

This got the Blue Eaglets closer to an outright finals slot.

Sam Belangel fired a game-high 21 points to carry his team to their 11th straight triumph.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Sports

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

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MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

ITF wants young blood

By Peter Atencio ALLOWING a younger generation of stakeholders in Philippine tennis to contribute to the growth of the sport should be encouraged.

A top official of the International Tennis Federation said this following a meeting with the board of trustees of the Philippine Tennis Association and sports leaders of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

“After having served the country so well, there is a need for change and have more reforms in order to have a larger involvement from the many stakeholders. I think it’s a very important step. We must involve the players, the coaches, the clubs and so many others. Because that’s the only way tennis will grow in every country,” said ITF Vice President Anil Khanna.

Khanna, who came to Manila on behalf of ITF president David Haggerty, was around after the board members of the Philta sought the return of Paranaque mayor Edwin Olivarez.

The former Philta president is returning to help institute much needed reforms that will involve more stakeholders in the sport.

The presence of the former president in the board of trustees was sought following a special board meeting of the Philta with Khanna and officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Olivarez will sit as the chairman of the committee that will draft amendments, discuss reforms and help initiate the reform process that the Philippine tennis body will undertake within the next two years.

Wesley, Anand agree to draw

FILIPINO grandmaster Wesley So fell down a notch in his world ranking after settling for a draw with Viswananthan Anand in 32 moves of a Ruy Lopez Opening.

So moved down to no.

4 after taking his 8th draw against three wins and a loss in the penultimate 12th round of the 80th Tata Steel Chess Masters Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.

Anand offered a draw following a queen exchange, and So remained at no. 4 in the standings.

The 24-year old So shares seven points with Sergey Karjakin, who drew with Peter Svidler in 32 moves of a King’s Indian Attack.

Because of this, So fell from no. 3 to no. 4 in the unofficial live world rankings.

The crown could either go to Anish Giri or world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who disposed of their respective rivals.

Giri prevailed over Bashkaran Adhiban in 42 moves of an English Opening while Carlsen rallied two passed pawns to the front at endgame, forcing Maxim Matklakov to quit in 57 moves of a Sicilian Taimanov. Peter Atencio

GlobalPort Batang Pier guard Stanley Pringle (middle) drives through a phalanx of Meralco Bolts defenders, from left: Jared Dillinger, Anjo Caram, Jayson Ballesteros and Niño Canaleta. PBA

GlobalPort Batang Pier shocks Meralco Bolts

By Jeric Lopez

W

ITH all guns ablaze, GlobalPort Batang Pier stamped its class to demolish the Meralco Bolts, 107-88, in a lopsided affair in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

GlobalPort was led by two former Meralco players in Jonathan Grey and Kelly Nabong. Grey had his breakout game, exploding with a game-high 24 points and five rebounds to spearhead the Batang Pier’s attack.

Likewise as impressive, Nabong continued to be a revelation as he played a monster game with a double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds on top of three blocks. Both players are Meralco castoffs.

The victory moved Global-

Port (3 wins, 3 losses) to a fourth place tie with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-3), TNT KaTropa (3-3) and the Phoenix Petroleum Fuelmasters. Meralco dropped to the lower half with its 2-4 slate.

GlobalPort won three of its last four games after a 0-2 start this campaign.

It was basically a one-sided affair in favor of the Batang Pier from start to finish.

GlobalPort raced to a rousing start, unleashing a first quarter

surge to pounce on Meralco and hold a sizeable 29-16 spread entering the second frame.

Halfway into the second canto, the Batang Pier hiked its lead to 20 points, 42-22, to grasp full control and continue its sizzling start.

It was more of the same story in the second half where GlobalPort continued to pound on the Bolts and even stretched its lead to a high of 28 points on several occasions in the last 24 minutes.

GlobalPort’s top two gunners were also steady as expected.

Sean Anthony added 18 points while Stanley Pringle had 17.

The inconsistent Bolts were unable to find any rhythm at any point as they got ran out of the building by the rising Batang Pier.

Reynel Hugnatan led Meralco with a team-high 17 points.

Meanwhile, a blockbuster clash between league-leading San Miguel Beer (5-0) and Barangay Ginebra (2-3) is currently unfolding as of this report.

The Beermen want to remain unscathed and move closer to a spot in the quarterfinals. The Gin Kings are desperately trying to end their slump.

The scores: GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER 107 - Grey 24, Anthony 18, Pringle 17, Nabong 17, Gabayni 9, Araña 5, Guinto 5, Sargent 4, Juico 4, Elorde 2, Taha 2, Flores 0.

MERALCO BOLTS 88 - Newsome 17, Hugnatan 17, Tolomia 15, Baracael 12, Hodge 7, Caram 5, Bono 5, Amer 4, Canaleta 4, Dillinger 2, Salva 0, Lanete 0, Ballesteros 0, Faundo 0.

Quarter scores: 29-16, 48-37, 82-60, 107-88.

TCC kicks off new PGT season

THE Country Club Invitational, long considered a major championship for its prize fund and stellar cast, fires off Feb. 14, kicking off the new season of the Philippine Golf Tour at the exclusive TCC layout in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Miguel Tabuena nipped three-time champion Juvic Pagunsan in a thrilling finish last year, joining the elite circle of winners in what has become the country’s most awaited championship outside of the Solaire Philippine Open.

The same ending is expected in the P5 million tournament, put up by ICTSI boss Ricky Razon in 2003 to honor the memory of his father and ICTSI founder Don Pocholo with the select cast, composed of the top 30 players from last year’s PGT Order of Merit ranking and past TCC Invitational champions, all coming into the event in top shape following the start of the

PGT Asia early this month.

The elite list includes the event’s three-time winners – Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan and former titlists Tony Lascuña, Frankie Miñoza and Artemio Murakami. Inaugural Cassius Casas, however, won’t be around due to health reasons.

Still, the roster is teeming with talent with reigning OOM winner Clyde Mondilla headlining the roster of challengers along with in-form Jhonnel Ababa, back-to-back winner of the PGT Asia at Eagle Ridge and Pradera Verde, Zanieboy Gialon, Jay Bayron, Rene Menor, Michael Bibat and Elmer Salvador.

Although it has staged a major tournament in the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour late last year, this will only mark the third time that the Tom Weiskophdesigned course will host a top-level men’s tournament after it underwent a Miguel Tabuena studies the green before attempting a putt. Tabuena leads participants to the TCC Invitational. major facelift in 2015-16.

Linares retains WBA crown

LOS ANGELES – Jorge Linares retained his World Boxing Association lightweight world title with a unanimous decision over Filipino fighter Mercito Gesta in a 12-round bout on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Linares, of Venezuela, made the third defence of his title and extended his win streak to 14 straight fights, with his victory at the Los Angeles Forum.

Linares improved to 44-3 with 27 KOs. He landed the harder and cleaner punches throughout, winning almost every round on the judges’ scorecards. Two judges scored it 118-110 and the other at 117-111.

“I didn’t really feel his power, though I hurt my hand in the fourth or fifth round,” said Linares.

“There wasn’t a knockout because he was well prepared.”

Linares chipped away at Gesta’s defense in the first five rounds before taking his attack up a notch in the middle rounds.

By the seventh he was landing some four- and five-punch combinations, showing off his superior hand speed and ring experience.

He suffered a cut around his right eye in the eighth round when Gesta hit him with a left hand and then used a shoulder jab in close to open up the wound.

Linares fought with blood flowing from the cut for the rest of the round but his corner was able to stop it from bothering him for the remainder of the fight. AFP

Curry powers Warriors past pesky Celtics

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) tries to dribble past Boston Celtics defender Terry Rozier at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

SAN FRANCISCO—Stephen Curry scored a season-high 49 points and the defending champion Golden State Warriors outlasted the Boston Celtics 109-105 Saturday in an NBA showdown of conference leaders.

The Celtics sought a third win in as many seasons on the Warriors’ home court and could have become the first team since the 2013-14 season to sweep a season series from Golden State.

But Curry seized command in the second half, outbattling Celtics star Kyrie Irving in a game that could be a preview of

June’s NBA Finals.

Curry went 16-of-24 from the floor, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range, while Irving led Boston with 37 points on 13-of-18 shooting, making 5-of-6 3-pointers.

“We bring the best out of each other,” Curry said. “He’s an amazing type of player who can do some crazy things on the floor. That’s what the NBA is all about every night.”

Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook had a triple double with a gamehigh 31 points plus 11 rebounds and 13 assists in Oklahoma City’s 121-108 victory at Detroit.

Paul George added 26 points and Carmelo Anthony had 21 for the Thunder. Anthony became the 21st player in NBA history to reach the 25,000 career-point mark.

Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 24 points and the host Indiana Pacers rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat Orlando 114-112.

The Magic had their chances late but Aaron Gordon, who led Orlando with 22 points and 11 rebounds, missed two free throws with 7.9 seconds remaining and Jonathan Simmons missed a final 3-point attempt.

Market is ripe for technical correction after strong rally B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

B

Dominguez lambastes EU conditions

By Julito G. Rada

IN BRIEF Aussie companies assess new PH tax

AUSTRALIAN companies are taking a step back to review the recent changes in the Philippine taxation regime before making any investment decisions.

“And also understanding what I believe is their spending points, as well, and how the law is also going to change. I think that is what the companies want to better understand because they made their investment decisions based on the incentives and the previous structure,” Australian trade commissioner to the Philippines Elodie Journet said.

For companies that are taking a first look at the Philippines “they make an assessment on looking at every country on top of incentives and tax regime. That will be part of what future companies will be looking into,” she said.

Australia is reviewing the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusivity law starting February and collect feedback from Australian companies operating in the Philippines.

She added Australia was optimistic about some trade liberalization initiatives of the Philippines.

The measures will open up retail where a number of giant companies can the enter Philippine market.

Othel V. Campos

F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III lambasted the European Union for imposing conditions related to human rights and rule of law on financing agreements with the Philippines.

Dominguez said over the weekend the EU was the only development partner of the Philippines with financing agreement that “explicitly contains provisions that are linked to the national government’s conduct on human rights and rule of law.”

Dominguez quoted the general terms

and conditions of the EU financing agreement, especially Article 26.1 which stated it might suspend the financing agreement “if the partner country breaches an obligation relating to respect on human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, and in serious cases of corruption.”

“Based on the financing grant agreements previously executed by the national government through the DoF [Department of Finance], none of our other development partners around the world have such provisions in their respective financing grant agreements… It’s only the EU not the European countries,” he said.

Dominguez said the Philippine government, through the DoF, continued to deal with European countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the Nether-

lands and Spain and also non-European countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States whose standard financing agreements did not contain such a provision.

Dominguez said if the EU wished to be relevant in development cooperation in the Philippines, “they may opt to deal directly to the beneficiaries by channeling its grants through third party or NGOs such as the Red Cross, provided they do not deal with NGOs or groups linked to terrorists groups or whose aim is to destabilize the state.”

Dominguez, citing the latest available data from the National Economic and Development Authority, said European countries as of June 2017 allocated $112.89 million in grant commitments to

the Philippines while some none-European nations committed $1.467 billion.

He said for the European countries, Germany allocated $83.7 million; Spain, $13.06 million; France, $10.48 million; and Italy, $5.61 million.

Dominguez said the government in fact executed a memorandum of understanding with the government of the Netherlands for the formulation of a masterplan for the sustainable development of Manila Bay wherein a total of 1.28 trillion euros grant was provided by the European nation for the purpose.

