Ms issue dated september 13, 2017

VOL. XXXI • NO. 211 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Nations slap N Korea with more sanctions UNITED NATIONS― The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea, banning textile exports and restricting the shipments of oil products to punish Pyongyang for its sixth and largest nuclear test.

The resolution, passed after Washington toned down its original proposals to secure backing from China and Russia, came just one month after the council banned the exports of coal, lead and seafood in response to North

Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In Manila, an analyst said Tuesday the new sanction on North Korea will not slow Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

“It’s probably not gonna have an effect whatsoever on North Korea’s ability to find resources and components that go into ballistic weapons,” North Korea Leadership Watch founder Michael Madden said.

“It might create problems or delays for those working SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS. Red Cross volunteers search for survivors Tuesday following a landslide in Barangay Dolores in Taytay after Maring carved out a trail Next page

UNFORGIVING MARING. The latest weather disturbance to lash the country, Maring, hit everything and everyone on its path Tuesday including this bus which it sidelined in Barangay Biga in Pitogo, Quezon, temporarily stranding 28 passengers before they were rescued by the 805th Infantry Battalion Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police. Benjie Antioquia

of destruction and damage after unleasing heavy rains in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. GMA News Online

Maring’s fury: 4 dead, 6 missing

By Joel E. Zurbano and Rio Araja

Barangay OICs take over with polls reset

T

ROPICAL depression Maring dumped heavy rains on Luzon Tuesday, flooding metropolitan Manila and nearby provinces and causing landslides and flash floods that killed at least four people, according to disaster relief officials.

By Macon RamosAraneta and Vito Barcelo ALLOWING President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint officers-in-charge for the barangays on an interim basis is among the provisions cited in the joint Senate electoral reforms and finance committee report that recommended the postponement of the barangay elections.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections has started delivering thousands of certificates of candidacy to its provincial, city and district offices nationwide as the filing of candidacies for the barangay elections begins on Sept. 23 and lasts up to Sept. 30, 2017 despite the plan to suspend the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 23, 2017.

The Comelec said the COC must be filed at the Office of the Election Officer of the city, municipality or district where an aspirant seeks to be elected.

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LOW-LYING CITY. Residents ride on a makeshift raft as they cross a flooded main street in Manila Tuesday after tropical depression Maring hit land in Quezon from the Pacific Ocean, before moving northwest across Luzon and passing just beside Manila, forcing government offices and business establishments to shut down. AFP

Six others were missing, including five residents of Laguna, where floods swept away a house next to a swollen river, officials said.

The other missing person was reported in nearby Cavite, where several areas were submerged.

Financial markets, government offices and schools were closed and at least 21 flights were canceled or diverted.

The weather bureau said Maring – the 13th weather disturbance this year in a country

that averages 21 per annum – hit land in Quezon Tuesday morning and was moving northwest with winds of 60 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

It warned that continued moderate to heavy rains in Manila and nearby provinces along the storm’s path could trigger more floods and landslides.

Disaster response official Elmer Espiritu said two brothers aged 14 and 17 died Next page

UN, CBCP denounce Rody’s war on drugs Agency opts

By John Paolo for rehab of Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta drug addicts THE United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights scored President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent “lack of respect for due process rights,” citing his repeated pronouncements condoning the killing of drug suspects who resist arrest.

“In the Philippines, I continue to be gravely concerned

by the President’s open support for a shoot-to-kill policy regarding suspects, as well as by the apparent absence of credible investigations into reports of thousands of extrajudicial killings, and the failure to prosecute any perpetrator,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said during the 36th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday.

The UN statement came

as the Catholic Church issued its strongest statement to date against the extrajudicial killings that have marred Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

“In the name of God, stop the killings! May the justice of God come upon those responsible for the killings!”

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Next page

THE new chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Aaron Aquino, said Tuesday he wants to shift his agency’s focus from anti-drug operations to reforming drug dependents.

“There are many ways to stop the drug trade and [one] way is reforming them,” Aquino said of drug addicts.

‘We’ve been doing nothing but [anti-drug] operations,” Aquino said in Next page

Paolo, kids hurting from ‘twisted tales’

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

FOURTH VISIT. President Rodrigo Duterte makes his fourth visit to Marawi City Monday, this time to ther Grand Mosque which has recently been retaken by government troops from terrorists of the Maute group after three months of relentless fighting. Joining the President are Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Special Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go, Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs Arthur Tabaquero, and AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año. Malacañang Photo

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DAVAO CITY—Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte admitted Tuesday that his children are affected by the accusations that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV have hurled at him, but blamed the media for “twisting the stories” about him.

The eldest son of Next page

MONEY IN THE RAINS. Despite the heavy rains from tropical depression Maring, the two wade through near knee-deep floodwaters to wait for passengers getting from one side to the other side of the heavily flooded road in Barangay Habay in Baccor City, Cavite. Ey Acasio

Impeach-Sereno move on House agenda today

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives’ committee on justice will begin today its hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as the panel is also expected to decide on its form and substance, a House official said

Tuesday.

“We are going to vote on the sufficiency in form and substance of the two impeachment complaints against Chief Justice Sereno,” Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel chairperson, said.

At the same time, Sereno’s Next page

LP chickens out on Aguirre

By Macon RamosAraneta LIBERAL Party members in the Senate have recalled their statement of support for Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, calling for the resignation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre for plotting a case against her.

“We are recalling the

statement of the minority senators on ‘Resign Aguirre’ call of Hontiveros,” said LP President Senator Francis Pangilinan two hours after releasing the “resign call.”

“There has been a misunderstanding. We apologize for the mistake,” said Pangilinan. He did not elaborate.

In an earlier statement Next page

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Troops kill 5 Maute holdouts

By Francisco Tuyay

F

IVE local Maute terrorists were killed in fresh fighting with security forces who continue to press on in a bid to retake enemy positions and decimate the remaining terrorists holed out in a number of structures inside the main battle zone in Marawi City.

The killing of the five terrorists came after government troops recaptured two enemy held buildings previously occupied by the terrorists.

The military said the Maute group could still be holding up to 100 civilian hostages.

The firefight, however, resulted in the death of Army Captain

Rommel Sandoval, Company Commander of the 11th Scout Ranger Company.

Marine Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP’s Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief, said that Sandoval was killed while trying to rescue one of his wounded men.

Arevalo said the five bandits succumbed to the overwhelming fire-

P3.7-t ‘reform’ budget OKd on second reading

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved on second reading the P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018.

House Bill 6215 or the 2018 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), dubbed as “The Budget that Reforms and Transforms,” was certified as an urgent measure by President Duterte.

Lawmakers approved the budget measure through a voice voting even as House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas announced a small committee composed of House leaders to work on the amendments to the budget bill.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Congress would work hard to enact the budget measure on time.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Article VI, Section 28 (2) of the 1987 Constitution, I hereby certify the necessity of the immediate enactment of House Bill 6215, titled An Act appropriating funds for the operation of government of the Republic of the Philippines from January 1 to December 31, 2018,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in a letter to Alvarez.

“In order to address the need to maintain continuous government operation following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects and activities for fiscal year 2018, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its Constitutional mandate,”

the President added.

The Lower House is expected to approve HB 6215 on third and final reading two weeks from now.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, chair of the House committee on appropriations, said President Duterte on or before November 15, or when Congress resumes sessions from a month-long Halloween break on Oct. 12.

“At the end of the day, we want to pass a national budget that’s is just and attuned to the people’s needs,” Nograles said.

Nograles earlier said so many dreams and wishes of Filipinos ride on the budget, stressing “this budget book is a symbol of their aspirations for a new start for themselves, for their families and their communities. Let us not disappoint them.”

In his Budget Message to Congress, President Duterte said the 2018 national budget of P3.767 trillion was 12.4 percent higher than this year’s budget of P3.35 trillion, and constituted 21.6 percent of the GDP. “An indication that we need to put in more work to sustain the change in governance, which we have begun,” said the President.

The President explained the 2018 budget was crafted on the following principles: credible and disciplined fiscal policies; fiscal space focused on equitable progress and social order; strengthening transparency, participation and accountability; and enhancing partnerships with local governments to ensure sustainable development. John Paolo Bencito

power from the 62nd Marine Company’s Special Operations Group ((SOG) which went deep into enemy lines early dawn on Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Commander of the Western Command, said that two terrorists were initially killed in the 30-minute firefight with the Marines who also recovered several high-powered firearms and a pair of night vision googles.

As Marine troopers advanced, terrorists retreating from the scene of firefight were spotted carrying three dead bodies also believed killed in the firefight.

This brought to 600 the number of terrorists killed and 682 firearms seized in the continuing military operations to quell

the Marawi rebellion.

The latest Maute fatalities in the conflict-zone came at the heels of the recent two-and-half hour visit of AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Eduardo Ano accompanying President Duterte in the main battle area for the fourth time.

Arevalo said Gen. Ano then flew to Camp Siongco in Awang, Maguindanao the other day to visit army troops of the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division and at the same tome evaluate the military gains in Marawi City after three months of fighting.

“You have your units deployed in Marawi that contributes to the overall accomplishments of Task Force Marawi.

But more than that, your vigilant implementation of your Operation Plans ‘Total Defense’ and ‘Iron Shield’ has thus far effectively prevented the spill-over of terrorists to Cotabato City and other significant locations in your Area Of Responsibility (AOR),” Arevalo said.

In his talk to the key Division staff officers, Brigade, and Battalion Commanders in attendance, he stressed his aspiration of addressing insurgency and terrorism, and other security threats simultaneously. After the focus of men and materiel in Marawi, he vowed to turn to the New People’s Army, the Abu Sayyaf, and other supporters and sympathizers.

Maring’s...

concerned about mudslides in mountainous parts of the island.

Taiwan’s government was contacting the heads of mountain villages, arranging free evacuations to shelters, and monitoring rivers and mudslide-prone areas.

Meanwhile, motorists and commuters experienced heavy traffic along major streets in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces following Maring’s downpour.

In its advisory, the Metro Manila Development AuthorityPublic Information Office stated that various parts of Metro Manila were flooded and not passable for light vehicles while other major roads had zero visibility.

The areas of España Avenue and Lacson Street in Manila, and Balintawak and A. Bonfacio Street in Quezon City, and Zobel Roxas going to Pasong Tamo and Vito Cruz were not passable to all types of vehicles as of 10 am.

Both south and north bound lanes of Circumferential Road 5-Greenmeadows and Lanuza were also reported not passable to light vehicles while floodwaters were knee deep at the east and west bound lanes of

Ortigas La Salle Greenhills.

Zero visibility was also noticed along Ayala Avenue and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City, and Kalaw Street in Manila.

Gutter-deep floods caused slow moving traffic along the northbound lane of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue corner Taft Avenue in Pasay City; Sta. Mesa in front of SM Centerpoint Mall, Maria Clara Street, Araneta Avenue, Plaza Dilao; Burgos Street in front of City Hall, Rizal Avenue, Pedro Gil, United Nations Avenue, Quirino Avenue, all in Manila; Ricardo Papa, Biak na Bato, Quezon Avenue, all in Quezon City.

Other flooded areas, according to MMDA-PIO chief Sharon Gentalian, were E. Rodriguez Avenue, Tomas Morato, Aurora Boulevard, Boni Serrano Avenue and Sgt. Rivera Street, all in Quezon City; Andrews Avenue, Tramo Road; MIA Road and Coastal Road in Paranaque City; Magallanes Avenue and Pasong Tamo Street in Makati City; Celia Street, Katarungan Street and Barangay Plainview San Pedro in Mandaluyong City, and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City.

Joel E. Zurbano, Rio Araja

“We are not looking for war.

The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of noreturn,” Haley told the council, adding: “If North Korea continues its dangerous path, we will continue with further pressure.

The choice is theirs.”

During tough negotiations, the United States dropped its initial demands for a full oil embargo and a freeze on the foreign assets of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. The resolution instead bans

trade in textiles, cuts off natural gas shipments to North Korea, places a ceiling on deliveries of refined oil products and caps the crude oil shipments at current levels.

It bars countries from issuing new work permits to North Korean laborers sent abroad, where there are some 93,000 providing Kim’s regime with a source of revenue to develop its missile and nuclear programs, according to a US official familiar with the negotiations. AFP

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when a landslide covered their home at the foot of a hill before dawn in Taytay east of Manila.

Officials ordered mandatory evacuations in risky areas after some residents refused to leave, he added.

In Quezon, a 2-month-old girl was killed and seven others were injured when a concrete wall around a hospital collapsed on three houses in Lucena city after heavy rains soaked the soil at the wall’s base, officials said.

Police also reported that a 12-year-old girl drowned in Pasay city while bathing in a river during the heavy downpour.

Twenty-two passengers on a bus stranded in floodwaters were rescued in Quezon, officials said.

A stronger storm, Talim, was located 865 kilometers east of the Philippines’ northern tip and was moving toward Taiwan and eastern China.

Talim was due to make landfall on Taiwan late Wednesday and officials there were especially

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abroad, but it’s not gonna have a substantial effect on North Korea’s plans or what they will do with their strategic weapons.”

US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the tough new measures were a message to Pyongyang that “the world will never accept a nucleararmed North Korea,” but she also held out the prospect of a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Filipino. “That’s enough. Let’s reform them and give them a chance.”

Aquino said he wants to build reformation centers all over the country where drug users can surrender to the authorities and be given a chance to reform themselves.

Aquino, who had retired from the police force earlier this month, said he was able to build 152 ref-

ormation centers in Central Luzon where he served as regional police chief with the cooperation of the local government. He said some 18,000 drug users graduated from those centers.

He said reformation was similar to rehabilitation, but lasted a shorter time, about two to three months.

Rehabilitation usually entails six to 12 months.

He said if drug users are not reformed, they will continue to commit crimes.

At the same time, he said,

anti-drug operations will focus on the source instead of at smalltime peddlers.

Aquino said that he will seek the help of the Department of Interior and Local Government to implement the program.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aquirre II, meanwhile, ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a second DNA test on the body of a boy found in Nueva Ecija last week, after a test by police showed it was not Reynaldo de Guzman,

14, who had gone missing since Aug. 18.

Earlier, De Guzman’s parents had positively identified the body as their son.

“A second DNA test is necessary to counter-check the PNP results and really answer the question on the identity of the cadaver,” Aguirre said, in an interview.

Aguirre stressed that the results of PNP’s DNA test came as a surprise following the positive identification of Kulot’s cadaver by his parents. Rey E. Requejo

LP...

Paolo,...

released to the media, Pangilinan and other minority senators said Aguirre should resign for plotting against Hontiveros.

“We reiterate our call for Vitaliano Aguirre to resign from his post as Secretary of Justice. This recent development once more highlights his unethical actions as a public official,” said LP. Last August 30, the minority senators said they called for Aguirre’s resignation due to his propensity for spreading fake information on those he tagged as “dilawan”— a euphemism for yellows, people identified with the Aquinos—for which he had to publicly apologize more than once.

“Now, he has been caught redhanded plotting against a sitting Senator during a hearing where he is supposed to be paying his utmost attention,” said LP. The party noted that Aguirre’s actions signified a lack of competence for a man who was holding the highest office in the Department of Justice.

His actions clearly violate the norms of conduct for public officials under the law, it said.

President Duterte said that his kids even went to him crying and asked what is happening.

“Remember during the campaign when the issue came out that my wife and I were drug pushers, my daughter, Sabina came to our room crying, she asked if we will be imprisoned,” the younger Duterte said.

The younger Duterte then lambasted the media for “twisting the stories” about him that affected his entire family.

“Sad to say, we do not own

the media. Some other groups are holding them [and] that is why they are twisting the stories about me,” he said.

He said that he decided to appear in the Senate hearing on Thursday to clear his name for the sake of the Davaoeṅos and his children against the “senseless allegations” against him.

He then clarified that he was invited by the Senate and not subpoenaed.

“When I received the invitation, I really told Mans (the husband of Mayor Sara Duterte) that we should go since it is now the time to clear our names,” he said.

Asked whether he is willing to

show his tattoo in answer to Trillanes’ allegation that his “dragon tattoo” will prove his membership to a triad, the younger Duterte said that he will, “but not now.”

“When the time comes that he will fall from what he is doing, then I will show my tattoo,” he said.

He also said there was intelligence information that a former president had a meeting with three big business leaders and the former US ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg at the US embassy in Manila to plan to destroy him, since he was the “weakest among the Dutertes.”

“In addition to the other causes under existing laws, the inclusion of the name of an incumbent barangay official in the duly confirmed and validated Drug List provided to and in possession of the President shall constitute sufficient cause for the appointment of officersin-charge for the barangay,” the draft report says.

The joint resolution seeks to postpone the village elections to Oct. 22, 2018, or the fourth Monday of October next year.

But opposition Senator Bam Aquino insists it is the people and not the President who should choose the next barangay and SK leaders.

“We stand firmly against appointing barangay officials.

These leaders should represent the people, serve the people and not to be indebted to Malacañang,” Aquino said.

“We must uphold our democracy and respect the right of the Filipino people to vote and elect their barangay leaders.”

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The joint resolution, Committee Report 163, written by committee vice chairman Senator Richard Gordon and Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, noted that the inclusion of incumbent barangay officials in the President’s supposed drug list was ‘‘sufficient cause to replace them and appoint OICs in their areas.

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Socrates Villegas said in a statement signed on behalf of the bishops.

Like the Catholic Church, the UN official cited the case of Grade 11 student Kian Loyd delos Santos, who was beaten and shot dead by the policemen who claimed he fired on them first.

