Manila Standard - 2018 January 30 - Tuesday

Sereno consultant overpaid—justice

By Maricel V. Cruz

VOL. XXXI • NO. 347 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

SUPREME Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro told lawmakers during the House impeachment hearing Monday the P250,000 monthly fee Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno had given to a female information technology consultant was too high and could have beat-

en the salaries of all SC justices.

“We [SC justices] were surprised to hear that the IT consultant was getting that much, which is higher than what the basic pay of SC justices are receiving (sic),” De Castro told lawmakers.

De Castro, former Sandiganbayan associate justice, said she had been “in-charge” Next page

Fake news raps vs graft buster

By Vito Barcelo

M

ALACAÑANG has filed administrative charges against Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang and suspended him for 90 days for spreading false information about President Rodrigo Duterte’s bank accounts, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

In a press briefing, Roque said the Office of Executive Secretary formally charged Carandang with grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for misuse of confidential information and disclosing false information.

“He was given 10 days to respond on why he should not be suspended,” Roque said.

The case stems from the complaint filed

by Manuelito Luna and Eligio Mallari against Carandang in October 2017.

Roque said Carandang, an appointee of former President Benigno Aquino III, based his information on documents allegedly provided to him by the Anti-Money Laundering Council and showing that President Duterte had more than P1 billion in his bank account.

“It contains more or less the same details as the report submitted by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV before the Senate but this was

strongly denied by the President,” Roque said.

“Carandang is now facing grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for misuse of confidential information and disclosing false information in violation of Section 3-E of RA 3019 for causing any undue injury to any party including the government or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits,” Roque said.

He noted that AMLC denied providing any report to the Office of the Ombudsman on Duterte’s bank transactions.

While it did receive Carandang’s request to look into Duterte’s bank records, AMLC said it had yet to evaluate that request.

“We have categorically stated before that the GRAVE MISCONDUCT. Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, an appointee of then President Benigno AMLC is not the source of the documents and Aquino III, is facing administrative charges filed by the Office of the Executive Secretary, and is suspended by the Palace for 90 days information attached by Senator Antonio F. for spreading false information about President Rodrigo Duterte’s bank accounts. He was given 10 days to respond why he should not Next page

be suspended.

Tokhang redux: Palace sees Separate plebiscite pushed for a ‘sober look’ into Cha-Cha less bloody war on drugs

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Palace on Monday said the rebooted “Oplan Tokhang” campaign of the Philippine National Police would be less bloody and more humane to suspected drug pushers and addicts.

“We’re hoping that they have learned from their past experience,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said of the PNP, which was recently reinstated in the government’s war on drugs.

“The PNP has said they want this Tokhang operation to be less bloody [and] we are hoping it will be and we welcome the statement by the PNP reaffirming their commitment to the rule of law,” Roque added.

He said the President had no specific instructions regarding the relaunched anti-drug campaign and said the new guidelines were a PNP initiative.

As of Jan. 17, a total of 3,987 drug suspects have been killed in

A MEMBER of the newly formed consultative committee on Charter change said Monday it would be better to hold a plebiscite on constitutional amendments without timing it with other elections.

Speaking on the ANC news channel, political science professor Edmund Tayao said a

plebiscite held without other distractions would give people the opportunity for “a more sober” look into the Constitution and the changes proposed.

“The best really is to have a separate electoral exercise, which is the plebiscite, because the people can concentrate and focus on the

Constitution,” he said.

“This is the first time we will have a constitution really that’s hopefully well thought-off and drafted in a situation [where] we’re really free,” he added, noting that the 1987 Constitution was a reaction to the Martial Law era.

On the same channel, former

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THE Justice Department on Monday filed criminal charges against three members of the Caloocan City police and a civilian in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd de los Santos.

Acting Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan Jr. disclosed that the DOJ charged before the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Police Officer 3 (PO3) Arnel G.

Oares, PO1 Jeremias T. Pereda and PO1 Jerwin Cruz as well as civilian Renato Perez Loveras alias ‘Nono’ or ‘Nonong,’ an asset who identified Kian as a drug pusher.

The four accused are facing cases for murder, violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act for planting of dangerous drugs and the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act for planting a firearm.

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By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

LAVA SPECTACLE. This photo, taken Sunday, shows local tourists taking pictures of Mayon Volcano in Albay spewing lava ash from its crater—as seen in nearby Daraga town. Authorities have imposed a no-go zone around the 2,460-meter mountain as they warned of an impending eruption, leaving more than 77,000 people, including children, stuck in crowded shelters likely for months. AFP

Bongbong: Fraud marred VP race

By Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja THE camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday revealed “solid and incontrovertible” evidence of fraud during the May 2016 national and local elections allegedly to ensure the election of Vice President Leni

Robredo.

Marcos said they had found many pieces of evidence of poll fraud on the printed ballot images after they secured some of the soft copies of the ballot images from the Presidential Electoral Tribunal from some of the clustered precincts in Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental.

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Mars surprises with Grammys sweep

2016 POLL FRAUD. Former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presents Monday pieces of evidence on what

he has claimed are irregularities in the 2016 vice presidential elections during a news briefing in Manila— photocopies of ‘shocking’ and ‘highly questionable’ ballot images from Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental, two of three pilot provinces he chose for his election protest pending before the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. Norman Cruz

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

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Rody donates P20 million to evacuees

3 cops charged with Kian’s slay

By Rey E. Requejo

elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal offered a contrasting opinion, saying a plebiscite held simultaneously with the May 2019 mid-term elections was the most feasible otpion.

“What’s important is the voters’ education. You don’t wait for the

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S

NEW YORK―Bruno Mars, who has revived retro funk and R&B for a new generation, on Sunday swept the Grammy Awards in a surprise snub for the hip-hop world, which had hoped for a major breakthrough on the music industry’s biggest night.

The industry seized on its annual gala to rally on behalf of the growing women’s movement against sexual harassment, with pop singer Kesha delivering a fierce performance about her own abuse story. Next page Bruno Mars

manilastandard.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday handed over P20 million and pledged to give another P50 million the following day to help the more than 70,000 evacuees displaced by Mt. Mayon’s eruption.

More than 70,000 evacuees are in need of food and water, toilets and medicines as Mayon Volcano continues to spew ash and lava.

Heavy rainfall over the weekend until early Monday triggered lahar and sediment-laden stream flows down Mt. Mayon to a river in Barangay Budiao in Daraga, Albay.

Maria Concepcion Barairo, science research specialist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said another heavy rainfall could pose risks to the lives of the people and their properties.

“Should another heavy rain pour over Mt. Mayon, rocks, debris, lava and other sediments could rapidly cascade down not only in rivers but also in the villages and could cause death,” she told the Manila Standard.

“We fear not only cascading water but also huge rocks falling down on the people.”

Salvador Galang, forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, said moderate to heavy rain or even localized thunderstorms and rainfall had stopped in the vicinity of Mt. Mayon.

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News

Ex-gov of Palawan back in jail

By Maricel V. Cruz

F

ORMER Palawan governor Joel Reyes surrendered Monday, only hours after the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division ordered his arrest after affirming its August 2017 ruling that sentenced him to a maximun eight years jail for approving the permit of a small-scale mining firm.

Reyes went to the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division past 3:00 p.m., with the arrest order coming in less than a month after he was released from detention over the murder of radio host and environmentalist Gerry Ortega.

The Sandiganbayan 3rd Division affirmed its August 2017 ruling that sentenced Reyes to imprisonment of six to eight years for approving the permit of

a small-scale mining company.

The Sandiganbayan ordered Reyes’ arrest following its order as it junked his motion for reconsideration that seeks to reverse his graft conviction last August over the alleged anomalous renewal of small-scale mining permits.

“Let a warrant of arrest be issued against accused Joel T. Reyes,” the anti-graft division said in its 18-page ruling that re-

voked Reyes’ grant of bail.

A commitment order was issued by Sandiganbayan 3rd Division sending Reyes to the Quezon City Jail annex at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

It cited Reyes’ previous escape to Thailand owing to his alleged involvement in the assassination of Ortega as basis to order his arrest.

“In ordering the revocation of the grant of bail to accused Reyes, the Court is also guided by the teaching of the Supreme Court that after conviction by the trial court, the presumption of innocence terminates and, accordingly, the constitutional rights to bail ends,” said the resolution. “…. there is indeed a distinct probability that he would.once again escape considering that

the Court already found him guilty and ordered his imprisonment for more than six years.”

Last August, the anti-graft division sent Reyes to prison for six to eight years with perpetual disqualification from holding another government post after he was found guilty of graft. Reyes is currently appealing the verdict.

The case stemmed from Reyes’ alleged unlawful approval of the Small-Scale Mining Permit of Olympic Mines and Development Corp. in Puerto Princesa on April 6, 2006 even if a prior permit was still in effect; and despite alleged violations by the mining firm of the conditions of its permit.

The anti-graft court, in scrapping Reyes’ motion for reconsideration, said: “Accused Reyes

failed to show any cogent reason to reverse or modify the Decision… finding him guilty of violation of Section 3(e), R.A. (Republic Act) 3019.”

The Court of Appeals earlier released Reyes from detention after it ruled that the Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court had no basis to hold him for trial over his alleged participation in the murder of Ortega.

In pushing for the arrest of Reyes, Deputy special prosecutor Omar L. Sagadal, Prosecution Bureau 3 acting director Arieta P. Say, and assistant special prosecutor Charmaine M. Calalang argued that the basis for Sandiganbayan previous ruling in granting the bail was due to Reyes’ detention for the murder case.

Fake...

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Trillanes IV in his complaint regarding the alleged bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte,” Roque said.

Carandang last year claimed that AMLC documents showed Duterte’s bank transactions came to more than P1 billion.

But a day after Carandang made this claim, the AMLC issued a statement denying it had issued any such documents to the deputy ombudsman.

Roque said that although the Office of the Ombudsman is an independent body, only the Ombudsman is an impeachable official with immunity from suit while in office. This meant deputy ombudsmen were subject to disciplinary powers of the Chief Executive.

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proposals to be done before you conduct voters’ education. You can do that throughout the whole process,” Larrazabal told ANC. “Don’t think to just English or Tagalog. You have to go down to the dialects: Cebuano, Chavacano, Ilonggo, Waray, Ormocanon.

You make people understand.

You’re not just telling them how to vote,” he said.

Also on Monday, Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia echoed Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas in saying that Congress could consider the recommendations of President Rodrigo Duterte’s consultative committee, but it was the lawmakers that would ultimately decide on the draft federal constitution.

Garcia said a committee had been consolidating proposed amendments even before the President named the 19 members of the committee.

“As the name suggests, the consultative committee is consultative,” she said, referring to the 19-member group headed by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

“In the end, whether or not to adopt their amendments or their proposals would be to guide the hands of Congress.”

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines expressed reservations over the current moves to amend the 1987 Constitution, citing the apparent lack of transparency coupled with a creeping dictatorship as among its main concerns.

In particular, the bishops said they were worried that the fundamental human rights that correspond to Christian values present in the 1987 Constitution may be set aside once the Charter is changed. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

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The DOJ also found basis to file a case for violation of domicile under Article 128 of the Revised Penal Code against Pereda and Cruz, while it dismissed the torture complaint against the four for lack of probable cause.

The DOJ’s three-man panel of prosecutors cited the testimonies of eye witnesses, including a minor who all said

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of the judiciary’s “computerization,” and yet she never knew nor heard of Helen Macasaet— the supposed IT expert whose services were tapped by Sereno.

“I am the justice in charge of computerization but I never heard or knew that she was hired. There was one time where she made a presentation, but that

Bongbong:...

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“They keep on delaying giving us the copies. It has been three months since the ballot images were printed and it was only recently that the PET [Presidential Electoral Tribunal] allowed us to get the soft copies,” Marcos said in a statement.

File photo shows a super blue blood moon. A combination of blue moon, blood moon or total lunar eclipse and a super moon occurs on Jan. 31, 2018 and it is said that the lunar phehomenon can be seen all over the Philippines, with Mt. Mayon offering a good vantage point.

Rare lunar event best viewed at Mayon—Pagasa AFTER 36 years, a full moon on Jan. 31 will showcase a rare combination of three lunar events, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Monday.

At a news conference at Pagasa’s Science Garden in Quezon City, Dario dela Cruz, Space Science and Astronomy Section chief, said a rare super blue blood moon or the combination of a blue moon, blood moon or total lunar eclipse and a super moon would appear at the same time tomorrow.

“The phenomenon can be viewed all over the Philippines, but can be best viewed at Mt.

Mayon,” he told reporters.

“Eruptions of Mt. Volcano leave suspended particles in the air, thus making the blood moon’s shade of red darker [and more beautiful],” weather specialist II Mario Raymundo told the Manila Standard.

Dr. Cynthia Celebre of Pagasa’s Research and Development and Training Division, along with Dela Cruz and Raymundo, however, said the episodes of volcanic activities of Mt. Mayon “has nothing to do with the phenomenon.”

“People would associate the super blue blood moon to Mayon Volcano’s eruptions but the volcanic activities occurred on Jan. 13,” Celebre said.

According to Dela Cruz, the lunar eclipses are safe to watch, and that stargazers need not use any kind of protective eye filters.

A binocular of telescope will help magnify the view, he said.

A total lunar eclipse will occur on Jan. 31 at 6:49 p.m. until the following day at 12:09 a.m., while a full moon which showed up on Jan. 2 at 10:24 a.m. would take place again on Jan. 31 at 9:27 p.m. called as super moon.

What exactly is the super blue blood moon event tomorrow? Or what some call the spectacular end to a supermoon trilogy.

Some say a blue moon is the second of two full moons occurring in the same month that only

they saw the police officers talk to Kian before he was dragged to the Tullahan River.

Two of the witnesses narrated how Kian was pushed to the muddy part of the area and how the victim begged before he was shot several times.

“This point is extremely significant since it only shows that there was no unlawful aggression on the part of Kian during the time he was shot and killed,” the resolution stated.

The prosecutors also noted that

the forensic results from both the Philippine National Police and the Public Attorneys’ Office (PAO) Forensic Laboratory showed that “the gunshot wounds sustained

by Kian were all found at the back particularly the head.

“Forensic results from the PNP and PAO prove an indisputable conclusion that Kian was shot while in somewhat kneeling/fetal position,” the DOJ prosecutors observed.

During the preliminary investigation, the police officers as-

serted that they were in a legitimate police operation and Kian was killed only because he tried to resist the arresting officers.

The police added that two sachets of shabu and a .45 caliber were found on his body.

However, the investigating prosecutors said the evidence at hand “clearly created doubts on the truthfulness of respondents PO3 Oares, PO1 Pereda and PO1 Cruz that the killing was done in the course of a legitimate drug operation.”

was it,” de Castro said.

During an earlier impeachment hearing, it was revealed that the high court under Sereno’s watch had paid a total of P12 million to Macasaet, for only five years – from 2013 to 2017.

Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, head of the SC bids and awards committee, earlier told the House justice committee that the SC, through Sereno’s instructions, paid roughly about P2.4 million a year—or

P200,000 a month—to Macasaet.

In Monday’s impeachment proceeding, SC Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo could not tell if there was an indeed an SC en banc resolution which legitimized the IT consultant’s services.

In a related development: -Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres Reyes on Monday said Sereno prevented him from paying a courtesy call on

President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang in 2016, even as he said the chief justice threatened him that it would be the “end of his career” should he push through with it.

At the resumption of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice hearing, Reyes said Sereno—an appointee of former President Benigno Aquino III—would find it “insulting” for the CA justices to meet with President Duterte.

“Now we know why. This is shocking and highly questionable. They knew we would uncover how they had manipulated the voting and trampled upon the true will of the people on their choice for vice president.”

Marcos made his statement even as Robredo’s camp on Monday said Marcos should blame himself for the delay in the resolution of the

election protest he filed against her.

“He only has to blame himself for filing a weak and flawed election protest that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has to resolve before the case could move on,” Robredo’s legal counsel Romulo Macalintal said.

He reacted to Marcos’ repeated statement blaming Robredo for such delay, saying his claim

was “baseless and self-serving since he was the one who is filing baseless motions and raising pointless issues.”

“It was Marcos who first asked the PET to first resolve the issue of defective election system and his vaunted claim that he would be presenting voluminous documents and evidence to prove his case,” Macalintal said.

By Rio N. Araja

happens every two to three years.

On the other hand, a blood moon usually occurs during a total lunar eclipse, wherein the color of the moon turns to red or copper color.

The last occurrence of a super blue blood moon was on Dec. 30, 1982.

Seeing a super blue blood moon this week has got people excited for all kinds of reasons.

It’s the combination of a total lunar eclipse with a blood moon, plus a supermoon and a blue moon.

A Blue Moon gets its name when it is the second of two full moons to appear in the same calendar month, according to weather specialists.

Rody...

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“It rained over the weekend due to a tail of a cold front,” he told the Manila Standard.

Duterte went to Bicol to monitor the situation in Albay, where he ordered Agriculture Secretary Manuel Piñol and other officials to provide assistance to the thousands affected

by Mayon’s eruption.

“I am leaving right now, I will give it [the P20 million] to the provincial government of Albay.

I understand that four or five municipalities have been hit hard,” Duterte told local officials.

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But for the awards, the feelgood Mars carried the night.

He won the top prize, Album of the Year, for “24K Magic” as well as Record of the Year, which recognizes top tune, for the title track―a tale of good times with beautiful women set to 1980sstyle synths and rhythms.

The Recording Academy, the body of 13,000 music professionals, also gave him Song of the Year, which awards songwriting, for another track on the album―”That’s What I Like,” an old-school ode to making love in high style.

The 32-year-old singer, sport-

anti-drug operations while 119,361 have been arrested, according to government statistics. About 1.3 million drug suspects have surrendered.

The PNP are now conducting Tokhang with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the lead agency under new guidelines.

Roque said the Palace is confident that there would be less controversy given the new guidelines, which limit police door-to-door visits to suspected drug users to office hours on weekdays.

Acting Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he would demand accountability from officers who do not follow the new guidelines.

PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa said the new guidelines are aimed at erasing the stigma that Tokhang was about killing drug suspects.

He added, however, that it would be impossible to conduct such a campaign without any bloodshed.

On the eve of Tokhang’s relaunch, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles urged police to “not waste any lives” in their anti-drug operations.

“We pray that the police follow the prescribed steps in implementing the law… steps that should be done in exercising their responsibility as policemen,” Valles said.

“Let us inspire them to follow the necessary steps when they need to apprehend and as much as possible, we make sure that we do not waste any lives,” he said.

The CBCP has sharply criticized the government’s war on drugs that has left thousands of people dead.

He also asked P30 million from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for relief operations.

PCSO board member Sandra Cam handed over P5 million to Gov. Al Bichara during a situation briefing with disaster and local officials, but Duterte asked an additional P30 million more from the PCSO. Duterte wants officials to ensure that the evacuees’ basic needs are met.

He instructed the Department of Defense to request the Armed Forces of the Philippines to transport portable toilets immediately.

Duterte also said Piñol was offering P100 million for agriculture. ing a bright smile and sunglasses, recalled how he first performed as a child for tourists in his native Hawaii.

“I remember seeing it firsthand―people dancing that had never met each other from two sides of the globe, dancing with each other, toasting with each other, celebrating together,” he said.

“All I wanted to do with this album was that,” he told thousands of industry players at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Grammys temporarily shifted after 15 years in Los Angeles.

Mars won all of the awards for which he was in the running on what was expected to be a major night for hip-hop, which for the first time dominated nominations for the major categories. AFP

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Kuwait ban will affect PH dollar remittance’

Bam seeks DoST study on Benham Rise SENATOR Bam Aquino said he would file a resolution to consult Filipino scientists and allow the Department of Science and Technology to provide updates on its ongoing research and exploration in Benham Rise, now known as Philippine Rise.

Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, said the resolution aims to give DOST and Filipino scientists an avenue to present their research findings and future plans, as well as to inform the Committee of the resources and equipment necessary to explore the area.

“We want give our scientists and DOST a venue to make their case to the public and the administration on how they think the maritime research should proceed. Gusto nating marinig sa ating mga researchers ang kahalagahan ng Benham Rise at ang kanilang proposal para rito, “ he said. Macon Araneta

Rappler asks CA to nullify SEC order on license THE Court of Appeals has been asked to nullify the earlier decision of the Securities and Exchange revoking the certificate of incorporation of controversial online news network Rappler Inc. for allegedly violating the restriction on foreign ownership in mass media.

In a 70-page petition filed through lawyer Francisco Ed Lim, Rappler argued that contrary to the claim of SEC, Rappler, which was incorporated on July 25, 2011, is owned by Filipino citizens or corporations wholly owned and managed by Filipinos as well.

Petitioners Rappler Inc. and its holding company—Rappler Holdings Corp.—accused SEC of violating its constitutional right to due process and equal protections of the laws in issuing its resolution last Jan. 22, 2017 voiding the Philippine Depositary Receipts being held by Omidyar Network and revoking its certificate of incorporation.

Rappler noted that on Aug. 2, 2017 it received were served with the show cause order stating that a special panel but it was not clear whether it was conducting an investigation or an administrative proceeding. Rey E. Requejo

House okays bill on church annulment THE House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure which seeks to recognize the civil effects of church-decreed annulment by an overwhelming 203 votes.