He said that since July 2017, the government had been in discussions with the EU regarding the amendment of the financing agreements, particularly the provision consistent with the policy of the President.

DHL IN CAVITE.

SM Supermalls and DHL Express Philippines link up to provide residents of Cavite with international shipping services through the newly opened service points at SM City Trece Martires and SM City Rosario. At the ribboncutting ceremony are (from left) DHL Express head of commercial Jojo Habana, SM Supermalls senior vice president for marketing Joaquin San Agustin, DHL Express country manager Nurhayati Abdullah and SM Supermalls regional operations manager Dominador Caringal Jr.

Fitch upgrades LBP, DBP rating

GLOBAL debt watcher Fitch Ratings upgraded the long-term issuer default ratings of state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines on expectations the state would provide support in times of need to enable them to carry out their objectives in support of government policy.

Fitch in a statement over the weekend said it raised the ratings of the two banks to “BBB” from “BBB-.”

The outlooks are stable.

“The upgrade of the banks’ IDRs and national ratings is driven by the upward revision of their Support Rating Floors. The SRF revisions stem from a reassessment of the government’s propensity to support the banks and follow their rating upgrades in December 2017 to ‘BBB-’ from ‘BB+’, reflecting the Philippine sovereign’s greater capacity for support. The sovereign ratings were upgraded to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB-’ in December 2017,” Fitch said.

It said the banks’ roles appeared to have been expanded and were made clearer after pronouncements by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Julito G. Rada

Uniform electricity procurement eyed

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for a uniform electricity procurement process that could save consumers as much as P13 billion annually in electricity charges.

Gatchalian, the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and principal sponsor of the Senate Bill No. 1653, or the Electricity Procurement Act of 2018, said the generation charge, which made up about half of the costs shouldered by consumers in their monthly electricity bills, had long been the product of negotiated contracts between distribution utilities and generation companies.

The process, hidden from public scrutiny, has often given rise to “allegations of sweetheart deals and raised concerns about how the prices of contracts unduly favor generation companies at the expense of the consumers,” he said during his sponsorship speech ofthe measure last week.

The senator hailed the bill as a “revolutionary bill that will remove the veil of secrecy that has for so long covered power supply contracting—a veil that should not have been there in the first place, because it is the consumers who have been paying for every single centavo of what has been contracted.” Darwin G Amojelar

DOTr expects world-class Mactan-Cebu airport terminal to open in June

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation said the construction of the new Mactan Cebu International Airport is on track for opening in June this year.

The agency said the new world-class passenger terminal building in MCIA was now 89-percent compete and would open for commercial operations in June.

It said the terminal building would have a capacity of about 13 million passengers annually and cater to both domestic and international operations.

GMR-Megawide Consortium won a 25-year concession agreement in December 2013 that involved the renovation of Terminal 1 of Mactan Cebu airport and the design, financing, construction and operation of a second terminal. It submitted the highest

bid of P14.4 billion.

The P14.4-billion premium paid by GMR-Megawide was on top of the P17.5 billion to be spent on a new passenger terminal.

Project funding for MCIA was completed in 2014 through a consortium of led by BDO Capital and Investment Corp. and the Asian Development Bank.

The consortium also won the engineering, procurement and

construction contract for the Clark International Airport new terminal building.

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

The new terminal building broke ground on Dec. 20, 2017 at Clark Civil Aviation Complex in Pampanga. The new terminal will accommodate an additional eight million passengers per annum.

Solar producer offers to supply much lower electricity rates 2 banks

SOLAR Philippines said it is challenging the offer of First NatGas Power Corp. for Manila Electric Co.’s 24/7 power supply that could reduce rates by up to 30 percent.

Solar Philippines said in a statement it submitted an offer for 24hour power at P2.99 per kilowatt hour in response to Meralco’s invitation for price challenge for an unsolicited offer by First NatGas Power Corp. covering the supply of 414 MW from the San Gabriel gas power plant.

Solar Philippines said it would utilize solar energy and battery storage to supply consumers reliable, clean energy at a lower cost than gas.

The solar producer said that compared to Meralco’s average generation rate in the past three months

of P 4.74/kWh, its proposed rate of P2.99/kWh would allow consumers to save more than 30 percent or an estimated P5 billion per annum.

Consumers may save even more compared to gas plants, such as FGP Corp.’s 500 MW, which in the past three months supplied power to Meralco at an average rate of P5.44/kWh inclusive of VAT. Solar Philippines recently installed the nation’s first solarbattery micro-grid in Paluan, Occidental Mindoro, to provide 24/7 reliable power for an entire town at a cost lower than gas.

The pioneering project features batteries from Tesla, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, and panels from the Solar Philippines factory. It aims to

demonstrate the viability of solar and storage to offer Filipinos lower power cost than carbon dioxideemitting natural gas.

Solar Philippines’ offer came after Meralco’s declaration of a failure of bidding in a competitive selection process where no company qualified to challenge the proposal of First NatGas Power Corp., in light of the CSP’s requirement that “the fuel for the generation of the price challenger must be the same as the original power supplier, which is natural gas.”

Meralco may now choose whether to re-bid this under the same terms, or amend the terms to allow other technologies to compete on the basis of cost.

“Meralco can save an average of

30 percent thanks to advances in solar and battery storage. But this goes beyond any single company or technology. WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market] prices are at an all-time low, and new plants from companies like Aboitiz and San Miguel now offer consumers very low rates. Re-bidding this requirement in line with DOE’s technology- neutral policy will encourage competition and ensure consumers can enjoy significant savings,” Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste said.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi declared the DoE policy that all power procurement should be “technology-neutral” and not favor any single supplier. Darwin G. Amojelar

Govt pushes overhaul of corporate tax THE Finance Department is pushing for the overhaul of the corporate tax system to correct inequities and improve compliance, a top official said over the weekend.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the reforms would include the lowering of the corporate tax rates and the expansion of the functions of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board as an “overall administrator” to oversee all investment promotion agencies.

Chua said these reforms would generate more investments, improve collection efficiency and correct inequities that benefited only large, highly profitable

Clark International Airport is envisioned to become Asia’s next premier gateway and is expected to help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Clark airport currently has an annual capacity of four million passengers. Airlines operating in Clark include Qatar Airways, Cebu Pacific, Tigerair, Jin Air, Asiana Airlines, Dragon Air, AirAsia Berhad, Philippine Airlines and Emirates Airlines.

businesses.

Chua said the Finance Department would also ask Congress to repeal 150 special laws that complicated the grant of fiscal incentives to businesses, and replace it iwith an omnibus law that would provide a single menu of incentives applicable to all IPAs. He said these reforms were included in Package 2 of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program.

The Finance Department this month submitted Package 2 to the House of Representatives, covering corporate taxation and the modernization of fiscal incentives. Package 1,

or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act which cut personal income tax rates while raising additional revenues for infrastructure and social services, is now being implemented.

Chua said reducing the CIT rate could be done in two ways, first with reduction by 1 percent per year over five years or reduction by 1 percent the following year if the revenue trigger of P26 billion―which is equivalent to additional revenues of 0.15 percent of GDP―was reached the previous year by broadening the tax base and rationalizing fiscal incentives.

Julito G. Rada

INVESTMENT PROMOTION. Security Bank Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s commercial banking arm The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. sign a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine Board of Investments to implement initiatives that will promote investments in the country. Signing the agreement are (from left) MUFG Manila Branch general manager Tatsuto Ishida, Trade Undersecretary and BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo and Security Bank president Alfonso Salcedo.

team up with BoI

By Othel V. Campos SECURITY Bank Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s commercial banking arm The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with the Board of Investments to promote investments in the country.

Security Bank and Mitsubishi, serving as BoI’s strategic partners, agreed to jointly assist in fostering economic and industrial linkages between investors and corporations by conducting various investment seminars and business-matching activities.

The agreement aims to generate investments in the industries listed in the Philippines’ 20172019 Investment Priorities Plan.

IPP is a list of priority investment activities qualified for incentives under the BoI. “The IPP serves as blueprint in guiding local and foreign investors in matching their entrepreneurial and financial capacities with the identified opportunities to steer the country’s economic growth to a broader and sustainable path. It aspires to maintain the Philippines’ competencies while developing sectors with potential for inclusive growth by connecting micro, small and medium enterprises to the global value chain,” said Trade Undersecretary and BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo.

Security Bank and Mitsubishi organized a business-matching event between Philippine and Japanese companies last year.

B2

Business

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Metro Pacific to borrow P36b to build two roads

By Darwin G Amojelar METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. is raising about P36 billion in the first quarter of the year to finance the construction of two new expressways in the south of Manila.

MPTC chief financial officer Christoper Lizo said the company would borrow P25 billion from local banks to build Cavite Laguna Expressway and another P11 billion to construct C5 South Link Expressway Project.

“It’s ongoing for C5 and Calax. We expect to have financial closure by first quarter of 2018,” Lizo said.

Unit MPCala Holdings Inc. is investing about P50 billion over nine years to construct Calax and pay the concession fees to the government.

MPCala Holdings earlier tapped Leighton Holdings of Australia to build the Cavite side and local contractor DMCI Consunj Inc. to construct the Laguna side of Calax.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2020, while operations and maintenance are set from 2020 to 2050.

Calax involves the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a four-lane, 47-kilometer closedsystem toll expressway connecting Cavitex and South Luzon Expressway.

The expressway will start from Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEx-Malampasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

Market is ripe for technical correction after strong rally

By Jenniffer B. Austria

T

HE PSEi last week reached the 9,000-point level for the first time on overall positive outlook on the domestic economy, but investors are expecting a possible pullback in the stock market over the near-term period on concerns about high valuations.

Analysts said a technical correction could also provide the market a muchneeded breather before making another run-up toward the 9,300 to 9,500 level.

F.Yap Securities said the market had been building a

potential bar to support the market’s long trend trend.

“Breathers should be regarded as opportunities to position gradually on stock slated to perform this year,” F.Yap Securities said.

The country’s benchmark

index is at 19.6 times its estimated 12-month forward earnings, the most expensive in Asia Pacific after Vietnam, and near the multiples reached before corrections in 2015 and 2016.

The PSEi last week rose to an all-time high of 9,041.20, while the All Shares Index advanced 2.3 percent to 5,269.32.

It marked its eighth straight weekly gain, the longest winning streak since February 2015, driven by expectations of faster economic and earnings growth.

“We are hopeful that the

market’s level will be sustained on the back of solid macroeconomic fundamentals and on expectations of upbeat corporate earnings from our listed companies.

Our market is likewise in sync with regional bourses that have reached record highs this month,” Philippine Stock Exchange president Ramon Monzon said.