Zeid described as “appalling” the response from the authorities, particularly Duterte and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who initially sought to play it down as “an isolated case.”

“However, suspicion of extrajudicial killings has now become so widespread that the initials EJK have reportedly become a verb in some communities – as in ‘he was EJKed.’ Two days after hundreds of people turned out for the teenager’s funeral, the President again told police they would not be punished for killing suspects who

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presence during the hearing proceedings was most welcome to give her the chance to answer the allegations hurled against her.

“If she wants to appear, then we most welcome that. It is her Constitutional right to confront the witnesses,” Umali said.

“If she does not, then it will remain un-rebutted and that will be held on if she does not answer,” Umali added.

On the eve of the hearing, an 18-member group who call themselves leaders and members of former senior government officials and International

Marawi gets $3-m China donation

By Julito G. Rada THE Chinese government will soon turn over a donation of about $3 million to the Philippine government for the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in war-torn Marawi City in Mindanao, the Finance Department said Tuesday.

China earlier sent $1 million in cash for Surigao’s earthquake victims.

The department said the $3-million donation would be in the form of heavy equipment to help Marawi’s reconstruction efforts.

Philippine officials met at the weekend with a visiting Chinese delegation led by China’s Commerce Minister Zhong Shan.

They met to review the progress of their respective governments in the first batch of infrastructure projects planned for the war-torn city and to discuss the second batch of projects that the Philippines plans to implement also in cooperation with China.

The members of the Philippine delegation were Secretaries Carlos Dominguez III of the Department of Finance; Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority; Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways; Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget and Management; and Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation; and Vivencio Dizon, president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Zhong said China would like to support the Philippines in its post-conflict reconstruction of Marawi City. Dominguez expressed the Philippines’ appreciation to China for being the first country to offer its assistance for Marawi and China will Surigao. be sending excavators, bulldozers and other heavy equipment to Mindanao to help the Philippine government’s reconstruction efforts in Marawi.

Dominguez and Zhong also acknowledged the efforts of the two sides to streamline government processes to speed up the preparations for, and implementation of, the first “basket” of infra projects presented for Chinese financing. resist arrest,” Zeid said.

“This lack of respect for the due process rights of all Filipinos is appalling,” the UN official added.

The top human rights official also expressed “shock” at Duterte’s threat to bomb schools for indigenous children or the lumad in Mindanao, which he said were teaching children to rebel against the government.

Zeid expressed concern over Duterte’s orders for the police to shoot any human rights workers who “are part of the drug trade” or who obstruct justice.

“Many human rights defenders who are the honor of their country face a growing number of death threats, and I call on the government to ensure they are accorded full protection and the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without reprisals,” Zeid said.

He added that any move to reintroduce the death penalty would be another step back for the country.

Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance, issued a statement supporti8ng Sereno.

In its statement, the group said: “We believe the impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives is an insidious attempt to immobilize and weaken the very institutions that our Constitution put in place to check on excesses in executive power.

“We see this as part of a bigger strategy to compromise the Commission on Human Rights, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Elections – all constitutional bodies designed to serve as checks and balances of governance.

News IN BRIEF PDEA gives cash to informants THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency rewarded on Tuesday P5,070,563.73 eight informants who helped made possible the arrest of drug personalities and the confiscation of large volumes of shabu.

Outgoing PDEA director general and new Bureau of Customs commissioner Isidro Lapeña led the grant of the cash rewards under the PDEA's Operation: Private Eye, a reward and incentive scheme designed to encourage private citizens to report suspected illegal drug activities in their place. he informants were identified through their codenames—June, Sakuragi, Kiko, Spotter, Maximus, Excellente, Boi and Bald Head.

“I commend them for providing information that led to the arrest of several drug personalities and the seizure of voluminous amounts of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu,” Lapeña said.

The informants, who wore masks to hide their identity, received their monetary rewards in a simple ceremony at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City. Rio N. Araja

UP board reduces number of units THE Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines, Diliman in Quezon City has approved the reduction in the minimum General Education units to 21 units only.

In a Sept. 7's 1,330th meeting, BOR, the university's highest policy-making body, decided to lower the number of basic subjects from 45 units to 21 units for each students.

Under the new GE curriculum, a total of 21 core units and up to 24 free elective GE courses will be offered under three domains—arts and humanities, social sciences and philosophy, and mathematics, science and technology.

The decision was reached among BOR members, except for UP Student Council's Regent Shari Oliquinio as the only representative of 50,000 UP students.

On March 20, the GE reform proposal was adopted during the deliberation of the Diliman University Council composed of all professors and chaired by the chancellor.

Rio N. Araja

Prosecute ASG member, DOJ asked THE Department of Justice has been asked to prosecute a suspected member of Abu Sayyaf Group for rebellion and illegal possession of explosives.

In a complaint, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) charged Milham Saham, 24, with rebellion and illegal possession of explosives after he was caught transporting explosives and bomb-making components in Sulu last week.

Saham was subjected on Monday to inquest proceedings presided over

by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Clarisa Kuong.

During the proceedings, Saham, who was represented by Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyer Jonalyn Barquez, sought to file a waiver of detention and undergo a thorough preliminary investigation to answer the allegations hurled against him.

Rey E. Requejo

OBITUARY Henry Q. Quinto, 50 HENRY Q. Quinto, an alumnus of the Dominican School in Dagupan City, has died and will be buried at the Catholic cemetery in his hometown of Calasiao in Pangasinan today after a memorial Mass. He was 50.

Quinto, who was born on June 26, 1967 in Calasiao and died on Sunday in Dagupan, was raised and educated in Dagupan City, on whose beach General of the US Army Douglas MacArthur and his Allied troops landed on Jan. 9, 1945 for the continuing liberation of the Philippines from Japan's Imperial forces.

He is survived by his parents retired bank executive Jose and Lourdes; siblings Marilou; dentist Maricel and Leonard in Pangasinan; retired USAF M/Sgt. Chris and Harmony in Colorado; and illusionist Jojo in Manitoba, Canada; as well as nephews and nieces.

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Common crimes dropped—SWS

By John Paolo Bencito

F

EWER Filipinos said that they had fallen victim to property crimes and other common crimes despite the continuous fear of crimes and unsafe streets, except in Metro Manila and partially, in Balance Luzon, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed Tuesday.

The survey, which was conducted among 1,200 respondents, showed a “record low” numbers of families losing property to street robbery, burglars

(break-ins) or carnappers (car thieves) within the past six months at 3.1 percent, or an estimated 706,000 families from the previous record low of 4.5 percent in December 2016.

Those who said they fell victim to any "common" crimes slipped to a “record low” of 3.7 percent, or an estimated 840,000 families from the 6.8 percent, or an estimated 1.6 million families recorded in December 2016.

On the other hand, families who said a member was victimized by physical violence remained at 0.6 percent or an estimated 149,000 families.

The quarterly percentage of respondents saying they were robbed of their personal property outside their homes posted single-digit drops in Visayas, Mindanao, Balance Luzon

and Metro Manila, where it logged a new record low of 4.3 percent.

However, the fear of burglaries and unsafe streets rose in all parts of the country, except for Metro Manila and, also in terms of fear of unsafe streets, Balance Luzon, the polling firm noted.

Respondents fearing unsafe streets eased a bit in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, but went up by 13 points in Mindanao to 55 percent and by 1 point in Visayas at 48 percent.

The presence of drug addicts significantly decreased in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon. However, it moderately increased in Mindanao and Visayas in June.

SWS noted that victimization by common crimes reported in its

surveys is much higher than the number of crimes actually reported to the police.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella attributed the survey results to the government's campaign against crimes and illegal drugs.

"Efforts ensuring public safety in the first year of the Duterte administration are yielding positive results; however, more needs to be accomplished in making sure that our streets, neighborhoods and communities are kept permanently safe, not only within Metro Manila but also in the rest of the country," Abella said in a statement.

The survey conducted from June 23 to 26 has a sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages.

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Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

The President’s new clothes

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N A bizarre modern-day variation of the The Emperor’s New Clothes, President Rodrigo Duterte is going around pitching the idea that the recent killings of Kian delos Santos, 17; Carl Arnaiz, 19; and Reynaldo de Guzman, 14 are part of a grand conspiracy to sabotage his bloody war on drugs.

The idea that some shadowy and unbelievably malignant group composed of drug lords and politicians is going around killing teenagers to discredit Mr. Duterte and his anti-drug campaign seems farfetched at best. At worst, it seems delusional and paranoid—a theoretical construct built around the President’s absolute refusal to believe or admit that

there are abusive policemen, and that not all who criticize his policies are enemies of the state that want to bring his government down.

But like the emperor’s ministers who did not want to appear stupid or incompetent by failing to appreciate his non-existent new clothes, the President’s allies are falling over each other to give credence to his outlandish theory.

Thus we have the secretary of Justice ordering the National Bureau of Investigation to focus on the possibility of a plot as it investigates the killing of the three teenagers.

“We have to determine if there are other motives other than killing of these teenagers because we can see a trend that is targeting teenagers,” said Secretary Vitaliano Aguire II. “This has not happened before when the war on drugs started.”

The Justice secretary said he agreed with the observation of President Duterte that there seemed to be a deliberate effort to sabotage and discredit the war on drugs.

“This appears to me as an effort to ultimately destroy our police force and of course the President,” he said.

Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, who is providing legal assistance to the parents of the three slain teenagers, also seemed to be encouraging the President.

“It’s obvious already that there’s an agenda in these killings. They are sacrificing teenagers to pursue their agenda. How could they stand doing that?” she said.

Not to be outdone, the Mr. Duterte’s ally in the House, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, said Congress would investigate what appeared to be a plot to sabotage the President’s war on drugs.

“What’s the motive here?” he said in Filipino. “It’s clear: so that the people will rise against, or be enraged with the administration... This could be the work of drug lords to stop the campaign against illegal drugs, or the work of politics.”

Is it really easier to believe in an elaborate plot to murder children for economic and political gain than to acknowledge that some abusive policemen—bad eggs—have let the power go to their heads and committed some unspeakable acts? Occam’s razor suggests otherwise.

But we have seen this pattern before.

Nobody in Mr. Duterte’s camp dares to speak truth to power. There is not a one among the yes-men and yes-women who surround the President as brave as the little child in Hans Christian Andersen’s story, who told the truth about the emperor’s nakedness.

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Marcos at 100

Flipping, then flopping LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES THE remnants of the proAquino faction in the Senate first backed their fellow traveler on the Daang Matuwid, Senator Risa Hontiveros, in her call for Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to resign. Then yesterday, they took back their statement—only to take that last statement back again later in the day.

What is going on here?

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, nominal leader of the Senate minority, explained that an “internal miscommunication” caused the retraction of the retraction, allegedly the fault of a staff member who “prematurely” released the first denial.

“We apologize for the in-

convenience,” Pangilinan said, after totally confusing everybody. “We commit to avoiding similar lapses in the future.”

I think there was no clerical error in the waffling, as Pangilinan seems to imply. What appears to have happened was a serious internal debate amongst the minority – made up of Pangilinan, Hontiveros and their fellow Yellow Senators Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes—over the possible legal repercussions of the original statement supporting Hontiveros.

Hontiveros’ demand for Aguirre to resign, made in a privilege speech she delivered on Monday, was based on a photograph taken of the justice chief reading text messages on his smartphone. The messages show him exchanging texts with a certain “Cong. Jing,”

purportedly former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and a member of the Volunteers Against Crime and

quickly followed by a statement from her Yellow colleagues declaring their support for her call, which is really to be expected.

But Aguirre, in reaction to Hontiveros’ demand, denounced the senator’s action of publicly exposing his private conversation as an infringement of his right to privacy. In particular, Aguirre accused Hontiveros of violating Republic Act 4200, also known as the Anti-Wiretapping Law, which he said punishes the action of eavesdropping on a private conversation and making it public without his or Paras’ consent.

(Paras has denied any knowledge of exchanging messages with Aguirre. He said he receives and sends Corruption, with a view a lot of texts every day and to “expediting” charges deletes them at day’s end.) against the senator.

My own belief is that The senator’s speech was some of the members of the

Their guiding principle is that what they say doesn’t have to be true —it just has to appear that way.

minority were so spooked

by Hontiveros’ apparent violation of the law that they prevailed on Pangilinan to withdraw his retraction yesterday, after they unthinkingly supported the errorprone Hontiveros right after she gave her speech. After all, Hontiveros had only recently been skating on very thin legal ice when she took personal custody of several underage witnesses to the killing of alleged extra-judicial victim Kian Loyd delos Santos without the permission of their parents.

Hontiveros’ unusual move had laid her open to the charge of alleged kidnapping. It also recalled Trillanes’ own strategy of taking supposed Davao Death Squad whistle-blower Edgar Matobato in his own custody after the Senate invited several witnesses who were about to confront Ma-

tobato about his fantastic— and later, largely debunked —claims about the DDS. But in the end, Pangilinan was prevailed upon yet again by his colleagues, I think, who urged him to retract his retraction, which led to yesterday’s fiasco.

It doesn’t surprise me that the damn-the-torpedoes sub-faction in the minority won out over the more sober and law-abiding members in that group. After all, any organization that counts not just Hontiveros but also the acclaimed taleweaver Trillanes among its members will not let a small thing like an illegal act get in the way of the overall strategy to throw as much mud as it can on the Duterte administration, just to see what will stick.

Of course, the minority is no stranger to looking like

Turn to A5

FERDINAND E. Marcos would have been 100 on Sept. 11, 2017 had he been alive.

FM died in in forced exile in Hawaii on Sept. 28, 1989, a broken man, his persona and later ghost, hounded by the Yellow Army, the relatives and followers of Benigno S. Aquino Jr. who was assassinated in broad daylight at the Manila airport on Aug. 21, 1983. The assassination, blamed on Marcos but never proven he did it, produced two Aquino presidencies—that of his widow Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, from Feb. 25, 1986 to June 30, 1992 (six years and four months) and that of their son, Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (six years, June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016), a total of 12 years and four months.

The two, despite awesome presidential powers, never found out nor bothered to find out, who was Ninoy’s killer/s.

The achievements, if any, of the two Aquino presidencies, pale in comparison to those of Marcos—in his first four years as president.

Today, President Duterte is exercising formidable political will to restore some of the sheen of the Marcos presidency and legacy, and write what he thinks is rightful history.

As a journalist, I have covered eight presidents.

By my reckoning Marcos should be the best president the Philippines ever had, in terms of intellectual heft (bar topnotcher), heroism (the most be-medalled soldier of World War II, even if half of the medals were based on sheer weight of affidavits), vision (he said this country can be great again), and love for country and people (he rejected the bombing of Camp Aguinaldo to end People Power of 1986 that ousted him from office).

Marcos achieved rice sufficiency, built more infrastructure than all previous presidents before him, enforced an honest to goodness agrarian reform, solved the most severe energy crisis then and the most crippling foreign currency crisis, prevented Turn to A5

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Opinion The dream becomes a nightmare mer President added.

Indeed, for the current leaders to say these Dreamers disrespected the Rule of Law, took jobs from Americans, and put the nation at risk of crime, violence and terrorism is an outrageous lie. The some 800,000 who were enjoying DACA protection had all undergone a tough background check by federal agencies before they were approved under the program, which gave them not permanent residency but just a two-year renewable deferral of deportation, a work permit and eligibility for permanent residency and other future benefits.

Nor are these young people taking jobs from Americans, whose job loss can be attributed to other factors such as lack of qualification. These Dreamers have long established themselves as productive members of American society, who pay their taxes, increase productivity and contribute to the US economy. Studies have shown that about 9 in 10 of these young people are working taxpayers, and deporting them could reduce the gross domestic product by over $400 billion over the next decade.

The country’s business leaders have supported both the DACA and the proposed Dream Act. The US Chamber of Commerce said: “The original DACA program announced in 2012 was premised on sound public policy, and unlike DAPA, it was not challenged in court. Individuals enrolled in good faith and became ingrained in our communities and the nation’s economy. To reverse course now and deport these individuals is contrary to fundamental American principles and the best interests of our country.”

Anti-immigrant hardliners like Trump and Sessions keep on barking about the Rule of Law, the taking of jobs from Americans, and the threats to peace and order and national security, but we all know that their stand is borne out of racial prejudice and bigotry.

As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says, “There is no upside whatever to this cruelty, unless you just want to have fewer people with brown skin and Hispanic surnames around.

Which is, of course, what this is really all about.”

The Dreamers now feel like DACA has become a trap that Obama never meant it to be. The government invited them to come out of the shadows, get biometrics taken and put in the system, get a social security number, and lead normal lives. Now that the government knows where they live and where they work, they now fear that immigration agents would come and arrest them.

For years, these young people lived a nightmare not of their own making.

They were too young, about five years old, when their parents brought them to a new country in the hope of building a better future for them. After living in the shadows for years, DACA made them dream their parents’ dream again.

Now that Trump has rescinded DACA, those 800,000 who dared dream are now finding out that they may have to face an even worst nightmare all over again, shaking at the thought that they will be removed from the only country they have called home and forcibly taken to a country so foreign to them.

Val Abelgas is a former managing editor of Manila Standard. He now lives in the United States and is about to publish his book, On Distant Shores.

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

True worth

DIASPORA

HOW easily a dream can turn into a nightmare.

Young people who thought their dream of living legally in America would soon be achieved after getting protection from deportation under former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now realize how quickly their dreams are turning into nightmares following President Donald Trump’s decision to end the program.