The Lower House, presided by deputy speaker and Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, approved the substitute House Bill 6779 or “An Act Recognizing the Civil Effects of Church Annulment Decrees” principally sponsored by Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt-Romualdez and deputy speaker and Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank my colleagues for the swift passage of the bill without jeopardizing the indissolubility of marriage,” said Romualdez, vice chairperson of the House committee on government enterprises and privatization.

At present, the State recognizes divorce under the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, which is based on the Sharia, or Islamic law.

Maricel V. Cruz

By Vito Barcelo

UNDER FIRE AGAIN. Former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon shows a note that he had written to Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, during a Senate probe on the P6 billion worth of shabu smuggled from China. Faeldon wanted to excuse himself from the hearing but was asked by Gordon to return to his seat. Ey Acasio

Faeldon will stay detained at Senate, committee says

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Senate Blue Ribbon committee will continue to detain former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, who has been jailed at the Senate detention facility since September last year over contempt charges.

In an interview after the resumption of the hearing on the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China that slipped through the Bureau of Customs, commitee chairman Senator Richard Gordon said he still ask to consult fellow senators on Faeldon’s continued detention.

He noted that since the Senate is a collegial body, he needs to consult his col-

leagues if they Faeldon will remain detained in the Senate or he will be transferred to Pasay jail.

Although Faeldon attended yesterday’s hearing, Gordon, however, slammed Faeldon’s character and attitude.

He told reporters that Faeldon should see a psychiatrist fo be psychologically examined due to his “sordid character.”

He said this is why Faeldon should not be allowed to hold any government position especially a sensitive one like his current post.

Faeldon, who quit as BOC commissioner due to his allaged involvement in a huge shipment of shabu, recently took his oath of office before Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as deputy administration of the Office of Civil Defense.

Gordon’s committee opted to detain Faeldon due to his repeated refusal to attend the Blue Ribbon committee hearing.

“How can we release him?

Look at the way he acted during the hearing. Something is really wrong with this guy,” said Gordon.

Gordon and Faeldon engaged in a heated argument after the senator said he allowed him to hold parties even under Senate detention to prove he was fair.

Gordon also said Faeldon’s father joined him in the supposed parties.

A combatant Faeldon blew his top and insisted it was not a party but a family dinner. He also denied having a party with his father in the Senate nor with anybody. He explained that his father has long been dead.

“We had a dinner. It’s not a party! You know, it’s Christmas! You’re exaggerating, your honor,” Faeldon told Gordon, to which the senator blurted, “Don’t tell me I’m exaggerating.”

“I attended this hearing because I am now a government employee; not because I expect you will lead this committee to find out the truth.

You’re so far from getting that, your honor,” Faeldon shot back.

At this juncture, Gordon said Faeldon, will remain under contempt.

“I have no problem with

that. I did not attend here so that I will have my liberty. I attended here so that—I’m the most interested person to ferret out the truth, which you’re so far from seeking,” answered Faeldon who appeared more combatant.

Gordon also accused Faeldon of refusing to speak the truth and to testify in the inquiry.

But the former BOC official said he had offered to answer all the senator’s questions in affidavit form.

“You’ve been telling the public that I don’t want to participate…Do not pretend that I do not want to participate. You are already monologuing and lecturing. This is the reason why I don’t want to attend here. You are not interested about the truth,” Faeldon said.

However, Gordon merely taunted Faeldon and told him: “Do not cry.”

Lawmaker wants NBI to probe missing MRT-3 VLUs

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Monday urged the Department of Justice’s National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances behind the unauthorized replacement of the Vehicle Logic Units that were originally installed on the MRT 3 system.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Jeri-

cho Nograles said the fire that took place in one of the MRT 3 coaches several days ago apparently due to electrical glitch is a result not only of bad maintenance but also of incompatible components that were installed on the MRT 3 system.

Nograles, who made a series of expose on the anomalies behind the P3.8 billion maintenance deal between MRT 3 and Busan Uni-

versal Rail Inc., said these glitches and breakdowns on the MRT 3 system will continue to persist despite the termination of the contract because critical parts such as the original Vehicle Logic Units have been replaced with fake ones.

While it is commendable that the Department of Transportation under Secretary Arthur Tugade decided to terminate the contract of BURI and had

blacklisted it from conducting other businesses with the agency, Nograles said the fake and unauthorized parts should be taken down and replaced with original parts.

The DOTr should also tap the DOJ to find out how and why only one out of the 73 MRT 3 cars is equipped with the original Bombardier VLU which serves as the “brain” and the primary automatic safety device for

MRT 3 Light Rail Vehicles, he added.

The rest, Nograles said, were replaced with “chopsuey” and unauthorized parts.

“The VLU is a very important component of the LRV. The glitches on the MRT 3 including the fire that broke out in one of the coaches recently is a result of incompatible parts that were installed on the train system,” Nograles said.

DPWH completes P2b worth of infra projects in Bulacan

By Vito Barcelo and Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Public Works and Highways has completed various government infrastructure projects worth P2 billion in Bulacan province under the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration.

“We have built roads and bridges that reduced travel time and improve road quality and safety and constructed dikes, seawalls, river control, revetment and drainage canals that will protect lives and properties from effect of natural disasters,” the agency said.

“Projects completed worth of national roads, bridges, flood control structures, and other infrastructure projects in 2017 worth a total P2.093 billion,” the DPWH said in a statement.

DPWH Bulacan district engineer Ramiro M. Cruz said the completed projects are located in San Jose del Monte City and the towns of Angat, San Rafael, San Ildefonso, San Miguel, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, Sta. Maria, Marilao, Meycauayan and Obando.

“Among the completed projects were 19.59 kilometers of national roads, 88 lineal meters of bridges, 31 flood control structures, and 105 other infrastructure projects,” he said.

REHABILITATION. A suspected drug user is invited to undergo rehabilitation by a member of the Manila Police District`s Station 1 at the barangay headquarters during the relaunching of Oplan Tokhang in Tondo, Manila on Monday Jan. 29, 2018. Norman Cruz

THERE will be a massive drop in dollar remittances amounting to over US$1.3 billion if the government pushes through with the threat of a permanent deployment ban to Kuwait which has over 270,000 documented workers now in Kuwait, a recruitment and migrant expert said Monday.

“A deployment ban will also harm our friendly relations with the other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar and Yemen which is host to 1.5 million Filipinos that bring in the bulk of our dollar remittances yearly to almost US$28 billion,” recruitment consultant and migrant expert Emmanuel Geslani said.

The recruitment and manpower agencies has urged the government to be more circumspect in issuing inflammatory statements that a lower GFP will not hurt the Philippine economy and that we can forego the dollar remittances which has been the life blood of the economy for the past 40 years.

He said the families of the 270,000 workers in Kuwait are apprehensive on the continuous barrage of statements from President Rodrigo Duterte that he will not hesitate to issue a permanent deployment ban to Kuwait if the Filipino workers are not treated humanely.

According to recruitment industry date, only 2 percent of the workers deployed there have encountered problems like salary dispute, alleged domestic violence, and sexual harassment.

“All of these are being resolved through the justice system in Kuwait with the active participation of Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment.

Report, don’t post complaint, Naia urges passengers

By Joel E. Zurbano MANILA International Airport Authority General Manager Eddie Monreal on Monday appealed to air travelers to report first to the proper authorities when problem arises at the airport before posting their complaint to social media to avoid false accusations from the public and put the government and the country in a bad light.

He also asked the passengers to be more mindful and make sure about circumstances surrounding the loss of their personal belongings inside the four terminals of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“Posting one’s experience in social media even before seeking help will not solve the problem, especially if the complaint pertains to tampered bags or belonging. The issue must be reported right away to the airline and there should be no reason for the airline not to act on it,” said Monreal.

He said MIAA also has security and police desks in the terminals that people can approach for assistance.

A4

Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Lending credibility

L

cluding but not limited to the provi- are not known to have any interAST week’s appointment of 19 members of the consultative committee on amending the Constitution was the best piece of sions on the structure and powers of est whatsoever in the outcome of the government, local governance, the exercise. Not being politicians, news we have received in a while.

At this point there is no argument that the Constitution needs revisiting, and that there are provisions that no longer do the country good.

But while introducing change is the right thing to do, it should not be pursued at all costs and in haphazard ways. In the past few weeks, the extraordinary zeal with which some members of the House of Representatives have led us to fear for what lies ahead. There have been no changes yet, but our law-

makers seemed drunk with their power—and do we really want to place our future in their hands?

Thus the naming of the committee members eased our misgivings about the manner in which lawmakers were pushing to change the Charter.

The committee, created in December 2016 through Executive Order 10, is mandated to “study, conduct consultations, and review the provisions of the 1987 Constitution in-

and economic policies.”

The members have six months to do their job. The finished product will be submitted to the President, who would then forward it to Congress.

The committee members were handpicked because of their proven expertise and, perhaps more importantly in this context, their perceived independence. They did not seek to be appointed and in fact have their respective preoccupations to fill their days. They

their motives are less suspect.

We dismiss the appalling way their contributions were trivialized by the same lawmakers that purport to represent the people’s will.

There is a reason the President created the committee and we do not think it was a cosmetic one. This is exactly why it is credible in our eyes.

We look forward to what the consultative committee and all its members will come up with. Let’s all keep an open mind.

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

44 homicide cases

WHILE he was in India, President Rodrigo Duterte joked about jihadists wanting to be met by 42 virgins in Nirvana.

He gave a twist to this by saying he would rather have the virgins in the Philippines and offer them to foreign investors.

Here’s another twist: They say that at the rate jihadists are going, there are no longer any virgins to meet them in Nirvana. *** Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales downgraded the indictment of former President Benigno Aquino III from multiple homicide through reckless imprudence to just graft and usurpation of

This is plain comeuppance.

Whatever goes around, comes around.

Noynoy’s barricade LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES FOR once, I miss Cory Aquino. Because Cory really went out of her way not to show in public the traditional disdain of her high-born, ultra-rich class for people like you and me —unlike her son, Noynoy.

If one of these days Noynoy declares that he didn’t know anything about the Quezon City government project to close the public road where his father and mother built their home—and where Noynoy now lives—I wouldn’t be in the least surprised. And if he says that he was misled

by Mayor Herbert Bautista, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte or any other local official who dreamed up the plan

to barricade his address on 25 Times Street, you and I, as his so-called “bosses,” will know what really went down.

Disclosure: I live near the West Triangle area in Quezon City where the Aquino home stands. I cannot count the number of occasions I and other people I know who live around the neighborhood used Noynoy’s street to bypass the heavy traffic on Quezon Avenue to get to West Avenue using Times, and vice versa.

But now, the city has deemed that this portion of Times from West 4th Street to Examiner Street that runs in front of Noynoy’s home has to be closed.

With heavy duty steel gates attached to massive square concrete posts on either side, no less.

At a time when the government is negotiating with

the homeowners’ associations of many private, gated communities to open up their roads to the public to ease traffic, Bautista and the other leaders of the city

I suggest that the closed off portion of Times Street be identified as the Quezon City extension of Hacienda Luisita. have deemed it proper to close down a public road and make it private. At a time when the Noynoy-appointed head of the Com-

mission on Human Rights says he can only act on incidents of oppression and injustice perpetrated by state actors, a local government decides to deprive so many of access to a public road in order to favor one former president, without so much as a whimper of protest from CHR. I remember when Noynoy was president and the Presidential Security Group used temporary barricades and set up checkpoints where the permanent gates are now rising. I understand that it was necessary to take such measures for a sitting president, never mind if he really lived in Bahay Pangarap across the Pasig River from Malacañang Palace most of the time.

But the PSG troopers who manned the checkpoints then were always

polite and professional.

And they never, as far as I can recall, prevented motorists like me from passing through Times Street.

Now, I don’t know who will be stationed at the heavy gates that the city is building on either side of Noynoy’s home. Or even if the gates will be permanently closed except to those fortunate enough to breathe the same air that Noynoy (when he is not puffing on Marlboros) inhales.

But I feel it is my duty to tell Noynoy that he is no longer president. And that he cannot use our taxes to deprive us of a public road and to ease his paranoia.

If Noynoy really feels that he should be protected from random motorists or even from protesters who may stage rallies in front of his home, then he

shouldn’t inconvenience us and make us pay for it. He should move out of Times Street and into a gated community like his fellow plutocrats, where he will not have to deal with riffraff like his former bosses.

I understand that some sort of sign will be put up at both gates when they are done, since this is a government project. May I humbly suggest that the closed off portion of Times Street be prominently identified as the Quezon City extension of Hacienda Luisita.

Then I will no longer protest the closure of a public road that people like me have already long paid for—and which you and I have paid for again, in order that we may be deprived of its use.

authority. This is with regard to the deaths of 44 members of the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao three years ago.

The downgrade was some joke, wasn’t it?

How did Aquino, then-suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima and SAF chief Getulio Napeñas commit graft and usur pation of authority when Aquino himself was the supreme authority as top cop and commander-inchief ?

Common sense dictates that BS Aquino, Purisima and Napeñas were all responsible for the SAF 44’s deaths.

This is why I believe that the widows and orphans of the Fallen 44 can still hope for justice, now that the Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to order the Ombudsman to

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Opinion From A4

*** Reports have it that independent experts at the United Nations has expressed alarm over the decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission to order the closure of Rappler, an online news organization, by revoking its Certificate of Incorporation.

The so-called experts say this was tantamount to suppressing press freedom.

But do they really know what they are talking about?

They should read the SEC decision that clearly states that Rappler, or Maria Ressa, its CEO, violated the Securities and Regulations Code insofar as Philippine depository receipts are concerned.

In Rappler’s PDR, an American investor, Omidyar Network, enjoyed veto power on Rappler. This was a clear violation of the constitutional provision that only Filipinos can own and manage mass media.

This is why I maintain that in the Rappler case, there was no suppression of press freedom. I am amazed at how ignorant the so-called experts are!

I have been a journalist for almost 70 years, and I have fought for press freedom all these years. If press freedom were really the issue, I would gladly lead the parade for Rappler.

I also maintain that even if it were the issue, press freedom is not absolute. This is why we have laws. I may have the right to write about anything and anybody, but I cannot commit libel and slander. *** The Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is being deliberated in Congress, has many unconstitutional provisions—Muslims having their own police force, elections commission, audit institution and the like. They are also given the right to control their own natural resources. Now President Duterte wants the federal form of government to be instituted first before Congress tackles the BBL. Santa Banana, this is like putting the cart before the horse!

A federal government cannot be the answer to what the Muslims want to happen, like having their own state. In fact, under a federal form, they would still be under the national government.

The problem now is that restructuring the government with intrinsic problems like political dynasties is easier said than done. The President wants to get this done this year and he may be disappointed.

The problem of political dynasties is a serious one.

There is also disparity in wealth.

With both Houses not able to find closure on what mode to take to amend the 1987 Constitution, I have many misgivings. *** Alphaland chairman and CEO Bobby Ongpin cannot seem to stop despite his age (he is 80). His company is the talk of businessmen.

By the end of 2018, Alphaland’s Baguio Mountain Lodges—called Forbes Park Baguio by residents—will be fully finished. No less than 300 mountain lodges will be fully built.

Bobby was my student at Ateneo High School. I asked him whether people really buy at the price he was quoting and he said yes, because they want to experience Baguio’s mountain air while there are still pine trees.

He was right. More than half of the 300 lodges have been sold, and the line for reservations is long.

Alphaland is on a roll. Ongpin is developing a fully functioning airstrip on Patnanugan Island, not far from Balesin Island Club, his signature development. There, Ongpin plans to build a beach house and hotel within three years. He has also bought a jetfoil and ferry boat to transfer Balesin members and guests landing on the new Patnanugan Island International Airport.

In Balesin, Ongpin has built Balesin Private Villas for banks, big corporations and insurance companies.

That’s Ongpin for you—never running out of ideas.

Noynoy’s...

From A4

*** Some may protest that this is not really a big deal and that Noynoy should be accorded the respect and protection that he deserves, as a former president of this benighted land. I beg to disagree.

This isn’t just about the closure of a side street. It’s about the entire attitude of condescension and impunity always associated with the Aquino family and their sycophants that I’m railing against.

It’s the same attitude that gave us Mamasapano, where dozens of soldiers were left to die after they completed their mission, and Dengvaxia, in which nearly a million children were injected with a vaccine that even its maker found potentially unsafe and fatal.

It’s about how some people don’t care what the vast majority thinks, or if they can even think at all. Therefore, their self-appointed betters will do the thinking for them, because they always know what’s best for everyone.

And then, when they get found out, they run, hide and barricade themselves from the people, whom they now mortally fear. This is about that.

By the way, I sent repeated requests for comment to both Bautista and his spokesman. Bautista sent an SMS after I called him twice to say that he was in a meeting.

When I texted the mayor back to say I just wanted to know why my city was paying to secure Noynoy and closing down a public road permanently in order to do so, the mayor did not reply. His spokesman didn’t even answer.

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Good charter change possible

44... charge the three with multiple homicide through reckless imprudence.

I wonder—how in the world can BS Aquino get away from the responsibility for this when he knew what was happening all the time? And yet, he did not do anything.

To me, that is even treason. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is regarded as a rebel group out to create its own Bangsamoro state.

The question now is, would the Supreme Court order Morales to indict Aquino, Purisima and Napeñas accordingly?

I think this is plain comeuppance. Whatever goes around, comes around.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

WITH the appointment by President Duterte of the consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution and propose revisions, there is now a narrow window of opportunity to do constitutional change properly. There is a now a way forward on constitutional change that can get us to the right place. In my view, we should allow this committee to do its work in a measured, deliberate way. They should take their time—six months is too short, a year would be just right. They should seek expert advice, commission impact studies, undertake extensive consultations that would be designed for both input by the public but also getting buy in, etc. Even if it was created by the President and its members appointed by him, the committee should be allowed wide latitude and independence to ensure integrity in its outcome.

Frankly, I like the composition of the Constitutional Law Committee. There are some good people there that I trust, having known them for decades like Reuben Canoy and Nene Pimentel, or having worked with them in the past such as Chief

Justice Reynato Puno, San Beda Graduate School of Law Dean Ranhillo Aquino, DLSU Dean Julio Teehankee, Logodef Director Ed Tayao, and business executive Art Aguilar. Antonio Arellano and Roan Libarios are Mindanawon lawyers I have admired also for decades while Justices Antonio Nachura and Bienvenido Reyes are familiar faces in the judicial system. It’s good to have significant Muslim presence in the committee— former Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi chancellor Eddie Mapag Alih, former Lanao del Sur congressman Ali Pangalian Balindong; and Randolph Climaco Parcasio, lawyer and spokesman of Moro National Liberation Front founder Nur Misuari.

While this is definitedly a good group, only one woman so far has been appointed as a member of the committee.

As currently composed, even if the chair and members that have so far been appointed, are intelligent and principled, the committee will be seriously blindsided without more women. In my view, the final six to be appointed should all be women. There are several retired women Supreme Court Justices to choose from —Minita V. Chico-Nazario, Alicia Austria-Martinez, Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago,

and the most senior of all if she is still willing and able to do one final mission for the country, Ameurfina Melencio Herrera. There are also very good women law deans that can join the Committee— Deans Sol Mawis of Lyceum and Ada Abad of Adamson, Joan Largo of the University of San Carlos (incidentally, the Visayas seems to be underrepresented), and Josefe S. Ty of Urios College. There are also good women constitutional law professors such as Gwen De Vera, Joan De Venecia, and Maita Chan-Gonzaga that can be appointed to the committee. Finally, a representative of indigenous peoples should be included in the committee. I would recommend Jing Corpus to be appointed and play that role. Of course, if we really wanted to be inclusive, representatives from the basic sectors should be included.

While overall supportive of the consultative committee and ready to help them do its work, the tricky part is the next step after they have drafted a text of a new constitution.

In my view, once the committee has approved a draft and submitted it to the President, the latter should muster the political will and Congress to call for a limited constitutional convention. I propose a combined elective and appointive group—the members

of the consultative committee joined by another 20 or 40 (2 representatives from each region) elected in a non-partisan process. The convention would not need to be expensive because much of the work has been done and all they need to do to do would be to finalize the text.

My proposal is similar to Chief Justice Puno’s preference for a “hybrid” Constitutional convention where appointed experts will join elected members. As he has explained it in the Senate and in media, this mode of changing the Constitution will address concerns over conflicts of interest that would pervade if Congress led the exercise of constitutional revision. In an interview with ANC, Puno acknowledged “That is a fear that is real,” and warned that federalism would be “lethal” unless political dynasties where “neutralized” first.

Acknowledging conflicts of interest, and consistent with his statements, President Duterte should finish his term under the 1987 Constitution and the new Constitution takes effect after that election with the new president (or prime minister if a pure parliamentary system is chosen) in charge of the transition. In my view, all former presidents should be disqualified to run as president or to

become prime minister so the country has a clean slate.

I have argued that constitutional reforms are overdue.

The crises that the country has been experiencing over the last two decades have highlighted the bankruptcy of our political system. A radical overhaul of our political economy, government structures, electoral system and patterns of interaction between international, national and local entities have to be made in order to put some forward inertia to our stagnating political and economic conditions. There is an urgent need to find solutions to mass poverty, corruption, the Mindanao problem and a host of other concerns.

Changing the constitution, while not the panacea to our problems, can be helpful in finding the right approaches.

Chief Justice Puno has been quoted as saying: “We shall proceed on the basis of good faith on the part of everybody... that if we are revising the Constitution, it is for the good of the country.” This too is how I will proceed as I engage, as an academic and advocate, as a Filipino and a Mindanawon, in this historic task of constitutional change.