Except for the financials which declined 1.4 percent, all other subindices ended in the green led by services, which increased 3.5 percent, followed by holding firms which rose 2.3 percent

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

JANUARY 22-26,2018 Close Volume

Value

JANUARY 15-19,2018 Close Volume Value

AG Finance Asia United Bank Asiatrust Dev. 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

3.6 59.7 59.5 157.50 117.80 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 9,170 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

FINANCIAL 4,371,050.00 4,679,905.00 542,969.00 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

3.83 59.95

11,389,000 46,840

37,206,900.00 2,796,571.50

159.50 123.50 3.89 1.97 36.8 10 15.68 31 9.29 0.69 1.75 980.00 0.560 100.2 1.23 13.08 25.90 56.65 89.3 109 241 55.65 250 1976.00 89.10 1.24

16,133,520 22,249,980 337,000 2,828,000 3,359,400 1,100 71,400 8,325,400 4,300 1,063,000 675,000 2,440 2,226,000 39,196,000 64,653,000 272,000 40,000 1,889,750 16,690 2,030 23,620 3,179,540 4,157,920 2,000 218,570 558,000

2,581,123,162.00 2,573,491,684.00 1,311,820.00 5,597,710.00 124,316,815.00 10,997.00 1,118,426.00 256,901,715.00 37,294.00 742,770.00 1,150,390.00 2,385,750.00 1,263,330.00 3,918,584,316.00 84,876,170.00 3,521,548.00 1,003,225.00 107,903,095.00 1,481,714.00 206,721.00 5,695,474.00 177,010,108.00 1,047,759,304.00 3,921,595.00 19,738,588.50 692,370.00

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.

41.75 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

INDUSTRIAL 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

41.5 11.14 0.63 1.33 17.62 0.215 137 18.80 4.8 16.18 171.9 54.8 58.5 100 62 1.89 5.59 10.92 12.760 15.34 13.08 7.97 5.68 1.76 15.9 62.25 31.30 10.00 17.98 1.970 280.00 58.45 4.1 3.03 20.50 27.9 18.12 19.5 0.200 330.00 8.83 2.47 4.85 9.13 6.6 8.25 1.81 12.48 66.2 6.3 4.80 2.17 4.08 560 1.75 15.7 5.4 0.130 1.15 170 2.9 2.12 25.15 0.81

8,227,100 9,055,400 1,669,000 826,300 117,100 3,920,000 4,890 68,700 32,963,500 4,434,300 620 3,658,200 9,180 290 3,636,430 494,000 57,000 79,200 30,669,900 6,282,100 11,993,700 7,695,600 14,854,600 34,000 8,694,200 382,552 7,297,600 4,023,400 11,654,000 9,156,000 6,776,950 13,150 783,000 119,000 2,500 7,743,500 4,122,000 21,916,900 3,430,000 1,381,810 374,300 36,469,000 1,441,400 19,387,300 5,244,200 404,400 9,251,000 2,300,500 2,641,220 160,700 329,000 59,000 117,000 458,320 1,344,000 18,464,000 879,300 13,600,000 833,000 6,337,500 691,000 43,058,000 9,900 2,243,000

336,913,905.00 98,356,350.00 1,042,060.00 1,483,290.00 2,014,222.00 839,590.00 629,531.00 1,315,672.00 168,749,821.00 70,733,054.00 100,168.00 199,159,683.00 541,419.00 26,540.00 225,458,748.50 942,700.00 316,412.00 850,126.00 375,417,600.00 97,264,564.00 158,336,916.00 61,616,933.00 84,309,370.00 59,820.00 138,197,420.00 32,846,258.00 223,798,130.00 40,236,129.00 209,677,626.00 18,448,740.00 1,855,745,804.00 781,059.00 2,006,082.00 366,960.00 50,917.00 218,292,055.00 74,784,256.00 421,766,875.00 679,160.00 457,613,854.00 3,427,194.00 86,709,170.00 7,083,052.00 178,106,007.00 34,626,318.00 3,351,003.00 16,606,100.00 28,601,206.00 170,968,770.50 1,014,002.00 1,580,240.00 121,660.00 472,950.00 252,592,235.00 2,399,690.00 278,426,546.00 4,801,356.00 1,793,850.00 961,310.00 1,063,376,075.00 1,989,430.00 90,445,280.00 253,625.00 1,810,450.00

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ BHI Holdings Inc. 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’ Keppel Holdings `B’ 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 78.50 15.84 0.94 7.00 0.430 0.465 1040 1450.00 7.48 14.50 5 5.5 7.60 0.186 1350 7.38 78.00 5.97 5.74 5.96 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 30 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 5,400 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

HOLDING FIRMS 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 37,795.00 109,130,784.00 344,395,374.00 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 32,265.00 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

0.300 78.00 16.20 0.96 6.91 0.400 0.450 1031 1200.00 7.41 14.64 5 5.5 7.66 0.198 1392 7.71 79.00 5.8 5.28 5.7 0.69 5.61 23 0.330 6.8 3.27 0.0430 1.240 2.080 2.60 133.00 2.74 1060.00 1.60 0.78 281.000 200.80 0.2130 0.1820 0.192

1,640,000 5,903,960 43,678,900 375,000 212,200 30,670,000 10,608,000 1,465,280 70 4,015,800 23,127,700 418,900 4,400 661,500 590,000 1,003,180 14,500 7,069,590 181,300 800 1,800 1,358,000 1,652,300 36,179,800 750,000 88,631,200 38,000 118,000,000 3,197,000 1,033,000 50,000 1,821,530 134,000 1,257,855 4,529,000 297,000 26,040 690 1,440,000 300,000 780,000

495,050.00 452,578,557.50 698,331,492.00 357,740.00 1,475,348.00 12,531,750.00 4,857,855.00 1,536,546,725.00 86,675.00 30,418,397.00 342,696,846.00 2,088,770.00 24,610.00 5,001,521.00 114,050.00 1,373,856,220.00 112,433.00 549,927,181.50 1,040,269.00 4,230.00 10,255.00 925,900.00 9,413,730.00 807,118,065.00 245,250.00 594,451,549.00 125,550.00 5,072,000.00 4,237,860.00 2,132,880.00 127,540.00 239,116,315.00 344,830.00 1,315,955,190.00 7,507,530.00 236,280.00 7,351,634.00 129,702.00 314,910.00 55,190.00 148,620.00

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

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

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

6.270 0.99 16.38 2.170 0.900 47.500 3.85 4.82 5.86 6.04 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

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 7,600 10,500 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

PROPERTY 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 43,728.00 62,091.00 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

6.180 1.00 14.50 2.280 0.920 44.900 3.9 5 5.8

1,667,800 23,426,000 852,800 2,771,000 17,302,000 47,870,700 3,722,000 13,826,300 359,000

10,322,123.00 24,185,250.00 13,331,196.00 6,145,850.00 16,636,070.00 2,148,658,015.00 14,355,520.00 69,355,277.00 2,057,974.00

6.09 0.475 1.13 1.100 0.220 0.430 40.5 0.630 0.140 1.89 1.36 0.74 4.88 5.13 0.315

2,800 12,340,000 151,000 2,458,000 32,100,000 3,590,000 1,779,800 3,235,000 710,000 36,820,000 13,578,000 1,302,000 13,000 275,070,400 381,140,000

17,052.00 5,895,900.00 170,330.00 2,752,900.00 7,026,730.00 1,561,550.00 71,934,635.00 2,077,780.00 97,970.00 69,764,470.00 18,590,260.00 996,100.00 58,690.00 1,362,161,557.00 124,093,250.00

STOCKS

JANUARY 22-26,2018 Close Volume

JANUARY 15-19,2018 Close Volume Value

Value

Phil. Estates Corp.

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

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

0.3500 0.550 41.00 5.09 21.15 2.09 3.22 38.60 1.03 19.3 0.850 6.500

4,690,000 42,218,000 163,200 12,735,100 26,085,300 4,739,000 305,000 43,293,000 2,079,000 9,446,000 1,813,000 40,016,500

1,650,800.00 23,228,220.00 7,799,065.00 64,925,638.00 547,323,440.00 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

0.3600 0.590 35.95 4.81 20.00 2.1 3.22 39.00 1.06 9.3 0.830 5.950

9,230,000 18,711,000 1,100 4,265,100 20,190,600 2,956,000 4,040,000 35,021,600 7,623,000 126,700 1,032,000 9,533,500

3,342,600.00 11,012,150.00 37,910.00 20,648,139.00 414,698,224.00 6,172,160.00 12,932,650.00 1,373,487,040.00 7,959,370.00 1,161,135.00 856,680.00 56,576,088.00

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

Chelsea DFNN Inc. Discovery World Easy Call “Common” 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

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

SERVICES 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

21.2 34.05 1.4 0.440 0.046 11.6 5.04 10.72 0.0690 99.2 8.99 8.42 8.28 2.86 66.40 1000 1725 5.97 21.80 12.18 4.57 112 2.63 13.98 8.33 0.139 1.4100 3.39 15.6 4.07 1.15 21.85 18.40 0.520 4.21 8.23 3.64 4.190 10.86 10.50 2.9 9 105.00 7.07 1482.00 0.375 1.280 53.10 98.00 5.80 3.10 1.510 2.99 4.12 0.990 9.030

1,221,800 280,200 373,000 2,540,000 137,300,000 159,800 26,500 41,778,000 31,530,000 1,293,790 43,600 3,846,000 1,027,200 2,273,000 10,326,210 55 220,070 1,797,100 492,600 3,900 26,887,000 3,261,680 119,000 52,900 616,100 16,300,000 1,644,000 299,000 7,400 5,425,000 9,802,000 18,737,700 21,400 569,000 5,032,000 29,002,300 4,021,000 111,482,000 85,300 150,400 68,000 58,100 213,400 4,462,900 594,085 1,470,000 7,836,000 10,075,540 2,562,030 174,900 1,897,000 5,047,000 75,969,000 8,004,000 40,251,000 64,308,000

26,429,510.00 9,632,240.00 521,960.00 1,123,100.00 6,275,400.00 1,860,458.00 134,478.00 462,723,206.00 2,187,860.00 128,754,212.00 385,083.00 32,553,412.00 8,129,506.00 6,299,690.00 519,804,021.00 54,790.00 382,204,925.00 10,761,764.00 10,879,290.00 45,286.00 123,182,520.00 364,111,895.00 314,710.00 729,604.00 5,133,975.00 2,284,300.00 2,290,910.00 977,920.00 114,778.00 21,826,150.00 11,795,080.00 404,279,575.00 377,188.00 298,150.00 21,821,350.00 240,142,222.00 14,694,920.00 386,446,530.00 926,012.00 1,661,760.00 194,440.00 528,127.00 22,645,675.00 31,711,470.00 861,004,900.00 537,250.00 10,020,320.00 542,380,894.00 253,339,401.50 982,756.00 5,918,510.00 7,753,860.00 260,951,670.00 33,134,920.00 36,610,750.00 570,831,579.00

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

United Paragon

0.0023 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

MINING & OIL 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

0.0022 1.52 4.95 14.68 1.7000 1.7100 1.58 0.330 7.47 2.520 0.195 0.154 0.159 0.009 0.0100 1.67 6.5 1.42 0.4750 0.9300 0.0130 0.0130 6.73 8.84 0.0120 2.2500 38.55 0.0072

270,000,000 22,840,000 640,000 6,900 149,000 134,000 4,461,000 3,210,000 105,100 6,308,000 1,410,000 39,450,000 4,930,000 20,800,000 200,000 543,000 10,098,300 743,000 70,000 885,000 108,700,000 434,500,000 8,240,300 42,643,200 572,100,000 308,000 11,436,600 49,000,000

596,600.00 35,922,260.00 3,167,320.00 95,874.00 254,730.00 230,460.00 7,048,930.00 1,055,150.00 774,942.00 16,234,860.00 272,600.00 6,086,270.00 775,960.00 195,000.00 2,000.00 912,710.00 66,563,920.00 1,044,280.00 31,950.00 820,190.00 1,267,200.00 5,384,700.00 56,656,410.00 388,286,249.00 6,658,500.00 689,770.00 440,432,655.00 339,200.00