Not even having the guts to say so himself, Trump had to rely on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has long distinguished himself as an anti-immigrant politician, to declare the bad news—that the government was rescinding Obama’s DACA that protected from deportation some 800,000 undocumented youths brought here as young children.

DACA offered young undocumented immigrants temporary, renewable protection from deportation and to get work authorization.

Using the oft-repeated justification that these young people broke immigration laws, took jobs from Americans, and that the “failure to enforce the laws in the past has put our nation at risk of crime, violence and terrorism,” Sessions said the government would no longer protect these young immigrants, more commonly known as “Dreamers.”

The hypocritical Trump later said he has a “great love” for these people. “I have a great heart for these folks we’re talking about.

A great love for them and people think in terms of children, but they’re really young adults,” Trump said.

“I have a love for these people and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.”

And yet a few hours earlier, Trump had said the DACA program was “unlawful and unconstitutional and cannot be successfully defended in court.” What a way to express one’s love!

So now he tosses the blame on Congress and puts pressure on Capitol Hill to enact within six months a legislative solution to the nagging problem concerning these young children, or they will face deportation. But Trump didn’t tell the lawmakers what he wanted them to do, leaving them hanging on an issue that has bugged Capitol Hill for 16 years.

The DREAM Act or the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act was first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001, by Senators Dick Durbin (D- Illinois) and Orrin Hatch (R- Utah), and has since been reintroduced many times but has until now failed to pass.

The bill calls for a multiphase process for qualifying alien minors in the United States that would first grant conditional residency and, upon meeting further qualifications, permanent residency and a path to citizenship.

Obama, who has previously opted to remain silent on the sidelines since leaving the White House, slammed his successor’s decision. “To target these young people is wrong— because they have done nothing wrong,” Obama wrote in Facebook. “It is self-defeating—because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel.”

“Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated,” the for-

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO IT WOULD take many more years for the people to judge the reign of Ferdinand Marcos in proper perspective.

Last Monday’s commemoration of his 100th birth anniversary, though partially covered by media both in his province and in his final resting place at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, only brought to life once more the continuing debate on the worth of the man who ruled this country from Dec. 30, 1965 to Feb. 25, 1986.

His detractors, particularly those who suffered during the dreaded years of martial law, have nothing but spite for the man. It’s been 30 years since the man died, but the debate goes on.

One man who served under Marcos with utmost integrity and who is highly respected despite his participation in the martial law regime, Cesar E.A. Virata, who was both finance minister and prime minister, extolled his former principal as a “man of many achievements,” which is true.

Virata, who was at the Libingan last Monday, rued

the lack of balance in the reportage about the accomplishments of Marcos.

“All those who were adversely affected by the discipline and enforcement of martial law are the ones that are usually in the newspapers. And they continue to take over what should be reported as the accomplishments,” said the former prime minister.

“The evil that men do lives long after them, the good is oft interred with their bones,” orated Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

“So let it be with Caesar”, Antony lamented.

As it is with Marcos.

But history is writ for generations long after. Recall how Elpidio Quirino was reviled by the CIA propagandists who hated him for being Manuel Roxas’ “bad guy,” as foreign secretary, in reducing the number of American military bases in the Philippines.

When Roxas died of a heart attack, suddenly Quirino became president.

And from Day One, he was vilified, for his “aristocratic” manners, his “aloofness,” even if the cerebral president was doing his best to rehabilitate a country from the ashes of the Second World War, a war where our coun-

try was just a “pawn,” victimized by the power plays of two imperialists.

Quirino died a broken man, after losing his reelection bid in 1953 to a man he promoted to become his defense secretary, and who was credited by CIA propagandists as the man who “single-handedly” broke the back of the Huk rebellion, to the unfair exclusion of the chief policy-maker who appointed Ramon Magsaysay and directed his moves.

This is not to denigrate the memory of Ramon Magsaysay who was a man of many achievements as well, but simply to point out how “instant” history can be so unjust. Quirino, three generations after his death, is now better remembered.

His place in history will in the near future be permanently restored as one of the best nation-builders we have had.

Virata enumerated Marcos’ accomplishments, among them something everybody knows, which is his having constructed needed infrastructure “unequalled by succeeding administrations.” His programs in health, education and agriculture are yet fondly remembered by those who now compare these with the

benighted state our children and grandchildren now have to endure because of inaction or wrong policies of succeeding administrations, particularly on the issue of population management which Marcos started.

Virata particularly cited how Marcos refused to send Filipino troops to fight in the Vietnam War, and how he was able to shorten the lease on Clark and Subic to 25 years, a lease which expired when an independent Senate refused to extend it despite the appeal of Corazon Aquino.

The parallelisms between Marcos of Ilocos Norte and Quirino of Ilocos Sur are many.

But one difference stands out. Quirino died a lonely man in his modest house in Novaliches, and his children and grandchildren do not wallow in wealth, despite inheritance from Quirino’s wife who was killed by the retreating Japanese during the Liberation of Manila.

Alice Syquia belonged to Vigan’s aristocracy, who married the brilliant lawyer from neighboring Caoayan, who was just the son of a jail warden.

Yet Quirino’s detractors painted him as “corrupt,” given to an extravagant lifestyle, such as having a

“golden” orinola (bedpan) and a 5,000-peso bed (at that time a fantastic sum).

These have turned out to be false, the machinations of evil propagandists.

Marcos died a lonely and frustrated man in Makiki Heights upon Honolulu, to which he was shanghaied by the Americans after the Edsa Revolt of 1986. Yet to this day, questions abound about how much he and his family are really worth, and how much of it are sashayed abroad, or here. Or for that matter, how much of the fabled wealth are legitimate, and how much are not.

Which is why closure on the Marcos wealth is needed.

President Duterte himself re-opened the debate on the issue. He knows and appreciates the true worth of Marcos as president and commanderin-chief. The “excesses” are to be balanced with intent, with vision, with “saving the Republic”.

And that is for history to judge.

To quote from the epic Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: “The Moving Finger writes; and having writ, moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit shall lure it back to cancel half a Line; nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

Myanmar’s leader needs to lead Bloomberg editorial AUNG San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s iconic leader, is sacrificing her moral authority for political expediency. By failing to speak out against repression—and, more broadly, by not doing enough to help her country grow and prosper—she risks losing both her power and her reputation.

Suu Kyi, whose years leading the resistance to the Burmese junta earned her the Nobel Peace Prize, has dismayed former admirers by refusing to stop or even denounce what the United Nations calls “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” in her own country.

Ever since militant members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority attacked

Marcos...

From A4

the communists and Muslim separatists from dismembering the republic, and gave his countrymen a sense of purpose, vision, and their place in the family of nations.

Marcos recognized China and the USSR far ahead of the United States. He reduced the area and the 99year lease on the US bases to 25 and made the Americans pay up to $2.5 billion per year for their use. This bases deal plus the end of the Laurel-Langley parity agreement that gave Americans the status of Filipinos, ultimately prompted the US to help plot his removal.

Marcos was perhaps the most charismatic of all Philippine presidents when democrats were still fashionable in elections and statecraft.

He embodied the best in the modern Philippine leader and was the nearest epitome of a great president.

He was a scholar with a keen sense of history, a genuine war hero with more

Robles...

From A4

mindless, baseless founts of unlimited criticism, just as long as its members see a small opening in their bid to bring down President Rodrigo Duterte. Their guiding principle, after all, was laid down by one of the more prominent Yellows,

police stations and an army camp last month, security forces and local Buddhist vigilantes appear to have launched a brutal campaign against them. Hundreds of Rohingya have been killed, and nearly 300,000 refugees have fled across the border to makeshift camps in Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, mindful of the near-universal loathing of the Rohingya among Myanmar’s other communities, has blasted global criticism of this crisis as fake news; officials have accused Rohingya of setting fire to their own villages. Critics, some of whom have called on the Nobel committee to strip Suu Kyi of her prize, are right to take her to task.

Suu Kyi can’t singlehandedly eradicate anti-

Rohingya prejudice, nor does she control the stillpowerful Burmese military.

But she could at least limit the army’s depredations by demanding that civilians be protected and that journalists and UN monitors be allowed into the affected area.

Her government could send aid for the refugees rather than simply allow countries like Turkey to do so. And she could begin to lay out a narrative that sketches a path to integrating the Rohingya into Burmese society, while implementing the recommendations made by the Kofi Annan-led commission she herself appointed to look into their plight.

She has practical as well as moral cause to act. Unless the military plans somehow to kill or expel the roughly

1 million Rohingya living in Myanmar, its scorchedearth campaign is guaranteed only to breed further resentment. Meanwhile, the indiscriminate response is embittering Myanmar’s relations with Muslim nations from Turkey to Indonesia, and has made the Rohingya cause a rallying cry for Islamist extremists across Southeast Asia and beyond.

To fight back, Suu Kyi needs to do more than speak out; she needs to lead more effectively than she’s done in the nearly year and a half since she took power. When it comes to the economy in particular, her administration has been plagued by inefficiency and indecisiveness. Though reforms to laws governing investments and compa-

nies have begun to move forward, the direction of economic policy remains too murky. Regulations are as stifling as ever; too many policy decisions are delayed by micromanagement. Foreign investment in the last fiscal year shrunk more than 30 percent from the year before.

Unless Suu Kyi’s government can reverse this situation and give young Burmese more hope in their economic prospects, they will provide all-too-ready fodder for extremists on both sides of the Rohingya divide. A message of tolerance might be a hard sell right now.

But if anyone in Myanmar has the power and (still) the authority to make it, it’s Aung San Suu Kyi.

medals than Audie Murphy, a bar topnotcher even while reviewing in jail, a great orator with a booming baritone, endowed with a political ideology and an eidetic memory (he once delivered a prepared speech to a joint session of the US Congress direct from memory). He had zeal and fervor to make his country great.

FM entered politics in 1949 and campaigned for congressman promising his northern Luzon common folk: “Elect me your congressman now and I’ll give you an Ilocano president in 20 years.” He won as congressman and went on to serve for three terms. He was elected senator in 1959, was reelected in 1963 and became Senate president.

He was elected president in November 1965 and won reelection in 1969, the first president to do so. In 1972, he declared Martial Law, ensuring his rule for 20 years, the longest by any Philippine president.

Aside from the usual gripes about corruption and dictatorship, Marcos was notable for many things.

Marcos was the first to achieve rice self-sufficiency, the first to score a 9.8 percent economic growth, the first to manage the country’s energy problem properly, the first to design a major industrialization program, and the first with a genuine land reform with all-encompassing target of land transfers. Average GDP growth during his 20year regime was 3.8 percent and inflation 10.3 percent.

According to then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, a close ally of 21 years before he rebelled against him in 1986, “Minus the alleged corruption, Marcos was the most productive president we ever had.”

Per JPE, Marcos initiated the expansion of irrigation systems all over the country, the expansion of the infrastructure of the country like the Philippine Friendship Highway from Aparri to Zamboanga, the development of our port systems, the expansion of our air capability, the modernization of the military organization, and land reform.

Many of the plans being

followed for the present infrastructure of the country were products of the Marcos period.

“In the field of international relations, Marcos initiated the one-China policy to the chagrin of Taiwan, opened relations with Moscow, shortened the lease on the American bases from 99 to 25 years, reduced the hectarage of the bases, and required the Americans to pay rent. He was able to preserve the national integrity in spite of the MNLF. He initiated the first tax amnesty, which was the most successful tax amnesty and initiated the coco levy system to replace the aging coconut tree population. Today, the coco levy is now worth P100 billion. He brought the country closer to many countries because of his adoption of satellite. We solved the rice crisis, the cooking oil shortage, the gasoline crisis. Without the stain of corruption, Marcos was a great president,” Enrile told me.

In 1972, Marcos declared Martial Law. His military padlocked newspaper offices, arrested and jailed

newsmen as well as prominent opposition leaders and anti-government activists.

Because he could issue decrees and letters of instructions, which had the impact of laws, Marcos became a one-man Congress.

He became a dictator.

Martial law lasted for nine years, until 1989. But Marcos could issue decrees even after the lifting of the emergency rule and remained a dictator—until his ouster on Feb. 25, 1986.

During 14 years of Martial Law, the opposition then claimed up to 10,000 people became victims of human rights violations. For fewer numbers of alleged victims could be validated until BS Aquino offered cash to anyone who claimed he was a victim. The claimants rose to more than 35,000.

Still, among all Philippine leaders of all time, Marcos is today, No. 2 in the esteem of our people, according to one survey.

Imee Marcos last year told me: “Marcos is a very strong brand.”

who once famously said that what they say doesn’t have to be true—it just has to appear that way. *** Today, the House of Representatives will begin hearings on the two verified and separately-endorsed impeachment complaints against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. But while

the House deliberates on the form and substance of these complaints, I can’t help but wonder if the similar (and similarly-endorsed) charges filed against Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista have been placed on the back burner by the chamber.

I definitely have no love lost for Sereno, whose elevation to the position of

chief magistrate was only intended to protect the person who appointed her, Noynoy Aquino, from being haled to court for his misdeeds during his presidency. Sereno’s own failings were the direct result of her ill-conceived appointment by a president did not even realize that by putting her in that post, he had actually set in motion a

reprise of his own removal of Sereno’s predecessor, the late Renato Corona.

But I still believe that the more important (and stronger) impeachment case is the one against Bautista. And if Congress can dispose of Sereno’s case with dispatch, perhaps we’ll finally get to the weightier case of Bautista, which has farther-reaching consequences.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

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World

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

IN BRIEF Cyanide poisoning from apricot kernels PARIS―A man who for five years took daily doses of apricot kernel extract― touted as a natural cancer shield―ended up with cyanide poisoning, a medical journal reported Tuesday.

The problem was discovered when abnormally low oxygen levels were measured in the man’s blood while he was under anesthesia for an operation, doctors wrote in BMJ Case Reports.

Blood tests showed alarmingly high levels of cyanide.

When he woke up, the man told doctors he had been taking a daily dose of two teaspoons of homemade apricot kernel extract for five years. He also took three daily tablets of a herbal fruit kernel supplement.

The problem is that apricot kernels―for all the health benefits vaunted by online merchants―also contain cyanide.

The man was taking more than 17 milligrams of the extract every day, enough to raise blood cyanide to about 25 times acceptable levels, the team said.

According to medical websites, 50 milligrams― about one to two teaspoons―of the poison taken orally would be enough to kill a person weighing 160 pounds. AFP

Life in jail sought for neo-Nazi trio MUNICH―German prosecutors Tuesday sought life in jail for the surviving female member of a neo-Nazi trio accused of a string of racist murders that targeted mainly Turkish immigrants.

Beate Zschaepe, 42, is co-accused in the 10 killings carried out by the other two members of the selfstyled National Socialist Underground, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt, between 2000 and 2007.

Zschaepe for years lived in hiding with Mundlos and Boehnhardt, who shot dead eight men with Turkish roots, a Greek migrant and a German policewoman before the two died in an apparent murder-suicide in 2011.

After the men’s deaths, Germany was shocked to discover that the killings― long blamed by police and media on migrant crime gangs and dubbed the “doner (kebab) murders”― were in fact committed by a far-right cell with xenophobic motives. AFP

Court drops case against ailing medic BERLIN―A German court on Tuesday said it had dropped a case against a 96-year-old former medical orderly at the Auschwitz death camp because he suffers from dementia, ending one of the last highprofile Nazi prosecutions.

Wheelchair-bound Hubert Zafke had faced 3,681 counts of being an accessory to murder at the concentration camp in Nazioccupied Poland.

The decision to end the proceedings was widely expected after prosecutors last month said the accused was unfit for trial and the case should be dismissed.

Concerns over Zafke’s mental and physical health had led to repeated postponements of his trial, which began in February 2016 in the northeastern lakeside town of Neubrandenburg.

“Because of his dementia he is no longer capable of following a trial,” court spokesman Carl Christian Deutsch said in a statement.

Two independent psychiatrists had confirmed the diagnosis, finding that Zafke was incapable of following a discussion or retaining information “for more than a few minutes”, he added.

The charges against Zafke focused on a one-month period in 1944 when 14 trains carrying prisoners―including the Jewish teenage diarist Anne Frank―arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau. AFP

Millions left without power M

IAMI― Millions of Florida residents were without power Tuesday as the remnants of Hurricane Irma spun northwest into the US mainland, drenching the region and causing rivers to overflow.

SURF’S UP. A woman looks at heavy surf as Hurricane Irma approaches Puerto Rico in Luquillo on September 6, 2017. AFP

Bangladesh plans to move Rohingya to remote island DHAKA―Thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled violence in Myanmar in search of refuge could be forced to make their new homes on a barren Bangladeshi island that floods every year.

The Bangladesh government has appealed for international support to move the Rohingya to the island as the impoverished country confronts a growing crisis over

where to house an influx that has mounted following a military crackdown in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

More than 300,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since the latest flare-up in violence on August 25, adding to around 300,000 refugees already living in overflowing UNrun camps in Cox’s Bazar district, close to the border

with Myanmar.

The surge has overwhelmed the Bangladesh authorities, who are scrambling to find land to build more camps, including on the inhospitable and uninhabited Thengar Char island―recently renamed Bhashan Char―despite reluctance on the part of Rohingya leaders and UN officials.

Bhashan Char, located in

the estuary of the Meghna river, is a one-hour boat ride from Sandwip, the nearest inhabited island, and two hours from Hatiya, one of Bangladesh’s largest islands.

The authorities first proposed settling Rohingya refugees there in 2015, as the camps in Cox’s Bazar became overstretched with new arrivals.