Facebook page: Professor Tony La Viña (deantonylavs) Twitter: tonylavs

A defective constitution HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA Part 1 ABOUT two weeks ago, one of few surviving members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the 1987 Constitution testified before the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and expressed his full support for the existing unitary system of government ordained under the present charter. That commissioner went on to declare that the 1987 Constitution is “the best constitution in the world.”

Obviously, that statement is a self-serving opinion. Praising one’s own work as the best there is in its league is not much of a compliment. That’s no different from a parent who thinks his son is the best offspring in the whole wide world.

Moreover, the commissioner failed to mention that all the constitutions of the Philippines are all patterned after the American model.

If the present charter were the best in the world, its provisions would be clear and would leave no room for ambiguity or mischief. That is not so for the 1987 Constitution.

Section 1, Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution provides that any amendment or revision there-

of may be proposed by Congress “upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members.” While the phrase “of all its Members” suggests that both houses of Congress, namely, the Senate and the House of Representatives, must convene in a joint session, it is silent on how the vote in the joint session should be taken, that is, whether both houses shall vote jointly or separately.

If both houses are to vote jointly, it means every representative and senator shall vote together in one assembly. Each senator will vote in much the same way as an individual representative in the House does.

In turn, the three-fourths vote requirement will be reckoned solely from the total votes canvassed in that joint assembly.

On the other hand, if both houses are to vote separately, then the House of Representatives must satisfy the threefourths vote requirement from within itself, in much the same way that the Senate must likewise generate the three-fourths vote from its own members.

In insisting that both houses must vote jointly, the House leadership cites other provisions of the 1987 Constitution which explicitly allows a separate vote of both houses whenever both houses are assembled in joint session (Section 23[1], Article VI is an example). The House leadership argues that while Section 1, Article XVII calls for a joint session of both houses, the same provision does not ex-

plicitly require a separate vote of both houses. In fine, the House contends that if it were the intention of Section 1, Article XVII to have both houses vote separately in a joint session, Section 1, Article XVII should have explicitly so provided, as it categorically did in Section 23(1), Article VI cited above.

Emboldened by its interpretation of Section 23(1), Article XVII above, the House has taken steps to convene itself as a constituent assembly.

As expected, the Senate rejected the interpretation made by the House, and insisted that voting in both houses in the joint session contemplated in Section 1, Article XVII must be done separately. Surprisingly, the Senate complicated the problem by convening itself as a separate constituent assembly.

The ongoing dispute between the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding Section 23(1), Article XVII would not exist today, if the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the 1987 Constitution attended to its work more diligently.

It turned out that the ambiguity in Section 1, Article XVII is a consequence of the careless oversight of the 1986 Constitutional Commission. Truth to tell, when the Commission completed the text of Article XVII, the Commission had a unicameral legislature in mind (National Assembly) and not a

bicameral one (Congress). That means there was no need, back then at least, to specify if the voting contemplated in Section 1, Article XVII is to be done jointly or separately.

Later on, however, the Commission opted for a bicameral Congress instead of a unicameral National Assembly. Through careless oversight, Section 1, Article XVII, which obviously pertained to a unicameral National Assembly, was not corrected to suit a bicameral Congress.

The foregoing account is confirmed by Father Joaquin Bernas, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, an acknowledged expert in Constitutional Law. Obviously, the 1986 Constitutional Commission did not bother to review its draft of 1987 Constitution, before the Commission approved it and submitted the same to the requisite plebiscite. That’s carelessness plain and simple.

Another defective provision in the 1987 Constitution is Section 26, Article II, which prohibits “political dynasties” but leaves it to Congress to define the term.

That provision simply means that Congress must first provide a legislative definition of a political dynasty, before political dynasties may be outlawed.

Since time immemorial, Congress has always been dominated by family political dynasties. Be-

ing so, it was foolish and naive for the 1986 Constitutional Commission to have expected Congress to actually define and prohibit political dynasties. Expecting politicians to legislate against political dynasties is akin to expecting cigarette manufacturers to discourage the public from smoking.

Good grief!

The 1986 Constitutional Commission was not precluded from defining terms used in the 1987 Constitution. In fact, Section 2, Article IV of the charter provides a definition of a “natural-born citizen.” Thus, the Commission should have defined the term “political dynasties” in the 1987 Constitution instead of leaving that delicate task to a Congress dominated by political dynasties.

More than 30 years have passed since the first Congress under the 1987 Constitution convened. Thanks to the 1986 Constitutional Commission, political dynasties are still very much around and making a lucrative family enterprise of elective public office.

There are many other defects in the 1987 Constitution, but those are for discussion in parts 2, 3 and 4 of this essay.

Perhaps, the more appropriate description of the 1987 Constitution is “an imperfect but functioning charter, which ought to be subject to some revisions.” To call it “the best constitution in the world,” however, is a hyperbole.

(Continued on Saturday)

Snowed under

By Mark Ralston SWITZERLAND, I thought, would be safe. For the past three years, vacation trips with my family have been disasters. Literally.

Natural disasters, to be precise, as we’ve been hit by typhoons on trips to Taiwan and Japan. So this year we decided to play it safe.

Switzerland. No typhoon danger there. Just great skiing in the picturesque Alps.

We forgot about the avalanches.

I arrived in Zermatt with my girlfriend and daughter on January 3rd, in the middle of a snowstorm.

What more could a skier and two snowboarder chicks want? There was a bit too much of the good stuff, so we couldn’t hit the slopes that day. Or the next. But then two days of heavenly turns under blue skies.

Then another storm hit on Monday, January 8th, so the lifts closed early.

The next day, we along with the rest of the town woke up at 5:30 a.m. to a huge roar.

I ski a lot, so I guessed that the noise was an avalanche, but thought it was a controlled one (when authorities deliberately set off avalanches to make the slopes or roads beneath them safe). “Wow, they’re really working early today,” I thought as I glanced at my phone and saw the time. But something was off—for one it sounded really close and instead of the usual one or two loud bangs that normally accompany such controls, there were

five roars.

Turned out it was an avalanche that buried the highway and train tracks, trapping everyone inside the picturesque resort.

Then I noticed that the power was out. I looked outside. The whole town was dark. The hotel we were in didn’t have a backup generator, just emergency lighting in the corridor. It was still snowing heavily, so I went back to bed, grumbling to myself that the lifts will probably be closed again because of the weather.

The power was still out when we woke up a few hours later. We showered by the light from our mobile phones and went down to have breakfast. Most of the other guests were already down there, questioning the hotel staff, who were showing a video of the monster avalanche, taken with CCTV cameras, that the local radio station posted to its website. Everyone was laughing at this one guy, who appeared to be tipsy and returning home from a night out when the avalanche struck, forcing him to run like the wind.

That’s when we got the news —the town had been cut off; there would be no skiing because all the lifts were closed and this was the first time in 20 years that the avalanche warning was this high (level 5 out of 5). We had two more nights booked, so we weren’t too worried about departure. About six other guests were quite upset at not being

able to leave to catch their flights.

The remaining guests seemed to be Russian and not too bothered about anything.

As soon as I heard that the town was cut off I switched from my vacation skier mode to my journalist working mode. I grabbed my travel camera and my only lens and walked down to the train station. It was chaos.

The trains had stopped running at 5 p.m. the previous day because of the heavy snow, so the station was filled with tourists just waiting for news of their trains. They had already checked out of their hotels, so they had nowhere else to go.

Emergency crews were working at the station trying to remove the snow from the tracks, while other crews blocked the roads leading to the area hit by the avalanche.

The shops opened around 10 a.m., people began to come out and the restaurants quickly filled up. The shops did great business that day, as they had a market of some 13,000 bored people with little else to do.

I spent the day shooting photos and videos while my family wandered around town, shopping. Most people were chill.

The next day, Wednesday January 10, people began to get frustrated. Especially when the first train due to leave town at 11:15 a.m. was canceled. That’s when people began to drag their luggage to the helicopter pad.

Taxis became rare, as most people waited inside their taxis on the road leading to the heliport, rather than wait outside in the cold.

I have covered lots of natural disasters, including earthquakes in China and Japan, floods in various countries, hurricanes and wildfires in the US. But this time was a bit different. This was the first time that I was able to shoot people evacuating, and then head to one of Zermatt’s Italian restaurants, to be served an incredible meal and a bottle of excellent Tuscan wine.

Covering a disaster in style.

I have to say, being trapped in the picturesque resort at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn peak was not as strenuous as one may expect. The locals were quite accommodating.

The shops, which usually close for a siesta between noon and 2 p.m., stayed open to cater to the tourists, who had nothing else to do. Restaurants and bars did a booming trade, and it was very hard to find a table.

Our hotel staff smiled sweetly, told us to relax and write some postcards. My 17-year-old daughter kept her friends at home up to date via her phone.

Those upset the most seemed to be the skiers. All they could do is look up at all that fresh snow, just waiting for turns—because of the high avalanche risk, all the slopes were closed.

Some people managed to get a helicopter out on Tuesday afternoon, but not many, as the weather

was still bad. More flights became available on Wednesday morning, but since the lines were long, many people gave up and just waited for the trains, which resumed service later that night.

We left on Thursday as planned but the trip took all day. We took a train to Tasch (the normally 12-minute journey took an hour), then rushed to get a place on the bus that took us down to the train station at Visp, where we caught a train to Zurich. We ended up spending the night at Zurich and were treated as mini rock stars by the locals when we told them that we had come from Zermatt.

Overall, it was a disaster of a ski holiday. Out of nine days, we ended up skiing only two full days and three half-days. In the middle of it all, my boss was nice enough to text me something along the lines of “Remind me never to go on vacation with you, disaster will surely strike.”

Then again the restaurants and the quality of the food helped ease the pain somewhat. And the stoic Swiss, with their ‘what do you expect, it’s winter, go write some postcards’ attitude helped keep frustrations under control. It was an easier disaster to deal with than, say, a hurricane or earthquake.

Next year, I think we’ll ski in California, where we have blue skies and man-made snow. But with my reputation for vacation disasters, I might be going it alone. AFP

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 A6 Standard Manila

TODAY mst.daydesk@gmail.com

LTFRB allows buses to use jeep routes for 3 months

By Joel E. Zurbano BEGINNING today, Jan. 30, city buses in Metro Manila will be allowed to take jeepney routes to accommodate commuters affected by the lack of jeepneys in the metropolis owing to the government’s campaign against dilapidated public utility vehicles.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is giving special permits to bus operators to traverse the jeepney routes initially for three months.

Lawyer Aileen Lizada, spokesperson of the InterAgency Council for Traffic, said the agency is in close coordination with the Metro Manila Development Authority and local government officials about the plan.

“For your information on Tuesday, buses with special trip signs will temporarily take PUJ routes,” said Lizada.

Among the areas identified by the MMDA where passengers get stranded because of unavailable jeepneys include Quiapo in Manila; Commonwealth and Novaliches

in Quezon City; Masinag in Antipolo City; Baclaran in the cities of Pasay and Parañaque; and Guadalupe in Makati City.

But I-ACT clarified that the deployment of 20 city buses will depend on the areas where they are most needed.

MMDA officials said because of I-ACT’s campaign against unroadworthy vehicles, jeepney drivers got scared of getting caught or having their vehicles impounded and penalized.

I-ACT Task Force Alamid, made up of men from the MMDA, LTFRB, Police Highway Patrol Group and local government traffic personnel, have so far apprehended more than 1,000 vehicles since the campaign started on Jan. 8.

Fare for ordinary buses will be P10, while fare for air-conditioned buses will be P12.

The buses will be deployed during peak hours, from 5 to 9 in the morning and from 4 to 7 in the evening.

But jeepney drivers and operators believe the government’s move allowing city buses to take their routes signals the beginning of their phasing out of PUJs.

FERVOR. Thousands of devotees join the annual feast and procession for the Señor Santo Niño along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard from Pasay City to Manila’s Quirino Grandstand. Ey Acasio

Diesel up P0.50, gasoline P0.45

By Alena Mae S. Flores

T

HE country’s oil companies raised pump prices on Tuesday by as much as P0.50 per liter to reflect the movement in world oil prices.

The firms raised the price of diesel and kerosene by P0.50 per liter, respectively, and gasoline by P0.45 per liter, the fifth consecutive price increase of the year.

PTT Philippines “will implement the following price hikes effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, a gasoline increase of P0.45 per liter and diesel increase of P0.50

per liter,” the company said in its advisory.

Seaoil Philippines said its pump prices went up “to reflect movements in the international petroleum market.”

Last Jan. 23, the oil firms also raised the price of diesel and kerosene by P0.50 per liter, and gasoline by P0.35 per liter.

The Energy Department,

FPA BIOTECH SERVICES Office of the Executive Director (02) 920 0068

in its latest monitoring, noted that global oil prices went up “due to optimism” after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies expressed interest to prolong their partnership even after their production cuts.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, is planning to set “effective mechanisms” to monitor the levels of supply of petroleum products, and impose stricter penalties for late and incorrect inventory submissions of oil companies and even the negligence on the part of government agencies in monitoring

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price movements.

“I can foresee that we need to penalize oil companies if they don’t submit their inventories on time, or if they give incomplete or inaccurate information about their stock levels,” Gatchalian said.

With or without the additional excise taxes from the new Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, “these companies are still duty-bound to submit their monthly inventories.

And the DoE should be on top in ensuring their compliance,” he said.

Under Section 14 of the Oil Deregulation Law or Re-

public Act 8479, the Department of Energy is mandated to maintain a periodic schedule of present and future total inventory of petroleum products in the country.

Oil companies are required to submit a monthly report that details their sales and consumption levels, actual and projected importations, and inventory of oil products.

The department earlier admitted that some oil firms have yet to fully comply with submitting detailed reports on the exhaustion level of their old stocks, both at the depot and station levels. The agency is still validating the

accuracy of information they received.

Gatchalian has called for a hearing in relation to reports that some gasoline stations have started raising their pump prices with their old stocks as an effect of the additional excise tax on petroleum being imposed under RA 10963 or the TRAIN Act. The senator urged the DoE to speed up validation and analysis of the information it received, and start investigating whether companies and stations took advantage of the situation through undue profiteering.

Poe hopes for fair bid challenge system SENATOR Grace Poe on Monday expressed hope the government would observe a fair and reasonable “Swiss challenge procedure” to get the best offer from qualified contractors and eliminate the collusion that has become commonplace in publicly-bidded projects President Rodrigo Duterte seeks to eliminate.

“The rationale of a stringent procurement law is to prevent corruption and enable the government to get the most bang for the buck,” stressed Poe. Unfortunately, our current laws have not effectively prevented corruption, and have only slowed down many legitimate projects, the senator said.

Senator Sonny Angara also cited the need to amend the law, noting the ongoing hearings of the Senate finance committee on the proposed amendments to the procurement law.

“The challenge lies in how to make procurement speedier to be responsive to public needs, without losing the safeguards which guard against corruption and to ensure the government is not cheated either way,” he added.

Poe and Angara were reacting to Duterte’s proposal to eliminate the bidding process for public work projects.

The President on Sunday aired his desire to resort to a Swiss challenge system, “where a government agency that receives an unsolicited proposal for a project from a private group invites third parties to match or offer a better proposal.”

He said the original project proponent would be allowed to match that counterbid or improve on it.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

DAM OPENS. Government officials and company executives behind the Magat River Irrigation Systems Canal 1 Hydro Dam Project join hands as they launched the 8.5-megawatt downstream and cascading hydroelectric plant. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (second from left) joined representatives from the local government of Ramon, Isabela, the National Irrigation Administration, and project proponent SN Aboitiz. Dave Leprozo Jr.

Koko: No deal with digital coin firm SENATE President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Monday slammed a digital currency company for allegedly swindling people by using his name and that of the Senate to attract victims.

He said the Digital Currency Co., Ltd. claimed it has partnered with the Senate for the release of a virtual currency called the Philippine Global Coin, using pictures of Pimental to buttress its claims.

The lawmaker denied any partnership “between me and DCC, or the Senate and DCC.” Digital currency or cryp-

tocurrency is the rage nowadays, with early investors in electronic financial instruments such as Bitcoin seeing handsome returns before they inevitably taper off, leaving late investors holding empty bags.

Admitting he had met people from the firm, Pimentel insisted it was only a matter of courtesy to visitors.

“I am shocked at their bold claims of an agreement between us using pictures that politicians normally have with visitors,” he said.

The Senate leader explained that the chamber cannot issue currency, as it is the mandate of the Bang-

ko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Pimentel is concerned that DCC might target OFWs, putting their hardearned savings at risk.

“I ask our OFWs to be wary of those who use the names of government officials and institutions in investment schemes,” the senator said.

He pointed out that the government will never engage in activities “that will profit off their sacrifices and hard work.”

“Always check with the Philippine Embassy to verify individual claims of this nature,” Pimentel added.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Senator: BBL first before federalism

By Macon R. Araneta SENATOR Win Gatchalian believes it will be more practical to execute the Bangsamoro Basic Law first before amending the 1987 Constitution to give way to a federal form of government.

He noted Monday that the BBL, which would establish an autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao, “is in the advanced stages already” considering previous administrations conducted extensive consultations and coordinations with its different stakeholders.

An ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, Gatchalian said shifting to federalism “is a much more complex transition” than the BBL, and entails a nationwide change in the form of government “and the debates will probably take a considerable amount of time.”

Another Duterte ally, Senator Panfilo Lacson, said they cannot promise to accede to the President’s desire that a change to federalism comes ahead of the Bangsamoro state.

“I don’t think we can promise that. While the public hearings on BBL have been proceeding quite smoothly, there’s a lot of unresolved issues yet to be discussed concerning charter change,” Lacson admitted.

Even the much-ballyhooed “agreement” between leaders of Congress has not been discussed, much less consented to, by the majority of senators.

For one, Lacson said setting aside the issue—of how the Senate and the House of Representatives will vote in case a constitutional assembly is adopted by the Senate in favor of which amendments to propose—seems analogous to the proverbial “cart before the horse” situation.

The President had said over the weekend that under the federal form of government, the questions of the BBL’s constitutionality “will be easily approved and resolved.”

‘P1.2-b DFA aid fund for overseas Pinoys not enough’ SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto yesterday said the P1.2-billion “help fund” of the Department of Foreign Affairs this year for eight million Filipinos abroad may not be enough to help these expatriates in distress following President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent “no OFW left behind” policy.

“If the marching order is to help each and every OFW in need, then the DFA’s P1-billion Assistance to Nationals [ATN] fund and the P200 million for legal assistance for 2018—despite jumping 1.5 times from last year’s fund—will not be

sufficient,” he said.

As the DFA throws more lifelines to OFWs in distress, Recto said the government “should also provide additional financial resources to the agency.”

Other budget augmentation sources are funds under presidential disposal, the senator noted, such as the Contingent Fund, and the state gaming revenue shares pooled under the Presidential Social Fund.

The Contingent Fund, designed to respond to unforeseen events, has a budget of P13 billion for 2018, while the chief executive’s social fund,

largely from casino regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., is at least P5 billion yearly.

Recto said the charity fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office—the lottery agency under the Office of the President—that is mostly spent for medical assistance can be used to help sick OFWs. “Nothing in the law prohibits its ‘cross-border’ disbursement for as long as the beneficiaries are Filipino citizens.

The long arm of compassion must reach those in distant shores,” he said.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Griffin lifts Clippers past Pelicans L OS ANGELES—Blake Griffin sank a clutch three-pointer as the Los Angeles Clippers completed the team’s greatest road comeback since 2004 with a 112-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Griffin drained his threepointer with 43 seconds remaining en route to a 27-point performance against the Pelicans who were playing their first game since a leg injury ended the season of all-star center DeMarcus Cousins.

Griffin also had 12 assists for the Clippers, who rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit and

ended the Pelicans’ four-game win streak.

Griffin said they got an earful at halftime about their play in the first half from coach Doc Rivers.

“He got into us a little bit. He said all the things we needed to hear,” Griffin said. “When coaches say what you need to hear and players come out and execute on it, it’s a perfect harmony.”

Lou Williams tallied 22 points, DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 19 rebounds, and Tyrone Wallace scored 19 points in the win.

“We never feel like we are out of a game. We find hope in being naive,” Williams said. “We never think we are going to lose.”

Anthony Davis had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Pelicans, who missed star forward Cousins after he tore his Achilles tendon in the final minute of Friday’s win over Houston. Cousins was averaging 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds when he went down.

The Pelicans suffered just their

second loss in their last nine contests.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points to lead his Milwaukee Bucks to a 110-96 win over the Chicago Bulls.

The all-star forward added nine rebounds and eight assists to help the Bucks improve to 3-0 since interim coach Joe Prunty replaced the fired Jason Kidd.

In Toronto, Fred VanVleet came off the bench to score a career-high 25 points as the Toronto Raptors manhandled the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 123-111 at the Air Canada Center.

With Sunday’s win, it became

official that Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and his staff are going to join players DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in Los Angeles for next month’s 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

LeBron James had 25 points, 14 assists, and narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 121-104.

It was the Pistons’ eighth straight loss.

Russell Westbrook scored 37 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, 122-112 for their eighth straight victory. AFP

Woods ‘very pleased’ after tie for 23rd spot LA JOLLA—Tiger Woods gave his surgically fused spine its toughest test to date and came away with a tie for 23rd place in the Farmers Insurance Open.