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

33.3 108.2 528 528 104.5 107.9 113 523 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

PREFERRED 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

33.75

318,300

10,754,940.00

531 527.5 103.6 108 115.9 530 5.7 1009 1016 101.3 1.06 108 1048 1098 1005 105.7 112 76.7 79.5 75.8 77 78.65 77.4 78 78.9 2.19

1,930 10,480 74,150 10,330 129,270 4,740 1,885,300 4,520 19,365 39,330 393,000 29,920 905 75 8,935 1,080 1,520 12,370 103,560 2,240 53,880 327,040 66,370 156,870 187,460 20,000

1,004,260.00 5,428,755.00 7,718,356.00 1,075,715.00 14,995,293.00 2,497,050.00 10,798,174.00 4,555,195.00 19,804,420.00 4,007,545.00 413,210.00 3,165,580.00 948,440.00 83,970.00 8,939,115.00 113,013.00 170,240.00 940,985.50 8,201,897.50 170,363.00 4,131,467.00 25,766,207.00 5,068,318.50 12,073,464.50 14,799,121.00 44,220.00

LR Warrant

2.440

WARRANTS & BONDS 1,462,000 3,474,300.00

2.400

1,650,000

4,033,910.00

2.94 8.14 3.56 4.82

13,000 6,358,100 300,000 9,578,400

37,280.00 50,716,149.00 1,089,870.00 46,564,933.00

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

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

2.79 8.55 3.74 4.65

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

First Metro ETF

136.1

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 140,770 19,066,102.00

134.5

847,790

112,844,219.00

10.28 1

DDOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 24,760 235,537.00 10,880 55,776.00

10.2 10.3

149,760 142,960

1,529,352.00 1,469,503.60

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Philodrill Corp. `A’ NOW Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Apollo Global Crown Equities Inc. Pacifica `A’ Megaworld Filinvest Land,Inc. Bloomberry

VOLUME 892,000,000 513,400,000 417,303,500 283,680,000 211,700,000 180,950,000 178,100,000 141,084,400 117,929,000 112,739,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. NOW Corp.

SM Investments Inc. Ayala Corp `A’ SM Prime Holdings Bank of PI Bloomberry LT Group Metrobank

VALUE 2,770,584,125.00 2,245,117,944.00 2,172,130,881.00 1,836,761,330.00 1,717,562,560.00 1,686,388,005.00 1,628,633,960.00 1,357,571,730.00 1,304,547,350.00 1,189,664,593.50

and property which gained 2.3 percent.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the week by P543.2 million, while the average daily value traded stood at P8.3 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were stocks owned by former senator Manuel Villa, including Golden Haven Inc., which surged 354 percent to P99 per share and Starmalls Inc., which climbed 107.5 percent to P19.30. Share price of Bloomberry Resorts Corp. advanced 19.4 percent to P12.80.

Weekly top price losers East West Banking Corp., which declined 6.1 percent to P29.10; Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., which dipped 5.7 percent to P14.80; and Bank of the Philippine Islands which dropped 4.6 percent to P117.80.

Wall Street stocks, meanwhile, were in full-throttle rally mode Friday, with all three major indices surging to records following strong earnings reports from Intel and other companies.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9 percent to finish the week at 26,616.71, its third straight record. With AFP

Cirtek may sell shares to give SSS board seat CIRTEK Holdings Philippines Corp. may sell shares to Social Security System to facilitate the state-pension’s plan to own a board seat in the fast-growing technology company.

Cirtek chief finance officer Anthony Buyawe disclosed ongoing talks among the existing shareholders of the company to sell some shares to SSS. SSS could also buy additional shares in the open market. “It will be a combination,” Buyawe said.

SSS early this month expressed interest in getting board seats in Cirtek and the Philippine Stock Exchange to boost investments in the stock market.

SSS currently owns 16 million Cirtek shares equivalent to a fourpercent stake. It needs a minimum of 42 million shares to get at least one board seat in the company, or equivalent to a stake of over 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Cirtek vice chairman and group president Roberto Juanchito Dispo welcomed SSS’ plan to acquire more shares in the company.

“We are proud to say that several strategic strong and investors have expressed interest in investing in Cirtek. The recent statement of SSS that they want to invest in the company again demonstrates the fact they believe in the business model of Cirtek, capital appreciation that comes with it and they also subscribe to the fact that the technology of this Filipino company is world-class and can bring in a lot of value to the local economy and to our global institutional investors,” Dispo said.

“They want to convey that don’t just want to buy our share but they want to be strategically part of charting the future direction of company in terms of acquisition, expansion and increasing our presence in the global technology space,” he added. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business/World

B3

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Management fads —A matter of faith THESE are what we have believed.

REAL CARPIO SO To become successful, a business ought REEN IGHT to imitate the strategies and tactics of existing firms. Following an organization that is already successful ought to spare one from the pain and cost of failure. To improve processes, causes of defects ought to be identified and removed. This makes perfect sense. To achieve efficiency, old ways ought to be torn and discarded. To be competitive, one ought to focus on the single thing that one does better than others. To ensure organizational buy-in, important decisions ought to be made with the concurrence of everybody in the group.

To rally employees toward a common goal, objectives ought to be defined.

Management fads are defined as “relatively transitory collective beliefs, disseminated by management fashion setters.” Fads can also be seen as “managerial interventions that appear to be innovative, rational, and functional and are aimed at encouraging better organization performance.”

Most of the time, fads are implemented on the strength of their popularity at a particular time rather than to address any real organizational need. Often, these are arbitrarily initiated by management with hardly any inputs from employees.

Adopting best practices sounds promising, but it usually doesn’t work. Successful companies are unique. It is wishful to believe that what worked for them will also work for you. One ends up copying a strategy that might not be congruent to one’s industry or company. Besides, the company that is being copied may have moved on and adopted a new and different strategy.

Awarding “karate”-inspired belts sounds novel. It encourages managers to achieve relevant skill levels to ensuring quality across the organization. But the corresponding complication of the review process, through endless meetings, defeats its primary purpose. Business process reengineering sounds revolutionary. But changing a machine while it is running is clear lunacy. In the end, it is a justification for firing employees and giving the work to consultants.

From an ethical and humanistic perspective, management by consensus is ideal. But this is true only for trivial issues. For crucial issues, members would tend not to go against the perceived sentiment of the group. As a result, a unanimous decision is reached, yet despised by all.

While identifying one’s core competence is not bad in itself, companies are often clueless about what it is. And when they do, the natural tendency is to overvalue. Focusing on one’s competence based on past performance limits one’s adaptability. In many cases, the competence is not relevant anymore.

Setting objectives is always a good start. Management by objectives is not a bad idea. By advocating goal setting at all levels of the organization, it makes performance easy to track and quantify. In practice, however, this often degenerates into paperwork nightmare. The processes of planning and evaluating work take more effort than the work itself. And besides, most objectives are only intended to look good on paper.

According to a classic Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, fads are adopted by organizations primarily as a result of “environmental pressures and forces for conformity.” In “Spotting Management Fads,” some tell-tale signs of a management fad are identified.

Fads are easy to understand and communicate. They tell managers what to do. And because the actions points are easy, they are easily misinterpreted and used in the wrong context. They are usually positioned as a panacea for management dilemmas. As a result, they “promise outcomes such as greater effectiveness, more motivated and productive workers, and deeply satisfied customers.” Fact is, they are better at raising hopes than delivering results.

Moreover, fads seldom gain credibility through empirical evidence, but by the status and prestige of their proponents or followers. These include consultants, management gurus, business schools and business mass-media publications.

For the faithful, management by God is a recent fad.

The company is in the hands of God. To be successful, management ought to seek the will of God. All management decisions are to be aligned with God’s laws. Through mandatory prayer meetings and scripture reading, managers seek divine inspiration. In practice, however, the voice of God that the manager hears is his own voice serving his own interests.

Like religion, belief in management fads is a matter of faith.

G

L

Real Carpio So lectures on strategy and human resource management at the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. He is also an entrepreneur and a management consultant. He welcomes comments at realwalksonwater@gmail.com. Archives can be accessed at realwalksonwater.wordpress.com. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and its administrators.

SNOWING IN IRAN. An Iranian man shovELS snow following a storm in the capital Tehran on January 28, 2018. Some 20 provinces in the west and north of Iran were affected by the snowfall that began on Thursday and peaked on Saturday night, with some mountainous areas receiving as much 1.3 meters (more than four feet) of snow, according to the official news agency IRNA. AFP

Ambulance bomb kills 95, hurts 158 in Kabul Anger rises K over bomb ABUL―An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.

US President Donald Trump called for “decisive action” against the Taliban after the militant group claimed the assault―the second it has carried out in the Afghan capital in a week.

The attack triggered chaotic scenes as terrified survivors fled the area scattered with body parts, blood and debris, and hospitals were overwhelmed by the large number of wounded.

It came as both the insurgents and the Islamic State group have escalated their attacks on Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.

An AFP reporter saw “lots of dead and wounded” civilians in the Jamuriate hospital, which is meters away from the blast and where

medical staff struggled to treat the bloodied men, women and children lying on the floor in corridors.

Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP that the toll “now stands at 95 dead, 158 wounded”, shortly after the interior ministry warned that an earlier death toll of 63 could rise.

The blast happened in an area where several high-profile organizations, including the European Union, have offices. Members of the EU delegation in Kabul were in their “safe room” and there were no casualties, an official told AFP. The force of the explosion shook windows of buildings at least two kilometers away and caused some low-rise structures in the immediate

vicinity to collapse.

The suicide bomber passed through at least one checkpoint in the ambulance, saying he was taking a patient to Jamuriate hospital, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP. “At the second checkpoint he was recognized and blew his explosive-laden car,” Nasrat Rahimi said.

Rahimi told a news conference that most of the victims were civilians. He said the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network was responsible and four suspects had been arrested.

Twenty minutes before the blast an AFP reporter saw police checking ambulances several hundred metres from the scene of the explosion, as the drivers and patients stood on the street. Ambulances are rarely checked in the city.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan condemned the use of an ambulance in the bombing, saying on Twitter it was “unacceptable and unjustifiable”.

President Trump also condemned the “despicable” at-

tack, vowing that “the Taliban’s cruelty will not prevail.”

“This murderous attack renews our resolve and that of our Afghan partners,” he said in a statement.

“Now, all countries should take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supports them.”

The Taliban used social media to claim responsibility for the attack, which comes exactly a week after its insurgents stormed Kabul’s landmark Intercontinental hotel, killing at least 25 people, the majority foreigners.

Photos shared on social media purportedly of the blast― the deadliest in Kabul since a truck bomb ripped through the city’s diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing 150 people and wounding hundreds― showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky.

Near the blast site civilians walked through debris-covered streets carrying wounded on their backs as others loaded several bodies at a time into ambulances and private cars to take them to medical facilities around the city. AFP

China clamps down on social media in new campaign BEIJING―Chinese authorities have ordered a major social media platform to curb “harmful content” more effectively as they intensify oversight of online expression.

The campaign is intended not just to stamp out dissent but to ensure that all media “serves the direction of socialism”.

The continuing crackdown targets not only explicit depictions of sex and violence, but even rap music, crude cartoons, dirty jokes, celebrity gossip and tattoos.

Sina Weibo has failed to comply, Beijing’s Cyberspace Administration said Saturday on its official We-

Chat social media account, berating the site for letting users post “content of wrong public opinion orientation, obscenity, low taste and ethnic discrimination”.