But the plan was appar-

ently shelved last year amid reports that the silt island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding.

The government is trying to find more space for the Rohingya, including establishing a new 2,000acre camp near Cox’s Bazar, close to the Myanmar border, which will house around 250,000 Rohingya. AFP

Security Council to discuss ethnic-cleansing charges COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh―The United Nations Security Council will hold an urgent meeting to discuss the violence churning through western Myanmar, after the UN’s rights chief warned that “ethnic cleansing” appeared to have driven over 300,000 Rohingya Muslims from the country.

Rakhine State was plunged into crisis after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in late August, prompting a military backlash that has sent nearly a third of the Muslim minority population fleeing to Bangladesh.

Exhausted Rohingya refugees have told stories of running from soldiers and Buddhist mobs who burned their villages to the ground and killed civilians indiscriminately, while the government blames militants

for the arson.

International pressure tightened on Myanmar’s government Monday, as United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the violence seemed to be a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

Hours after the warning, the Security Council announced it would meet Wednesday to discuss the crisis, which has heaped global opprobrium on Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A Nobel peace laureate, Suu Kyi is the focal point of anger from rights groups and a stream of fellow Nobel laureates for her failure to speak up for the Rohingya minority, who are denied citizenship and have suffered years of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. AFP

FOTO

N. Korea hackers suspected of stealing virtual currency SEOUL―North Korea is suspected of intensifying cyber-attacks to steal virtual currency in order to obtain funds and avert tightening sanctions, according to security experts.

North Korean hackers have mounted attacks on at least three South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges since May, security researcher FireEye said in a report Monday.

The attacks include an apparently successful one when four wallets at Seoulbased exchange Yapizon were compromised.

Local news reports said that in May Yapizon had more than 3,800 bitcoins worth $15 million stolen― although FireEye said there were no clear indications of North Korean involvement in that case.

South Korea’s opposition Bareun Party lawmaker Ha Tae-Kyung, who has followed North Korean hacking attempts, said it had apparently stolen more than 90 billion won ($80 million) from South Korea through hacking attacks in the four years to June, including cyber-attacks on ATMs. “North Korea has set its sights on the so-called next generation financial markets, including virtual currencies, pin-tech and blockchains,” he told journalists last week.

“Alongside the UN-imposed sanctions, international cooperation is also required to curb the North’s cyber-hacking which can be used to finance its nuclear and missile programs”, he said.AFP

CALLAS REMEMBERED. This file picture taken in the 1970’s shows Opera soprano Maria Callas giving authographs to fans in Paris. AFP

Most of the Sunshine State however appeared to have dodged forecasts of catastrophic damage despite dire early warnings.

But Irma’s overall death toll jumped to at least 40 after Cuba reported that 10 people had been killed there over the weekend.

Irma roared ashore as a powerful Category 4 hurricane when it hit the far southern Florida Keys on Sunday, tearing boats from their moorings, uprooting palm trees and downing power lines, after devastating a string of Caribbean islands.

By the time it hit the peninsula the storm had been downgraded, and by late Monday it had weakened further to a tropical depression.

Across the Caribbean, hard-hit island residents struggled to get back on their feet as Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States increased relief efforts.

Floridians who spent an anxious night huddled indoors were venturing out Monday to survey the damage, which in most cases were not as bad as feared.

“If this had been a Category 4 hurricane the whole scenario would have been completely different,” said Bob Lutz, a 62-year-old business owner.

More than 6.5 million customers in Florida were without power, however, and Governor Rick Scott said the island chain known as the Keys had suffered widespread damage.

“It’s horrible what we saw,” Scott said after flying over the island chain aboard a Coast Guard helicopter.

He said the water, electricity and sewage systems in the Keys were non-operational, and that trailer parks had been “overturned.”

“We now go through the much longer phase, which is the recovery phase,” said Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “And believe me, folks, some of this is going to take a while, especially power restoration.”

Most Keys residents evacuated from the lowlying tourist archipelago, known for its fishing, scuba diving and boating, before Irma struck.

The storm felled trees and left debris and vehicles strewn across the streets.

But concrete homes appeared to have withstood the powerful gusts. AFP

Protesters greet former Trump aide Bannon in Hong kong HONG KONG-Activists gathered in central Hong Kong Tuesday to protest the visit of US President Donald Trump’s former top strategist Steve Bannon, chanting “Nazis are not welcome here!” as they donned cartoon Trump masks.

The protesters stood outside the harbor-front Grand Hyatt hotel in Hong Kong where the 63-year-old was due to speak at a closed-door investors’ forum, holding a rooster-shaped cardboard cut-out capped with Trump’s hairstyle and labeled “toxic

nationalist”.

Media were denied access to Bannon’s speech, hosted by CLSA, a Hong Kong-based brokerage firm owned by China’s CITIC Securities, China’s biggest investment bank.

Another banner bearing the faces of Bannon and China’s President Xi Jinping denounced racism and nationalism, with protesters accusing both of using divisive populist agendas to boost political support.

A pugnacious defender

of populist and nationalist policies, Bannon was ousted from office last month as the White House was left reeling over the president’s response to a violent white supremacist rally.

He also championed trade protectionism and was seen as the driving force behind Trump’s isolationist and anti-immigrant agenda.

“Racism and bigotry have no borders. We are here in solidarity with global citizens as well as US citizens to condemn Donald Trump’s administration and Steve

Bannon’s actions,” said activist Avery Ng of the Hong Kong pro-democracy party League of Social Democrats.

Sally Tang of political organization Socialist Action questioned the sincerity of Bannon’s populist agenda.

“Bannon is inside with a lot of super-rich billionaires,” she said.

“The Chinese government and the US government are both using nationalism and [propaganda] to raise support inside their own countries,” Tang added. AFP

Sports Struggling PVL teams seek key triumphs Games today 8 a.m. – St. Benilde vs Ateneo (men’s) 10 a.m. – FEU vs UST (men’s) 4 p.m. – San Beda vs St. Benilde (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – Lyceum vs Jose Rizal U (women’s)

FOUR struggling teams go for crucial wins to bolster their semifinal bid in their respective divisions with San Beda taking on St. Benilde and Lyceum battling Jose Rizal University today (Wednesday) in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Among the four, the Red Spikers have one win to show in two games and should be all-fired up to join the Arellano University Lady Chiefs at second against the Lady Blazers (01) in a Group B encounter at 4 p.m.

The Lady Pirates and the Lady Bombers, on the other hand, clash in a duel of winless Group A teams at 6:30 p.m. with the former hoping to bounce back from a shutout loss to the National University Lady Bulldogs last week.

But with two losses, JRU is in a must win situation in a short single round elims where the top two from each side of six teams will advance to the crossover semifinals of the seasonending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

San Beda trampled Technological Institute of the Philippines in four last Sept. 3 but absorbed a 0-3 setback to Arellano to fall to joint third with idle University of the Philippines.

The Lady Blazers also got swept by the Lady Chiefs but the former NCAA champions are raring to rebound behind Klarissa Abriam, Ranya Musa, Rachel Austero, and Marites Pablo, libero Christine Lim and setter Pauline Cardiente against SBC’s Aurea Racraquin, sisters Nieza and Jiezela Viray and Satrriani Espiritu.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Philracom: A win for jockeys

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LAIMING it as a victory for the jockeys and the Philippine Racing Commission, the Philracom is legally entitled to demand from the Metro Manila Turf Club one-half percent of MMTC’s gross receipts from the time of its operation on Feb. 19, 2013, according to the Regional Trial Court Branch 147 of the City of Makati.

The total amount owed by the MMTC, which as of June, 2017, totals approximately P53.7 million, is for the jockeys and horse trainers’ injury, disability and

death compensation fund created under Republic Act. No. 309.

On Jan. 11, 2016, Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez received a request

from the the president of the New Philippine Jockeys’ Association, seeking the commission’s help in facilitating the release of the Jockeys and Trainers Compensation Fund due to the NPJS from Metro Turf.

The Philracom acted on the NPJA request. Exercising its mandate under the law, the commission asked the assistance of the Department of Budget and The Philracom replied by citing pertinent provisions of PD420, as amended by PD 1095, saying that “The

Jockeys and Horse Trainers Injury, Disability and Death Compensation Board created under Republic Act No. 6115 is hereby abolished and its functions, together with the Jockeys and Horse Trainers Compensation Fund, are hereby transferred to the Philracom.”

Even the Act Granting Metro Turf a Franchise to Construct, Operate and Maintain a Race Track for Horse Racing stipulates that “one half percent shall be set aside for the benefit of the jockeys and horse trainers.”

Penned by presiding judge Ronald Moreno, the RTC decision said that the law “clearly provides that it is the Philracom which has the authority to administer the subject fund.”

Without the Metro Turf’s contribution to the jockeys and trainers’ fund, the NPJA was forced to request from the Philracom last March 2015 to hold a charity race to raise funds for the benefit of Jockey LT Cuadra Jr., who was seriously injured in an accident, interestingly at the

MILO, FC Barcelona to train young bets

Young footballers showcased their skills and embraced life values in sports, with the hopes of being nominated to the team representing the country in the FCB Escola Camp in Barcelona happening in October.

INSPIRED by MILO and FC Barcelona’s shared values of humility, effort, ambition, respect, and teamwork, over 140 kids participated in the MILO FCB Road to Barcelona Camp at the Mckinley Hill Stadium in Taguig.

The weekend training saw young footballers from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, IloIlo, and Cebu gather to showcase their skills and embrace life values in sports, with the hopes of being nominated to the team representing the country in the FCB Escola Camp in Barcelona happening in October.

The four-year values-driven partnership between MILO and FC Barcelona was formally launched globally earlier this year, aiming to help more young Filipinos aspire to be the best they can be and realize their dreams through sports and the programs of MILO and FCB. The MILO FCB Road to Barcelona Camp provided free world-class training to deserving

DEFENDING senior champion San Beda College Alabang and Centro Escolar University strung up two victories each to show the way in the 48th Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball tournament.

San Beda College swept league rookie University of Makati, 25-22, 29-27, 2521, while CEU outlasted Assumption College, 259, 25-27, 25-15, 25-18, at Rizal Memorial Coliseum over the weekend. During the opening day last Sept.

3, San Beda bested Philippine Women’s University, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20, and CEU shook off UMAK in five sets, 21-25, 25-14, 2931, 25-19, 17-15.

De La Salle Zobel also won its initial matches in the midgets and juniors division where it is both the reigning titlist.

The midgets DLSZ six dominated St. Stephen’s High School, 25-5, 25-15, while its juniors counterpart downed host Poveda, 25-6, 25-9, 25-10.

San Beda paces the midgets level with two victories in as many starts, besting Poveda (25-11, 25-10) and Assumption (25-9, 25-16).

PWU, meanwhile, debuted in seniors basketball with a 96-43 thumping of San Beda at Assumption Makati gym on Sunday.

young Filipino football players under the tutelage of esteemed FCB Escola Camp Coaches from Barcelona, Spain. These athletes were exposed to playing the Barca way while also getting the opportunity to make new friends among their peers from different clubs, all in the spirit of fun and friendly competition.

Aside from this one-of-a-kind training session, the MILO FCB Road to Barcelona Team will also be on the lookout for two of the most deserving players who will stand a chance to get an all-expense paid trip to Barcelona, Spain. They, along with other identified players from the other MILO markets worldwide, will get to go on a oncein-a-lifetime experience to train in Camp Nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona, in October. A selection panel led by the MILO FCB Road to Barcelona Team will help identify the players who will be included in the event.

16 men, ladies shoot for Bowling World Cup national titles today NATIONAL bowler Kenneth Chua posted a 24-game series of 5416 pinfalls to lead seven other male participants into the concluding round of the 2017 Bowling World Cup national finals today at Paeng’s Eastwood Bowl.

The 25-year-old Chua, winner of the Philippine International Open last May, added a sizzling 12-game series of 2745 to his first round score of 2671 last Monday at

Paeng’s Midtown Bowl in Ermita to pull away from Cebu star Jomar Jomapao by 378 pins.

Jumapao shot 2517 in the second round for a 5038 total to enabled him to jump from third to second spot.

The other bowlers who made it to the top eight are Nicco Olaivar with 5001, Jay R. Tan (4952), Merwin Tan (4931), Raoul Miranda (4905), Paulo Valdez (4835) and

Eric Luciano Aranez (4822).

Last year’s local BWC titlist Lara Posadas and 33 other lady bowlers were still playing their second 10game series at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl yesterday to determine the top eight finishers who will advance to the national finals today.

National bowler Krizziah Tabora tallied 4247 pins in10 games yesterday at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl to lead seven other pintopplers who

will shoot for the ladies’ crown today.

Youthful Alexis Siy came in second with 4146, followed by last year’s winner Lara Posadas (4043), Mades Arles (3959), Liza del Rosario (3925), Liza Clutario (3924), Dyan Coronacion (3764) and Rochelle Munsayac (3708).

Those who failed to advance to the men’s final round were: Jayson Tubid (4810), John Paule

Pradera is 3rd force San Beda, in PAL ladies’ golfest CEU pace WNCAA

Metro Turf track, while he was riding his horse.

Cuadra was diagnosed with intra-cerebral hemorrhage and incurred hospital expenses amounting to nearly P2 million.

The Philracom granted the NPJA request for a charity race and even shelled out P900,000 from the commission’s own budget for Cuadra’s bills.

“This is a big victory for the jockeys as they can now take care of their members using their own funds,” said Sanchez.

PRADERA Verde will make its PAL Ladies Interclub debut in Cebu City on Sept. 19 and is immediately expected to crowd Manila SouthwoodsMasters and host Cebu CC for the centerpiece Championship division diadem.

With a young team bannered by seasoned internationalists Yuka Saso and Harmie Constantino, Pradera looms as a solid threat to gatecrash what had been a two-team race in the past between SW-Masters and Cebu CC. Saso, a many-time Philippine team member, and Constantino, a former national champion, are solid anchors on any team and will have reliable support from fellow outstanding age-groupers Annika Cayabyab, Michela Effendi, Kristine Torralba, Tomita Arejola, Kyla Nocum and Nicole Abelar.

The team will be coached

by Norman Sto. Domingo.

Southwoods remains to be the team to beat even with Pauline Del Rosario turn-

ing pro and Abegail Arevalo needing to sit this one out because of studies in the United States at San Jose State.

Sofia Chabon and Mika Fortuna will spearhead Southwoods-Masters’ bid for a seventh straight title, while the Gabasa sisters Irina and Junia will lead Cebu CC in their quest to snap SW-Masters’ stranglehold of this event.

Course familiarity will come into fore in a layout such as Cebu Country Club, which is tree-lined and will definitely penalize errant shots.

Cebu CC, built in 1928, has winding fairways and is so tough that it hosted several international pro events, most recently the first three legs of the Aboitiz Invitational.

This year’s PAL Ladies Interclub sponsors are Primax Broadcasting Network, Mareco Broadcasting Network, Fox Sports, Asian Air Safari, Travelife Magazine, People Asia, Tourism Promotions Board, Bombardier, PLDT and Mastercard.

Macatula (4746), Jules Pedrajas (4673), Lorenz Tugade (4518), Norman Lising (4501), John Paul Genciana (4484), Allan Ablang (4465), Angel Dilig (4464), Joebert Buenafe (4432), John Christopher Dee (4403), RJ Magana (4400), Eduard Gella (4385), Ryan Romero (4376), Eugene Suarez (4357), Francis de Leon (4324), Jorel Simbulan (4177), Erwin Cabaneros (4075) and Boyet Delfino (4039).

Muguruza is new no. 1

Muguruza

Holy Angel, Enderun prevail HOLY Angel University toppled Manuel Luis Quezon University, 86-80, while Enderun outsteadied New Era University, 57-53, in a pair of closely-fought matches in the NAASCU Season 17 men’s basketball tournament at the RTU gym in Mandaluyong.

Mark Emmanuel Tungcul f inished with a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds to power Holy Angel to its first win after three losses in Group B. Clarence Tiquia topscored with 24 points for MLQU, which

dropped to 2-3 overall.

Enderun leaned on John Vidal’s 15 points, five rebounds and five assists to frustrate New Era and clinch its third win in five matches.

Nemesis Dela Cruz led New Era with 17 markers.

NAASCU commissioner Pido Jarencio decided to cancel the remaining two games pitting St. Francis of Assisi College against Philippine Merchant Marine School and Philippine Christian University and City University of Pasay due to typhoon Maring.

PARIS—Garbine Muguruza officially became world number one for the first time on Monday, as Sloane Stephens soared back into the top 20 after her surprise US Open triumph.

Wimbledon champion Muguruza takes over from Karolina Pliskova at the top of the rankings, after the Czech’s quarter-final defeat in New York by Coco Vandeweghe.

Stephens, who was ranked 957th six weeks ago after a long injury absence, jumps 66 places to world number 17 after winning 15 of her last 17 matches, including the 6-3, 6-0 thrashing of fellow American Madison Keys in Saturday’s US Open final.

Keys is up four spots to number 12 after reaching a maiden Grand Slam final.

Seven-time major champion Venus Williams, 37, has returned to the top five for the first time since January 2011, while her sister Serena, who gave birth to her first child during the US Open, drops out of the top 20 for the first time in six years.

Maria Sharapova, who reached the fourth round in her first Grand Slam appearance after serving a doping ban, is closing back in on the top 100.

Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who started the year as the world number one, slipped eight places to 14th after seeing her US Open title defence ended in the first round by Naomi Osaka. AFP

PH paralympic team targets 27 golds or more in ASEAN tilt LOTTO RESULTS THE Philippines differently abled athletes leave today with an eye of easing the pain of a 24-gold debacle in the Southeast Asian Games as they go for 27 gold medals or more in the 9th ASEAN Para Games slated Sept. 17 to 23 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chef de mission Ral Rosario, who left early yesterday to attend the delegation head meeting the

same day, estimated the 164-member delegation could win a minimum of 27 gold medals, which will be three more than what the country snared in the SEAG just over a week back.

It will also be a marked improvement from the 16 golds the Filipinos won in the last Para Games edition in Singapore two years ago.

“The team is in high spirits,

and if our estimation is correct, we have a strong chance of winning 27 golds, perhaps more,” said Rosario during Monday Night’s sendoff at the Dad’s restaurant in Edsa, Mandaluyong City.

Philippine Sports Commissioners Celia Kiram and Arnold Agustin were among the well-wishers of the team, along with newlyformed PH Paralympics Committee president Mike Barredo and

vice president Tom Carrasco.

Nikko Huelgas and Claire Adorna, who claimed a gold and a silver in SEAG triathlon, also attended the event to give the athletes inspirational messages.

The Filipino woodpushers are expected to spearhead the country’s campaign as they seek for nothing less than seven golds, one more than their six-gold haul in Singapore two years ago.

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

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

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Maroons face Eagles, eye 2nd straight win

Sports

day, Manzo’s pass in the last 1.4 seconds was GOOD players are hard one of the big plays that to come by. But having a decided the game.

His pass set up Paul good point guard will be a big plus for the University Desiderio for a gamewinning triof the PhilipGames Today ple, giving UP pines Fighting (Araneta Coliseum) one of its few Maroons.

2 p.m.UE vs FEU Coach Bo 4 p.m. UP vs Ateneo o p e n i n g - d a y victories in Perasol said this after he took note of past 10 years.

It will be a tall order for the role that rookie Cebuano player Jun Manzo the Maroons as they clash will play for the team with the Blue Eagles.

The Maroons will have in their coming games and when they meet the to deal with Chibueze defending champion Ikeh, whose imposing Ateneo Blue Eagles at presence underneath car4 p.m. today at the Ara- ried the Blue Eagles to an 85-65 victory over the neta Coliseum.

“Jun Manzo was our Adamson Falcons.

Ikeh churned 14 of his stabilizer, together with our point guard Darrel 18 points and 13 of his 17 Lim. He is going to get rebounds for the Blue better as the season pro- Eagles, who took on the gresses,” said Perasol on Falcons without Papi Sarr.

“He’s been playing their bid to secure their second consecutive win well for us the past few in the 80th University weeks and practices. He Athletic Association of has really stepped up his the Philippines men’s bas- game,” said Ateneo coach Sandy Arespacochaga. ketball tournament.

Earlier, the Far EastWhen the Maroons won over the Univer- ern University Tamaraws sity of Santo Tomas meet the University of the Tigers, 74-73, last Sun- East Warriors at 2 p.m.

By Peter Atencio

SPARTAN RACE. People crawl through a muddy puddle during the Spartan Race, a race through an obstacle course, in Qingdao in China’s eastern Shandong province. AFP

NLEX shoots for solo lead

By Jeric Lopez

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O-LEAGUE leader NLEX shoots for solo first place, but is bound to face yet another stiff test in its quest in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.

The Road Warriors (72) are looking to close in on a top four finish and a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals, but in order to do so, they need to overcome the challenge of sister team TNT KaT-

ropa (5-3) as their paths cross at 7 p.m. today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

An equally important clash precedes the main course as Rain or Shine (4-3) looks to get back

on track when it takes on ailing Phoenix (2-7) at 4:15 p.m. to open the show.

NLEX continues to show consistency throughout the tournament, surprising a lot of people in the process. This encounter with perennial contender TNT KaTropa will once again be a test of character for the uprising squad.

The last time out, the Road Warriors banked on Juami Tiongson’s careerhigh 21 points when they routed GlobalPort late, 109-

years of partnership.

The versatile big was sent to Phoenix first in exchange for Norbert Torres and the Fuel Masters’ 2017 first-round draft pick.

Following that, the Fuel Masters then sent De Ocampo over to Meralco for Justin Chua and the Bolts’ 2017 first-round pick. Lastly, they then sent Chua to TNT for the KaTropa’s 2019 second round pick.

This clash with the Road Warriors will be the Tropang Texters’ first game

without De Ocampo.

This deal comes just days after Star also shockingly traded gunner Allein Maliksi to Blackwater for Bam Gamalinda and Kyle Pascual.

Following its three-game winning streak, Rain or Shine’s run was halted as it bowed to surging San Miguel Beer, 103-96, last week.

It now looks bounce back against Phoenix, who have lost seven straight games and is already out of contention.

Storm-hit Riviera Classic starts

Bryant unveils plans for NBA school SHANGHAI—Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant announced plans Tuesday for China’s first NBA basketball school, a development the 18-time All-Star says will improve the game in the country.

The NBA Basketball School-Mission Hills Haikou will be open to male and female players from junior up to professional level after its completion in 2019 and could help unearth the next Chinese basketball star.

Along with football, basketball is the most popular sport in China and Bryant said the new facility -- construction begins later this year -- will be a boon to the Chinese game.

“The Chinese youth will benefit from a complete approach to player development that combines NBA-quality coaching with NBA-level training,” said the retired five-time NBA champion.

“I believe this partnership will lift the game of basketball to a higher level in China.”

The 39-year-old was in the city of Haikou, on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, to unveil the project.

Mission Hills Group will design and build the school and its six indoor courts, but it will be operated by NBA China.

The NBA already has three training academies in China for top male and female prospects.

NBA China chief executive David Shoemaker said in a Mission Hills press statement: “This groundbreaking NBA Basketball School in Haikou further builds upon our commitment to developing young basketball talent in China. AFP

99, last week.

They will be taking on the Tropang Texters, who are likewise coming off an impressive win, a 113-107 win over Meralco also last week.

However, the Texters are expected to be in adjustment mode as they suddenly will have to move forward without one of their usual stars.

In yet another shocking trade, TNT KaTropa sur prisingly shipped veteran for ward Ranidel De Ocampo after nine

Indonesian Ian Andrew rejoins the PGT Asia Tour at Riviera.

SILANG, Cavite—The PGT Asia Tour holds its third leg beginning today (Wednesday, Sept. 13) here with the ICTSI Riviera Classic looming to be a survival of the fittest given the weather condition at the demanding Langer layout of the Riviera Golf and Country Club.

The organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. said the $100,000 championship is pushing through with the par-72 ravine-laced layout still playable despite the incessant rains spawned by Typhoon Maring.

“Despite the rain, the course is still playable and we’ll push through with the tournament as much as possible then we’ll decide tomorrow (today) if

we need to cancel the first round. Then we’ll go on from there,” said Jack Imperial, tournament director of the event sponsored

by ICTSI. “Matira ang matibay na dito. Mahirap na nga ang course, grabe pa ang kondisyon (ng panahon),” said Tony Lascuña, out to atone for his final round foldup at ICTSI Splendido Classic last Sunday.

The many-time champion is actually one of a slew of local aces seeking to rebound from disastrous final day stints at Splendido where unheralded Rene Menor came out from nowhere to nail a first-ever championship in record fashion.

Rufino Bayron, who led by four in the third round,

skied to an 80 and tumbled to joint 13th with Mars Pucay, who limped with a 76.

Clyde Mondilla missed bogeyed the final hole for a 70 and settled for joint fourth.

As the big guns crumbled, Menor sneaked in from six down to force a three-man playoff with a 66 then disposed American John Michael O’Toole on the first sudden hole and outlasted Thai Pasavee Lertvilai on the sixth playoff hole to clinch the victory.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ian Andrew and Seungjae Maeng of the US boost this week’s cast that also features those who vied at Splendido, all bracing for severe weather condition at one of the most toughest courses in the land.

Bullpups open 3-peat bid with victory over Junior Warriors NATIONAL University carved out a 26-24, 25-14, 25-23 victory over University of the East to opens its quest for a three-peat in

style over the weekend in the UAAP Season 80 high school volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Far Eastern University-Dili-

man made an early reversal as it bested last season’s runnerup University of Santo Tomas, 25-20, 10-25, 25-23, 25-21.

In other boys’ matches,

Adamson University nipped Ateneo, 25-16, 21-25, 2521, 22-25, 15-10, while De La Salle-Zobel topped UP Integrated School, 25-11,

25-15, 25-19.

Action resumes today with a boys’ doubleheader starting at 12 noon at the same San Juan venue.

Jota chooses school, over individual glory INDIVIDUAL glory or the school’s pride?

For Jonathan Jota, the choice may not have been easy, but it endeared him to his school more.

Giving up a chance to gain an International Master norm, Jota decided to default his game in the Battle of Grandmasters in Makati City and helped lift Lyceum of the Philippines University to a 2.5-1.5 win over St. Benilde in the Final Four of the 93rd NCAA chess competition at the LPU Auditorium in Manila.

Jota downed Prince Kenneth Reyes on board one for the decisive win that propelled the Pirates to the finals against the San Beda chessers, who trounced Arellano University, 3-1, in the other Final

Four duel to advance to the championship round.

Romulo Curioso, Jr. provided the other win on second board, while Virgen Gil Ruaya split the point with Hans Christian Balingit to seal the match win.

Nelson Busa, Jr. delivered the lone win for St. Benilde on second board.

San Beda, for its part, got its wins from McDominique Lagula, Marc Christian Nazario and Prince Mark Aquino on the last three boards while Arellano U’s lone point came from Don Tyrone delos Santos, who shocked FIDE Master Mari Joseph Turqueza on top board.

In juniors’ play, Perpetual Help lived for another day as it bested

San Beda.

The Altalettes, who is coached

by Ruel Abelgas, and the Cubs actually ended up with a 2-2 score, but the former won the match by virtues of their wins coming on a higher board, which was provided for by Carl Zirex Sato over Gal Brien Palasigue on second board.

San Beda’s John Philip Oncite beat Lou Anton Rivera on third board, while the Brent Alanan and Alfredo Balquin drew with John Marx Anastacio and Jerome Angelo Aragones on boards one and four, respectively.

It was Perpetual Help’s second win over San Beda as the former beat the latter, 2.5-1.5, in the elimination round.

Perpetual Help and San Beda

Jota

clash one last time on Saturday with the winner taking on Letran, which turned back AU, 3.5-.5.

Meanwhile, the NCAA postponed its games yesterday due to Typhoon Maring.

Hardened Joshua ready for Pulev’s challenge L O N D O N — B r i t a i n’s Anthony Joshua said on Monday he is looking forward to showcasing the lessons he learned from his stunning win over Wladimir Klitschko when he puts his world heavyweight title on the line.

Joshua, 27, will face his IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria under a closed roof at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on October 28 after his hopes of a Las Vegas rematch with Klitschko were ended by the Ukrainian’s retirement.

Joshua won the brutal Wembley clash in April by an 11th-round stoppage after being knocked down earlier in the fight.

He has won all of his 19 bouts to date but he still intends to draw on that memorable contest as he builds towards an expected US debut next year.

“What I went through in my last fight was a new experience,” he told reporters in Cardiff. “I want to show what I have learned from that.

“It is about finesse and outclassing your opponents but if I need to go to war, I will go to war.”

“I’m prepared to go into the trenches,” he added.

“But sometimes I can be smart and wise and take an opponent out without taking too much punishment.”

Pulev, 36, lost his only previous world title fight to Klitschko inside five rounds in November 2014.

Joshua, who is also the WBA heavyweight champion, says he is taking nothing for granted ahead of the fourth defence of his IBF title.

“I learned that sometimes you can watch a million videos of your opponent and prepare for something,” Joshua said at the first press conference to promote the Pulev fight.

“But it is always different when you step into the ring. I always prepare for an improved fighter from what I have seen on video.”

Pulev (25-1) said Joshua should be wary of streetfighting skills he learned in his native Sofia.

“It is not just the ring where I am experienced,” Pulev said. “I have experience on the streets as well, which is another advantage.” AFP

PH manufacturing output drops B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

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Chevron eyes LNG hub

By Alena Mae S. Flores

C

HEVRON Philippines has expressed interest in the country’s planned liquefied natural gas project, a government executive confirmed Tuesday.

“We are talking,” said Reuben Lista, president of state-owned Philippine National Oil Co., the company tasked to put up the proposed LNG hub in Batangas.

Senior executives from Chevron and its LNG partners, NYK Line and JERA Co. Inc., met with Lista and other PNOC officials to discuss the proposed LNG integrated project of the government.

Chevron owns a 45-percent stake in the Malampaya gas project in northwest Palawan under service contract 38. The natural gas field is expected to be depleted by 2024.

Meeting with PNOC executives were Chevron Philippines chairman Peter Morris, Chevron USA general manager for LNG Neil Theobald, JERA senior vice president Gaku Takagi, Chevron International general manager for business development Dipak Kothari, LNG Group of NYK Line manager Seichi Kitamura and JERA general manager Teriga Asai.

Chevron also has exposure in the downstream oil industry with nearly 700 retail stations around the Philippines. It recently sold its geothermal interests in the Philippines.

PNOC, through subsidiary PNOC Exploration Corp., owns a 10-percent stake, while Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. holds an equal 45 percent interest in the Malampaya project.

Lista cited continuing private sector interest in the government’s LNG project.

PNOC is finalizing an agreement with International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, to study the optimization of the banked gas and liquefied natural gas terminal project.

IFC will assist in planning the most appropriate business arrangement that is legally, technically and financially feasible for the planned floating, storage and regasification unit-power plant project.

“Concurrently, a detailed feasibility study will be conducted for the establishment of Phase 2: the LNG hub, to include studies on grid and systems impact in relation to the connection with the Batangas Bay sub-station,” PNOC documents stated.

The Energy Department and PNOC are pushing for the Philippines to become an LNG hub of Southeast Asia because of its strategic location.

PNOC said the proposed Batangas LNG hub could include onshore facilities such as 5-million-ton-per annum storage units and re-gasfication, power plant and distribution/redistribution units.

It said the second phase might be located at the 60-hectare property of National Development Corp. in San Pascual, Batangas.

It is expected to provide for the requirements of the five existing natural gas power plants in Batangas during the Malampaya natural gas field maintenance shutdown.

“On a larger scale, the hub will address the gap in energy capacity once the Malampaya gas field is depleted and the service contract expires in 2024. It will assure the sustained supply of the gas requirements of the five Malampaya-dependent power plants,” it said.

Razon raises P3.8b from sale of Bloomberry shares

By Jenniffer B. Austria Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, September 11, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

50.7630

Japan

Yen

0.009242

0.4692

UK

Pound

1.318800

66.9462

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127993

6.4973

Switzerland

Franc

1.058985

53.7573

Canada

Dollar

0.822436

41.7493

Singapore

Dollar

0.745712

37.8546

Australia

Dollar

0.805500

40.8896

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654773

134.7642 13.5365

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

Brunei

Dollar

0.742942

37.7140

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0039

Thailand

Baht

0.030221

1.5341

UAE

Dirham 0.272294

13.8225

Euro

Euro

1.202100

61.0222

Korea

Won

0.000883

0.0448

China

Yuan

0.154107

7.8229

India

Rupee

0.015679

0.7959

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238550

12.1095

New Zealand

Dollar

0.726000

36.8539

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033342

1.6925 Source: PDS Bridge

BILLIONAIRE businessman Enrique Razon Jr. successfully raised P3.8 billion from the overnight placement of 350 million shares in leisure and gaming firm Bloomberry Resorts Corp. for P10.85 apiece.

Bloomberry said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Prime Metroline Holdings Inc., the holding company and controlling shareholder of Bloombeery, sold 350 million shares representing a 3.18-percent stake in the gaming firm that owns and operates Solaire Resort & Casino.

The shares were sold to international institutional investors at an eight percent discount to Bloomberry’s volume weighted average price on September 11.

Prime Metroline will remain the largest shareholder with

65.58 percent of the company’s outstanding shares after the transaction.

“I am very confident of the prospects for Bloomberry. I believe that the increased liquidity in the stock will be beneficial for investors and the company,’” Razon said.

Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte. was the sole placement agent for the transaction.

Share price of Bloomberry has risen significantly in the past few months on the strong performance of the company.

Bloomberry registered a net income of P4.1 billion in the first six months of 2017 from just P174 million year-on-year on all-time high gaming revenues.

Bloomberry’s net net income in the second quarter jumped 47 percent to P1.95 billion from P1.33 billion in the same quarter last year due to a 34-percent

increase in the profitability of Philippine operations and lower losses from Korean under Jeju Hotel & Casino.

Gross gaming revenues rose 16 percent year-on-year and 14 percent quarter-on-quarter to P12.22 billion—the highest since opening Solaire in March 2013, on better relations between the Philippines and China.

Bloomberry achieved strong first half performance despite increased competition following the opening Okada Manila in December, the third integrated resort and casino operating within government sponsored Pagcor Entertainment City.

Aside from Solaire Resorts and Casino, Bloomberry is also set to develop by next year its second casino and leisure project in 1.56-hectare property within Vertis North in Quezon City.

Marcventures set to merge with two mining companies

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales MARCVENTURES Holdings Inc. said Tuesday its board approved a plan to merge with Asia Pilot Mining Philippines Corp. and BrightGreen Resources Holdings Inc., with Marcventures as the surviving entity.