The former world number one carded an even-par 72 on Sunday on the Torrey Pines South Course, where his eight PGA Tour victories include his 14th and most recent major title at the 2008 US Open.

“Today I played a lot better,” said Woods, who had four birdies and four bogeys in a round that gave him a three-under par total of 285 and a share of 23rd place.

“It was tough conditions out there,” he added of Santa Ana winds gusting across the course. “It was tough scoring.”

The wind helped make for a marathon day, and Australian Jason Day and Alex Noren were still locked in battle when darkness fell as they completed the fifth playoff hole.

Ryan Palmer had been eliminated at the first hole

of sudden death, but Day and Noren continued to duel through four more holes and were to return on Monday morning to settle it.

“I’ll play all day tomorrow if I have to,” said Day, a former world number one seeking his first title since 2016 who carded a final-round 70.

Sweden’s Noren, a ninetime winner on the European Tour who held the overnight lead, posted a 73 and Palmer carded a 72.

Woods was seven shots off the 10-under total of 278 that put Day, Noren and Palmer into the playoff.

Woods was playing his first US tour event since missing the cut at Torrey Pines last year.

He had missed all of 2016 with back trouble, and his comeback bid last year was cut short by recurring pain and spinal fusion surgery in April.

Woods hit just 17 of 56 greens all week, but he displayed a deft touch around the greens and solid putting to bring it in under par. AFP

Tiger Woods high fives a fan during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South in San Diego, California. AFP

NCAA introduces 3x3 as a special side event THE NCAA has introduced 3x3 as a special event this year with the hopes of making it a regular event in the near future.

Paul Supan, Jose Rizal athletic director and NCAA Management Committee representative, said the plan was part of the league’s efforts to help the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ grassroots development program while helping the fastgrowing sport.

“The NCAA has always allowed our athletes to represent the country in international tournaments and we hope to do the same in 3x3 basketball,” said Supan.

Over the weekend, the NCAA succeeded in hosting its first-ever 3x3 event with Letran topping the Under-14 division and JRU ruling the Under-18 section that was hosted by JRU at its Kalentong campus in Mandaluyong City.

Eight of the 10 participating schools have joined the event and the league is expecting full participation in future seasons.

Interestingly, the tournament comes at a time when the Philippines is hosting its biggest ever 3x3 event—the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup scheduled June 8-12 at the Phl Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

And 3x3 is already an Olympic sport.

“It’s a special event and could be a demonstration sport in the next few seasons and eventually a regular event,” said Supan.

Anti-doping body probes possible flaw in test bottles Caloocan Supremos MONTREAL—The World Anti-Doping Agency said Sunday it had launched an investigation into a possible glitch in drug-testing kits which could allow sample bottles to be opened manually.

WADA said in a statement it had been alerted by an accredited laboratory in Cologne that bottles manufactured by Swiss manufacturer Berlinger could be opened after being frozen.

The glass containers, known as the BEREG-KIT

Geneva, were touted as the next generation of sample bottles after being released last year in the wake of the Russian doping scandal that dogged the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It was not clear if the new Berlinger bottles were due to be used at next month’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

In its statement, WADA said it had “initiated an investigation into a potential integrity issue with the new generation BEREG-KIT

Geneva security bottles and will recommend appropriate measures, if needed, in order to maintain the integrity of the doping control process.”

The agency said it was alerted to the possible flaw by the Cologne laboratory on January 19.

The lab had found that the bottle “may potentially be susceptible to manual opening ‘upon freezing’ of a sample.”

WADA said it had contacted Berlinger over the issue, and

the Swiss company later responded that it had been unable to replicate the flaw found by the German laboratory.

“WADA is following up with the Cologne Laboratory and Berlinger to further clarify the testing protocols that have been undertaken to date,” WADA said in a statement.

“WADA acknowledges that this situation, if confirmed, will raise concerns and questions. We wish to reassure athletes and other stakeholders that WADA is

resolutely committed to following up with Berlinger until the matter is resolved; and that, we will keep stakeholders apprised as the situation evolves,” WADA added.

In the 2014 Sochi Olympics doping scandal detailed in a report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, investigators discovered that Russian staff involved had developed a method being able to open “tamper-proof” sample bottles undetected. AFP

Cavaliers remain ahead; Senate wins THE AFP Cavaliers defeated the PDEA ter overpowering two-time champion JudiDrug Busters in the UNTV Cup on Sunday ciary Magis in a neck-and-neck bout, 74-71. at the Pasig City Sports Center, 98-90.

Chester Tolomia and Warren Ybañez both With the win, the Cavaliers remained at fouled out in the second half to the advantage the top spot with nine wins and a loss as it of the Defenders. awaits its opponent in the semi“Ang game plan ko is ang big final round, where they have a 3 nila, Tolomia, (Don) Camaso, Quarterfinal Games twice-to-beat advantage.

Ybañez i-contain. So, we did a on Sunday Cavaliers’ coach Sonny (Pasig City Sports Center) pretty decent job. Two-time de3 p.m. Senate vs PNP Manucat emphasized that there fending champion iyan. Talag4:30 p.m. Judiciary is no room for complacency in ang lalaban iyan, pero we have vs Malacañang-PSC order to continue winning. to do our part,” said Senate De“Sabi ko sa kanila hindi pa fenders’ coach Mike Fermin. kailangang mag-relax, ‘yung composure Gary Sevilla, who made 25 points, 3 reng team dapat nandoon. Magagawa lang bounds, 2 steals, one assist and a block was namin ‘yun sa break. But we actually don’t hailed as the Best Player of the Game. have a break. Bukas resume agad kami,” The victory gave the Defenders a twicesaid coach Manucat. to-beat advantage in this season’s quarterThe Drug Busters, on the other hand, final round. despite failing to advance to the next round, In the main game of the triple-header, deis thankful for being able to join the league of fending champion PNP Responders proved public servants for the first time this season to be more prepared with its championshipand looks forward to more seasons to come. caliber performance against runner-up team In the second game, the Senate Defenders Malacañang-PSC Kamao, winning by 19 rose to fourth spot of the team standings af- points, 77-58.

edge Dela Salle-Zobel THE CALOOCAN Supremos proved to be superior than De La Salle Zobel in the 17-Under category elimination encounter of the 2018 Manila Brotherhood Basketball League Association Inc. School and Club Divisions over the weekend at the Trinity University of Asia Gym in Quezon City.

The tandem of Supremos Ajay Alvarado and Adrian Gonzaga rode in high adrenaline offensively inside the paint and perimeter with a remarkable defensive thrust in the other end to outclass Alabang dribblers, 52-48.

Defenders face Capitals

Best Player of the Game Boyet Bautista (14) led the AFP Cavaliers with an impressive stat line of 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals as they defeated the PDEA Drug Busters at the Pasig City Sports Center.

FOUR more teams make their debut in tonight’s double header of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Anta Rajah Cup, which goes to Malolos, Bulacan on Tuesday.

Gary David and the rest of the BaiShipping Bataan Defenders take the floor at 7 p.m. as they battle the Quezon City Capitals in the first game to be followed by the match between the host team Bulacan Kuyas and Imus Flag Capital in the main game at 9 p.m.

A former multiple scoring champion, David is raring to get back to action, this time representing his hometown province.

The 6’2” pride of Lyceum

Tough Mudder ready to challenge Filipino obstacle course enthusiasts IT’S TIME to show your mama, who’s tough as the leading sports active lifestyle and media brand Tough Mudder Inc. declared its new partnership with the premier sport agency in the country, Proactive Sports Management to bring the world’s biggest obstacle course racing event to the Philippines.

This collaboration marks the first time Tough Mudder has licensed its event in the country.

The inaugural Philippines’ Tough Mudder event weekend will open in July, followed by another week in November 2018.

Both competition will showcase Tough Mudder’s signature obstacle course.

“Tough Mudder events have united millions seeking a more engaging, communal form of active lifestyle. We are excited to partner with Proactive Sports Management, who have

Datu Miguel Carlos topscored for DLS Zobel’s losing cause in the tournament organized by MBBLAI president Erick Kirong of Macway Travel.

San Beda College of Rizal defeated Arellano University, 48-39 in their 19-Under clash, while the Bulacan Rabbits won over San Beda in the 12-under, 50-43.

San Beda suffered another defeat against Arandia College in 17-under while Passion Basketball Club blew away M Dragons, 38-28, in the 14-under.

a proven track record for success for athletic events in the Philippines, to ensure locals and tourists alike will have the same unparalleled experience that has made Tough Mudder the mustdo event for OCR enthusiast and weekend warriors alike,” said Will Dean, CEO and Cofounder , Tough Mudder.

Prepare to be tested as, Tough Mudder obstacles provide heart-pounding excite-

ment for the modern-day thrill-seekers as this team activity helped people build camaraderie and put adrenaline rush all in just one run.

“This is the first time Tough Mudder will be in the Philippines, and Tough Mudder is not just about being tough, it also about teamwork and coordination,” explained Proactive COO Justine Cordero.

Tough Mudder held events in

five out of six continents in the world. This year, Tough Mudder Inc. and its licensees will hold 150+ activities all over the world, welcoming different participants to show their determination and courage while enjoying with their team.

Registration is going on. For more information, visit Tough Mudder Facebook account at www.facebook.com/ToughMudderPhilippines. Charles Dantes

Games today

(Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium) 7 p.m. – Quezon City Capitals vs BaiShipping Bataan Defenders 9 p.m. – Imus Flag Capital vs Bulacan Kuyas

will be playing for the first time since last seeing action with the Mahindra Floodbuster in the PBA last season.

He is expected to carry the firepower for this team up north against a Quezon City squad that is also aching to get into the win column.

Aside from David, other notable players seeing action for Bataan are ex-pro Arvie Bringas and former Perpetual Help standout Khiel Misa.

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

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Sports

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JANUARY 30, 2018

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

Switzerland’s Roger Federer holds the Australia Open trophy at Government House as he poses for pictures following his win in the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Federer defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic in their men’s singles final match on day 14 of the Australian Open tennis tournament. AFP

PSC to give financial aid directly to athletes

By Randy Caluag

P

HILIPPINE Sports Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said the agency for sports will implement a more stringent policy in granting financial assistance to National Sports Associations, especially in competitions and training abroad.

The former national athlete himself before becoming known as the “El Presidente” in the Philippine Basketball Association said the PSC will send a representative to act as disbursing officer for NSAs joining interna-

tional competitions.

The PSC representative will directly hand the allowances to the athletes and coaches.

The old practice allows the coaches or an NSA official to collect allowances from the PSC for distribu-

tion to the athletes.

“From now on, we will make sure that the budget will be received by the athletes themselves,” said Fernandez, who vowed that what happened with the Philippine Karatedo Federation will not be repeated.

Fernandez said NSAs with questionable liquidation reports may have their financial grant suspended.

Fernandez accompanied seven national karate athletes, who came into the open and aired their gripe against officials of the PKF before mediamen during the Philippine

Fernandez

so kami naman po tiis lang kami,” the athletes said.

Fernandez said the National Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting an inquiry into the matter, will come up with its initial findings.

MELBOURNE—Age-defying Roger Federer says after winning his third Grand Slam title in a year he has no idea how long he will continue playing.

The 36-year-old Swiss marvel continues to defy the years and attrition rate, reaching his 30th Grand Slam decider and claiming his sixth Australian crown and 20th Grand Slam title.

The world No.2 won backto-back Australian Opens by beating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday, dropping his only sets of a stress-free tournament.

Federer, who downed great rival Rafael Nadal in a classic five-set Australian final last year, eased through this year’s event with five of his seven matches finishing on or under two hours and he spent just a total of 13hr 53min on court.

Asked after his Melbourne triumph how much longer he can continue at the summit of men’s tennis, he replied: “No idea. Honest, I don’t know. I have no idea.

“I’ve won three slams now in 12 months. I can’t believe it myself. I just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry, then maybe good things can happen.”

Federer said his age didn’t

come into it when questions were raised about his continuing longevity.

“I don’t think age is an issue, it’s just a number,” he said.

“But I need to be very careful in my planning, really decide beforehand what are my goals, what are my priorities.

“I think that’s what’s going to dictate how successful I will be.”

But he added: “Exciting times ahead. As a professional, it’s what we do. But I’m happy I’m in that position right now.”

Great team His emotional victory in Sunday put him alongside Novak Djokovic and Australian Roy Emerson with the most Australian titles at six.

While his long-time rivals Nadal, Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have injury concerns heading into the new season, not only did Federer blaze on into the final but he finished stronger than Cilic, who is seven years younger, in the fifth set.

Federer was the oldest man at 36 to reach the Australian Open final since Australians Ken Rosewall (37) and Mal Anderson (36) played in the 1972 decider. AFP

So ends Tata Steel stint with a victory WESLEY So gave up a queen but managed to check struggling women’s grandmaster Hou Yifan and win in 30 moves of a Catalan Opening in the final round last Sunday.

The 24-year-old So went on to finish in a share of fifth and sixth places with Viswanathan Anand at the end of the 13-round 2018 Tata Steel chess tournament in Hiversum, the Netherlands.

So finished with 4 wins, eight draws and a loss after forcing Anand to give up after checking the Indian GM’s king for the second time.

Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen won the crown for a record sixth time after beating Anish Giri, 1.5-0.5 in the blitz’ playoff finals.

Carlsen drew with Sergey Karjakin in 34 moves of a Ruy Lopez, while Giri halved his point with Wei Yi in 21 moves of a Reti Opening to finish tied for the lead at the end of the last game.

During the first playoff, Carlsen took 55 moves of turn back Giri after earning a one-pawn advantage at endgame.

In the second playoff, Carlsen threatened to force a queen exchange, but Carlsen opted for a draw following the presence of opposite-colored bishops after 38 moves.

The world no. 1 Carlsen won his first super tournament in 18 months. His last was a title victory in Bilbao.

Anand is the second winningest woodpusher in the tournament with five championships. He halved the point with Azerbaijan Grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov after 67 moves of Queens Gambit declined. Peter Atencio

Phoenix’s Wilson is PBA Player of Week

Torre coming to Rodriguez High School HERE’S good news to students and alumni of Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. High School.

Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre is coming.

Torre will hold simultaneous exhibition games against select students and alumni on Feb. 22 as part of the school’s 66th anniversary celebrations.

A project of the ERJHS Alumni Sports Club, the two-part activity will kick off with a two-hour chess clinic presented by the One Meralco Foundation under president Jeff Tarayao.

Meralco Chess Club consultant Rolly Sol Cruz will conduct the chess clinic.

“This is a good opportunity for our student-players to meet, greet and even play a game against Torre, who is the country’s most recognizable player for more than four decades now,” said ERJHS ASC president Ed Andaya of Batch 81.

“On behalf of the ERJHS, the ASC would like to thank Torre, One Meralco Foundation and the National Chess Federation of the Philippines for accepting our invitation to share their knowledge in chess.”

Meralco will also turn over chess sets to the school.

Also invited to attend the event are ERJHS school principal Dr. Florito Gerena, and ASC officers Rene Baena, Zeny Castor, Reuel Vidal, Oliric Lacsamana, Jane Jimenez, Bess Maghirang, Ramon Ypil, Albert Andaya, Roland Doncillo, Michael de Castro, Richard Nell and Roy Madayag.

Sportswriters Association forum last week.

The athletes, Engene Dagohoy, Mae Soriano, Rexor Tacay, John Paul Bejar, Jayson Macaalay, Miyuki Tacay and OJ Delos Santos, alleged that PKF secretary-general Raymund Lee Reyes that they were given only $470 out of the $1,800 allotted by PSC during their training in Europe last year.

They said it was not the first time that this has happened to them.

“Lagi lang po nila sinasabi na magtiis muna dahil kulang ang nabibigay ng PSC,

Federer: I’ve got to stay hungry

Fuel Master Willie Wilson bagged the weekly citation after beating teammate Jeff Chan, Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Banchero, Vic Manuel, Mark Barroca, June Mar Fajardo, LA Tenorio, Raymond Aguilar, Kelly Nabong and Jonathan Grey.

UNDERSIZED forward Willie Wilson played an outstanding role in Phoenix’s king-sized 87-82 win over Barangay Ginebra recently to capture the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Jan. 22-28 in the ongoing Philippine Cup. Although the Kings played without injured Greg Slaughter and Joe Devance, Wilson still had to contend with Ginebra’s remaining big men like Japeth Aguilar, Raymond Aguilar and even Jervy Cruz.

But the 37-year-old Wilson showed he’s up to the challenge, dishing off

a “perfect” game after hitting 7-of7 from the field to register 19 points off the bench.

The stocky Wilson was on beast mode during the middle quarters, spilling 14 points that saw Phoenix turn a tight contest into a 4929 lead, providing enough cushion to weather off Ginebra’s late-game rally.

Wilson, the fourth overall pick of Alaska in the 2004 PBA Draft also displayed an all-around effort after hauling down five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 25 minutes of the bench as Phoenix improved

to 3-3 overall.

A former Ginebra forward, the 14year PBA veteran bagged the weekly citation after beating teammate Jeff Chan, Rain or Shine guard Maverick Ahanmisi, Alaska’s Chris Banchero and Vic Manuel, Magnolia guard Mark Barroca, San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Ginebra’s LA Tenorio and Raymond Aguilar, as well as GlobalPort big man Kelly Nabong and Jonathan Grey.

Phoenix shoots for its fourth win and firm up its playoff drive when it faces Alaska on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Football legend Zico tells PH players: Put your heart in the field

By Peter Atencio ZICO, one of the most accomplished players in the history of world football, urged many young and aspiring players to “put your heart in the field.”

He made this encouragement last Sunday when he went to Rizal Memorial Stadium to witness the second half of the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines juniors’ football game between Far Eastern University and De la Salle Zobel.

In that game, the Junior Archers won, 2-0. After the match, Zico met briefly with players and coaches of both teams.

He exhorted the Tamaraws to “put your heart in the field,” in their next match, a finals’ clash against the same opponents.

Zico was in the Philippines for a few days and while it was a whirlwind trip, the visit has left a strong impression on the Brazilian.

“I hope this is just the beginning and hopefully one day the Philippines can qualify for the World Cup,” said the Brazilian, in a statement, and through an interpreter.

The 64-year-old former attacking midfielder, whose real name is Arthur Antunes Coimbra, left the country on Sunday night.

On Friday, he toured Fort Santiago in Intramuros, before going to the Sparta Philippines indoor football pitch.

There, he observed a training session of the Brazilian Soccer School for 50 underprivileged young footballers from Dream Big Pilipinas and Western Bicutan Football Club.

“I could see lots of kids enjoying football today and that is what motivates me (to do these kinds of projects,)” added Zico.

In the evening, Zico attended a welcome dinner at the Makati Diamond Residences, attended by the Brazilian Ambassador to the Philippines,

Rodrigo do Amaral Souza.

Also in attendance were prominent figures in Philippine football such as Philippine Football Federation General Secretary Edwin Gastanes, Azkals’ coach Thomas Dooley and Philippines Football League CEO Lazarus Xavier.

Also present were popular national team standouts Phil and James Younghusband.

After lunch, he visited a a football clinic at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig for promising young players and coaches. It was the centerpiece of his visit as the session was held and featured elite young footballers from several top schools and clubs.

It was also during the clinic where Zico met with PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.

Zico wished Araneta the best of luck in the upcoming Azkals game against Tajikistan in March.

“We are so honored to have a

Brazilian football great with young Filipino football campers

Brazilian legend like Zico visit the Philippines,” said Araneta.

The visit was an overwhelming success in the eyes of Seven Seas Properties, the title sponsor.

“You could really feel the excitement of the young footballers when they trained with him. No doubt, they will be in-

spired to perform at their best in their football careers,” said Seven Seas Properties President Yukihiro Nishimura.

Zico is considered one of the best footballers in the world during the late 70s and early 80s.

He starred for the Brazilian national team, scoring 48

goals in 71 appearances for the Selecao, or Brazilian national team.

In 1999, the attacking midfielder came 8th in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote and in 2004, was named in FIFA’s list of the world’s greatest living players.

Ayala Land increases POPI holdings to 55% B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

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Cabinet endorses Subic-Clark rail

By Julito G. Rada

IN BRIEF

T

HE National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee approved on Friday the Subic-Clark Railway Project which will provide rail freight connection between Subic Bay and Clark Freeport Zone.

LTFRB asked to review Grab, Uber vehicles THE Department of Transportation ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to review certain provisions stipulated in the agency’s memorandum circular, which limits the common supply base of Transport Network Vehicle Service units in Metro Manila to 45,000.

The DOTr and LTFRB will start monitoring in the next few weeks the number of booking requests received by TNCs, to include served and unserved requests, as well as other factors affecting the supply of TNVS, such as number coding, maintenance schedules, and working hours of drivers, to judiciously arrive at an objective number for the common supply base. The data will be based on the official list of accredited TNVS as submitted by TNCs, such as Grab, Uber and U-Hop, to LTFRB. “We assure you that should there be adjustments in the common supply base as a result of the review, the decision would be based on actual data from the different transport network companies (TNCs), thorough DOTr study, and consultations with the public at large,” the DOTr said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Dominguez, PH team to visit Jack Ma FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez IIII will lead a Philippine delegation that will meet with Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma in Hangzhou, China on Feb. 1 to explore innovations in digital commerce that will help fuel the growth of the Philippines’ micro, small and medium enterprises and help attain the Duterte administration’s goal of financial inclusion.