The company “has violated the country’s laws and regulations, led online public opinions to wrong direction and left a very bad influence,” it said.

In another case announced Friday, China’s securities watchdog announced it had punished a blogger on WeChat with a 200,000 yuan ($31,000) fine for posting market-moving “misinformation” about meetings between corporations and

regulators.

China has some of the world’s tightest controls over web content, protected by what is called “The Great Firewall”. Restrictions on free speech have increased since President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012.

A controversial cybersecurity law, which took effect last June, has given authorities even more leeway to regulate a wide variety of information.

At the time, the cyberspace administrator told major internet companies to obey the provisions of the new law requiring online news and information ser-

vices to “serve the direction of socialism and correctly guide public opinion”.

In punishment for Weibo’s failure to toe that line, regulators have demanded a week-long shutdown of the site’s offending features, including one that allows users to pay to ask celebrities questions, as well as a function to search trending topics.

It was far from the first time the social media giant, which is owned by internet behemoth Sina, has been called on the carpet.

The government has frequently expressed its displeasure with the platform’s content. AFP

explosion

KABUL―Anger was growing in Kabul Sunday, a day after a huge bomb hidden in an ambulance killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores more, highlighting the ability of the insurgents to strike at the heart of Afghanistan.

At least 95 people were killed and 191 wounded in the lunchtime attack claimed by the Taliban, which caused panic in the war-torn capital and overwhelmed its hospitals.

US President Donald Trump called for “decisive action” against the Taliban over the assault―the second it has carried out in the city in a week―as other international leaders also condemned the attack.

“We have 95 dead and 191 wounded from yesterday’s attack in Kabul,” health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told reporters on Sunday.

Most of the injured were men, he added.

Ordinary Afghans took to social media to express their anguish and sorrow at rapidly worsening security, as the Taliban and the Islamic State group step up attacks on Kabul, turning it into one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.

“We are so heartbroken in Kabul that we don’t know how to start our new day,” Freshta Karim wrote on Twitter.

“Shall we stay home or go to work, shall we meet our friends and cry or shall we force ourselves to create an illusion of hope? How are you starting your day in Kabul?” AFP

China asked to increase cooperation over North Korea BEIJING―Japan’s foreign minister called on China to increase cooperation on curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program Sunday during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

The meeting between Japan’s Taro Kono and China’s Wang Yi comes as the rival nations aim to improve relations held back by longstanding and seemingly intractable disputes over territory and Japan’s war-time legacy.

While ties between Asia’s two largest economies have shown signs of warming, China’s president Xi Jinping and Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe

have yet to meet on their own soil.

In remarks at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House, Kono praised the progress between the countries towards improving ties, while calling on Beijing to do more to curb Pyongyang’s weapons program.

“I believe it is important not only to discuss issues related to our two countries, but for Japan and China to stand side by side to deal with global issues,” he said.

“In particular, the North Korea issue is now an urgent issue for the whole of international society.”

Tokyo has been wooing

China with official visits and business delegations, but an exchange of state visits has remained a hard sell.

Japan is hoping that will change this year as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of a Japan-China friendship treaty.

Relations between the two countries are at a “crucial stage,” Chinese foreign minister Wang told Kono.

“There is positive progress, but many disturbances and obstacles remain,” he said, adding he hoped that the two sides could work together to push ties “toward the track of normal and

sound development at an early date.”

A major source of tensions is a long-standing dispute over islands in the East China Sea, known as “Senkaku” in Japanese and “Diaoyu” by the Chinese side.

Tokyo’s decision to “nationalize” some of the islets in 2012 led to a major falling out between the two countries, and the fragile relationship has been slow to recover.

Chinese coastguard vessels routinely travel around the disputed islands, a practice that has elicited regular objections from Japan, which controls the region.

AFP

MASS. Pope Francis leads a mass at the Staint Mary Major basilica (Santa Maria Maggiore) on January 28, 2018 in Rome. AFP

LGUs

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

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

BLOOD DONORS. The Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary NCR-CL recently conducted a mobile blood-letting activity with the Philippine Red Cross at the AIMS Compound in Pasay City.

Photo shows Rear Adm. Kenneth Reclusado, PCGA National Deputy Director for Administration (left), and R/Adm. Gerry Reyes, PCGA Deputy National Director for Special Projects (right), thank some of the donors. Roy Tomandao

‘More aid needed for Mayon evacuees’ LEGAZPI CITY—Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda has reiterated his appeal for relief assistance and donations for evacuees of the escalating Mayon Volcano eruption, saying the situation “has now assumed serious urgency.”

Partial records of the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Council show that the number of evacuees stands at 79,121 persons belonging to 21,693 families as of Jan. 26. Several thousands more have taken refuge in homes of relatives outside the volcano’s danger zone.

The government has raised Mayon’s danger level category to Alert Level 4 and extended its danger zone perimeter to nine kilometers.

Salceda said the evacuees, now housed in various government evacuation centers around the province, need help that would augment limited local resources, even as the Department of Social Welfare and Development has started distributing relief assistance.

The lawmaker said there is a need for a steady supply of food, drinking water, gas masks and other relief assistance, especially since no one can tell when the calamity would end.

In past Mayon eruptions, evacuees were compelled to remain in evacuation centers for months.

In 2006, the evacuation period lasted 147 days, and in 2009 it was 185 days.

The evacuees come from identified risk areas around Mayon. Of their total number, 10,000 families or 38,188 individuals come from Legazpi City (4,076 families/15,530 persons), Daraga (3,296/13,305), and Camalig (2,979/11,218) – all in the second district that Salceda serves.

GIFT GIVING.

Senators Cynthia A. Villar and Toots Ople of the Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Institute distribute gift to 100 overseas Filipino workers during ‘Good Vibes 2018 Project’ sponsored

by Beam and Go, a partner of the senator in her advocacies for OFWs. Villar promised to help and support OFWs and their family and relatives through legislative measures, projects and programs.

Lino Santos

QC to boost cops with robots, new guns, vehicles

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has vowed to boost the city police’s anti-crime capability by acquiring stateof-the-art equipment, including robots.

“We are already going to procure this year the caliber .40 short firearms. We’re still studying the Israeli rifles and M-16s,” city administrator Aldrin Cuña said.

Other items on the “wish list” of the Quezon City Police District include the advanced explosive ordnance disposal robots, 30 patrol cars, three 6x6 trucks, a Special Weapons and Tactics van, listening devices, surveillance and tracking equipment, bodyworn video-radio cameras, 100 Galil rifles, 1,000 Glock 9mm pistols, 200 M-16 rifles, and 100 Taurus 40 pistols.

The mayor tasked Cuña to evaluate the request of the local police force.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar thanked Bautista for the continuous support to upgrade the police force’s capacity.

“We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the city government for all the support that were given to us. We’re very fortunate that all of our requests have been granted,” he said.

Eleazar said QCPD plans to build a central evidence building and a twostory multipurpose center in Camp Karingal, as well as an intelligence data base and research center.

2 streets power Angeles

By Romeo Dizon

A

NGELES CITY, Pampanga—Two famous streets in this first-class city—the Fil-American Friendship Highway in barangay Anunas and Fields Avenue in barangay Balibago—are now the engines of growth and development that the city government hopes will increase its income to almost P2 billion annually.

The five-kilometer FilAmerican Friendship Highway has turned into “Korean Town” after a massive development aimed at attracting more businesses, expatriates, and local and foreign tourists to the area.

The city government under Mayor Ed Pamintuan pushed the development along the highway in cooperation with Widus Hotel and Casino, a five-star hotel operating inside the Freeport, and the Ko-

rean Association of Central Luzon Inc. Pamintuan said the development of the highway, a symbol of the long and lasting friendship between Filipinos and Americans, into a progressive Korean Town was sparked by an imaginative and business-minded Korean.

“The infrastructure and security developments in the area, worth P90 million, include well-paved highways and bridges, a command

center for crime, traffic and disasters, all aimed to protect residents and visitors like Koreans, Australian, retired US servicemen, and other nationalities,” Pamintuan said.

Daesik Han, owner of Widus Hotel and head of the Koreamn association, donated an office made from container vans and a patrol car for policemen along the circumferential road through the Widus Foundation Inc. Now, the five-kilometer highway—from the southern gate of the Clark Freeport up to the boundary of Porac town—is now teeming with businesses, mostly owned and controlled by Korean entrepreneurs.

The businesses include restaurants, groceries, travel agencies, gyms, schools, bakeries, beauty shops, a hospital, health clubs, and retail establishments.

At night, the highway becomes more attractive and

amazing to tourists thanks to the businesses’ flashing lights in different sizes and colors.

According to Pamintuan, about 30,000 Koreans are living in Pampanga, most of them engaged in legitimate businesses in Angeles. Some fly in on Friday nights for entertainment, like a round of golf or to hit the casino, then leave on Sunday evening to work Monday morning in Korea via airlines that use the nearby Clark International Airport.

That’s why Koreans are the top foreign visitors of city, and spend $1,000 a day on average, city government statistics say.

Angeles City was formerly barangay Culiat of San Fernando, until it separated on Dec. 8, 1829 and became a full-fledged city on Jan. 1, 1900.

The mayor said several flights to Clark airport also attract more tourists coming from Southeast Asian countries on weekends.

Meanwhile, only a fence separates the former American air force base and Fields Avenue, formerly called Clark Field Avenue, until it was officially renamed in the early 1960s.

Located just outside the main gate of Clark Freeport in barangay Balibago, Fields used to be known as the city’s red-light district, catering to US servicemen stationed inside the base.

During the Vietnam War, prostitution grew as women aged 18 to 22 years old were employed by 200 bars and hotel clubs for the increasing number of soldiers who came to Clark for rest and recuperation.

Fields Avenue was called “Sin City of Philippines” until 1993, when the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo buried most of Pampanga in volcanic ash and changed the landscape of the base and the city.

Today, avenue has been rebranded as the entertainment

Caloocan passport program filled up

DONATION.

Candelaria, Quezon Mayor Macky Boongaling (fourth from right), leads the ribbon-cutting during the turnover of a new school building in Barangay Mayabobo Elementary School donated by Board Director Enrique Chua (center) of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce Inc. Assisting them are (from right) Barangay Chairman Rufino Delgado, FFCCCII Director Nelson C. Licup, Carlos Licup, Edward Sy, FFCCCII member Regie Tantuco, and project engineer Rey S. Atienza.

Benjie A. Antioquia

By Jun David

Energy firm puts up 3 drugstores for Subic, Olongapo Aetas

By Butch Gunio SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., through its corporate social responsibility arm, has established three “Botikas sa Sitio” in Subic and Olongapo this month.

district of Angeles, surrounded by 500 restaurants, hotels, casinos, poker rooms, and other recreational industries catering to mostly Korean and Japanese clients.

“These establishments are offering everything from fine dining to personal services to their new clients,” said longtime resident Roberto Dela Cruz.

Before Pinatubo’s eruption, these two streets had businesses offering different products, from furniture to handicrafts and baskets made of wicker, to US servicemen until the Americans withdrew from the base in 1993.

With the help of the national government and the resiliency of Angelenos, the base was cleared of debris, converted into a freeport zone, and the old airstrip turned into the Diosdado P. Macapagal International Airport.

“The rest is history,” Pamintuan added.

The program aims to improve health in the communities by providing easier access to affordable medicines and daily hygiene items through a “botika” (pharmacy). At the same time, these drugstores will operate as cooperative stores to serve as livelihood

for the community.