Asia Pilot owns Alumina Mining Philippines Inc. and Bauxite Resources Inc. properties in Samar containing bauxite, the main source of aluminum.

BrightGreen, meanwhile, owns BrightGreen Resources Corp., which has a property contiguous to the operating nickel mine of Marcventures’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Marcventures Mining and Development Corp., in Surigao del Sur province.

Marcventures said as consideration for the merger, it would

issue 675 million shares in favor of Asia Pilot shareholders and 450 million shares in favor of BrightGreen shareholders, or a total of 1.125 billion shares at par value of P1 apiece.

Alumina Mining holds a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement over a 6,694-hectare tenement in Motiong and Paranas (formerly Wright) municipalities in Samar province.

Bauxite, meanwhile, owns a 5,435-hectare MPSA in the towns of Gandara, San Jorge, San Jose de Buan and Matuginao in the same province.

“The merger with APMPC will allow MHI to grow its business, diversify its products and expand its source of income.

Bauxite has been observed to be more stable in prices as compared to nickel ore,” Marcventures said.

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Business

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Big-ticket ‘iPhone X’ to star at Apple event SAN FRANCISCO—A 10th anniversary “iPhone X” with a price as stunning as its rich screen was expected to be the star at an Apple event Tuesday at its new campus in Silicon Valley.

A fresh leak of new software for Apple devices appeared to confirm rumors that the company will unveil three new iPhone models, with the most radical changes packed into a topof-the-line “X” version.

Evidence suggests that two iPhone 8 models would essentially be improved version of predecessors, while the “X” version will boast an improved quality edgeto-edge screen, advanced augmented reality capabilities, and facial recognition

instead of a “home” button to unlock the screen, analysts said.

A key question for the tech giant is whether it can wow the world the way it did with the first iPhone a decade ago.

The keenly anticipated media even will be the first in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s new “spaceship” campus in Cupertino, evoking the memory of the company’s late co-founder and iconic pitchman.

Jobs introduced the first iPhone on January 9, 2007 and set the stage for mobile computing—and an entire industry revolving around it. The first devices became an instant hit as they went on sale on June 29 of that year. AFP

PREVIEW NIGHT. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of German car maker Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz cars and Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton pose in front of a Mercedes AMG Project One car during a preview night for the media on the eve of the opening of the Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA) motor show in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on September 11, 2017. According to organizers, around 1,000 exhibitors from 39 countries will showcase their products and services. This year’s fair running from September 14 to 24, 2017 will focus on digitization, urban mobility and electric mobility. AFP

Yuan falls as China eases controls

S

HANGHAI―China’s yuan lost ground Tuesday for the first time in two weeks after the central bank relaxed capital controls, sparking speculation the government wants to halt the currency’s recent strengthening.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) set the yuan’s daily reference rate lower on Tuesday―the first time it had done so in 11 trading sessions―at 6.5277 to the dollar, down 0.43 percent from Mon-

day.

China allows the yuan to rise or fall two percent on either side of the fixed daily rate to control volatility.

The move came after a financial newspaper con-

trolled by the central bank said Monday the PBOC would no longer require banks to set aside a 20 percent deposit on forward sales of foreign exchange, a rule imposed in 2015.

It said foreign institutions which trade the yuan offshore also no longer need to keep reserves in onshore banks.

The latest moves halted the yuan’s recent march to a 16-month high. It triggered speculation that the central bank may be worried the yuan had risen too much and that an official campaign to stem capital outflows has peaked.

“This is a clear positive step of stepping back on capital controls,” Eddie Cheung, a strategist at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News.

“It can be argued that the recent yuan appreciation was too fast.

The yuan may be a bit more rangebound in the near term than oneway as markets digest the impact of the move.”

The head of the PBOC’s Research Bureau, Sun Guofeng, was quoted by Chinese financial media on Monday as saying a stabilizing China economy and other positive

signs made it necessary to readjust rules.

The measures were first imposed in 2015 after the central bank moved the yuan almost five percent lower in a week in August that year.

The yuan, also known as the renminbi, has been under pressure since late 2015 due to uncertainty about the health of the world’s second-largest economy, massive capital outflows seeking better returns abroad and a sharp rise in the dollar.

The yuan had flirted with slipping past 7.0 to the dollar, a

Japan: The land of a thousand conveniences

By Anne Beade TOKYO―Heated toilets that spray users clean, train seats that revolve so passengers can admire the scenery and a convenience store on every corner: welcome to Japan, where hospitality and customer service form part of the country’s DNA. Visitors readying to flock to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics can expect a dizzying array of services in Japan where quirky, futuristic gadgets and everyday conveniences ease the passage through the stresses of daily life.

“Attention to others is at the root of Japanese culture,” said Kazuhiro Watanabe, a consumer trends analyst at Nikkei BP consulting group.

It even has its own word in Japanese―omotenashi― or a focus on hospitality.

“Here, we anticipate customers’ desires,” stressed Watanabe.

Don’t believe it? How about this typical―if not exhaustive―day in Tokyo.

The alarm goes off.

Bleary-eyed, you head to the washroom. It’s chilly but don’t worry: the toilet seat is heated.

Enjoyed by foreign celebrities and legions of tourists alike, Japan’s multi-function toilets have an astonishing range of other features too, from jets to wash yourself, deodorizers or a flushing noise button to cover up embarrassing sounds.

But what if you’re alone

with a child and nature calls? Many public toilets (spotlessly clean, of course) have infant seats inside the stall. Park baby in the holder and you’re good to go.

Back at home, you’re late for work and there’s no time for breakfast.

So you head to the konbini―Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores―for some food. While you’re there, why not pay that electricity bill and pick up fresh socks or underwear while you’re at it.

Grab some yen from the ever-present ATM, which itself has a handy umbrella and beverage holder.

Needing a caffeine fix, you can buy a canned coffee―hot or cold―from a vending machine. You won’t have to go far: Japan has more than two million drinks vending machines.

Perfection, but at a price Eating out in Japan is also an exercise in convenience.

Most restaurants come complete with realistic plastic versions of the meals in the windows so the hapless tourist can just point.

And why wait to actually order your lunch? Many eateries have vending machines outside, so you can order your meal before even going in―speeding up the whole process considerably.

Most places also give you a basket so your bag doesn’t get dirty on the floor. A hot or cool hand towel―depending on the season―is standard and if you don’t

In this picture taken on September 4, 2017, a woman servers herself some hot food at a convenience store in the Roppongi district in Tokyo. Heated toilets that spray users clean, train seats that revolve so passengers can admire the scenery and a convenience store on every corner: welcome to Japan, where hospitality and customer service form part of the country’s DNA. AFP

have a glass of iced water within a couple of minutes of entering, something has gone very wrong.

On the move, order and service smooth the journey even through the most packed station.

Commuters line up politely and wait for their train. What’s the rush when they are always on time and there is always another one about to arrive.

The stress of long-distance traveling is also eased by a courier service known as takuhaibin that will ship bags to your weekend retreat for a modest fee.

Not weighed down by heavy bags, you can line

up for the bullet train in an orderly fashion―painted markings on the floor will guide you―and enjoy the seats that rotate so you can watch the scenery at 300 kilometers an hour (186 miles).

“Japanese are very pragmatic―comfort and practicality are paramount,” said Muriel Jolivet, a sociologist who has lived in Japan for four decades.

The country famously has its share of quirky objects too: a book-pillow that lets you catch a few winks in between reading, a shirt fan for those broiling summers, and pocket heaters for winter.

“These kinds of things have always existed,” Watanabe said. “(Japanese) are very good at making existing products better, rather than creating entirely new concepts from scratch.”

Does that make Japan the perfect place to live?

Maybe not. There are rules, rules and more rules.

“People cannot do what they want―that’s the other side of the coin,” Watanabe said.

And perfection has a price, Jolivet added.

“There is a psycho-rigidity underneath all this,” she said.

“Mistakes are not tolerated.” AFP

Brexit bill passes first vote in British parliament despite opposition LONDON--British MPs voted in favor of a bill Tuesday to end Britain’s EU membership, a key moment for the government’s Brexit strategy despite opposition accusations of an unprecedented power grab.

Lawmakers voted by 326 to 290 in favor of backing the legislation, after more than 13 hours of debate, which will now go forward for further scrutiny by MPs. The bill is aimed at repeal-

ing the 1972 law through which Britain joined the bloc, transferring in bulk around 12,000 existing EU regulations onto the British statute books.

It is the next step in implementing last year’s historic referendum vote to leave the EU, after Prime Minister Theresa May formally notified Brussels of Britain’s withdrawal in March.

May’s Conservative government won Tuesday’s parliamentary vote thanks to

its alliance with the Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The premier described the outcome as a “historic decision” which “gives certainty and clarity ahead of our withdrawal from the European Union.”

“Although there is more to do, this decision means we can move on with negotiations with solid foundations and we continue to encourage MPs from all parts of the UK

to work together in support of this vital piece of legislation,” May said in a statement.

The main opposition Labour party had voiced its objection to the bill, arguing that its provisions to smooth the transfer of EU laws represent an unacceptable expansion of executive power.

Many EU regulations may need adjusting as they are transferred, and the bill proposes the broad use of existing “Henry VIII pow-

ers” that allow ministers to amend legislation without full parliamentary scrutiny.

Labour lawmaker Chris Bryant said such powers would lead to “a dangerous spiral of autocracy.”

“It pretends to bring back power to this country, but it actually represents the biggest peace time power grab by the executive over the legislature, by the government over parliament, in 100 years,” he told parliament. AFP

threshold not crossed in more than eight years.

The government responded this year by imposing a series of new requirements making it difficult to move capital offshore. Most of these controls remain in place.

“We expect the RMB to fluctuate further and depreciate against the USD in the rest of 2017, to around 6.7 by the end of this year,” Huatai Research said in an analysis.

“The PBOC intends to avoid one-way depreciation or appreciation, with the target of inducing two-way flexibility.” AFP

Asian markets advance as Nokor tension abates

HONG KONG—Tokyo led gains across most Asian markets Tuesday, tracking a record on Wall Street as the North Korea crisis eased and dealers breathed a sigh of relief that Hurricane Irma caused less damage to Florida than feared.

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Monday to step up sanctions against North Korea, having won the crucial support of Russia and China, while the US held out hope for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

The move provided a much-needed boost after Pyongyang’s September 3 nuclear test hammered markets last week and sent investors fleeing for the safe havens of gold and the yen.

Despite widespread speculation, the North did not mark its foundation day Saturday with another missile launch.

This helped lift all three main New York indexes more than one percent Monday, with the S&P 500 at a new record.

“What road seems to be travelled now is one of negotiation rather than provocation. There has been a reversal of the tactics over the last week and I think that’s what the markets are seeing,” Jefferies chief global strategist Sean Darby told Bloomberg Television.

Most of Asia followed New York’s example, with a sharply weaker yen a plus for Japan’s exporters. The dollar was at 109.56 yen compared with the 10-month lows around 107.30 yen last week.

The Nikkei ended 1.2 percent higher, Shanghai added 0.1 percent and Sydney was 0.6 percent up. Seoul gained 0.3 percent while Taipei and Singapore were also higher.

Manila was closed owing to flooding from a major storm.

Hong Kong was slightly lower in the afternoon following strong gains over the previous two sessions, while Wellington was also down.AFP

China jails 26 over $7.6-b Ponzi scheme

BEIJING—Two senior executives of a collapsed peer-topeer lender were sentenced to life in prison and 24 others punished over what has been called China’s biggest-ever Ponzi scheme, state media reported Tuesday.

The company, Ezubao, reportedly swindled more than 900,000 investors out of $7.6 billion, mainly between 2014 and 2015.

The brazenly luxurious lifestyles of top Ezubao bosses drew wide attention to the long-running case—one of several recent high-profile trials to shine a light on pervasive fraud and corrupt practices in the Chinese financial industry.

The company was alleged to have fabricated most of the projects on its website and paid old debts with money from new investors.

Ding Ning, head of Ezubao’s parent company Yucheng Holdings, was sentenced by a Beijing court to life in prison for charges ranging from fraudulent fundraising to illegal possession of a gun, the People’s Daily reported.

Another top corporate official, Ding Dian, also received a life sentence.

The court handed sentences to other defendants ranging from three to 15 years in prison, and levied fines including a 1.9 billion yuan ($290 million) penalty on Yucheng.

Ding Ning was said by Chinese media to have given his company president a pink diamond ring and luxury villa in Singapore, while dressing his secretaries in designer brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. AFP

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

External trade increased 2.2% in July—PSA data

STRATEGIC PLANNING. Manila Electric Co. strengthens its relationship with Pasay City through a series of strategic planning and coordination meetings. The local government unit and Meralco representatives worked together to develop five to 10-year plans to support the city’s growth and development. Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto (seventh from left) receives a plaque of appreciation from Meralco senior vice president and head of Customer Retail Services and Corporate Communications Alfredo Panlilio (sixth from left) after the planning session.

THE country’s total external trade in goods in July 2017 grew 2.2 percent to $12.22 billion from $11.95 billion a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

Data showed exports rose 10.4 percent to $5.28 billion in July from $4.79 billion year-on-year, while imports decreased 3.2 percent from $7.16 billion a year ago to $6.93 billion.

The country’s balance of trade in goods as a result registered a $1.65-billion deficit in July, lower than $2.37 billion in July last year.

Total trade from January to July 2017 grew to $87.8 billion or 10.3 percent, compared with the same period last year National Economic and Development Authority director general and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Asean agreements and the Philippines’ integration to the larger AsiaPacific region would further boost the country’s trade performance.

“Our country’s trade performance is consistent with the Asian trade growth. We are optimistic that higher growth will be achieved for the remaining months of the year,” Pernia said.

Increased exports were observed in Hong Kong (26.2 percent), Thailand (24.2 percent), South Korea (31.8 percent), Malaysia (31.6 percent) and Vietnam (16.4 percent).

Imports from Southeast Asia rose 8.5 percent, led by Indonesia (44.3 percent) and Vietnam (50.8 percent).

Neda noted that member states agreed during the recent Asean Economic Community meetings to prioritize trade in goods and trade facilitation. Julito G. Rada

PH manufacturing output drops

By Julito G. Rada

M

ANUFACTURING declined 1.1 percent in July 2017 from a 12.1-percent expansion year-on-year, pulled down mostly by doubledigit decreases in the output of chemical products, textiles and rubber and plastic products, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority on Tuesday show.

“Eight out of the 20 major sectors registered annual declines, with two-digit decreases noted in the following major sectors: chemical products (-52.6 percent), textiles (-20.3 percent), and rubber and plastic products (-13.9 percent),” the agency said.

IN BRIEF

BPI teaming up with WorldRemit

BANK of the Philippine Islands, the fourth-largest bank in terms of assets, has teamed with leading digital money transfer service WorldRemit to enable millions of Filipinos working overseas to send money easily to their relatives in the Philippines.

WorldRemit customers send almost 700,000 transfers every month to over 140 destinations around the world.

The company is currently processing 74 percent of all transfers to mobile money accounts coming from money transfer operators, according to 2016 GSMA data.

BPI, meanwhile, has been a longtime champion of financial inclusion and pioneered much of the rural banking seen across the Philippines today.

Its extensive branch network has over 800 branches and over 2,000 ATMs in the Philippines.

WorldRemit customers since starting its operations in the country in September 2011 have completed 4.5 million money transfers to the Philippines. Julito G. Rada

The 1.1-percent decline in July was a reversal of the 6.8-percent growth in the previous month.

Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, however, remained optimistic of the growth of manufacturing in the fourth quarter.

“We expect higher manufacturing outputs in the coming months as we expect an increase in consumer demand during the holiday, translating to higher production in volume and sales,” he said.

He said strong macroeconomic fundamentals, acceleration of infrastructure development projects, and increased investment would further provide additional support to manufacturing growth.

Pernia recommended an expansion of existing manufacturing enterprises and more foreign and local investments in the countryside to sustain manufacturing growth.

The value of production index (VaPI) for manufacturing dropped 2.0 percent in July compared with a 7.7-percent growth on year.

Seven major sectors showed decreases in VaPI, with three major sectors mainly contributing to the downtrend, namely: chemical products (-54.2 percent), textiles (-23.6 percent) and rubber and plastic products (-19.1 percent).

Similarly, the Volume of Net Sales Index posted year-on-year contraction of 8.1 percent in July.

The contributing factors were the decreases in VoNSI exhibited by three major sectors, with consider-

able reduction observed in chemical products (-55.1 percent), footwear and wearing apparel(-22.5 percent) and non-metallic mineral products (-18.0 percent).

The Value of Net Sales Index, meanwhile, declined 9.0 percent in July from 3.8 percent during the same month of the previous year.

Three major sectors showed two-digit decreases in VaNSI led by chemical products (-56.1 percent), followed by non-metallic mineral products (-23.4 percent) and footwear and wearing apparel (-22.0 percent).

The average capacity utilization rate in July for total manu-

Ayala Land expects P4.5b in sales from Arbor Lanes condo project

By Jenniffer B. Austria AYALA Land Inc. expects to generate P4.5 billion in sales this year for its newly-launched luxury garden living condominiums Arbor Lanes, making it the highest selling high-end project in 2017.

Ayala Land Premier managing director Mike Jugo said in a press briefing the company so far had sold P39 billion or 74 percent of the first three residential blocks of Arbor Lanes with a combined

inventory value of P12.4 billion for 594 units.

Jugo said Ayala Land Premier was surprised to learn Arbor Lanes had been its best selling project this year, even surpassing the sales performance of Park Central Tower in Makati, whose units are being sold at a higher price per square meter against that of Arbor Lanes.