Ahead of the meeting, Dominguez and a Philippine delegation of finance and central bank officials, upon Ma’s invitation, are also scheduled to visit the Alibaba Business School, an institution focusing on implementing Alibaba Group’s e-commerce training system, and take part in a lecture series from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 designed to gain a wider understanding of an e-commerce ecosystem.

The Alibaba Business School is located next to the Alibaba head office in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in east China. It is an institute jointly established by Hangzhou Normal University of China and Alibaba Group in October 2008. Julito G. Rada

PCCI, Finance lead info drive on tax package THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Finance Department, with the support of the USAID’s Facilitating Public Investments Project, will hold a series of information campaign on Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, which covers corporate income tax and rationalization of the fiscal Incentives.

The tax reform roadshow is part of the Open Government and Participatory Governance Regional Dialogues initiated by the Participatory Governance Cluster led by the Budget Department and the Interior and Local Government Department, which will run from January to March 2018.

Chamber president Ma. Alegria Limjoco said the initiative was a platform to solicit and generate business sentiments and positions on the proposed tax measure.

“We thank the DoF and the USAID-FPI for getting PCCI again as their partner in rolling out this campaign. We fully recognize the efforts of government to raise revenue to support its infrastructure projects and we hope that the proposed measure, once passed into law would be beneficial for everyone,” she said.

Othel V. Campos

PH-INDIA RELATIONS. The Philippines and India sign a memorandum of understanding during the Asean-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi to facilitate direct investments by providing practical investment information to enterprises, assistance to visiting investors and support in the promotion of investments between the two parties. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (second row, left) and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (second row, right) witness the signing of the MOU by Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (left) and India’s Ministry of External Affairs Secretary East Preeti Saran.

Kepco eyeing 1,000-MW Pangasinan plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores KEPCO Philippines plans to put up a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Pangasinan province, Energy Department documents show.

The department allowed Kepco Philippines to conduct a grid study for the power plant in Sual, Pangasinan to determine the project’s impact on the Luzon grid.

Kepco Philippines, controlled by parent Korea Elec-

tric Power Corp., is one of the country’s aggressive and long-term power players.

The company offered an unsolicited proposal to Philippine National Oil Co. to develop an integrated liquefied natural gas facility in the country but its application was rejected for failure to comply with certain requirements.

Kepco has been present in the Philippine power sector for the past 20 years.

Its first venture in the Philippine energy market

was through wholly-owned subsidiary, Kepco Philippines, which successfully rehabilitated and operated the Malaya Power Plant in Pililla, Rizal, by restoring its rated capacity to 650 megawatts.

Kepco, through subsidiary Kepco Ilijan Corp., is also the owner and operator of the 1,200-MW Combined Cycle Natural Gas Power Plant in Ilijan, Batangas.

Kepco expanded its operations in the Visayas islands

in 2011 when it started the first merchant power plant through subsidiary Kepco SPC Power Corp.

The 200-MW circulating fluidized bed combustion power plant in Naga, Cebu continues to meet the growing electricity demand of the Visayas grid.

Kepco, the parent firm, is ranked was one of the best energy companies in the world among the top electric utilities in 2016, according to Forbes Global 2000.

Neda said in a statement Monday the joint project of the Department of Transportation and the Bases Conversion Development Authority was one of the Duterte administration’s 75 flagship projects.

Expected to deliver high economic returns, the 71.13-kilometer rail connection aims to support current industrial activities and the potential demand for freight services along the Subic-Clark corridor. It was estimated to cost more than P57 billion.

Apart from providing the needed infrastructure for Metro Luzon Urban Beltway and spurring the development of a freight railway system for Luzon, the railway project is seen to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila.

The Cabinet-level meeting held at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Friday morning was co-chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia.

Other agenda approved by the ICC-CabCom was the request for an 18-month implementation duration extension of the National Irrigation Sector Rehabili-

tation and Improvement Project.

The National Irrigation Administration requested to extend the project timeline because of the delays in the procurement of consulting services and civil works and the poor performance of contractors resulting in the termination of some contracts.

The ICC-CabCom also noted the increase in the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP)-Phase 1’s cost by P1.375 billion, or from P355.58 billion to P356.96 billion. The increase in the project cost of the MMSP was based on the appraisal of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which will finance the project through an official development assistance loan package.

The MMSP- Phase 1 is a 25.3-kilometer subway which will run from Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City to FTI in Taguig City and terminate at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The ICC approval of the Subic-Clark Railway Project will be elevated to the Neda Board, chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, for confirmation.

SEC readies regulations on initial coin offerings

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday it will not ban the so-called initial coin offerings in the country but will limit the sale of the digital tokens to accredited investors.

An ICO is a fund-raising activity usually by a start-up company that issues cryptocurrency or virtual coins to investors.

SEC commissioner Emilio Aquino said in a news briefing the corporate regulator would come up with rules regarding ICOs before the end of the year.

“We are not banning ICOs so long as [they are] able to comply and if we feel that concerns about investor protection are truly addressed, more likely we will allow it,” Aquino said.

Aquino said this type of investment should only be offered to people with deep financial literacy.

“We are looking possibly [to limit this offering] to accredited investors or those that can understand and have necessary background to understand ICOs,” Aquino said.

“But as it is now, small and big investors don’t under stand it yet. But we would like to believe that some people who have certain levels of financial literacy can understand the risks involved in this kind of investment,” he said.

MONSANTO’S PLANT SAFETY. Monsanto Philippines underscores the safety of its plant operations during the recently conducted media briefing at its RIB (Refuge-In-a-Bag) Plant in Pulilan, Bulacan. Monsanto Pulilan Plant is the first RIB Plant in Asia and second in the world, spanning a total land area of 6,000 square meters. Members of the media are seen touring the Monsanto Plant in Bulacan.

Xiamen-Puerto Princesa flights to boost tourism

By Othel V. Campos THE Tourism Department said direct charter flights from Xiamen, China to Puerto Princesa City will bring more Chinese tourists into the country and boost Philippine tourism.

The agency said it made possible the creation of the XMN-PPS route which would be launched on Feb. 10 by C&D Travel Service China, a charter operator based in Xiamen, with Philippine Airlines as the partner carrier.

“We continue to welcome more Chinese tourists to the country as part of the improved diplomatic relation-

ship between Manila and Beijing since President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China last year,” said Tourism Secretary Wanda TulfoTeo. Regular operations will start on Feb. 14 and 18.

PAL will be flying an Airbus A320 with an estimated capacity of 160 dual class passenger seats.

“Just for starters, the new route will produce a total of 480 international air seats just for that period alone.

This is on top of the other new routes that Chinese carriers have opened up direct to other tourist destinations in the Philippines last year,” said Tourism Under-

secretary Benito Bengzon Jr. The Tourism Department said it was also working on the Tiajin-Puerto Princesa route, in time for the Chinese New Year.

It said the development of new routes was in line with the National Tourism Development Plan’s strategy to improve air connectivity from major tourist source markets to the Philippines.

Xiamen Airlines earlier mounted direct air commercial services from Fuzhou, China to Kalibo, Aklan using Airbus A321 with 197 seat passenger capacity on a three times weekly frequency to meet the growing

demand by Chinese visitors to go to the resort island of Boracay.

Xiamen Airlines with Uni-Orient Travel as its major partner launched the route on Jan. 12, 2018.

China, the second largest market of inbound tourism next to Korea, accounted for 968,447 tourist arrivals in 2017, or 43.3 percent higher than 675,663 in 2016.

Tourism Department route development team head Erwin Balane said the new Fuzhou-Aklan route would generate up to 591 international air seats bound for the Philippines per week or a total of 30,732 seats per year.

TV5 Network to break even in 2019, says top executive

By Darwin G. Amojelar TV5 Network Inc. said it is on track to break even by 2019, after significantly reducing losses last year.

“We had a very good 2017. Our business improved by 43 percent over 2016. So, if we go on the same kind of pace, I think we are going to be able to achieve our target [to break even by 2019],” TV5 president Vincent Reyes told reporters in a news briefing.

Reyes said for 2018, he was expecting a 50-percent reduction in net losses.

“I think our partnership with ESPN only enhances our ability to achieve those targets,” he said.

TV5 earlier signed a long-term agreement with ESPN to reposition itself into a sports and news network.

Under the partnership, TV5’s “Sports 5” will be rebranded as “ESPN5,” encompassing all sports coverage on TV5. In addition, ESPN will license to TV5 more than 2,500 hours additional programming per year form its portfolio of sports rights, original programming and studio programs.

ESPN is 80-percent owned by ABC Inc., an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, while Hearst Corp. holds a 20-percent interest in the US-based global cable and satellite sports television channel.

B2

Business

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks climb; telecom issues rise

T

HE stock market extended its push above 9,000 points Monday as investors tracked last week’s record-breaking close on Wall Street.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 17.42 points, or 0.2 percent, to a record 9,058.62 on a value turnover of P8.9 billion, after climbing to an intraday high of 9,078.37. Losers, however, beat gainers, 116 to 95, with 55 issues unchanged.

Telecommunications companies led gainers. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecom company, surged 6.5 percent to P1,601, while rival Globe Telecom Inc. advanced 8.8 percent to P1,899.

Now Corp., controlled by the Velarde family, jumped 10.7 percent to P6.40. The company expressed interest last week to bid for the third telecom slot to challenge the duopoly PLDT and Globe Telecom.

Conglomerate Ayala Corp., which owns Globe Telecom, climbed 4.1 percent to P1,083.

The rest of Asian markets trimmed gains after an early surge on Monday after Wall Street’s record close.

Tokyo closed flat as late profit-taking erased Monday morning gains, and Shanghai ended the day down one percent.

Hong Kong was also down 0.3 percent in the afternoon after an early surge, but Seoul ended up 0.9 percent and Sydney closed 0.4 percent higher.

Singapore, Bangkok, Wellington and Taiwan all rose, while Jakarta was flat.

The three major US indices all closed at record highs on Friday with earnings season in full swing, on the back of strong earnings announcements.

The trend is expected to continue, with major companies signaling higher profits in anticipation of tax cuts recently enacted in the United States.

With more data expected this week—including from tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Alibaba and Google’s parent company Alphabet—analysts say strong re-

sults could sustain the positive sentiment in the markets.

“A data-packed week and stock reporting seasons around the globe should see market focus turn to the numbers,” said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney.

But he warned that “a weakening US dollar may prove a brake on any investor exuberance”.

The greenback remains under pressure, after seemingly contradictory comments last week on its strength by US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The dollar could experience more turbulence with several major announcements coming up this week, including Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

“We should expect more two-way uncertainty entering the fray this week which could make for some touch and go moments,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. With AFP

Ayala Land increases POPI holdings to 55%

By Jenniffer B. Austria MAJOR property developer Ayala Land Inc. increased its stake in Prime Orion Philippines Inc., or POPI, to 55 percent by acquiring another 4.14 percent worth P496.8 million.

POPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Ayala Land bought 202.774 million shares in the company from Genez Investments Corp. through a special block sale completed Friday.

The company purchased the shares at P2.45 apiece, a 7.5-percent discount to POPI’s closing

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.6 243,000 59.8 5,720 120 1,010,370 3.8 179,000 156.5 4,380,950 1.96 702,000 36.9 145,900 9.99 1,100 15.6 24,400 28.9 3,119,700 8.06 3,600 1.7 16,000 0.56 920,000 100 3,204,060 1.17 3,361,000 13.46 22,200 25.95 2,000 57.2 286,370 247 1,540 103 1,500 89.5 240 54.95 1,554,470 252 518,070 1,945 270 90.5 101,870 1.23 46,000

870,510 341,745 120,566,170 671,010 685,560,515 1,368,210 5,380,840 10,079 376,708 90,092,200 29,147 27,200 504,860 320,508,452.50 3,966,390 299,690 51,950 16,494,193.50 379,420 155,262 21,480 85,284,989 130,610,822 525,225 9,218,099.50 56,580

338,795 2,392,888 -204,736,483 2,223,725 999 23,726,650 -101,766,902.50 -7,380 -13,902,888 24,700 -959,726 62,074,842 -248,334.50 -

41.25 11.9 0.61 1.3 17.64 0.218 113 4.5 16.12 190 51.25 18.52 61.85 58 1.9 5.31 10.78 12.3 14.76 12.9 8.3 5.6 1.66 15.86 61.95 30 10.2 18.5 1.9 285.4 55.1 4.22 3.25 20.7 28.3 17.98 20.9 332 0.193 9.09 2.83 4.85 9.21 6.27 8.12 1.71 13.2 63.75 6.1 618 4.79 2.04 1.62 14.8 5.41 0.13 1.17 168.5 2.86 2.01 25 0.81

INDUSTRIAL 41.25 1,135,900 12.58 2,579,500 0.61 523,000 1.32 392,000 17.86 12,600 0.219 4,160,000 124 300 4.52 9,721,000 16.18 570,100 190 50 52.8 787,250 18.52 36,500 64.85 200 58 2,830 1.9 400,000 5.35 59,000 10.9 30,700 12.46 2,445,200 14.8 2,123,500 12.9 2,419,300 8.4 1,414,700 5.63 2,649,700 1.66 3,000 15.88 804,900 61.95 93,250 31.2 340,400 10.54 194,400 19.2 4,514,900 1.92 1,086,000 285.4 542,160 55.1 880 4.34 256,000 3.25 18,000 20.7 500 28.5 3,652,100 18.04 183,100 21.5 11,357,900 337.8 270,600 0.201 330,000 9.09 2,600 2.92 5,625,000 4.85 221,600 9.68 7,883,200 6.55 892,200 8.12 197,800 1.72 558,000 13.6 1,322,100 64.15 251,940 6.2 6,500 627.5 44,730 4.81 198,000 2.05 8,000 1.62 1,976,000 15.18 1,817,500 5.45 111,800 0.131 1,870,000 1.17 125,000 170.3 1,186,190 2.98 19,000 2.02 5,823,000 25 800 0.81 177,000

47,063,505 31,873,104 320,190 511,480 224,394 908,200 35,502 43,811,600 9,239,170 9,500 41,493,826.50 676,588 12,400 165,260 762,540 318,029 332,620 30,347,078 31,431,112 31,388,374 11,942,064 14,919,026 4,980 12,797,418 5,784,131 10,454,125 2,048,884 86,575,936 2,086,340 155,582,990 48,615 1,116,590 58,910 10,350 104,338,905 3,299,402 246,049,530 90,417,090 63,970 23,634 16,271,680 1,093,082 74,923,641 6,179,117 1,613,881 960,280 17,893,350 16,186,579 39,750 27,995,265 950,460 16,380 3,279,790 27,318,220 612,519 245,010 146,850 201,456,195 55,900 11,991,150 20,000 143,370

-827,795 949,920 -4,738,910 4,918,476 -162,000 1,900 5,720,528 28,484,162 -7,033,786 909,427 1,788,121 -1,950,600 2,198,049 -84,370 557,444 -2,872,220 9,600 -43,017,334 2,960,950 1,296,492 80,634,125 45,160,380 7,199,330 -445,227 -7,453,101 527,295 -60,500 -8,618,660 -317,323.50 4,684,500 460,950 -611,590 -8,354,736 29,213,735 -70,700 -

0.295 77.15 15.5 0.99 6.97 0.415 0.49 1,042 7.42 14.22 7.5 5 5 1,349 7.5 78 5.99 0.68 5.56 23.2 6.64 3.35 0.04 1.31 2.4 2.63 141 2.6 1,111 0.76 1.61 180.1 279 0.235 0.18 0.194

HOLDING FIRMS 0.305 1,790,000 78 819,080 15.5 7,679,700 0.99 1,000 7 5,100 0.42 1,580,000 0.495 20,000 1,083 294,385 7.42 580,600 14.46 7,819,200 7.58 76,100 5 1,500 5 12,000 1,380 69,755 7.5 500 78 1,587,170 5.99 26,600 0.69 109,000 5.58 752,700 23.3 2,220,800 6.65 13,903,300 3.35 3,000 0.04 8,900,000 1.41 333,000 2.44 9,698,000 2.63 9,000 144 714,150 2.6 26,000 1,123 270,115 0.76 29,000 1.61 361,000 180.1 170 282 8,240 0.27 12,640,000 0.18 180,000 0.2 20,000

532,450 63,941,654.50 120,067,826 990 35,610 667,550 9,850 314,420,560 4,323,007 112,061,332 572,634 7,500 60,720 95,709,385 3,750 124,664,324.50 162,259 74,800 4,212,514 51,952,670 92,887,425 10,050 356,800 457,380 25,278,220 23,670 103,285,139 67,600 303,890,745 22,040 581,890 30,617 2,311,302 3,435,550 32,400 3,940

12,725,114.50 -45,199,680 -88,856,975 -1,722,470 -39,949,948 13,315,610 -20,585,630 1,570,695 -6,714,455 -8,330,465 67,980 -763,420 3,996,973 -63,474,415 16,866 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.52 59 117.9 3.8 157.5 1.98 36.85 9.08 15.5 29.1 8.01 1.7 0.56 101 1.23 13.4 26 57.5 245 105 89.5 55.05 251.6 1,960 89.95 1.23

3.75 59.8 120.8 3.81 158.5 1.98 36.95 9.99 15.6 29.55 8.25 1.7 0.56 101.3 1.23 13.7 26 58.1 247 105 89.5 55.05 254 1,960 91 1.23

3.51 59 117.9 3.73 155.4 1.93 36.75 9.08 15.38 28.6 8.01 1.7 0.54 99.7 1.15 13.4 25.95 57.2 245 103 89.5 53.95 250.8 1,945 89.95 1.23

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

41.75 11.96 0.62 1.3 17.64 0.219 113 4.6 16.26 190 54.1 19.86 61.85 59.95 1.91 5.32 10.8 12.36 14.82 12.92 8.75 5.62 1.66 15.98 62.7 30.5 10.78 18.66 1.97 292 55.15 4.45 3.25 20.7 28.5 18.08 21.6 332 0.196 9.09 2.88 5.12 9.21 6.35 8.3 1.74 13.2 64.8 6.1 628 4.8 2.06 1.75 14.82 5.48 0.132 1.17 169 2.86 2.02 25 0.81

41.75 12.62 0.62 1.32 17.96 0.221 125 4.6 16.5 190 54.8 19.86 64.85 60 1.92 5.59 10.9 12.5 14.84 13.16 8.75 5.64 1.66 15.98 62.7 31.3 10.78 19.46 1.98 295 55.5 4.46 3.3 20.7 28.75 18.14 22.15 337.8 0.201 9.09 2.93 5.12 9.7 7.4 8.3 1.74 13.62 64.8 6.2 628 4.81 2.06 1.75 15.2 5.48 0.132 1.18 170.3 2.98 2.07 25 0.81

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

0.305 78.25 15.86 0.99 6.97 0.425 0.49 1,042 7.48 14.48 7.6 5 5 1,350 7.5 78.4 6.48 0.68 5.75 23.3 6.69 3.35 0.04 1.35 2.71 2.63 141 2.6 1,140 0.76 1.61 180.1 279.8 0.235 0.18 0.194

0.305 78.75 15.98 0.99 7 0.43 0.495 1,083 7.5 14.48 7.6 5 5.11 1,380 7.5 79.2 6.48 0.69 5.75 23.75 6.72 3.35 0.041 1.44 2.8 2.63 147.2 2.6 1,142 0.76 1.62 180.1 282 0.29 0.18 0.2

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

6.28 0.99 17 2.21 0.91 47.5 3.85 4.8 5.88 0.47 1.1 1.11 0.241 0.455 39.95 0.68 0.14 1.9 1.37 0.77 4.23 5.08 0.32 0.345

6.35 0.99 18.2 2.23 0.92 47.5 3.88 4.8 5.88 0.475 1.1 1.11 0.243 0.455 39.95 0.68 0.14 1.9 1.37 0.8 4.23 5.08 0.32 0.35

6.28 0.93 16.42 2.2 0.89 46.15 3.84 4.69 5.8 0.465 1.1 1.08 0.237 0.445 39.1 0.65 0.14 1.86 1.36 0.77 4.23 5 0.31 0.34

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.54 5.08 41.3 21.15 2.05 3.25 38.7 1.05 20.7 0.83 6.49

0.55 5.11 44 21.2 2.08 3.25 39.1 1.05 20.7 0.88 6.5

0.53 4.88 39.05 20.2 2.04 3.22 38.15 1.03 17 0.83 6.13

0.54 4.98 39.05 20.6 2.04 3.24 39.1 1.03 17.76 0.87 6.3

2,274,000 2,209,200 10,300 2,145,700 124,000 144,000 6,554,300 811,000 1,150,000 145,000 33,588,800

1,224,500 11,027,349 410,660 44,316,445 254,920 467,840 253,592,140 844,170 21,678,436 123,070 211,738,376

-10,162 -17,947,310 -100,750 -34,305,350 126,710 -158,302,390

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

21.75 33.75 1.34 0.435 0.05 11.86 12.84 0.069 99.6 8.82 9.24 8.36 2.83 52 980 1,750 5.9 96.95 11.28 4.65 2.84 111 13.88 8.33 0.141 1.48 3.19 15.12 4.1 1.12 22.75 0.55 5.15 9 3.7 18.3 6.2 10.58 10.26 2.89 8.75 109 7.05 1,580 1.25 0.345 53.95 97.8 5.58 3.24 1.54 3.8 4.11 0.95 9.78