The beneficiary organizations are Cabalan Ayta Development Association Inc., the umbrella organization of the tribes of Mampueng, Tralala, Iram and New Cabalan; Parola Fisherfolk Neighborhood Association,

for fishermen neighboring RP Energy’s project site; and the Cawag Tribal Association, another group of Aetas in Subic, Zambales.

To ensure sustainability of the program, the organizations’ officers underwent a strategic planning

workshop in 2017. This was where they identified and assigned members in key planning programs and envisioned how they will level up their organizational capacity. A workshop on financial management was also held for them.

Villar backs SE Asian AgriMuseum

By Brenda Jocson

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna— Senator Cynthia Villar has expressed support for the establishment of a Southeast Asian agricultural museum in Los Baños, a university town in Laguna that is also home to an international science community.

Villar also invited institutions and individuals from the academe and research and development to “join

the journey of building the Southeast Asian AgriMuseum and Learning Center on Agricultural and Rural Development.”

The interactive Mind Museum-inspired museum is a brainchild of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture or Searca.

Searca is hosted by the Philippine government on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los

Baños. It is one of the 24 regional centers and network of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, which was founded in 1965 to promote cooperation in science, education, and culture among Southeast Asian nations.

The AgriMuseum, said Searca Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr., has been envisioned as a science and learning center for inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development.

APPLICATION slots have quickly run out for the Department of Foreign Affairs’ “Passport on Wheels” program in Caloocan City scheduled on Feb. 8.

In collaboration with Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano and the City of Caloocan under Mayor Oscar Malapitan, the DFA POW originally said it would accept applications from Jan. 25 to Feb. 2.

However, residents and other applicants have snapped up all available slots said City Registrar Lucena Flores, who is also the DFA-LGU coordinator.

According to Flores, while the processing of documents for passporting on Feb. 8 is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the third floor, Bulwagang Katipunan, Caloocan City Hall.

At any rate, “CRD will no longer accept applications after Feb. 2. Walk-in applicants will not be entertained on Feb. 8,” Flores said.

“Deadline of submission of application forms will be strictly enforced.

Only those who submitted complete and valid requirements will be processed,” she added.

Renewal of passports will also observe the same schedule, Flores said.

Life

Manila

Standard

TODAY

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

food

monday, januaRy 29, 2018

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¡Oye! takes pride in being at the forefront of reintroducing traditional Spanish cuisine while creating modern tapas.

A Spanish Revolution H

AvE you ever tried seafood broth for caldereta? Or perhaps fried fish adobo? ¡Que horror! You exclaim in disbelief, shaking your head at the travesty. But the beef caldereta and the chicken or pork or chickenand-pork adobo that have become synonymous to Filipino cuisine trace their history to Spanish cooking. In Spain, they traditionally used seafood broth for caldereta, which comes from the word caldo or broth while their adobo, which comes from the word adobar or to marinate, uses chunks of fried fish – and with no soy sauce and laurel leaves, too.

Filipinos have imbibed Spanish cuisine, thanks to 333 years of occupation that began in the 16th century, and have localized these transplanted dishes long before fusion became a dining scene buzzword.

“It would be very painful for me if other Asian neighbors take the lead when it comes to Spanish cuisine, given that we have more than 300 years of shared history,” said ¡Oye! owner Andrew Masigan of The Advent Hospitality Group.

Masigan had two objectives in mind in creating Oye’s menu – to reintroduce traditional Spanish dishes and to launch modern tapas to Metro Manila diners who have become weary of the ubiquitous patatas bravas, croquetas de jamon and gambas al ajillo.

“We are trying to straighten the flavors of traditional Spanish dishes. It can be jarring for most diners – going back to the original recipe, that is – that is why we also provide explanations in our menu,” he said.

Oye’s callos, for example, is done Galetian style with only tripes, chorizo, and pimenton as ingredients, cooked in beef broth that takes two days to prepare.

Masigan added, “Traditional tapas remain at the heart of Oye. But we are pushing the boundaries and bringing in modern tapas that are part of the new wave of tapas in Northern Spain.”

Oye’s Basque head chef, Joseba Sola, who has worked with threeMichelin star chef Ferran Adria and two-Michelin star chef Paco Roncero, takes care of the modern tapas.

There’s the Huevo Trufado con Patatas y Jamon – a foamed truffled egg topped

with potato sticks and bits of ham; the must-try Callamares Pollenos de Chorizo – baby squid stuffed with Oye’s homemade chorizo that cleverly combines squid ink and Spanish honey as drizzle; Solomillo a la Brasa – sirloin steak with the option to order either the very tender beef from Cagayan de Oro or authentic Argentinian beef; and the playful Steak Tartare con Hellado de Mostaza – the combination of the Spanish mustard ice cream, which is lighter in flavor than the American mustard variety, and the parmesan crisp is the perfect foil to the raw steak.

“We are focused on new techniques to create modern flavors and textures,” said the 33-year-old Sola.

Sola pointed to Adria, Barcelona’s most f a -

mous Catalan chef, as having started the Spanish cuisine insurrection, changing the basic characteristics of food to result in modern textures and intense flavors.

“He was a real game changer. He started experimenting and was at the center of the molecular gastronomy movement,” Sola said, who, together with traditional Spanish cuisine expert chef Juan Mortel and Filipino c h e f Tanya D i zon,

Prosperous feast for Lunar New Year DISCOvEr the excellent Cantonese cuisine as you experience new possibilities this Lunar New Year, with fine and exclusive dishes for the season, from Hong Kong native, Chinese Executive Chef Terry Lai. With the coming of the Year of the Earth Dog, the award-winning Cantonese restaurant, Lung Hin, is bringing special dishes to the table, available only for the season. Experience the restaurant’s fine flavors that make each celebration worthwhile starting with the Prosperity Toss with Salmon Yu Sheng for an abundant year. The traditional salad is available for take away, for small and large orders. Season exclusive dishes such as Poached Hong Kong Sesame Chicken, Sautéed Imperial Tiger Prawn with Supreme Stock, Signature Marinated Pork Knuckles, and Poached Yellow Croaker Fish with Tofu, can be enjoyed, together with the classic dishes from Lung Hin’s well-curated and new a la carte menu.

Have a feast with the fam-ily with special set menus to indulge in. Choose between Double Prosperity, which in-cludes the classic Barbecued roasted Pork, Crispy roasted oasted Hong Kong Chicken, and Sauteed Fresh Scallops with Fresh Squids and Broccoli; and the Endless Fortune, featuring Steamed Fresh Lobster with Glutinous rice ice in Bamboo Basket, Half Crispy roasted oasted Suckling Pig, and Steamed Live Abalone with Minced Garlic.

The exclusive dishes and set menus are available from the 8th to the 21st of February.

Attract prosperity with Lung Hin’s special dishes available for the Lunar New Year celebration

Indulge in this symbolic delicacy from the finest ingredients with a stylish collection to enjoy. Choose between the Double Happiness Koi Nian Gao, which includes two pieces of the cake in orange and coconut f lavor at P1,388; and the Traditional round Nian Gao, with a choice of ube or brown sugar f lavor, for one piece per box, at P988. These delights are available until Feb. 21.

complete Oye’s gastronomic troika.

Oye may have opened only in midDecember at Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City, but it has already gained a steady following. On the day that I tried some of its best-selling tapas, most of the restaurant’s clients – including one table that consisted of certified ladies who lunch – stayed for more at least two hours for their leisurely lunch.

“In a way, what we are doing is a bit revolutionary,” said Masigan, whose genius has also brought to life the likes of XO46 Heritage Bistro and Arroz Ecija.

“But I believe that if our food is good, people will keep on coming back.”

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com Steak tartare with Spanish mustard ice cream and parmesan crisp

Life

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monday, january 29, 2018 isahred@gmail.com

From noble warriors to noble bakers S

GT. Eric Ubalde is no ordinary soldier of the Special Operations Command of the Philippine Army. He’s a man of many lives, as his fellow soldiers would tell him. He had survived so many gun battles, had endured several gunshot wounds, four to be exact.

The first time he was hit was during the Zamboanga siege. They were attacked by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and he was shot in his left leg. The second gunshot was during an encounter with a group of bandits in Jolo, Sulu where two Australian and Canadian nationals were abducted. He was hit in the shoulder.

On Nov. 29, 2016, Sgt. Ubalde was

with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) as part of the advance party for President Rodrigo Duterte who was set to visit Lanao del Sur the following day, when they were ambushed and an improvised explosive device was detonated. Sgt. Ubalde was hit in the neck, sustaining his third gunshot wound.

He may have survived Marawi in May but he didn’t leave the war-torn

province unscathed. While clearing one of the abandoned houses, the Maute terrorists fired at the soldiers, hitting him in the face. That was the last time he got shot.

To date, three bullets remain inside his body. “Di ko masyado magalaw may tumutusok. Ooperahan daw pag umangat na yung bala. Marami daw nerves na maapektuhan pag inopera,” Sgt. Ubalde said.

For now he is confined inside Fort Magsaysay while recuperating from the gunshot wounds he sustained.

He is thankful not only for having survived but also for being being given a new lease on life. He’s been chosen as one of the beneficiaries

Sgt. Ubalde during the bakery training provided by Pilmico Foods Corporation

Sgt. Eric Ubalde sustained injuries to his face during an encounter with the Maute terrorists

of the Noble Bakers’ Project of the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, in partnership with the SOCOM Foundation, Inc. (SFI). The Aboitiz Foundation is the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group whose mission is to create safe, empowered, and sustainable communities.

Sgt. Ubalde along with 59 other wounded soldiers underwent a comprehensive bakery management training program provided by Pilmico Foods Corporation, the food subsidiary of

Aboitiz equity Ventures, Inc. They were taught how to cost and develop bakery products, bake bread, cakes, cookies, pizza dough, and a lot more.

Apart from the training, the Aboitiz Foundation also donated heavy-duty baking equipment like oven, mixer and baking utensils. The bakery inside Fort Magsaysay was built by the SOCOM. The Noble Bakers’ Bakery is now operational with captured market, which includes the soldiers and residents inside Fort Magsaysay and even the adjacent schools.

Madrid Fusion in Manila

Montgomery Asia, Specialty & Fine Food Asia, and Restaurant, Pub & Bar Asia team up for a trade show

Speciality & Fine Food Asia

and Restaurant, Pub & Bar Asia in July SOUTHeAST Asia’s leading trade shows for artisan, gourmet and fine food and drink return for the second edition in Singapore at Suntec Singapore this July.

Organized by Montgomery Asia, Speciality & Fine Food Asia (SFFA) and Restaurant, Pub & Bar (RPB) Asia are dedicated trade platforms that connect gourmet food producers and purveyors with decision makers in the retail and hospitality sectors, providing companies appropriate avenues to discover new trends, expand their business and reach the right buyers.

This year, for the very first time, SFFA will be partnering with the Singapore Halal Culinary Federation—an independent federation with a mission to educate the culinary world on the dynamism of Halal food, Halal best practices, business profitability and service quality in the midst of a growing demand for Halal food. With a stellar lineup of Halal chef demos, workshops and panel discussions at SFFA, SHCF’s partnership is set to draw in restaurateurs, chefs, distributors, and buyers from across the region.

RPB Asia is also proud to announce an official partnership with The Bar Awards for the second time running.