Jugo said the company planned to launch the next two residential blocks in Arbor

Lanes over the next two years given the strong sales performance of the project.

Jugo attributed the strong sales of Arbor Lane of the good location, superior access and scale of the whole development.

Units in Arbor Lanes’ first residential block range from P11 million for a 60 square-meter unit and P85 million for a penthouse unit with over 300 sq. m.

Arbor Lanes Block 1 will begin turnover by the first quarter of 2018. Phase 2 follows in 2019.

Arbor Lanes is located within the 74-hectare Arca South, the fast-rising mixed-use business and lifestyle district of Ayala Land located at the old Food Terminal.

The P80-billion Arca South development is envisioned to be a major gateway through its direct Skyway link and the extension of the C5 and C6 highways.

Jugo expects residential sales of Arbor Lanes to further pick up as other components of the Arca South are set for completion by Manila

Standard

TODAY

Rains shut down financial markets PHILIPPINE financial markets were closed on Tuesday along with government offices and schools as heavy overnight rains flooded parts of the capital Manila and nearby provinces.

Currency, stocks and bonds trading were suspended after the office of President Rodrigo Duterte halted work in government offices, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla said. At least five domestic flights were canceled, according to the Manila International Airport Authority.

Flood waters were waist-deep in some parts of Manila, blocking several traffic arteries including the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Bloomberg

2019.

Aside from residential developments, Ayala Land is also set to build lifestyle mall with 72,000 sq. m. of leasable space, six office buildings catering to business process outsourcing companies with 15,000 sq. m. leasable space and a 265-room Seda hotel.

These are are also slated for completion by 2019.

Target market for Arbor Lanes include local investors and endusers as well.

Republic of the Philippines Province of Kalinga City of Tabuk

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE Date Posted: September 12, 2017

Truckers support Harbor Link section THE trucking industry is supporting the construction of an elevated 2.6-kilometer section of the NLEX Harbor Link that will be built over C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan City and until Radial Road 10 (R10) in Navotas City.

Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines chairman Rupert Bayocot expressed full support for the project and cited it as a welcome development that will make a positive impact on trucking companies and their clients.

The NLEX Harbor Link’s completion is seen to advance transport logistics and facilitate efficient delivery of goods with the direct and quick access between NLEX and the Port of Manila.

“We’re glad this project is becoming a reality. Completing NLEX Harbor Link to R10 in Navotas City will be a big help to our business,” Mario Yap, president of CTAP, president of Manila North Harbor Truckers Association, and owner of 88 Logistics Co., said. Darwin G. Amojelar

facturing was recorded at 83.7 percent. Sixty percent or 12 of the 20 major industries operated at 80 percent and above capacity utilization rates.

The proportion of establishments that operated at full capacity (90 percent to 100 percent) was recorded at almost one-fourth of the total number of establishments (24.8 percent) in July 2017.

About 55.3 percent of the total establishments operated at 70 percent to 89 percent capacity, while almost one-fifth of the total establishments (19.9 percent) operated below 70 percent capacity.

INVITATION TO BID ITB No. GOODS-2017-18 The Local Government Unit of Tabuk through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites Manufacturers/Distributors/Suppliers to bid for the hereunder equipment: Lot

A BROWN-RUSATOM DEAL. Publicly listed A Brown Company Inc. and RUSATOM Healthcare, a division of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, sign a framework agreement on the construction of network of agro irradiation centers in the Philippines. ABCI president and chief executive officers Roel Castro (right) signed the document with Deputy General Director of RUSATOM Healthcare Rustam Rakhmatulin during the 26th Mindanao Business Conference held on September 9, 2017 at Xavier Estates.

Self-regulation, dialogs keys in vaping industry SELF-REGULATION, adherence to high manufacturing standards and quality of imported products are key factors in the success of the e-cigarette industry in the Philippines, representatives of the Philippine vaping community told their counterparts in New Delhi, India.

Edward Gatchalian, president of Philippine E-liquids Manufacturers Association, shared the Philippine experience during a business-to-business meeting of manufacturers of e-cigarettes, liquids, equipment, battery and accessories on September 9. He stressed the need to raise public awareness of the issues and work with government to secure rea-

sonable regulation.

PEMA is an active member of the umbrella Philippine E-cigarette Industry Association.

“Elevating the level of discourse on e-cigarettes by presenting scientific evidence from independent studies and experts is crucial to our survival. We believe that disseminating accurate and scientifically vetted evidence is the only answer to the lies, fear mongering and propaganda churned out by groups opposed to e-cigarettes,” Gatchalian said.

“Policymakers, public health experts and the general public, particularly smokers, need to know about the growing body

of scientific evidence showing e-cigarettes are overwhelmingly less harmful than conventional cigarettes and can help smokers quit,” he said.

Gatchalian said smokers must have the option to choose products that are potentially less harmful and government regulation should be able to encourage it.

An expert independent evidence review by Public Health England concluded that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than smoking and that e-cigarettes may be contributing to falling smoking rates among adults and young people in the UK.

1

Name of Project Procurement of Various Heavy Equipments: A) 1 Unit Hydraulic Excavator (Brand New): Engine: water cooled 4 cycle direct injection & turbo charged low operation noise; Rated power: 96.6HP @ 2200rpm gross, 91.79HP @ 2200 rpm net; operating wt: 27,30028,000LB; Bucket cap: 0.60cu.m; Arm length: 2500mm; Monitor: large TFT LCD monitor rear view monitoring system; Others: w/ logo of Tabuk & label

Location

ABC

Cost of Bid

Motorpool, CEO

12,000,000.00

25,000.00

B) Two Units Dump Truck- (4x4-Brand New): specs: Engine-water cooled 4 cylinder diesel driven; Rated power: 45HP @ 2000rpm; Dump box cap: 6.0cu.m; Steering gear: power steering; tires: 8.25x20; others: w/city of Tabuk logo & label Prospective bidders should have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of the ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check/screening as well as the preliminary examination of bids. The BAC will conduct post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid.

Pre-Bid conference will be on September 20, 2017, 9:00AM at the BAC Meeting Room, City Engineering Office, Tabuk City Hall, Dagupan Centro, Tabuk City.

Bid Documents are available during office hours starting September 12, 2017 at the BAC-Secretariat, City Engineering Office and upon payment of a non-refundable amount of bid documents as stated above to the LGU Cashier, Office of the Treasurer.

All bid proposals should be received by the BAC Chairman/Secretariat on or before October 4, 2017, Wednesday, 9:00AM at the BAC Meeting Room, City Engineering Office, Tabuk City Hall, Dagupan Centro, Tabuk City.

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids or part thereof, or to waive formality therein and/or to accept the bids as may be considered most advantageous to the Local Government Unit of Tabuk.

Very truly yours, (SGD.) LAURENCE C, BAYONGAN BAC Chairman (MS-SEPT. 13, 2017)

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Illegal vendors cleared

By Bill Casas

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada has driven away hundreds of illegal vendors outside the recently rebuilt Quinta Market in Quiapo through a series of clearing operations that began last week, as he kept his promise to stallholders.

Estrada said he understands the sentiments of the legitimate vendors and stall owners who have been complaining of poor sales because of the presence of unregistered vendors just outside the Quiapo market.

“As I have promised, I have removed those illegal vendors, and I intend to keep it that way,” the mayor said, as he tasked Task Force Manila Cleanup chief Che Borromeo to establish a permanent presence in the area to prevent the return of the illegal vendors.

Estrada admitted it was always a hard decision for him to make, knowing the vendors were only trying to make a living, but he said it has to be done “for the common good of the greater majority.”

“We have laws to follow.

We have to maintain order in our city,” he added.

The Quinta Market Vendors Association Cooperative Development, whose 289 members were given permits to operate at the new Quinta Market, earlier complained that vendors outside had the greater advantage in getting customers and earning more.

On the other hand, Estrada immediately directed the Task Force Manila Cleanup to lead the clearing of the area of illegal vendors.

Borromeo said the task force teamed up with the Police Community Precinct in Plaza Miranda in driving away hundreds of illegal vendors, especially those within the immediate vicinities of Quinta Market.

“Now that place is heavily guarded. Not one illegal vendor can just return there.

This was the strict instruction of the Mayor,” Borromeo said.

Borromeo said teams of City Hall personnel and policemen are working in shifts patrolling the Quiapo area.

While saying it is anyone’s choice where to buy and what store to patronize, Borromeo appealed to the public to avoid buying from sidewalk vendors as much as possible so that illegal vendors will not proliferate.

Estrada inaugurated the new Quinta Market during his 80th birthday on April 19. This is the latest public market in the city to undergo complete reconstruction.

Quezon City to open new dump by 2018

By Rio N. Araja

WITH the looming closure of its Payatas controlled landfill, the Quezon City government vowed on Tuesday to operate a new garbage dump by January 2018.

In an interview, city administrator Aldrin Cuña said the city’s Environmental Protection and Wastes Management Department is doing its best to look for a new site where the city’s 2,800 metric tons of garbage a day could be disposed of, and to beat its self-imposed deadline to operate a new one next year.

“We are looking for a site.

Of course, we hope that before December, we could be able to find one so that we could soon start with the bidding process,” he told the Manila Standard. “We have

to make sure that we will have a [new] landfill.”

Last July 27, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered the closure of Payatas controlled landfill.

The city’s EPWMD, headed by Frederika Rentoy, requested the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to reopen the dump, to no avail.

During the dump’s closure, the MMDA recommended that QC’s collected garbage from Districts 1, 3 and 4 be disposed at Vitas, Tondo in Manila, and refuse from Districts 2, 5 and 6 to Rodriguez, Rizal.

On July 10, 2000, more than 300 people were buried alive when a 21-foot pile of garbage collapsed in Payatas.

IN BRIEF ‘Maring’ disrupts Batangas-Bolboc line THANKFUL. Cancer-stricken children join their parents and relatives in thanking

businessman Hans Sy (seated, in pink shirt) and other donors of Childhaus, which marked its 14th year of sheltering and supporting over 15,000 cancer patients who are undergoing treatment in various government hospitals nationwide. The children serenaded Sy – who was celebrating his birthday – along with his wife Carol Sy and other benefactors at the center on Agoncillo Street in Paco, Manila, their home for the last two years after Childhaus moved from its original venue in Quezon City. Manny Palmero

60 Taguig cleft lip patients healed THE city government of Taguig announced that 60 persons with cleft lip and palate condition have benefited from the joint health program by the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital management and Smile Train Philippines.

Among the beneficiaries were sevenyear-old Yhum Ashley Luciano and fiveyear-old Samantha Dorothy Alvez, who both underwent the free reconstructive surgery for cleft lip and palate in TPDH in 2011 and 2014, respectively, under the program.

The parents of Ashley and Samantha are grateful for the opportunity given

by the city. Marvin Luciano, father of Ashley, noted his child had a second surgery in 2015 under the program— also free of charge.

“The second surgery of Ashley was a success. We are really thankful not only because there is a Smile Train program, but also because there are TPDH doctors and staff who assisted us from the processing of documents needed for the surgery up until our child’s discharge from the hospital. Thanks to them, both operations were hassle-free,” Luciano explained. Joel E. Zurbano

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines on Tuesday reported that its Batangas-Bolboc 69-kilovolt line was affected by Tropical Depression “Maring” resulting in outages in parts of Batangas City.

NGCP said among the affected customers are Manila Electric Co. First Bay Power, Batangas City Water District and First Philippine Industrial Corp. at 1:23 p.m. Tuesday.

“Inspection and restoration of lines in the affected areas will be in full swing as soon as the weather allows,” said NGCP, operator of the country’s power transmission network. Alena Mae S. Flores

Body cameras for Caloocan cops CALOOCAN City Mayor Oscar Malapitan on Tuesday said the city government plans to procure body cameras that will serve as eyewitness to any untoward incidents or abuses that may be committed by local policemen during an operation.

“If they [police operatives] are wearing body camera, the device will be able to record the operation and will be easy to check if there are irregularities like torturing, or it will also be captured if the suspect fought back on the arresting officers,” Malapitan said in Filipino.

The plan came after mounds of criticisms were received by Caloocan cops over the killings of Kian Loyd delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz that involved local police. Jun David

By Bernadette Lunas

U

NIQLO stands out from other fast fashion brands by staying true to its roots. Unlike other popular global names, the label embodies the Japanese values of offering simple apparel made of high quality materials sans the hefty price tag.

Uniqlo is not the store for your trendy tops and overly ripped jeans; this is where you get versatile items that can last several wear and seasons. It is the go-to for basics: plain t-shirts, denim pants, chino shorts, shirts and blouses, coats and jackets, scarves and socks.

“We don’t dictate styles to customers… we create clothing for everybody,” declares Uniqlo Philippines COO Katsumi Kubota.

Instead of introducing trends, Uniqlo innovates. And for Uniqlo LifeWear’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection, the brand launches improved versions of its various ranges, along with new designer collaborations.

New highlights for its HEATTECH, Ultra Light Down, AIRism, Jeans, and Uniqlo U ranges are available for the season.

“Seasonal highlights showcase

The Japanese fast fashion brand stands from its competition by offering innovative, functional, and versatile pieces that can be worn in any occasion.

Life FASHION & BEAUTY

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

THE COLLECTION for different personalities and lifestyles

CLOTHES FOR EVERYONE.

Uniqlo launches its F/W 2017 collection, including new releases from Ines de la Fressange for men (for the first time) and women.

items from the Fall/Winter 2017 collection that embody the thoughtfulness of Uniqlo’s design and its commitment to clothes that change the way we live,” said the brand in a statement.

The season comes with functional pieces for outdoor travels such as trekking, hiking, and camping. Ultra Light Down, a line of warm and light outerwear, offers new vivid colors for its jackets. Denim jeans

and flannels in striking plaid patterns are also available.

Wool outerwear in stylish monochromatic palette of black, white, dark olive, and beige are perfect for leisure traveling or for cover-up when the airconditioning gets too cold.

Reversible parkas and pocketable parkas, as well as workout wear in chic colors are the seasonal highlights in the multi-functional Uniqlo Sport range.

But perhaps the most exciting part of

this season’s collection will come in the following months.

Uniqlo debuts its first collaboration with British designer Jonathan Anderson of JW Anderson. The range brings trench coats, tweed jackets, frilly skirts, and color-blocking scarves.

Male fans of French designer Ines de la Fressange will get a chance to snag an item by her as the eighth edition of Uniqlo and Ines de la Fressange collaboration will offer the long-awaited

SYNE Basics delivers pieces suited for your daily wear THE power of a great wardrobe lies within the basics you have in your closet. In fact, such silhouettes shouldn’t be underestimated. With SYNE’s touch, SYNE Basics offers pieces that enable you to maximize your number of looks without having the conundrum of a fashion faux pas.

True to its mission, SYNE designed its basic line with the modern woman in mind. Empowered lady that values time, mobility, without compromising her personal style.

From blouses, dresses, to pencil

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skirts, the collection makes it easy for any woman to dress up.

In this collection, SYNE used cotton crepe fabric in stretched form to fit any woman’s body—perfect for women on the go. Your SYNE Basic’s on-trend uniform can be blue coordinates with a wrap pencil skirt. It can also be the easy pale yellow slip on dress. To elevate your usual office look, opt for a SYNE Basics top in white ¾ sleeves with draping.

For wash and wear Friday, the SYNE Capri Pants and Structured Wrap

men’s line. The men’s pieces feature classic stand-up collars, tweed jackets, and cashmere knits. The latest in women’s line, on the other hand, include sports knits in vintage styles and classic Nordic sweaters in monochromatic palette. Military style mod hats, duffle coats, and fleece blousons complete the collaboration’s Fall/Winter collection.

Visit www.uniqlo.com for more information on Fall/Winter 2017 collection.

A Love to Last stars Ian Veneracion and Bea Alonzo lend their star power to the Bantay Bata fashion show

Blouse is your go-to casuals. These pieces are also easy on the eyes. Thus, SYNE Basics uplifts the work wear with functional design at its core.

With SYNE Basics’ direction, it aims to help every woman, from different industries, achieve a curated wardrobe that can last a lifetime and gives more time to finish your tasks at hand. As much as it can, it removes fashion dilemmas as all these pieces match the modern fast paced lifestyles.

Rocky Gathercole

in a fundraiser for Bantay Bata 163

SYNE Basics is composed of blouses, dresses, and pencil skirts for empowered women who value mobility without compromising style and comfort.

KAPAMILYA stars showed their support for ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI) - Bantay Bata 163 on its 20th year of caring for and protecting children in a fundraising dinner featuring the works of fashion designer Rocky Gathercole.

Martin Nievera, Bea Alonzo, Ian Veneracion, Sharon Cuneta, and Darren Espanto, with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Gerard Salonga, lent their talents in the event that paid tribute to Bantay Bata children and the social workers, volunteers, and donors who helped them in the past two decades.

In his speech, ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III emphasized ABS-CBN’s commitment to safeguard the welfare of children. “For 20 years, Bantay Bata 163 was able to successfully touch the hearts of a deeply sym-

pathetic, compassionate, and caring race through the creativity, technology, and reach of media. It is an honor that ABS-CBN was able to rally its worldwide audience to support the cause and as a result, Bantay Bata has directly benefitted over a million Filipino children,” he said.

One of the people who partnered with Bantay Bata 163 is Rocky, himself a victim of abuse in his younger years.