22.3 33.75 1.36 0.44 0.052 11.86 12.94 0.069 99.9 8.82 9.79 9 2.99 58.4 980 1,910 5.91 108 11.28 4.95 3 114 13.98 8.33 0.141 1.69 3.3 15.12 4.44 1.13 23.4 0.55 5.2 9.09 3.71 18.3 6.45 10.7 10.96 2.89 9.38 109 7.08 1,601 1.26 0.35 54 98.6 5.74 3.24 1.56 4.16 4.11 0.96 10.1

21.6 33 1.34 0.435 0.048 11.84 12.66 0.068 98.8 8.82 9.24 8.35 2.82 48 980 1,750 5.88 88 11.26 4.62 2.8 111 13.5 8.2 0.139 1.48 3.19 15.12 4.1 1.11 22 0.53 4.69 8.85 3.65 17 6.1 10.58 10.2 2.89 8.3 107 6.99 1,570 1.25 0.345 53.6 97.2 5.58 3.09 1.52 3.65 4.04 0.94 9.62

SERVICES 22 33.2 1.35 0.44 0.05 11.84 12.78 0.068 99 8.82 9.43 8.8 2.95 48.8 980 1,899 5.89 99.2 11.26 4.95 2.81 112 13.5 8.3 0.14 1.66 3.3 15.12 4.18 1.12 22.15 0.53 4.75 8.9 3.65 18.3 6.4 10.7 10.26 2.89 9.38 107 7.02 1,601 1.25 0.35 54 98.5 5.74 3.09 1.56 4.05 4.04 0.95 9.85

198,400 51,000 188,000 1,870,000 63,150,000 300 5,815,200 31,090,000 319,270 700 6,603,000 497,300 472,000 843,580 1,200 182,045 420,200 390,350 4,300 15,287,000 117,000 1,657,910 9,000 35,800 2,830,000 8,417,000 17,000 1,600 5,109,000 867,000 2,918,400 14,000 1,763,500 5,596,000 1,347,000 1,600 53,533,600 1,100 1,700 4,000 2,900 5,000 1,766,500 486,775 979,000 290,000 185,200 348,730 89,500 1,418,000 4,325,000 24,425,000 471,000 7,633,000 9,673,700

4,335,550 1,705,380 253,630 814,250 3,148,740 3,554 74,233,140 2,115,390 31,747,301.50 6,174 63,175,154 4,379,116 1,387,710 43,782,971.50 1,176,000 341,752,255 2,475,359 38,718,033 48,452 74,558,100 336,140 185,558,657 124,040 296,793 396,590 13,480,240 55,000 24,192 21,945,970 973,530 65,662,390 7,660 8,491,103 50,013,238 4,933,830 29,020 337,216,669 11,758 17,766 11,560 24,761 536,410 12,414,434 775,368,485 1,223,820 100,200 9,980,854.50 34,331,001 504,483 4,422,550 6,637,080 97,092,560 1,910,020 7,242,890 95,305,582

-748,400 1,020.00 31,611,062 3,876,060 -473,612 -354,640 -3,010 -782,800.50 163,157,795 -6,650 2,064,110 -49,885,841 -14,940 -126,000 -37,450 594,990 -437,440 1,502,155 11,226,433 564,190 -1,687,592 -431,106 1,050,516 315,575,830 -567,500 3,607,130.50 -9,229,702.50 -530,100 5,012,630 -4,987,290 40,400.00 -530,680 15,848,073

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

0.0022 1.57 4.9 13.5 1.7 1.71 1.61 0.335 7.23 2.66 0.194 0.153 0.158 0.0095 1.69 6.55 1.4 0.47 0.92 0.013 0.012 0.012 2.37 7.1 9.4 38.6 0.0071

0.0023 1.57 4.9 13.5 1.7 1.71 1.62 0.335 7.3 2.71 0.194 0.157 0.16 0.0095 1.7 7.02 1.44 0.48 0.95 0.013 0.012 0.012 2.37 7.17 9.91 38.9 0.0071

0.0022 1.54 4.8 13.2 1.68 1.71 1.6 0.33 7.22 2.62 0.188 0.153 0.158 0.0095 1.67 6.55 1.35 0.47 0.92 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.25 7.05 9.14 38.1 0.007

MINING & OIL 0.0023 317,000,000 1.55 5,388,000 4.8 317,000 13.5 6,400 1.68 84,000 1.71 12,000 1.61 680,000 0.335 40,000 7.3 10,600 2.66 3,468,000 0.188 530,000 0.156 15,190,000 0.158 260,000 0.0095 7,000,000 1.67 238,000 6.79 9,721,000 1.44 29,000 0.48 300,000 0.95 112,000 0.012 1,700,000 0.012 200,000 0.012 245,900,000 2.25 3,000 7.05 591,600 9.88 5,777,900 38.2 1,585,000 0.007 4,000,000

697,500 8,364,150 1,537,610 86,100 141,430 20,520 1,090,760 13,300 76,600 9,279,440 100,490 2,348,750 41,280 66,500 399,360 66,650,755 41,000 143,750 105,150 22,000 2,400 2,937,100 6,990 4,218,057 55,873,722 60,993,395 28,300

-72,900 180 56,700 3,171,717 -2,064,400 712,409 -860,037 -10,596,230 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G

33.3 528 104.4 107.9 115 523 5.6 1,011 1,011 101.2 1.04 107.5 1,098 104 2 76.65 75.8 77 77

33.5 528 104.4 107.9 115 523 5.62 1,011 1,015 101.9 1.04 107.5 1,098 104 2.14 77 76 77 77

32.55 528 104 107.9 115 523 5.6 1,009 1,010 101.2 1.04 107.5 1,098 104 1.95 76.65 75.7 77 77

PREFERRED 32.55 204,400 528 170 104 3,060 107.9 20 115 8,800 523 1,800 5.6 339,900 1,009 2,000 1,015 5,610 101.9 2,000 1.04 2,020,000 107.5 80 1,098 155 104 20,180 2 35,000 77 7,930 75.7 7,900 77 4,700 77 4,000

6,771,270 89,760 318,450 2,158 1,012,000 941,400 1,903,540 2,018,010 5,691,110 202,676 2,100,800 8,600 170,190 2,098,720 69,750 609,486.50 598,203 361,900 308,000

-1,485,560.00 89,760 -1,787,060 -1,040 4,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.39

2.6

2.35

WARRANTS 2.45 1,603,000

4,021,990

-

27,794,534 169,310 4,940,310

64,307 -399,840

768,377

-

25,853

-

MS

PROPERTY 6.35 0.96 16.42 2.23 0.92 46.5 3.86 4.71 5.87 0.475 1.1 1.1 0.243 0.445 39.7 0.68 0.14 1.87 1.36 0.79 4.23 5.06 0.315 0.345

4,129,400 10,594,000 279,600 449,000 2,795,000 12,918,900 2,048,000 2,727,000 45,300 6,630,000 1,000 159,000 19,040,000 630,000 158,000 501,000 40,000 6,911,000 2,990,000 71,000 1,000 37,181,600 29,070,000 3,480,000

26,144,652 10,166,140 4,830,340 997,680 2,526,600 600,856,650 7,904,620 12,870,630 265,601 3,101,750 1,100 173,590 4,586,160 282,550 6,239,070 330,980 5,600 13,029,240 4,075,140 55,180 4,230 187,732,787 9,149,650 1,195,400

-19,894,856 295,940 7,070,180 -466,870 39,150 108,654.00 -380,550 1,100 76,570 -188,200 -100 2,123,680 4,760 557,100 -205,000 7,709,260 9,300 -424,800

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

8.53 3.74 4.5

8.53 3.74 4.72

7.95 3.51 4.5

FIRST METRO ETF

137.2

137.2

136.6

USD DMPL A1

10.3

10.3

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

22,466,037

INDUSTRIAL

85,522,950

HOLDING FIRMS

72,623,917

PROPERTY

193,502,901

SERVICES

268,910,070

MINING & OIL

620,853,732

GRAND TOTAL

1,268,412,350

10.3

8.06 3.55 4.53

SME

3,396,300 47,000 1,076,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 136.7 5,620 10.3

DDS

2,510

VALUE 2,258.15 (up) 1.42 1,781,224,174.35 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 12,016.53 (down) 73.43 1,432,750,614.60 HOLDING FIRMS 9,362.95 (up) 4.95 1,435,896,047.91 PROPERTY 4,104.47 (down) 22.49 1,736.30 (up) 39.49 1,508,180,356.15 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,234.05 (up) 44.43 2,464,360.887.48 PSEI 9,058.62 (up) 17.42 215,315,998.8948 All Shares Index 5,273.00 (up) 3.68 8,871,434,762.50 Gainers: 95; Losers: 116; Unchanged: 55; Total: 266

price of P2.68 on Friday.

Ayala Land owned a 51.05-percent stake in POPI prior to the block sale.

Ayala Land in February 2016 completed the acquisition of a majority stake in POPI through a subscription to the company’s shares worth P5.6 billion in line with the company’s strategy to expand its leasing business.

The deal enabled Ayala Land to get a hold of Tutuban Center, a bargain retail complex that sits on a 20-hectare property. The property will also be location of the North South Railway Project Transfer Station that will interconnect with the LRT 2 West Station.

Tutuban Center has 60,000 square meters of gross leasable space. The company plans to expand its retail complex to achieve 200,000 square meters of leasable space over the next two to three years.

Ayala Land earlier said it planned to redevelop Tutuban Center into a largescale mixed-use community with the introduction of additional uses, like dorminatories, schools, hospitals and office logistics.

Ayala Land has been strengthening its recurring income business by developing more shopping malls, office and hotels.

By 2020, Ayala Land aims to obtain 50 percent of total revenues from recurring businesses and the other half from residential sales.

BDO board okays cash dividends of P339.40m

By Julito G. Rada BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets and controlled by tycoon Henry Sy, will declare cash dividends on its preferred shares “A” amounting to P339.399 million.

BDO said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday its board approved the planned cash dividends at its regular meeting held on Jan. 27, 2018.

The bank said the dividends would have a “rate of 6.5 percent per annum of the par value, for a total dividend amount of P339,399,305.56, payable within 60 banking days from declaration date.”

The bank in the fourth quarter last year also declared regular cash dividends on common shares after realizing surplus profits in the first nine months of 2017.

BDO posted a net income of P20.4 billion from January to September 2017, up 5 percent year-on-year, driven mainly by the sustained growth in core lending, deposit-taking and fee-based businesses.

Net income would have grown by 17 percent after excluding extraordinary items primarily related to the consolidation of its life insurance business (BDO Life) in 2016.

Net interest income rose 23 percent to P59.8 billion on the back of the 18-percent increase in customer loan portfolio to P1.7 trillion as broad-based expansion was seen across all market segments.

Asset growth was funded by the 15-percent hike in total deposits to P2.1 trillion, buoyed by the 20-percent increase in current account/ savings account or CASE, representing 73 percent of total deposits.

Business/ World

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

B3

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, World Editor

Lawyer charged with subversion

RALLY. A still image taken from an AFPTV footage shows opposition leader Alexei Navalny taking a selfie photograph in Moscow during a rally calling for a boycott of the March 18 presidential elections on January 28, 2018. AFP

Multiple casualties in attack in Kabul KABUL―Gunmen launched a predawn raid on a military compound in Kabul on Monday, officials said, in an assault that caused multiple casualties and marked the third major attack in the city in recent days.

Defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said five soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group via its propaganda arm Amaq.

“An Afghan army battalion has come under attack this morning. The attackers wanted to breach the battalion,” Waziri told AFP, adding the raid had ended.

“Two bombers detonated themselves and two were killed by our forces and one was detained alive.

The fighting is over but unfortunately we have five deaths and 10 wounded.”

He said Afghan forces had seized a rocket, two Kalashinkovs, and a suicide vest from the attackers.

Officials said the attack was on an army battalion near the Marshal Fahim military academy where high-ranking officers are trained and which was initially identified as the target. An officer at the academy told AFP he could hear an explosion and gunfire.

The gunmen did not enter the heavily fortified compound, which is on the western outskirts of the city, an Afghan security source said.

Witnesses told AFP they heard several explosions and gunfire at around 5:00 am (0030 GMT). Security forces have swarmed the area and blocked roads leading to it, but earlier an AFP reporter at the scene could also hear explosions. AFP

BEIJING―A prominent Chinese human rights attorney has been charged with “inciting subversion of state power” and will be held in isolation far from his home, his lawyer said Monday.

Yu Wensheng, 50, was initially charged with “disrupting a public service” after he was detained by a dozen police officers as he left his Beijing apartment to walk his son to school on January 19.

But on Saturday police in the eastern city of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, added the more serious subversion accusation, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, five times longer than the first charge, according to defense lawyer Huang Hanzhong.

Police also told his family members that Yu will be held under “residential surveillance at a designated

place”, Huang told AFP. Best known for suing the Beijing government over the city’s once chronic pollution, Yu has been a persistent voice for reform despite an increasingly severe crackdown on activism under President Xi Jinping.

Hours before his detention, he had circulated an open letter calling for five reforms to China’s constitution, including the institution of multi-candidate presidential elections.

It is unclear why Xuzhou police became involved although in recent years, other rights lawyers’ cases were handled by jurisdictions far from defendants’ hometowns.

Under “residential surveillance” rules in cases concerning national security, suspects can be held for up to six months incommunicado in unofficial jails without

access to lawyers.

The Xuzhou public security department could not be reached for comment on Monday.

“I don’t know if Beijing police will remain involved.

After Yu is transferred, I will go to Xuzhou to make a request with authorities to meet him,” Huang said.

Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International, said Yu faces a “high risk of torture and other illtreatment”.

“The purpose of placing him under residential surveillance with the charge of ‘inciting subversion’ is to silence him for at least six months,” Poon said, while noting that police often slap arbitrary charges on human rights defenders.

Yu had said that in 2014 authorities imprisoned and tortured him for 99 days for allegedly “disturbing public order”. AFP

Navalny released after rally M

OSCOW―Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been freed after a brief spell in police detention in Moscow as thousands rallied against a March election expected to extend Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin term.

“I’m free,” Navalny said on Twitter late Sunday, adding: “Today has been an important day... Thanks to all those who were not afraid to fight for their rights.”

Heeding a call by Putin’s bete noire, thousands braved freezing temperatures to stage rallies in dozens of cities to protest the com-

ing “pseudo-elections,” as Navalny and his supporters refer to them.

In Moscow, Navalny chanted “Swindlers and thieves” at a rally in the city center Sunday before several police officers pounced on the 41-year-old opposition politician, knocking him to the ground and drag-

ging him on to a bus.

Authorities said earlier Navalny would be charged with organizing an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to a police station.

The opposition leader urged Muscovites not to give up.

“You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your future,” he tweeted.

About 4,000 people turned up for the unsanctioned rally in Moscow, with many chanting “Down with the czar” and brandishing placards saying “Voters’ strike.”

Authorities beefed up security, dispatching police vans and passenger buses to the city center, but police

largely refrained from arresting protesters. A crowd of protesters was later allowed to walk down to Red Square.

One group of protesters walked several kilometers and reached the government headquarters as police watched on.

Authorities estimated the Moscow turnout at around 1,000 people.

Ahead of the Moscow rally police broke into Navalny’s headquarters using a power saw. Police also detained several members of Navalny’s team.

More than 250 people were detained across the country, according to OVD-

Info, an independent monitor.

Sunday’s turnout paled in comparison to last year’s protests when tens of thousands demonstrated against corruption among Russia’s elite in March and June, 2017.

Police unleashed a severe crackdown afterwards, arresting more than 1,000 people including schoolchildren.

Navalny himself served three jail sentences of 15 days, 25 days and 20 days for organizing unauthorized protests last year.

But many protesters said Sunday authorities would not intimidate them.

“These are not elections because we already know the result,” Elena Ruzhe, 62, told AFP in Moscow.

“I’m not scared to protest,” added the former culture ministry worker.

Protester Alexandra Fedorova, who wore a fur coat, said it was wrong not to let Navalny take part in the vote.

“I don’t see a future. There is nobody to vote for,” the 27-year-old said.

Protesters expressed similar sentiments in the second city of Saint Petersburg where around 1,500 people rallied, some chanting “Russia without Putin” and “Putin is a thief.” AFP

Seine reaches peak in flood-hit capital

RESETTLEMENT PROJECT. People are seen at the Dabafayed Resettlement project for Internally displaced persons in Gode, near Kebri Dahar, southeastern Ethiopia, on January 27, 2018. AFP

EU to back Brexit demands as tensions rock May BRUSSELS―The EU will adopt demands Monday for a transition period that binds Britain by the bloc’s laws for nearly two years after Brexit, a plan that is dividing the British government.

The terms have infuriated pro-Brexit lawmakers in embattled Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party who say it leaves Britain a “vassal state” of Brussels.

European ministers will approve instructions for chief negotiator Michel Barnier for the transition, which the bloc wants to run from March 29, 2019―when Britain leaves the EU―until December 31, 2020.

The so-called negotiating directives say Britain must follow EU rules “as if it were a member state” during that time but without having any say―even on laws that are

passed after Brexit.

The EU guidelines also say the transition period must be “clearly defined and precisely limited in time”.

Talks with Barnier’s counterpart David Davis could begin as early as this week, with the aim of completing them by March so negotiations on future trade ties can start, European sources said.

But the transition negotia-

tions could be more complicated than expected, with high stakes, analysts said.

“The thing for me that is concerning is the time limiting of the transition. That is clearly inadequate for the purposes of negotiating a new trade deal and raises the specter of a new cliff edge in December 2020,” said Simon Usherwood, deputy director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank. AFP

PARIS―The swollen Seine peaked Monday at more than four meters above its normal level, leaving a lengthy mop-up job for Parisians after days of rising waters that have put the soggy city on alert.

The river rose to 5.84 meters (19.2 feet) early Monday, causing continued headaches for commuters as well as people living near its overflowing banks.

The Vigicrues flooding watchdog said the river would stay at its current level throughout the day before beginning to recede Tuesday.

Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in the greater Paris region, according to police, while a similar number of homes remain without electricity.

Tourists also suffered with the capital’s famous Bateaux Mouches rivercraft out of service, and only emergency services authorized to navigate the waterway.

The Seine did not quite reach the 2016 high of 6.1 meters, when priceless artworks had to be evacuated from the Louvre.

But the world’s most visited museum was still on alert Sunday, along with the Musee d’Orsay and Orangerie galleries, with the lower level of the Louvre’s Islamic arts wing closed to visitors at least until Monday.

A statue of an Algerian French army soldier from the Crimean War named Zouave that has guarded the river at the Pont d’Alma bridge in central Paris since 1910 was drenched up to the thighs in the muddy waters.

“Fluctuat nec mergitur [tossed but not sunk] but it’s cooold,” the Zouave statue tweeted from an account set up in its name by an anonymous admirer, using the Latin motto of the City of Paris.

Police again warned flooding aficionados against bathing or canoeing in the river, saying it was “forbidden and extremely dangerous”.

More favorable weather is expected for the week ahead, but even once the water levels start to recede forecasters and officials say it will be a slow process, as much of the ground in northern France is already waterlogged. AFP

Road Board should be straightened out, not abolished THE first time I heard of a government agency called a road board was from a speech delivered by the late, great cofounder and chairman emeritus of SGV & Co., the nation’s largest auditing firm.

Speaking at a businessmen’s meeting, Washington Sycip said that Singapore had some of the best roads in East Asia and that the Singapore Road Board was entirely responsible for that state of affairs. I came away from that meeting thinking that this country would do well to emulate Singapore and create a Road Board.

Showing equal concern about the sad state of the nation’s road system, Congress subsequently enacted Republic Act 8294, the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) Act, which authorized the collection of a charge for the privilege of using a motor vehicle and created a Road Board to manage the fund generated by the charge. Motorists have been paying the MVUC at motor vehi-

cle registration time.

R.A. 8794 set the following mandate for the use of the funds generated by the MVUC: “road maintenance, improvement of road drainage, installation of adequate and efficient traffic lights and road safety devices and road pollution control.”

That the MVUC has been a prodigious generator of funds for government operations – specifically the care and maintenance of this country’s road system—is shown by Commission on Audit (COA) data. COA has reported that from 2001 to 2012 the Road Board has reserved billions from the nation’s motor vehicle users.

Fast forward from the time of RA 8794’s passage. Today the Senate is poised to debate Senate Bill No. 1620, a public works committee-sponsored bill that consolidates three bills sponsored

by Senate president Aquilino Pimentel III and Senators Miguel Zubiri, JV Ejercito and Sherwin Gatchalian. Road

Board sentiment must be so strong if three bills have been filed against it.

The public works committee is chaired

by Senator Manny Pacquiao.

SB 1620 seeks the abolition of the Road Board and the transfer of its assets to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DTr). The Road Board’s personal would be absorbed by DPWH and the its funds would go into four special trust accounts—a special (national) road support fund, a special local road fund, a special road safety fund and a special vehicle pollution control fund— that would be set up in the National Treasury. The special vehicle pollution fund would be managed by DTr. Why the 360-degree turn in Senate —and probably Congress-wide—sentiment toward the Road Board?

One reason is the character of the Road Board’s legal mandate. Senator Pimentel has said the following: “The existence of the Road Board is redundant as its func-

tions fall within the powers and jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Transportation.” Which begs the counter-argument that this was an existing fact at the time of RA 8794’s passage.