Known for bringing people together to celebrate achievement and excellence within the bar community, The Bar Awards team will join forces with RPB Asia this year to bring an exciting array of activities including Bar Talks and Guest Bartender Demos. This year will also see the launch of the inaugural Best Bartender in Asia Awards. The byinvitation-only bartending competition will pit the top bartenders in Asia head to head in a series of challenges for the coveted title of Best Bartender.

With these new partnerships and an extended program including fringe activities for both trade visitors and members of the public, both SFFA and RPB Asia promise to showcase a greater and more diverse range of chefs, bartenders, speciality food and drink products and technologies.

The inaugural edition in 2017 welcomed 161 international exhibitors and close to 3,000 regional trade buyers across the foodservice, hospitality, retail and wholesale sectors.

THe Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) took to the stage of the ongoing Madrid Fusion (MF) at the Palacio del Congreso to invite participants to the forthcoming Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM)’s fourth edition in April.

DoT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, in a statement read by MFM 2018 project director Pamela Samaniego, said, “Madrid Fusion Manila has effectively bound government agencies, private sector, media, academe, and local communities together. We are rallying behind one common goal of establishing the Philippines as a center of gastronomy on this part of the world. We are making great headway. And for this, we are thankful to all of you.”

In partnership with Foro de Debate, owner of the MF franchise, the MFM 2018 with the theme “Innovating Tradition”, hopes to sustain higher awareness and attendance to the much-awaited Philippine culinary event which banners the country’s competitiveness as a gastronomical destination in the region.

Samaniego shared, “Three years ago when we were starting this project, the world barely knew about the cuisine and ingredients the Philippines had to offer. Today, food forecasts name Philippine cuisine as the next big food trend. With your help we can look forward to an even more successful Madrid Fusion Manila 2018.”

The formal announcement was graced by Philippe Lhuillier, Philippine ambassador to Spain, Lourdes Plana of Foro de Debate, MFM 2018 chef presenters Inigo Lavado, Susi Diaz and Gorka Txpartegi, MF 2018 Philippine chef presenter Jordy Navarra, and JP Anglo, featured chef for the Philippine reception and MFM 2018 chef presenter.

The Philippine booth, strategically situated at the ground floor just at the entrance to the exhibit area, has successfully drawn attendees to sample local products such as sweets, snacks as well as freshly cooked dishes as beef sinigang, chicken arroz caldo and chicken adobo, and merienda such as suman, ube halaya, champorado, bibingka, kutsinta, puto, and others. Apart from the hearty tastings, visitors are likewise enlightened on the origins of the food, how these are prepared as well as top destinations to enjoy these unique culinary gems.

Perfomances of Madrid-based Filipino flair bartender Dennis Barela Adiuba also lured visits to the booth.

At this year’s MF, Spain-based chef Inigo Lavado gave visitors a glimpse of his cooking discipline before he joins the many rockstar presenters at the MFM 2018. His presentation, titled “When casualness meets haute cuisine”, highlighted his ‘singular’ advocacy as going beyond technique and innovation but also involving emotions and making the eating experience more interactive and pleasurable.

Already being talked about on the local culinary scene, MFM 2018 sizzles with ultra-dynamic kitchen masters from many parts of the globe. Lavado of Singular will be joined by

The Philippine booth offers samples of local products and dishes

The Department of Tourism invites participants to the Madrid Fusion Manila 2018 happening in April

other highly-respected Spain-based chefs such as Susi Diaz of La Finca in Alicante, Javier Estevez of La Tasqueria in Madrid, Diego Gallegos of Sollo in Malaga, Pepe Solla of Casa Solla in Pontevedra, Roberto Ruiz of Punto MX in Madrid, and Gorka Txpartegi of Alameda in San Sebastian.

Other foreign ace presenters are Matt Abergel of Ronin in Hong Kong, Akrame Benallal of Akrame in France, Curtis Duffy of Grace in Illinois, Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe of Kakao Bombones Lab in Valenzuela, LG Han of Labyrinth in Singapore, Mingoo Kang of Mingles in South Korea, Aitor Jeronimo Orive of Igg’s in Singapore, couple chefs Floriano Pellegrino and Isabella Poti of Bros ‘in Italy, Hajime Yoneda of Hajime in Japan, Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint in the US and Paul Qui of Kuneho in Texas.

Locally based but equally competitive and admirable chefs JP Anglo of Sarsa, Patrick Go of Black Sheep and Nicco Santos of Hey Handsome complete the star-studded line-up.

Other Michelin star and Resol sun chefs who have presented in the past editions of MFM and who are also in this year’s Madrid Fusion include Elena Arzak, Mario Sandoval, Quique Dacosta, Oscar Calleja, Rodrigo de la Calle, Ricard Camarena, Joan Roca, and Andoni Luis Aduriz.

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

Mommy Marian’s promise to daughter Zia MARIAN Rivera promises to make it up for daughter Zia after her toprating prime time fantasy series Super Ma’am ends this month.

“That’s true!” she avers. “The show aired longer than originally planned. Instead of three months, we lasted until six. Of course, I’m grateful that we had a strong viewership. Ratings were good.

“But it was like I did two soaps because of the extended airing time. It’s also not easy to do Super Ma’am because of its visual effects and action scenes. They’re hard and meticulous to execute.

I’m just happy that we did well. So at this point that the show will have its curtain call, it’s about time that I focus on my daughter.”

According to the Kapuso Prime Time Queen, spending quality time with Zia is her priority.

“Yes, to make up for the lost times when I got very busy with tapings and just left her. She’s getting bored in the house. Zia is not your typical child whom you can request to just sit down or play with her toys. She’s got a different mind-set.

Basically sociable, she’s happier interacting or mingling with other people.

“That’s what I want her to experience again now that I have all the time for her before I’ll start with my next grand program once again. In fact, I’m starting to prepare a program for the two of us which thrills me to the hilt. Part of this is the swimming lesson I intend her to take. Now I can accompany her to that which would serve as a bonding moment for us.”

Yan is aware that her daughter is growing up fast.

“At two years old, she is an active kid. She can converse with you. Would you believe that when Dingdong (Dantes) tagged her along to the gym one time, Zia hung on the monkey bars for ten seconds? Yes! So we thought she can go into gymnastics in the future. Let’s see in what field she’ll be most at ease in the coming days. I’ll just be there to support and guide her,” she says.

This early, many are curious to know if she and Dong will allow Zia to join the ‘biz.

“Personally, we don’t approve of the idea but if ever she gets enticed to follow in our footsteps, we couldn’t do anything about it. We’ll just support her along the way. But first, she has to finish her studies. That’s my condition if ever. We all know how unstable showbiz can get so it’s better to have a fall back just in case, right?”

Speaking of career, the pretty actress confirms that she’s renewing her contract with GMA this month.

“Oh, that’s certain. Actually, it should’ve taken place last December but there were some minor things fixed in the contract. But this January, I will definitely renew as a Kapuso talent,” ends Marian. *** Matt Evans doesn’t mind that in his first official show on GMA he’s playing the role of a villain.

He’s included in the cast of Sherlock Jr. headlined

by Ruru Madrid.

“Honestly, this is one thing I really want to do when I moved to the Kapuso lot. In fact, when asked by top honcho Ms. Lilybeth Rasonable, I told her right away that I don’t want a lead role. So, it’s no big deal if I’m a bad guy here in Sherlock Jr. It’s my choice in the first place,” he explains.

He used to be a lead actor when he was still on ABS-CBN. In 2007, he top-billed the fantasy series Da Adventures of Pedro Penduko.

“That’s right, the reason why I perfectly know the pressure it entails. At this point, I’m more okay with character roles. Apart from the fact that it would make you penetrate the scene easier, playing villainous parts is challenging.”

Matt didn’t find it hard to adjust with his new work environment.

“It helped that I’ve already worked with many Kapuso stars before in road shows or mall events so I know them quite well. It was just a matter of rekindling the acquaintance among ourselves.”

Now that he’s with GMA, who among its wards would he’ll like to work with in upcoming projects?

“Of course, Ate Marian (Rivera). There’s also Dennis Trillo and Tom Rodriguez,” Matt states.

G

UILLERMO Del Toro’s Shape of Water has emerged to be this year’s frontrunner in the 90th Academy Awards with 13 major nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress – Sally Hawkins, Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer, Best Supporting Actor – Richard Jenkins Best Director – Jenkins, Guillermo Del Toro, Best Original Score – Alexandre Desplat Best Orignal Desplat, Screenplay – Guillermo Del Toro and Vanessa Taylor , Best Cinematography – Dan Laustsen, Best Costume Design – Luis Sequiera, Best Film Editing – Sidney Wolinsky Best Sound Wolinsky, Mixing – Glen Gaulthier, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoer Best Sound Editing Zoern, – Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira and Best Production Design - Paul Austerberry, Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin.

The Greatest Showman is set in a secret government laboratory at the height of the Cold War, where a visually dazzling, emotionally daring feat of the imagination erupts. Del Toro mixes many genres from lush musicals to suspenseful noir, the film particularly revisits and reinvigorates the enduring allure of the monster movie playing upon our most primal emotions of fear, abandonment

A scene from the fantasy drama "The Shape of Water" by Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro

An immersive and unique love story and danger but also curiosity, awe and desire.

The film brings its audience into a mysterious government facility in Baltimore where, in the deepest recesses of the lab, an amphibious creature (played by Doug Jones) is being studied for its unusual abilities.

As Agent Strickland (Michael Shannon) demands for it to be killed and autopsied, Dr. Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg) insists that the creature’s secrets can only be revealed with a lighter touch.

But it’s the facility’s quietest employee who realizes the truest connection to the creature. Mute cleaner Elisa (Sally Hawkins) feels a strange

STAR Cinema releases A Better Tomorrow, Hsu Tai-Yu in the film Our Times.

The film, was co-produced by Jackie a film adaptation of the original John Woo 1986-hit movie of the same title, beginning Chan through Sparkle Roll Media along with Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism. In this Wednesday in cinemas nationwide.

The story revolves around a former drug addition, Chan’s team did the martial arts smuggler who attempts to start his life anew choreography and stunts for the movie.

Its recent premiere in the USA receives and repair his relationship with his estranged brother, an up-and-coming star in the police positive reception from the viewers saying that, “from some of the boldest music choices department’s narcotics division.

The original movie, which has three to drastic switches in tone of cinematography sequels and a remake in Korea two years to one of the best shootout scenes in forever, ago, established Woo as a prolific action A Better Tomorrow 2018 felt like a firework director who has mastered the highly bursting with life.” India, Taiwan, Korea and stylized actions. It has also launched Chow Vietnam also acquired the film for theatrical Yun-fat to global stardom after winning release Can brothers divided by hatred be Best Actor on the prestigious 6th Hong Kong Awards a year after the movie was united again by love? Find out as A Better Tomorrow opens in Philippine screened.

The comeback of China’s biggest and no.1 cinemas starting Wednesday. action franchise to the big screen is now helmed by, the acclaimed director Ding Sheng (Little Big Soldier, Police Story 2013, Railroad Tigers, Tigers and Saving Mr. Wu) and top billed by Chinese superstars Ma Tian Yu, Wang Kai, Kai and Darren Wang.

Wang Ma Tian Yu, also known as Ray Ma, is a Chinese Mandopop artist and actor who rose to fame following the airing of the epic fantasy drama, Ice Fantasy, Fantasy in 2016. Wang Kai, on the other hand, was known for his roles in television like in When a Snail Falls in Love, Stay With Me, and The Devotion of Suspect X. Darren Wang, a Taiwanese actor, Chinese action film 'A Better Tomorrow' lead cast had his breakthrough after playing

Monday, January 29, 2018

avoiders 53 Left Bank chums 54 Futuristic 55 Video-game pioneer 56 Kettle handle 57 Red inside 58 Do hair 59 Singer — Guthrie 60 Indigo dye 61 Fire engine gear 62 Take down — — 63 Rind DOWN 1 — — fresh start 2 South Bend team 3 Brother’s girl 4 Hebrew T 5 His name may ring a bell 6 Pile of papers 7 Yeah, right!

(2 wds.)

8 Weight unit 9 Berates (2 wds.)

10 Bologna locale 11 Foreign film ender 12 Fly like a fly 13 Enthused cries 21 Norway’s saint 22 Buffalo puckster 24 Ice-skating leaps 25 Correct

affinity with this mysterious visitor from the deep. And as the men in charge prevaricate, she resolves to release the creature from its captors, with the aid of her friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and her next-door neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins).

Exploring the idea of love and its barriers, internal and external, was paramount to Del Toro. “I wanted to create a beautiful, elegant story about hope and redemption as an antidote to the cynicism of our times. I wanted this story to take the form of a fairytale in that you have a humble human being who stumbles into something grander and more transcendental than anything else in her life. And then I thought it

'A Better Tomorrow’ in cinemas this week

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Money factory 5 Test for HS juniors 9 Sec 14 Pavarotti piece 15 Mr. Moto’s reply (2 wds.)

16 Serviceable 17 Chicken — 18 Marble streak 19 Frenzy 20 PC key 21 Viking name 22 Bugs out 23 In front (2 wds.)

25 No sweat!

26 Roman teen’s age 27 Pulpit 28 Groundhog mo.

31 Folger’s Mrs. 34 Certain cows 36 Zero 37 Alpine capital (var.)

38 Thing 39 Vital decision point 41 Skoal!

42 Stretch pennies 43 Kids 44 Water in Paris 45 Dust particle 46 Strong adhesives 50 Company

C3

27 28 29 30 31

Mystiques Goat cheese Observes Cellar, briefly Enough, sometimes 32 Lie in wait 33 Wild plum 34 Crystal-filled rock 35 Sitting Bull’s tribe 37 Holy terrors 40 Floors 41 Town near Santa

Fe 44 Play postscript (var.)

45 — Haggard of country music 46 Griffith or Zola 47 Pointless 48 Chilling 49 Get bigger 50 Tie down 51 Mr. Harbach 52 Those opposed 53 Seniors’ PAC 56 Cote murmur 57 Sharp knock

would be a great idea to juxtapose that love against something as banal and evil as the hatred between nations, which is the Cold War, and the hatred between people due to race, color, ability and gender.”

The fact that the film’s two leads don’t speak, not conventionally anyway, only heightens the love story by stripping away the miscommunications that often stand between humans. “One thing about love is that it is so incredibly powerful, it doesn’t require words,” says Del Toro.

An engaging different love story, “Shape of Water” opens Feb. 21 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

C4

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

Movie a la ‘OCEAN’S 8’

may push through after all O

VER lunch at Pio’s Kitchen in Quezon City, Negros Occidental Representative Albee Benitez told members of the movie/TV press that he wants to revive his plan to produce a movie that is something similar to the popular Ocean’s 8 that starred George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock and which had several sequels later with Julia Roberts.

Naturally, that’s one good news for the local movie industry as this young entrepreneur-turned-politico is bent in doing the industry a service by producing movies henceforth employing actors and craftsmen in an industry that has been slowing down since the advent of the worldwide web and online entertainment.

The attention of the members of the press was divided between the sumptuous dishes by the chef of the exclusive-forparties restaurant and Benitez’s elucidation on his plan that had been snoozing for close to two years when it was deliberately halted to avoid disagreements among the actors he had talked to about the project.

“In fact, we had gone past casting the film, but as we neared the finalization, I had to abort it so as not to upset the status quo of everyone involved,” he said.

“But I think it’s high time to bring the project back to the table,” he added rather enthusiastically.

He said that in conjunction with the theme park and his partners (local investors) are putting up in Silay City, a fivehectare facility complete with rides, adventure stations, and entertainment sites. “But we want also to develop characters similar to Disney world, that is why producing films is very well within the concept of the park,” he said.

The park in Silay is nearing completion and could be operational before the end of the year. Benitez is optimistic that it will change the tourism landscape of his province as people from neighboring provinces and as well as Mindanao and Luzon should be interested to see and experience what Magic Land (that’s how it will be called) can offer.

This is why he feels a sense of urgency to go into movie production as well to make sure the theme park will have the same kind of appeal other theme parks in other countries, in the USA where most of them are movie-related (think Disney and Universal) allowing for a smooth marketing transition from reel to real.

So, the Congressman will reopen communication lines with his friends in show business like Gabby Concepcion, Albert Martinez, Richard Gomes, Piolo Pascual to revive his film project. He hopes this time it would be green and go so the cameras could start rolling.

“I got wind that Sharon Cuneta asked what happened to the film project. I think it’s a good sign, especially now that she’s back on the big screen,” he said before he finally concluded his tete a tete with the showbiz writers and editors. *** Mystery and friendship play out in GMA Network’s primetime series Sherlock Jr. beginning tonight.

They say that dogs are a man’s best friend, but sometimes, these warm and loveable pets are so much more than that.

GMA Network takes its viewers on a fun investigative journey with its newest primetime offering Sherlock Jr featuring a star-studded and interesting cast.

Featured in this series are two of the network’s brightest young stars and one of today’s hottest love teams – Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia – along with an endearing dog named Serena.

There will also be a special guest participation of beautiful and talented Kapuso actress Janine Gutierrez.

Ruru breathes life to Sherlock “Jack” Jackson, Jr., a clever investigative reporter who never backs out from solving mysteries.

Aside from being a good son and brother, he also loves his girlfriend very much.

Gabbi plays the role of Lily Pelaez, a jolly and bubbly

Negros Occidental Representative and local film advocate Albee Benitez

PLAYING opposite mulittalented actor Zac Efron as Anne Wheeler is another fast-ascending young star, Zendaya, in the big screen musical The Greatest Showman along with Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Keala Settle and Rebecca Ferguson.

The Greatest Showman is a vibrant and engrossing “ragsto-riches” story about a man who achieved the impossible, through determination and the sheer power of his vivid imagination. A pioneer who invented the Big Top, P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) is considered to be the original showman.

The Oscarnominated, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner brings the impresario and entrepreneur to life and we follow him as he launches his circus, ultimately revolutionizing entertainment.

Michelle Williams delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as Barnum’s wife, Charity, while Rebecca Ferguson gives a scenestealing turn as the iconic

18th-century opera singer Jenny Lind, known as the ‘Swedish Nightingale’. With original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar and Tony-winning songwriters behind La La Land, Michael Gracey, the exciting new filmmaker, directed the movie.

Though much of The Greatest Showman is drawn from the outlines of P.T. Barnum’s life, two fictional characters bring in fresh points of view: Zac Efron’s Phillip Carlyle, the sophisticated man of the theatre who quits his upper-crust life to join the circus – Barnum’s ringmaster protégé; and Zendaya’s Anne Wheeler, the daring, taboobreaking, pink-haired aerialist for whom Carlyle falls headlong.

The singer-actress was most recently seen as Michelle Jones in Spider-man: Homecoming.

Zendaya knew right away the role was for her – especially because Anne is a natural leader of the so-called Oddities.” “To me, Anne is very confident, very

Zendaya rewrites the stars with Zac Efron

Multi-talented actor Zac Efron and rising young star Zendaya in the big screen musical 'The Greatest Showman'

ISAH V. RED

veterinary clinic assistant. She loves joining anything that can make her famous including various contests and beauty pageants.

Janine is Irene Manansala, Jack’s girlfriend and a lifestyle reporter. Despite being an orphan, she felt the love and belongingness that she longs for from Jack.

The show also introduces the golden retriever named Serena, the wonder dog who will touch everyone’s lives and will teach them lessons on love, life, family and friendship.

In the story, everything is going well for Jack and Irene who are happily in love with each other. But when curiosity and eagerness to expose the truth engulfs Irene, she finds herself in trouble along with her newfound friend, Lily.

Jack, together with Irene’s beloved pet dog, Serena, is determined to investigate what happened to the two ladies.

Lily can’t remember anything from that night but she helps in the investigation, only to find herself falling in love with Jack.

Altogether, they embark on a probing adventure and discover truths that are beyond what they are searching for.

Joining them is Philippine Comedy Queen Aiai Delas Alas as Perla Calubaquib, Jack’s hopeless romantic mother.

She is a secretary at their barangay and constantly seeks the help of Jack in solving problems and crimes.

Completing the cast is a roster of multi-talented artists: Tonton Gutierrez as Sen. Lawrence Carazo, a high-profile politician and Dindo’s father; Andre Paras as Pido Lumabao, Jack’s best friend and a policeman; Roi Vinzon as Rado Nunez, Perla’s proud and cheating second husband; Sharmaine Arnaiz as Lorraine Pelaez, Lily’s mother who is an OFW; Rochelle Barrameda as Carolina Almendral-Carazo, Lawrence’s power-hungry and manipulative wife; Matt Evans as Dindo Carazo, Lawrence’s arrogant son who is being groomed to also be a politician; Kate Valdez as Jenny Nunez, Perla and Rado’s sweet daughter who is also a nursing student; Alyana Asistio as Diosdada “Diosa” Mamaril, Lily’s friend who also loves joining pageants and falls for Pido; and Sofia Pablo as Caray, Perla and Rado’s youngest daughter who also loves solving crimes.

Sherlock Jr. is all set not only to pique viewers’ interests with its thought-provoking storyline filled with action, mystery and drama, but also to show how love and family are some of life’s greatest joys. More importantly, that true friendship knows no boundaries— humans, animals, and all.

poised and very comfortable in her own skin, at least when it comes to being in the circus. I think that’s what the circus does for all the Oddities. It allows them a place where they can believe in themselves, where they can experience respect and love and have a safe space to be who they are.”

She too was drawn to the love story, especially because it was honest about the obstacles inter-racial lovers faced for so long in America. “It’s tragic that Anne and Phillip’s can’t love each other in the way they long to literally due to the color of their skin,” Zendaya says. “At the time, it would have been dangerous, so most of what they can do is just exchange looks. For Anne, it’s especially hard because she’s dealt with racism all her life and now she’s slowly falling in love with the exact kind of person she always thought hated her. But love is not something you control. Love just happens to you.”

Zendaya dove into training, spending months working with

In GMA-7's 'Sherlock Jr.' Janine Gutierrez has a pet dog, a golden retriever named Siri.

professional aerialists, gaining upper body and core strength and taming fear. “My body has been through a lot, and I’ve had lots of bruises and soreness to show for it,” she laughs, “but it’s been so worth it, especially seeing Michael’s vision come to life. I never in my entire life thought that I would be flying around in the air but I’m very proud of myself, because I tried my best and came way out of my comfort zone. Now, I’m no longer afraid of heights!” Naturally, Zendaya looked forward to the singing and dancing, one of her life’s own great passions. She especially loved working with Keala Settle in the song “This Is Me.” “I know there are young women and young men out there who need to hear that message – to hear that even if I’m bruised, I can be brave and I’m who I’m meant to be.

I found the words really cool,” she says.

The Greatest Showman opens Jan. 31 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.