SB 1620 stated in the clearest of terms that Road Board funds will be used only for the purposes originally envisioned, to wit, road maintenance and safety and road pollution control.

Stated differently, Road Board funds will not be usable for any other purposes. Why this clear statement of the purposes for which Road Board funds will be usable? The answer: according to COA, Road Board funds have been used for “purposes other than those mandated by law.” To make matters worse, the Road Board had, according to COA, had yet to submit, as of 2016, liquidation reports covering the projects funded with Road Board funds.

A further reason for the deep Senate disenchantment with the Road Board

is the high ratio of operating expenses – salaries, allowances and other personnel-related spending – to capital expenses. COA has placed operating expenses from 2004 to 2008 at no less than P515.5 million.

There is a right conclusion and a wrong conclusion to be drawn from this country’s experience with the Road Board. The right conclusion is that RA 8794 has not been implemented properly; there has been gross misuse of resources through corruption and unsound spending. The wrong conclusion is that the Road Board idea should be abandoned. The train has gone off the tracks, but the rail service is still a great idea.

A brief closing memo to Senator Pacquiao and his SB 1620 colleagues: Don’t abolish the Road Board; straighten it out with good, tight amendments to RA 8794. Just fix the shortcomings of the law.# E-mail: romero.business.class@gmail.com

QC buys 100 rifles for cops worth P17.8m

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

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By Rio N. Araja

tuesday, january 30, 2018

LGUs LocaL government units

VETERANS’ PARK. Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (third from left) leads the opening of the Liwasan ng mga Bayani, a recreational park for war veterans in the city,

last Saturday at Barangay Alabang across the Barangay Hall. Joining Fresnedi are Muntinlupa World War II veterans and city government officials. Muntinlupa will also construct a monument in the park.

BoC Subic to host lecture on TRAIN SUBIC BAY FREEPORT―The Bureau of Customs in Subic will hold a lecture on the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law for stakeholders and port users of the Freeport on Feb. 1.

“The earlier they are informed and educated, the better to be able to alleviate and diminish their apprehension on both CMTA and TRAIN,” new BoC Subic district collector Fidel Villanueva IV said.

“In sync with our slogan ‘Ease of Doing Business with Subic Customs,’ we want to immediately inform and educate our partners on the effect and impact of the new laws,” he added.

The lecture will be held in coordination with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Villanueva said.

Last Friday, BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma spearheaded the viewing of three illegal shipments here seized by the Port of Subic for violations of Customs laws.

The confiscated shipments consisted of Thailand white rice, Vespa scooters, and luxury liquors with an aggregate value of P80 million, BoCSubic said. Butch Gunio

QUEZON City, through Mayor Herbert Bautista, has donated 100 units of firearms worth P17.8 million to the Quezon City Police District.

The 37-member city council had passed Resolution No. 7224, giving Bautista the go signal to procure 100 units of caliber 5.56 MMX45 Nato rifles to help the Philippine National Police enhance its operational capability and mandated law enforcement duties.

District 2 Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica authored the measure.

“It is the policy of the Quezon City government to ensure the safety and welfare of its people by providing our personnel with all the necessary support to ensure operational efficiency,” the resolution read.

Meanwhile, Bautista called for the collective action for the protection of the environment during the opening of the 4th Eco Waste Management Summit at ABSCBN Tent, Vertis North last Thursday.

The mayor said it is through the collective efforts and genuine love for the environment that people are able to sustain their shared responsibilities.

Muslims back ARC bill

By Dexter A. See

M

USLIM leaders have committed their all-out support to the passage of House Bill 5343, which seeks to establish the Autonomous Region in the Cordillera or ARC that would sustain efforts to preserve and protect the rich culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples in the region.

House Deputy Speaker and Maguindanao 1st District Rep. Bai Sandra A. Sema, who personally attended the 1st Congressional Forum on Cordillera Auton-

omy held here Wednesday, said the Bangsamoro and the Cordillera regions share commonalities, such as colonizers’ failure to invade both areas.

Sema said Muslims and Cordillerans were also able to preserve and protect their distinct culture and traditions for centuries.

While assuring the support of Muslim lawmakers for the passage of the bill, Sema also solicited the support of Cordillera lawmakers to enact the revised version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which has been filed in both chambers of Congress.

It would help these areas to realize their autonomous status ahead of the Duterte administration’s planned

shift to a federal form of government, the lawmaker said.

The Maguindanao solon asserted that in the case of the Bangsamoro territory, it will remain as part of the Philippines, contrary to an earlier proposal that seeks its independence.

An autonomous region “remains the best option” to address the historical injustices committed by the national government against the Muslims and the Cordillerans during the previous administrations,” she said.

“We join the clamor of our brothers and sisters in the Cordillera for the enactment of their proposed autonomy law side by side with the passage of the BBL, so that we will be able to reap the fruits of the constitutional provision that mandates the establishment of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera,” Sema stressed.

Commissioner Jose Lorena of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission offered to assist the Cordillera Regional Development

Council to conduct smallgroup discussions among autonomy advocates.

They would share their best practices in working out the proposed Cordillera autonomy bill and the BBL in both chambers of Congress, Lorena added.

Autonomy in Mindanao and the Cordillera will definitely enhance the development potential of both areas, he added, because its residents will have the chance to craft their own programs and projects beneficial to the majority of the populace.

Mt. Province gov cites village, tourism gains

Maranao folk in Madalum, Lanao del Sur continue to hope for the passage of a Bangsamoro Basic Law and wished for the success of a nationwide campaign for federalism, as Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño (right) speaks at a federalism forum in Lala, Lanao del Norte. Abe Almirol

Lanao Sur leaders push for federalism to pave way for BBL

By Abe Almirol MADALUM, Lanao del Sur— Leaders of this predominantly Muslim community gathered hundreds of men and women on Saturday to hear speakers talk on federalism and the Bangsamoro Basic Law. “Participants came all the way from Basilan and other towns

around Lake Lanao. Our hopes for a BBL have a bigger chance now that the whole nation seems to support federalism,” said Lanao Del Sur Board Member Abdulhamid Amerbitor.

The forum organizers were professor Lominog Lao, Sultan Minupon Guru, and Amerbitor. They are known local organizers of MRRD-NECC,

a group actively pursuing President Rodrigo Duterte’s agenda seeking a shift to a federal government customized to a Philippine setting.

“We thank our guest speakers, Undersecretary Virginia Orogo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Usec.

Emily Padilla of the Department of Agrarian Reform, who came all the

NV sets Jan. 31 as cleanup day BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— This province has set Wednesday, Jan. 31, as the synchronized cleanup day in support of the Zero Waste Month celebration.

Maybelle Blossom Dumlao-Sevillena, provincial administrator, issued Memorandum No. 01-Series of 2018 in support of the Zero Waste Month through Presidential Proclamation No. 760, which requires a cleanup drive within government offices inside and outside the provincial capitol, to ensure cleanliness and proper waste segregation and collection.

“With this proclamation, government and other sectors are encour-

aged to extend their full support and participation in all programs and activities leading to this celebration,” she said.

Dumlao-Sevillena said the cleanup drive, which also required employees to bring their working tools, will start at 4 p.m.

Zero Waste is an advocacy that promotes designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste materials toward conserving and recovering all resources, instead of indiscriminately disposing and burning them.

Ben Moses Ebreo

way from Metro Manila to join us today,” Amerbitor said.

Amerbitor also toured Orogo to the area badly damaged by a huge landslide during the onslaught of Typhoon “Vinta” on Dec. 22.

“In this spot in Madalum alone, 18 lives were taken, other spots like this in Balindong also have casualties,” Amerbitor added.

BONTOC, Mountain Province―Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. recently delivered his State of the Province Address or SOPA before the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and a select audience of mostly heads of provincial offices.

The SOPA, which took more than an hour, is a mandated task of the provincial executive per the Local Government Code to narrate the accomplishments of the provincial government and to ask the legislative body for actions needed to help in governance.

“On top of our signature programs is the Barangay Muna Program, where we were able to implement special programs and various assistance to barangays and civil society groups,” Lacwasan said.

The governor said the province extended P6.7 million in aid to the barangays, and distributed equipment and supplies to 44 barangays and civil society groups worth P1.9 million.

This is aside from the infrastructure projects that were implemented in the various municipalities and barangays in the past year,

Lacwasan said.

In the poultry and livestock development program lodged under the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian, a total of 9,250 heads of bounty chicken were dispersed to 1,467 beneficiaries from the 86 organizations in seven municipalities, the governor noted, along with 19 goats dispersed to beneficiaries in Paracelis.

According to executive assistant June Pinayakan, the focal person of the provincial Poultry and Livestock Development Program, 15 goats remain to be given to Sagada, Bauko, and beneficiaries from other municipalities.

“The program on livestock will be the same for 2018,” he said.

On tourism, Lacwasan said the Provincial Tourism Office made validations and geo-tagging of tourism spots as part of the preparation of the tourism development plan, and continued promotion activities for tourism in print and broadcast media.

Mountain Province hosted a total of 193,702 tourist arrivals for the year 2017, a 15-percent increase from the previous year, the governor noted. Dexter A. See

DIGGING STORIES. The seminar-workshops in Surigao City for Mindanao and Baguio City (pictured) for the Luzon-NCR leg this month complete the media training series on covering the mining and oil and gas industries organized by the Philippine Press Institute in partnership with the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Secretariat.

About 59 journalists from PPImember publications and other media outfits and platforms attended all three workshops that kicked off in Cebu City last December for the Visayas leg. The second phase of the partnership will be submission and approval of story proposals from PPI members, non-members and freelance journalists with corresponding grants amounting up to P20,000. Deadline is Feb. 5.

O

Ne can tell by the way the colors come to life that the long months of preparation are indeed worth it. Sinulog is a much awaited festival in the beautiful Cebu City. It’s a time when Filipinos celebrate their devotion to Sto. Niño, chanting Pit Senyor as a declaration of their faith. Two weekends past, leading telco and digital services provider PLDT and its wireless brands, Smart and Sun, added cheer to the country’s biggest festival.

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com tuesday, januaRy 30, 2018

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Bringing Sinulog closer to the world

The PLDT Group brought the Sinulog Festival experience closer to Filipinos worldwide. PLDT Home and Smart collaborated with local partners to livestream the highlights of the festival, including the Novena Masses at Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, solemn procession and Mass, and the Sinulog Grand Parade, among others.

PLDT also made the Sinulog 2018 Festival even more alive by featuring exciting activities for festivalgoers, such as a do-it-yourself arts and crafts and face paint at PLDT Home booths.

PLDT employees and guests gathered around the PLDT Home booths located at the PLDT Jones Office. PLDT ComRel also sponsored a simple salosalo for the employees and some guests in celebration of the feast of Sto. Niño.

They also sponsored the Sto. Niño garden decoration in front of the PLDT Jones office. It was indeed a community celebration as PLDT employees give honorto Señor Sto. Niño.

Meanwhile, Smart put up an interactive Selfie City at Fuente Circle, which allowed festivalgoers to take colorful photos and share them online using the hashtag #MySinulogStory.

The brand also put up the Smart Hub, which featured must-see places and festival highlights, and allowed subscribers to enjoy free Wi-Fi and charging services, and free LTe SIM upgrade, as well as book their Uber transport conveniently.

A halad for Sto. Niño

“PLDT has always shown its support in the Sinulog Festival as it continuously powers one of our country’s grandest celebrations. This year is the biggest one yet for the Company as it collaborates with both Smart and Sun in bringing the best Sinulog experience to date,” PLDT CommunityRelations (ComRel) Division Head Katherine Diaz De Rivera said.

PLDT, through its ComRel Division, participated in the Miss Sinulog Festival Queen 2018, a pageant that brings

Life travel and leisure

FESTIVITIES ON THE SIDE. Festivalgoers gathered at the PLDT Home booth in PLDT Jones to watch the Sinulog dance performance.

PLDT Group elevates

sinulog 2018 experience together inspiring ladies within the Visayas region including Samar, Leyte, and Cebu.

The Company gave the Miss PLDT Award to 21-year old Shyla Mae Rebortera, who was also hailed as this year’s Miss Sinulog Festival Queen 2018.

Hailing from Talisay City, Rebortera is a fifth year dentistry student at Cebu Doctors’ University. “I am so grateful because since Day 1, Sto Niño has really blessed

me in so many ways. That’s why I’m offering up my crown to him - this is my halad for him,” Rebortera said.

As Miss Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 and Miss PLDT, Rebortera bagged a free six-month Home Fibr Plan 1899 subscription, and took home premium items from both PLDT and Smart, on top of other prizes.

The Sinulog Festival Grand Parade, held at the sports complex, which is

the main highlight of the Festival that showcased the culture and talent of the Cebuanos. It is a true mark of every Cebuano’s dedication to give homage to Sto. Niño. Indeed, so much time and effort were allotted in making the festival colorful and alive.

led by Sinulog Life Dance, a dance music festival that showcased international talents such as Yellow Claw, Coone, Arty, and Fehrplay, and some of our country’s best beatmakers including Smart Ambassador Nix Damn P, Deuce, and John Sedano. Smart also helped mount the Wet Weekend held at the Cebu Yacht Leveled-up celebration Club featuring Smart Ambassadors DJ To level up the celebration, Smart also Ace Ramos and MC Pao, as well as the backed the Sinulog’s hottest gatherings Turn to C2

PLDT Group added fun and color to the 2018 Sinulog festival in Cebu; Miss Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 Shyla Mae Rebortera was named Miss PLDT, do-it-yourself face paint and arts and crafts attracted guests to the PLDT Home booths

NeW Zealand has been named top golf destination in the Asia Pacific region by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators for the second time.

The award is given to the country that has delivered a great experience for golf travellers and is voted on by golf tour operators across the globe.

With close to 400 courses, New Zealand is second only to Scotland for the most golf courses per-capita in the world and offers a wide range of experiences for any level of player.

Golfers can take on a fantastic mix of world-class championship courses and play small country courses run by local volunteers. New Zealand’s golf courses offer incredible variety in scenery, from ocean front subtropical courses in the north to alpine settings in the south.

“This is a great result and fantastic recognition of the work the industry and Tourism New Zealand have done to showcase the country’s world class golf offering,” says Tourism Chief executive Stephen England-Hall.

“An award like this gives New Zealand incredible international exposure as a must visit golfing destination.”

Peter Walton, IAGTO chief executive says “New Zealand’s transition from a ‘hidden gem’ to a much sought after golf destination is the combined work of the private and public sectors, which have pooled their resources and

The awards

New Zealand wins top Asia Pacific golf destination award New Zealand golf courses offer incredible variety in scenery, from ocean front subtropical in the north to alpine settings in the south

experience to position New Zealand to attract ever-larger numbers of highspending golf visitors.

The proof is in the numbers, with golf tourism to New Zealand rising rapidly over the past couple of years,

as more and more golfers seek the spectacular and unique.”

New Zealand hosted three international golf events in 2017, the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open, the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and the first

ever LPGA sanctioned event the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open.

International golfers deliver millions to New Zealand’s economy each year, staying significantly longer and spending more than the average visitor.

The IAGTO Awards, held annually by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators since 2000, showcase the best golf destinations and resorts as voted for by the world’s golf tour operators and golf travel writers.

The award was announced at the International Golf Travel Market in the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France, in front of an audience of 1300 international golf tourism delegates. IAGTO is the global trade organization for the golf tourism industry, comprising over 2220 accredited golf tour operators, golf resorts, hotels, golf courses, receptive operators, airlines, tourist boards, approved media and business partners in 98 countries. IAGTO operators control over 85 percent of golf holiday packages sold worldwide and their combined annual turnover exceeded €1.5 billion in 2016.

Tourism New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand markets New Zealand to the world as a visitor destination. Around 3.4 million overseas visitors came to New Zealand. International tourism is New Zealand’s top export earner, contributing $14.5 billion into the economy and directly employing over 188,000 people for the year ending March 2016.

For more information, please visit www.tourismnewzealand.com

Life

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tuesday, january 30, 2018 isahred@gmail.com

Riding their way

to a bigger and more colorful Sinulog

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EBU’S Sinulog festival, a weeklong extravaganza full of bright colors and festive music is one of the country’s biggest and most anticipated festivals.

With a growing number of tourists coming to Cebu for the Sinulog festival every year, going from place to place has become an unnecessary inconvenience, taking away some of the fun, and leaving them with some not-so-desired memories of the festival. Fighting for that last passenger seat and wasting precious hours in traffic often leaves festivalgoers disappointed.

This makes people wonder: has the Sinulog fun really gone away? Not with Grab, it hasn’t.

All you need is Grab

All it really took was to have Grab app on your phones. As a proud partner of the festival for three years in a row, Southeast Asia’s leading on-demand transportation and mobile payments platform wanted to make sure that Sinulog 2018 stayed as fun and colorful.

“Cebu is one of Grab’s biggest and most important markets in the country.

More than just bringing Cebuanos from point A to B, we want our passengers to

Ex-PBB housmate Paul Jake Castillo strikes a pose next to Sinulog-themed Grab Car

get more value with every ride through fun and rewarding moments. Every ride taken with Grab earns them GrabRewards points, which they can use to redeem exciting offers and freebies. “ “We wanted to let Cebuanos know that there’s so much more to a ride and that the fun can start even before getting to their destinations,” said Raenald de Jesus,

Divine Maitland-Smith claiming her Grab Reward at the Grab Redemption Booth

Grab Philippines’ deputy country marketing head. “We lined-up special promotions and activities during the festival and we saw how our passengers enjoyed the celebration,” added De Jesus.

rewarded existing Grab users.

A special promo code that entitled users to discount during the festival to and from destinations such as Fuente Osmena, Basilica del Santo Nino, Plaza Independencia, and Cebu City Sports Sinulog Time is Rewards Time Complex in Abellana was provided.

Exciting events and offers were Festival essentials such as caps, shirts, abound during the Sinulog festival, as it water bottles and more were up for grabs

A quantum measure of delight

Royal Caribbean’s 4-year old megaship, Quantum of the Seas

As in my other Royal Caribbean cruises, the ship’s captain, Norwegian Erik Standhal, hosted a cocktail party at the Royal Esplanade that same evening, with all of us guests dressed in our formals. He officially welcomed us to the cruise and, at the same time, introduced the officers of his 1597 crewmembers composed of 51 nationalities, mercury rising 27 percent of which were Filipinos.

BY BOB zOzOBRADO After a lavish Chinese feast for dinner at the ship’s premium Chinese resI’vE been on cruises to different parts taurant, Silk, I joined the other passenof the world a total of seven times, four gers watch a colorful and entertaining of which were on Royal Caribbean, Las vegas-type show at the 1500-caupon which I have benchmarked all pacity Royal Theater located at the the other sea voyages I have embarked ship’s stern. on. I always go for comfort and style When the show ended, my friends and in my travels and I have always felt that I trooped to Sorrento’s for some honestthis cruise line company’s standard of to-goodness pizza, of which they had service and well-designed facilities are a rich variety to choose from. While what fastidious travelers look for. I enjoying our midnight snack, my mind guess, when you spend an arm and a leg drifted back to the reasons why the for a trip, you deserve nothing less. cruise line industry is the fastest growBut, it’s been almost 15 years since I ing segment of worldwide tourism. The last sailed on one of Royal Caribbean’s price tag for a cruise comes out much megaships, that’s why I was thrilled to cheaper because accomhave another opportunity modations are already into experience its lofty cluded in the price, with standard of service and non-stop meals to boot! excellent facilities once YOUR TUESDAY CHUCKLE Small wonder Royal again through the QuanA cockroach’s last words to a man who wanted to kill it: Caribbean continues to tum of the Seas.

“Go ahead and kill me, you coward! You’re just jealous build bigger and bigger The four-year old because I can scare your wife and you cannot!” ships. In fact, in April Quantum of the Seas, this year, it will roll out built in Germany at a cost what will be the biggest of $935 million, can carluxury ship in the world, ry a total of 4905 guests and 1500 crew. It has 2090 staterooms, full schedule: In the morning, I watched the Symphony of the Seas, which can its official name for cabins, 75 percent those daring passengers who tried the carry a total of 6780 passengers. It will have balconies. The company banners Ripcord, where one drops off from the be more like a city than a ship. Because them as the largest and most advanced top of something that looks like a crane of its massive structure, the ship will staterooms ever, and I certainly agree at the topmost part of the ship, simulat- offer passengers seven “districts” to because mine was large enough for me ing the experience of a skydiver jump- choose from.

The quantum measure of fun, exciteing off from a plane. to host a small cocktail party.

In late afternoon, I had fun watch- ment and relaxation I had at the QuanThe ship has a total of 18 decks (floors), but only 16 are accessible to ing the DreamWorks cartoon charac- tum of the Seas is enough to convince guests. Upon embarkation, I immedi- ters jazzing up the ship’s atrium lobby, me that Royal Caribbean’s forthcoming ately noticed that the 16 guest elevators Royal Esplanade, eliciting screams of mammoth megaship is certainly anothwere moving up and down, non-stop, as delight from the tiny ones who were ac- er tourism tool to look forward to. the ship was running on a 95 percent companied by their parents who were For feedback, I’m at load factor. Of the 4684 passengers on taking photos from every imaginable bobzozobrado@gmail.com this cruise, it was not surprising that 94 angle. percent were Chinese. The ship’s homeport is Shanghai.

Because of the sheer size of the ship and the various facilities located mostly on both ends, I have to admit that, as in my previous Royal Caribbean cruises, it took me quite some time to be good at directions. On the first two days, I’d go to the wrong decks and go forward instead of aft, and vice versa. Of course, as the cruise progressed, going anywhere in the ship eventually became a no-brainer.

For people like me who travel and want variety in their meals, that wasn’t a problem because the ship has a total of 19 restaurants. The offerings cover the entire spectrum of choices---American, Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, Japanese, French, etc., served buffet or a la carte. In fact, there were too many choices that I found myself spending time deliberating on what menu I would want for my next meal.

Getting bored while at sea never happened either. On Day 1 alone, I had a

PLDT...

From C1

Plus63 Music Festival at Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City, headlined by no less than Swedish House Mafia member Steve Angello.

Sun, on the other hand, brought its bigtime and best-value offers closer to subscribers through its booths all over the festival area.

Meanwhile, voyager Innovations, the digital arm of the PLDT group joined the festivities and brought digital to the hands of festival goers in Cebu with its products: Freenet, PayMaya, and Smart Padala. Freenet, voyager’s free internet platform, enabled Cebuanos to access their favorite apps and sites, free of data charge. Freenet roving vans also travelled all over the festival area to give out freebies during the celebration and capped off the

festival with its very own float at the Sinulog 2018 Grand Parade.

Just in time for the festivities, PayMaya Philippines treated Cebuanos with a 10 percent rebate on purchases made at The SM Store Seaside and The SM Store Delgado using PayMaya QR, up to April 15.

Smart Padala, the country’s leading remittance service provider, made sending and receiving money a whole lot easier for festival goers through its

at the special GrabRewards redemption booth at Plaza La Independencia. Using their available GrabRewards points, users were a few clicks away from claiming these offers. Spotted at the redemption booth claiming their rewards were fashion designer Kymberly MaitlandSmith, musician Divine MaitlandSmith, and actor Paul Jake Castillo.

Grab also partnered up with select establishments that were nearby, accessible, and preferred, such as House of Lechon -- a well-loved signature Cebuano restaurant that serves some of the best roasted pig in town. Grab users enjoyed discounts on their orders as they dined at House of Lechon, which was available on the GrabRewards catalogue.

“We are very thankful for the support of our Cebuano users over the past years. This year’s Grab Sinulog celebration was our way of saying ‘Thank You’. We are continuously looking for ways to make your Grab rides more rewarding and we hope to celebrate more fun years of Sinulog,” De Jesus added.

Grab continues to be the preferred transportation option of Filipinos, and wants to be visible in major festivals in the Philippines to show that getting from point A to point B can truly be fun and rewarding. With Grab, the fun and the rewards are here to stay.

How to scam-proof your travel abroad TRAvELLING is a great way to unwind and enjoy what life has to offer, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be mindful of your safety.

Scams abound in every part of the world. As the travel industry grows in popularity, scammers and other criminals are also growing in numbers, devising ways to trick unsuspecting tourists from transportation overcharge and forced purchases to ATM skimming and credit card fraud.

PSBank advises travelers to exercise caution when setting foot in foreign lands. Here are some safety measures you can take for a scam-free and enjoyable vacation:

PSBank shares tips on enjoying your vacation safe from scams

Inform your bank or Credit Card ‘secure’, a lock icon on your browser is Company if you’re travelling another indication that the site you are on is safe to use. When booking plane outside of the country.

Although most banks have systems in place where they will send you an SMS alert to confirm a purchase before they are processed, and/or a text message and email notification to inform you of your transactions, you will be helping your bank monitor and secure your accounts from any suspicious usage by informing them of your travel plans. This way your bank won’t assume that your debit, prepaid or credit card is being used fraudulently and block it.

tickets and hotels, or when making online purchases, make sure you can see the padlock symbol in the address bar, before you provide your personal or financial details.

Keep your card visible when making payments.

When paying for your purchases and services using your debit or credit card, make sure that they process your payment in your presence. This way, your card is visible and always with you. Thus, preBe wary of public WiFi. Hackers can easily set up “free” venting multiple unauthorized card public WiFi networks and bait people swipes and skimming. to use them so they can sniff your login passwords or use your accounts while Monitor your accounts regularly.

Monitor your accounts even when you’re still logged in to the websites without the need for your password. you are abroad to ensure that there are Always ask the hotel, coffee shop or no unauthorized transactions. For added airport personnel their valid WiFi hot- security to PSBank Debit and Prepaid spots for guests. If you have to connect Mastercard cardholders, turn on the to a free WiFi network, never use it to ATM Lock feature in your PSBank Onlog in to your email, social media or line or PSBank Mobile App to keep your account safe from ATM skimming and bank accounts. other card-based electronic fraud.

Never provide debit or credit card Be vigilant. details via phone, text or email.

If you think that your bank account has been compromised or noticed any suspicious movements, report it immediately by calling your bank’s customer service hotline.

“Learning how to secure your accounts and avoid obvious threats goes a long way in protecting your personal information and money most especially when you travel,” says PSBank First Look for the lock.

Aside from a web address that be- vice President for Information Secugins with “https:” where “s” stands for rity Dan Jose Duplito.

Emails and texts were not created with data privacy in mind. Unencrypted email is an unsecure way to send sensitive information. Emails, SMS, or phone calls can be hacked, spoofed, and eavesdropped. When travelling, it is best to avoid providing personal and financial information through these channels.

booth at Plaza Independencia. Customers who made their transactions at the booth also received freebies from the brand.

Ending the Sinulog experience, the grand procession for Sto. Niño held at Plaza Independencia gathered everyone from all walks of life. A Holy Mass was also held at the Cebu City Sports Complex on Sunday before the Sinulog 2018 Grand Parade Kick-off.

It was officiated by Msgr. Roberto F.

Alesna, P.A., the Parish Priest of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Lahug, Cebu City.

The Holy Mass blessed all the sacrifices made during the festival - a true validation of all the effortsdone by the Cebuanos in honor of Sto. Niño.

It was an experience like never before - one that simply bind everyone by their faith and devotion alone. All for the goodness and greatness of the divine Sto. Niño.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

C3

Win Wanderland 2018 tickets with Globe GoSURF

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera received the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Special Recognition for Entertainment.

Kapuso actor Miguel Tanfelix received the Dangal ng Bayan Special Recognition for Entertainment at the “1st Dangal ng Bayan Awards” by the National College of Science & Technology (NCST).

GMA Network’s primetime newscast 24 Oras won the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Communication. The award was received by Senior Correspondent Aubrey Carampel.

GMA Network wins Media Excellence Award GMA Network won big at the 1st Dangal ng Bayan Awards by the National College of Science & Technology (NCST), taking home the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Engineering on January 12 in Cavite.

The Network’s primetime newscast 24 Oras received the Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Communication while news website GMA News Online was cited in the Information Technology and Innovation category.

Several programs of leading local news channel GMA News TV were also cited by NCST. Travel and adventure program Biyahe ni Drew won the Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Tourism. Lifestyle show Pop Talk, on the other hand, received the Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence for Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Winning the Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Architecture was Powerhouse, a magazine show that aired from 2011 to 1016.

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera and young Kapuso actor Miguel Tanfelix, meanwhile, were both given the Dangal ng Bayan Special

Recognition for Entertainment.

The 1st NCST Dangal ng Bayan Awards gives recognition to individuals and institutions that dedicate themselves to becoming agents of change and making a difference to the nation. The NCST is a well-established academic institution in Dasmariñas, Cavite and is one of the premiere colleges in CALABARZON catering to more than 7,000 students.

GMA Network won the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Engineering. Receiving the award is Engr. Ricardo L. Cabral, head of GMA Network’s Metro Manila Transmission Operations Division, Transmission and Regional Engineering Department.

GMA Network won the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Engineering. Receiving the award from NCST President and Chief Executive Officer Emerson B. Atanacio (fourth from left) is Engr. Ricardo L. Cabral (fourth from right), head of GMA Network’s Metro Manila Transmission Operations Division, Transmission and Regional Engineering Department.

GMA Network’s news website GMA News Online won the NCST Dangal ng Bayan Media Excellence Award for Information Technology and Innovation. Receiving the award is Ms. Maricar Buenafe, Assistant Manager for Administration and Finance of GMA News Online (fourth from left).

W

ILL you be one of the lucky few to become Wanderers?

Globe Telecom and Karpos Multimedia open 2018 with an awesome music and art extravaganza that’s guaranteed to get you hyped and ready to jam out with friends. On March 10, Wanderers are set to head on to the Filinvest City Event Grounds in Alabang for this year’s Wanderland Music and Arts Festival.

Now on its sixth run, the loyal Wanderland Community is in for a heightened musical experience with amazing performances by both local and international bands such as Irish band Kodaline, FKJ, Daniel Caesar, Lauv, Jess Connelly, Quest, IV of Spades, Ben&Ben, and Wanderband winnersBasically Saturday Night, Carousel Casualties, plus three more acts to be announced soon. There’s even something for art enthusiasts as four Wanderartists - JP Pining, Sam Bumanlag, Humbly, and Cholo Cardenas - will showcase their art live at the festival.

ABS-CBN TVplus is grateful to all the families that have made it a part of their lives and welcomed it into their homes since 2015. And now, it would like to thank its more than four million TVplus users through its Masaganang Pa-Thank You promo.

Four Filipino households will each win a house and lot from Lumina Homes. Also up for grabs are 1,200 MyPhone myA8 DTV smartphones, 50 Octagon gift certificates worth P4,000 each, and 120 Boardwalk gift certificates worth P4,000 each.

This raffle is open to all TVpluser users, new or old, until May 27. To participate, text JOIN(space)<TVplus BOX ID>/<name>/<address> to 2366.

There will be four monthly draws wherein users can win these exciting prizes. Watch out for these draws on Feb. 26, March 26, April 30, and May 28.

Winners will be announced through the Facebook page of ABS-CBN TVplus, on

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

wds.)

Cheyenne meet Singer Ives Herb or guru Windy City airport 63 Helm position 64 Begged 65 Sahara wanderer 58 60 61 62

DOWN 1 Injury memento 2 Decorated tinware 3 Amino — 4 Palm off 5 Not succeeding 6 Not shy in the least 7 Cookie man 8 Winemaking valley 9 Distinct period 10 Time of the mammoths (2 wds.)

11 Brownie morsels 12 Hieroglyphics bird 13 Baja snack 19 Musical signs 22 Stovepipe, maybe 24 Volcano fissure 25 Audition goal 26 Nave neighbor

27 Cheer for the diva 28 Boot bottoms 29 Creepy 30 Paddle cousins 31 Concrete reinforcer 32 Excalibur, e.g.

34 In a while 36 Winds down 38 Grimace 39 Furry Jedi ally 41 Eccentric 42 Wing flap 44 High-pitched

As everyone counts down to festival day, Globe wants more fans to get a chance to enjoy Wanderland. Fortunately, 15 lucky subscribers will win two tickets each to Wanderland! The promo is open to all Globe Prepaid or TM customers who have registered to any GoSURF variants until Feb.15.

Winners will be drawn on the

‘Masaganang Pa-Thank You’ promo launched

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Flagpole 6 Windmill blade 10 — — for keeps 14 Winter warmer 15 — Khayyam 16 Havana’s island 17 Excuse 18 A-OK 20 Whodunit herring 21 Dalai Lama’s city 23 Roundup need 24 Perfume holder 25 Not decaf 26 Somewhere else 29 Tweeter opposites 33 Point of an antler 34 Makes airtight 35 Cheviot mama 37 Ocean mineral 38 Ripple pattern 39 Poet’s black 40 Festive night 41 Entrances 42 Heisman Trophy 43 Flabbergast 45 Glacial inlets (var.)

46 Country addr.

47 Lion’s share 48 Valuable holding 51 Hazard a guess 53 Blond shade 56 Hidden danger (2

Wanderland is an immersive musical experience that features performances by local and international acts

45 Lots of laughs 47 Man or ostrich 48 “Dancing Queen” group 49 Kind of mate 50 Blister or scrape 51 Uttered 52 Use a beeper 53 Mr. Sandler 54 Immunity shots 55 Chopped weeds 57 Recipe meas.

59 Gloating cry

the ABS-CBN TVplus website, and through a TV commercial. Winners will also receive an official letter through mail.

An ABS-CBN TVplus BOX ID may only be registered once, with every successful registration considered as one raffle entry. A registered TVplus BOX ID may only win once.

Non-TVplus users may still join the raffle by purchasing an ABS-CBN TVplus and becoming one of the millions of Filipino families made stronger by bonding over watching TV together.

ABS-CBN TVplus or more popularly known as the ‘mahiwagang black box,’ is a digital box that detects, receives, and broadcasts available digital signals on TV. It allows Filipino families watch richer and clearer picture and sound at home to enhance their family bonding and TV viewing experience.

Visit www.abs-cbntvplus. com or its office Facebook page for more information

following day.

For every GoSURF promo registered, the subscriber earns one raffle entry per P5 charged.

To validate your entries, text RAFFLE REG <Name/Address/ Email/Age/Gender> to 2362. To check the total number of entries, send RAFFLE ENTRIES to 2362. To know more about the

promo, send RAFFLE INFO to 2362.

All contest winners will be notified by a call and text from an authorized Globe representative.

Follow the official Globe Facebook and Twitter pages for more details and the announcement of winners.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

ISAH V. RED

YOUNG

IRIGUEÑO is pop music’s newest sensation

H

E’S ONLY 17, yet Brian Gazmen, a Senior High School student at Ateneo de Manila University, is now making ripples in show business as the music video of his single “Ayoko Nang Makarinig ng Love Song” (by songwriter/movie director Joven Tan) was launched recently.

Brian is the youngest son of Madeleine Alfelor Gazmen, mayor of Iriga City in Camarines Sur province. She was the doting mom of the young pubescent singer when he met with members of the press at Novotel Hotel at the Araneta Center.

Director Tan who is also managing the young man has high hopes Brian would succeed not only as a singer but as an actor as well. After all, the Bicolano has had appearances in some of the TV’s highest rating drama series, like La Luna Sangre (he recalled his scenes with heartthrob Richard Gutierrez), to grossing films like Seven Sundays and I Love You to the Stars and Back.

He has had some exposure in the legal drama Ipaglaban Mo. So, how did an heir to one Bicolandia’s powerful political families get bitten by the showbiz bug, so to speak?

“Hilig ko po talaga,” he said in flawless Filipino (but he also says he’s very fluent in his mom’s dialect – Rinconada, one of the scores of dialects in the Bicol region). “I attended acting workshops and the later went to try his luck via auditions. Kahit mahirapan po I really do my best!”

Brian is no stranger to acting as even at a young age he already tried his mettle on stage when he signed with Trunpets, a theater company.

He was in the cast of Hairspray: The Musical that allowed him as well to try his vocal pipes and see if he could carry a tune. And he did and so he decided to pursue a career in singing.

His mother has had no objections, albeit was very encouraging of her youngest child.

I remember this young man when he was a chubby grade school kid who’d entertain the movie press his mother invited to Iriga City on many occasions. But little did I anticipate that he’d grow old wanting to be in the industry that I was moving around in.

When I saw him that day at Novotel, my eyes almost dropped on the floor. Incredulous I was to see a fit teenager that didn’t have any trace as a chubby child in Iriga.

“Ayoko Nang Makarinig ng Love Song,” is under Star Music, and Joven Tan who penned the ditty is also the guy behind “Ano’ng Nangyari sa Ating Dalawa,” interpreted by Aiza Seguerra.

I asked Brian how could he give the song justice when he told us he has no girlfriend at the moment, so, in effect, he has no concrete experience with love.

“Medyo malungkot ang title, pero masaya ‘yung music,” Brian said. “Kaya po nagustuhan ko kaagad. It also speaks about how

THE highly-anticipated conclusion of the worldwide YA hit book-to-movie franchise The Maze Runner released in 2014 meets its final chapter in Maze Runner: The Death Cure starring an ensemble of today’s most talented actors led by Dylan O’Brien along with Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Dexter Darden, Aidan Gillen and Patricia Clarkson.

Maze Runner was Ki Hong Lee’s first feature film role. Lee played Minho in the film, a key ally to Thomas when he first arrived in the Glade – the prison he found himself in at the start of the movie.

How has it felt to see this series through to its conclusion thus far?

It’s been sweet. This whole journey has been a very special one for me in particular just because ‘The Maze Runner’ was my and Wes’s first movie ever in our careers, and I’m forever grateful for this opportunity and what it’s done for me so far. And to play such an amazing character, who is just strong, cool, and masculine, as an Asian American has been a role of a lifetime in a way.

Where do we find Minho at the start of this movie?

It picks up where the second one left off, as in the second one you saw him getting captured by WCKD. This film is literally, from the beginning, a rescue mission for Minho. He’s very broken and he’s very up against the wall. And he’s fighting hard to just be remotely alive and it’s been interesting and fun to

millenials take heartbreak. Most of them think that when a relationship ends, it is the end of the world for them.”

When asked if he intends to go into politics someday, he said, “Hayaan na lang po natin ‘yon sa kapatid kong panganay.”

His next goal is to be in in Pinoy Big Brother saying, “It will build lalo my confidence, saka po para maging independent.”

As he is as excited as a showbiz newbie, he promise his mom that studies would still be his priority.

He plans to take up Business Management. *** A US critic has cited performances not recognized by the Academy Awards which includes Charo Santos’ performance in Lav Diaz’ Ang Babaeng Humayo.

She should have gotten an Oscar nomination, according to US film critic Glenn Heath Jr. of San Diego City Beat.

In his piece titled “The best film performances snubbed by Oscar” published online, Glenn enlisted names of superb actors and actresses as a way to “pay respect to the unsung roles the Academy failed to recognize” this year. *** Pop-rock superstar Yeng Constantino is officially back after a four-year hiatus from recording,

Teen actor-singer Brian Gazmen is bound to conquer showbiz

starting with a brand n e w electro pop single entitled “Pinipigil” produced under Star Music.

Yeng shares that her new “Pinipigil” track is about the struggle to resist feelings or falling in love. She said, “It’s either because the person got hurt before or she’s prioritizing present plans rather than letting feelings in.”

The single’s music video is already out and it features Yeng as a refugee alien, who wakes up from slumber and checks out planet Earth if it is viable to live in. But as she zooms in, she sees her leading man, played by Empoy Marquez, and instantly falls in love with him.

Wanting to really change her appearance for the video, the singer herself pitched the concept to Director Paul Alexei Basinillo. She also fell in love with its EDM vibe when KidWolf joined the production.

After the music video premiere on MYX, the song instantly entered the hit charts, and is now 4th in the MYX Daily Top 10.

Yeng wrote “Pinipigil,” which was mixed and mastered by KidWolf, and produced by Star Music’s a u d i o content head, Jonathan Manalo.

The singer-songwriter shared that she doesn’t necessarily experience the song’s lyrics, but it’s a product of her endearment to her fans.

She stressed, “I think it’s time to write songs for people who listen to you. Because at the end of the day, their life theme song is what sticks with them.”

Aside from her new single, the pop rock

KI HONG LEE in

‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’

Ki Hong Lee (rightmost) with his ‘Maze Runner’ co-stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster (leftmost) and Dylan O’Brien (center)

princess is now working on her upcoming album to be launched in March.

Download a copy of the single “Pinipigil,” now available in digital stores. For more details on Yeng’s single, visit starmusic.ph, like Star Music on facebook.com/ starmusicph, and follow it on Twitter and Instagram @ StarMusicPH. *** Actress Chynna Ortaleza – Cipriano renewed her management contract with GMA Artist Center on Jan.25, at the GMA Network Center.

Chynna rose to fame via GMA Network’s successful youthoriented program Click in 1999 and did several notable projects as a Kapuso. She has been loyal with the network for about 17 years.

According to Chynna, she’s grateful for the love and support that GMA has been giving her and she finds no reason to think about leaving. “Ako naman kasi ever since I was a kid I’ve already been part of GMA, so parang it’s my family na talaga and I don’t think I’d like to go anywhere else. I’m very happy and comfortable in GMA.” Apart from acting, Chynna has captured the viewers with her undeniable charm in Idol Sa Kusina and with her current venture as a creative writer, the Network will continue to show its support to her endeavors.

SOLID KAPUSO.

Character actress Chynna Ortaleza-Cipriano renews her ties with GMA Network

play. I’ve never seen Minho this desperate before. So you stripped him of his family, and you stripped him of his abilities and that’s what you get for the third movie.

I guess in the first two movies he’s always fighting for his family, but in this one he’s fighting for himself, and the sliver of hope he has of getting out.

Minho has had quite a journey over the course of the films. As an actor, how satisfying has it been to track those changes to this same person?

You know, a lot of actors say, “I want a role to really sink my teeth into, really do something with.”

And I’ve been very fortunate to play the same character for many years now, and I’ve gotten to see every year, a different side of him. And I’ve gotten to experience different things with him, and see different facets of his character that I didn’t even know existed when I first originated the Minho role.

It’s been interesting.

Are there moments that stick out in your mind as being particularly memorable?

Every project has its moments and memories and I guess if you were to just take it as a whole, I’ll miss the cast because I will miss coming home after a long day, going into someone’s room with every single cast member and just chilling and just hanging out, until we had to go to sleep because our call time was in like, 5 hours. We’re just literally friends just hanging out and just happy to be making a movie at the same time, for the last 4 years.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure is now showing in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox distributed

by Warner Bros.