His life story was even featured in the drama anthology MMK with Arjo Atayde playing Gathercole.

Once again, Rocky was able to share his journey from living in the streets of Manila to designing for international celebrities like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Beyonce at the dinner’s fashion show, which showcased his avant-garde pieces inspired by his experiences in life.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Life Mika de la Cruz colors hair

Sisters Vina (Sharon), Sheryl, Sheila and Shaina celebrate their beauty salon’s 19th anniversary

Magdayao sisters’

Ystilo counts 19 years in beauty business S

ISTERS Shaina, Vina (Morales), Sheila, and Sheryl Magdayao are celebrating their beauty salon’s 19 years in the business.

The celebration will last until Sept.

30 (it started on the 8th) as a way of thanking the salon’s loyal patrons.

Ystilo offers 50 percent off on its Premium Services and Hair Treatment, like Hair Rebond, Hair Color, Kera Glaze, Aroma Hair, Remedy/Ultrasonic Iron and Keratin Treatment. This is available at all Ystilo Salon branches.

Sisters Vina and Sheila put up the first Ystilo on Aug. 8, 1999 in Fairview. The two have been the hands behind the business. Eventually, younger sister Shaina joined her older sisters in the business.

Says Shaina, “So from the very beginning, ‘yung passion nila, they turned it into business kasi nga puro babae kami, so lahat mahilig magpa-hot oil, magpamasahe, magpa-foot spa. So ‘yung passion nila, ginamit nila iyon and I guess hindi nila in-expect na magbo-boom, pero nu’ng nag-boom, they took the op-

portunity, they grabbed the opportunity and nag-aral sila ate ng haircut.

“Oo magaling sila, si ate Sheila ang magaling mag haircut, si ate Vina, I’m not so sure kung nag-aral din siya but you know gaya ng lahat ng nangyayari sa mundo ay nage-evolve and one thing na nakikita ko sa Ystilo ay nageevolve siya.”

Ystilo’s vision is to offer good and quality service to its clients. “And our mission is to be the leader in the salon industry by providing the trendiest and updated hairstyles, providing reasonably priced products and offering excellent customer service,” she explained.

The Magdayao sisters have a total of 500 employees in 25 branches, all company owned. Since Shaina has no time to acquire a franchise due to her commitments in show business, her investment is in the company owned salons.

Shaina is also very busy with her own

IN A sea of normcore and athleisure, having vibrant hair color could be the key in making you stand out— but the fear of damaging your hair can be quite discouraging.

Luckily, Japan’s no. 1 hair coloring brand is the hair hero that’ll be saving you from looking dull and your hair from being damaged.

If you feel unsure because you’ve never dyed your hair before, relax, because Liese Creamy BHC has you covered. Just ask its newest endorser, actress and style icon, Mika Dela Cruz.

As one of the Philippines’ rising stars, Mika is regularly seen on television, print, and social media. But while she makes sure to always be on top of the hottest fashion and beauty trends, she hadn’t colored her hair until recently.

“I used to be so scared of coloring my hair because I’ve never done it before and I always associated the procedure with strong chemicals that can cause damage,” she said when asked why she never dyed her hair before.

This was why she was pleasantly surprised to discover that Liese has key ingredients that leaves hair smooth and soft after coloring— royal jelly

extract that moisturizes and hydrolyzed silk that protects.

Mika is also a big believer in Japanese products, with her relationship with brands from The Land of the Rising Sun going all the way back to when her mom was working there and would send her presents. It’s this long-instilled trust in the innovation, technology, and fun behind Japanese products that gave her the added push to finally give hair coloring with Liese a try.

“I love Liese and its foam-type formula. It was so easy to use and it provided me with rich evenly colored hair that was super soft and shiny,” said Mika.

When asked whether she will color her hair again, she said, “Using Liese was life changing! It was so fun and quick to use that I didn’t even need anyone to help me. I’m so happy with how smooth and soft my hair feels now. I’m already looking forward to trying out the other available colors. I feel like I’m getting addicted and I might even change my hair color every month now!”

Teen star Mika dela Cruz steps out from her comfort zone after she colored her hair for the first time

personal businesses, which she’d rather not talk about now.

Sheila, Ystilo Salon’s COO, said some of the salon’s franchisees closed their branches after recouping their investment. “’Yung iba kasing franchise, naging luma na ‘yung building, o kaya natakpan na ng mga bagong tayong condominium sa harap o kaya ng LRT/MRT at ‘yung iba naging tabi ng palengke, so ‘yung owners, ayaw na nila kaya isinoli na nila sa amin.

Good thing nabawi naman nila ‘yung puhunan nila, ROI na.

“On our part, wala naman kaming lugi kasi bago naman din namin i-go ‘yung lugar, na-check na namin personally. Actually kami ang nagaapprove ng pagtatayuan ng Ystilo kasi siyempre pag hindi naging maganda, kami naman ang masisisi ng franchisee, masisira ang pangalan namin.”

According to the eldest Magdayao, there are still inquiries on how to acquire a franchise, but they are no longer entertaining them for safety and health reasons that they’d rather not mention.

Ben Sherman back in Manila

‘The Captain’ with MAXiM Hair Restoration Manager, Mar Sabillo (second from left), Dr. John Ocampo, MAXiM Plastic Surgeon and staff.

Alvin Patrimonio

THE brand used to be ubiquitous in malls a couple of years back, but without notice, it disappeared, leaving fans of British fashion in limbo.

Welcome back Ben Sherman, as it has been acquired by Anthem Group for retail in the Philippines. It’s first store is on the ground floor of Glorietta 4 and soon at SM Mall of Asia.

For this Fall-Winter 2017, inspiration is drawn from iconic British music legends, at a time when style and originality represented the true spirit of being modern. We look to mavericks with style cues that raised the bar and expressed their individuality fearlessly. “Staying sharp and being original” has always been a mod mantra that remains as relevant today as it was in 1963.

Across three key themes Future Mod, Working Class Hero and Modern Dandy the collection tells a cohesive story of British sport meets Tailoring. With this in mind key looks are sharp sport jackets and jersey, combined with tailored items—which can be dressed up or down with semi-formal footwear to give a sporty edge. Sateen sport coach jackets with snap fronts are paired with tailored jogging pants featuring military inspired stripes. Leading colour palettes are

undergoes hair transplant PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio visited the MAXiM Hair Restoration clinic in Makati recently to avail of a hair restoration procedure called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

FUE is a no-stitch, no linear scar technique that takes individual grafts or follicular units from the back and sides of the head and transplants them to the thinning and balding areas. The result is permanent hair growth that is all natural because the transplanted hair is the patient’s own.

There is very minimal discomfort felt during the procedure and recovery is faster. The patient can return to normal activity in a day or two and expect a

fuller head of hair in about six months, plus improved density within a year.

Unlike other hair transplant clinics that offer multiple cosmetic procedures, MAXiM is entirely dedicated to surgical hair restoration and non-surgical scalp micropigmentation.

The hair transplant procedure is performed by MAXiM doctors, experienced plastic surgeons adept at performing medical aesthetic procedures.

MAXiM Hair Restoration in Manila, Philippines is the branch of the New York City-based hair transplant company that also has offices in Long Island, Chicago, Dallas, D.C. Virginia Area, and Dubai.

Ben Sherman’s first store on the ground floor of Glorietta 4

Ben Sherman’s A/W 2017 collection is inspired by iconic British music legends

military green, tobacco and auburn along with federal blue, peach, optic white and grass green.

Vintage military surplus is worn over sharp tailored suits.

A mix of wool blends and cotton bonded parkas and button down shirts feature mod patches. Plush fabrics feature lumberjack checks, refined wools, and oversized ginghams.

Double breasted blazers are paired with flattering tapered slim leg trousers that are accessorised with a felt fedora, driving cap or Gatsby style hats.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

BoybandPH members (from left) Joao Constancia, Ford Valencia, Niel Murillo, Russell Reyes, and Tristan Ramirez

Revisiting BoybandPH XACTLY a year ago, Pinoy Boy Band Superstar premiered on ABS-CBN. The 28-espisode reality singing competition had one goal – to find the members of the boy band that the network wanted to groom.

E

The show is based on the Latin-American singing competition series La Banda, created by English TV producer and music star maker Simon Cowell.

The program’s first season was shown on Univision and later on introduced the boy group CNCO during the finale. Meanwhile, in the second season, La Banda came up with another group called MIX5, with two female and three male members. Since then, people have not heard anything about the groups even in their homeland.

Back to Pinoy Boy Band Superstar, the show had its premiere telecast on Sept. 10, 2016 and was a consistent top-rater on its timeslot with 17.12 percent ratings according to AGB Nielsen and 29.31 percent according to Kantar Media. It was a consistent player on national TV topping the weekend ratings game.

On social media, the show was a big hit, too, and regularly trended on Twitter and YouTube. Every audition was being watched by millions on the popular video sharing site. Neil Murillo, Joao Constancia, and Tony Labrusca’s audition videos, uploaded on Pinoy Boy Band Superstar’s official YouTube channel, for instance, collectively garnered 10 million views within a month since the show aired its first few episodes. Individual perfor-

mance of the contestants, on the other hand, could generate a million views in less than 24 hours after the episode is shown on TV. During the finale aired on Dec. 11 last year, Niel Murillo, Russell Reyes, Ford Valencia, Tristan Ramirez, and Joao Constancia were named members of the first “PinoyBoyband” called BoybandPH. The group then performed its first single, “We Made It.” Each of the band members became P1 million richer by the end of the show. They also won a talent management contract from Star Magic and a recording contract from Star Music.

Striking while the iron was hot, Star Music released the group’s first single “Unli” on New Year’s Day. It was followed by the band’s second single, a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Somebody,” which Star Music dropped early this year on Valentine’s Day coinciding with the band’s debut album launch.

In two months’ time, BoybandPH’s debut album was awarded with the Gold Record Award after it sold over 7,500 physical copies.

The group currently performs in ASAP every Sunday as one of show’s mainstay acts. It will also release its newest single accompanied by a music video next week.

So, that’s BoybandPH in one year with its members having no spectacular happenings in their music career.

It’s funny that Tony Labrusca, who didn’t win the competition, is even more popular than the five guys combined.

On social media, BoybandPH only has a few thousand followers -around three thousand on Twitter and less than 10 thousand on YouTube.

The band’s videos no longer create as much buzz, too, compared to how the members’ audition and performance videos were received when the Pinoy Boy Band Superstar was still airing.

Perhaps we can say that the audiences have already lost their interest in this group and in Pinoy boy bands in general. In fact, in the Philippines, traditional boy bands are a thing of the past and have become irrelevant in the music world since we didn’t really have any boy band that succeeded in the industry.

It’s high time that members of BoybandPH reevaluate their respective career. They have to bear in mind that bubble gum pop era is very 20 years ago. Young music consumers, the group’s main audience, now look for total music experience.

In music artists, they no longer look for some cute boys that dance around and can lip-sync.

One Sky Premium offers livestreaming of HBO channels ONE SKY Premium subscribers can now livestream HBO channels – HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, and HBO Hits— on the HBO GO app for a total entertainment experience.

The latest update of HBO’s video-ondemand app gives users unlimited access to content on the four premier channels in real time, giving users the chance to enjoy over 1,200 hours of award-winning movies and HBO original series.

HBO GO users can view all episodes of the Emmy award-winning series Game of Thrones, as well as blockbuster movies live as they premiere or on demand at a later time.

HBO Signature is home to critically acclaimed movies, HBO Hits airs Hollywood blockbuster movies, HBO Family features hit family oriented films, and HBO shows Hollywood movies and

Marvel Creative Day Out on its second year THE AWARD-WINNING Marvel Creative Day Out is back.

In partnership with the National Commission of Culture and the Arts, this one-day Marvel creative and inspirational event, planned for Sept. 25 at College of Saint Benilde, will take you closer to your favorite epic stories of Marvel Super Heroes.

This year’s event will not only showcase the world of Marvel comics but also fashion and other product designs for the first time.

Marvel Creative Day Out will continue to showcase local talents with acclaimed Filipino Marvel artists.

Back for the second year, Leinil Francis Yu, sketcher for comic books Secret Invasion and The Avengers, will once again share the stage with Marvel Asia’s VP of Brand Development C.B. Cebulski to share the dynamic Marvel Universe that has evolved from a comic-book brand to the global entertainment brand that it is now. Allen AuYeung, VP of Creative for Disney China, will also be here for the first time to share how Marvel stories and characters come to life in fashion and product design.

Whether you’re a fan, an artist, or a designer (fashion/product), Marvel invites you to be a part of this ultimate celebration by expressing your love for the brand in the form of your creative work, which will be showcased in the event’s exhibition. Get creative with your Marvel submissions - anything from sketches, paintings, sculpture, installation, digital art, fashion designs in clothing and accessories or products designs. Submissions are open until Sept.15. To submit, you can go to: http://bit. ly/2wekNoU Stay tuned for more details on the inspiring talks and workshops at Marvel Creative Day Out 2017.

See you on Sept. 25 for yet another celebration of Marvel creativity.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, September 13, 2017

ACROSS 1 Cover crop 7 Half a candy?

10 Briefcase closer 14 Unwrapped 15 Thai neighbor 16 Indigo dye 17 Planet with rings 18 Tempe campus letters 19 Actress — Turner 20 Swede or Dane 23 Careful 26 Lubber’s aye 27 Frequent 28 Attack 29 Sweater sizes 30 Tin container 31 Moon or planet 32 Buddy 33 Whinnied 37 Heartache 38 Oversaw 39 Not well 40 Hot time in Paris 41 Lengthwise 43 Overhead trains 44 Calendar abbr.

45 Casual greetings 46 Mac rivals 47 Swit co-star 48 Madrid abodes 51 Shelter

52 53 56 57 58 62 63

Melts together Dread B.C. or Que. Peculiar Fuel rating Sake grain “The Bells” author 64 Fastened 65 Genres 66 Hoosier st.

67 Trashy DOWN 1 Spanish article 2 Eco-friendly feds 3 Obtain 4 Just bought 5 Compassion 6 Ms. Ferber 7 Razor fillers 8 Date palm locale 9 Part of speech 10 Divvying up 11 Diarist — Nin 12 Red Sea peninsula 13 Factory 21 Stockings 22 Is of use 23 Russell — of “Gladiator” 24 Baseball great Hank — 25 Taunted

29 ER pictures (hyph.)

30 Friars’ rooms 32 Brown and simmer 33 Daughters’ cousins 34 Makes healthy again 35 Piano exercise 36 Ballerina painter 42 Docks 46 Remained undecided 47 Daddy’s sister

leading media and entertainment HBO original series.

In the Philippines, HBO GO is company, which is rapidly transitioning exclusively available to SKY subscribers into an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media whose cable plan includes HBO. Subscription to this streaming service companies, and a growing list of digital is free to subscribers of One SKY properties. SKY Cable Corporation is Premium plans 2999 and 3999, SKYcable the cable, direct-to-home, and broadband HD plans 1799 and 1999, as well as unit of ABS-CBN Corporation. subscribers who availed of Select packs HD30 and HD40.

Subscribers of SKYcable digital plans whose channel line-ups include HBO or HBO HD may opt to subscribe to HBO GO for only P300 per month, while subscribers of other One SKY Premium plans may avail of HBO GO for only P150 per month.

One SKY, SKY Cable Corporation’s broadband, cable TV and mobile Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a internet bundle, is only one of the digital scene from HBO original series “Game of initiatives of ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ Thrones” Season 7

48 Blue Grotto isle 49 One of 12 50 Nimoy role 51 Deluded (2 wds.)

52 The “f” in f-stop 54 Kachina doll maker 55 Smoke-detector output 59 Fla. neighbor 60 — Perce tribe 61 Ben & Jerry’s rival

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

O

NE faithful day, Arnell Ignacio was browsing on Facebook when he chanced upon a video posted by comedian and theater actor Gerald Napoles.

It was a video clip featuring a group of friends having fun singing in a karaoke.

Perfect voice

Mindanao’s “golden boy” Lance Busa is competing with other aspirants from Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan for a chance to join Michael Bolton in his next world tour.

to represent local talents on global stage

Lance Busa performing during the premiere telecast of “Bolt of Talent”

Ignacio was in trance when he saw the video especially when he heard one in the group singing “A House is Not A Home.”

“I’m into jazz. So when I saw the video of this person singing a Luther Vandross song, I got curious. I told myself I need to meet this guy. He has a unique talent and the world needs to see him and hear him sing,” Ignacio told Manila Standard in an exclusive interview.

The former TV host personally reached out to the person to meet with him.

The name was Lance Busa.

“When we met I told him that I’m going to help him get some gigs. He didn’t have a choice,” the PAGCOR AVP for Community Relation and Services Department said in jest.

According to Ignacio, it is very rare to hear intelligent singers like Busa, who apparently didn’t have any formal training in music, and yet he can sing in perfect pitch.

“He’s plug and play, tell him something then he would sing it right away.

And what I like about him, he doesn’t get discouraged easily. Even no one listens to him, even it’s just a couple of people watching him perform, and he would still perform. He would still sing as if he’s in a big venue,” Ignacio shared.

And this kind of attitude made Busa win the right to represent the Philippines in Bolt of Talent, Fox Network Group Asia’s new reality singing competition headlined by American singer and songwriter Michael Bolton.

In the Aug.16 episode of the talent show, Busa aced the first round of competition when he sang “Said I Love You…But I Lied” live before Bolton and co-host Morrisette.

From 300 aspiring Filipino talents who submitted their portfolio and video

MENTOR. Upon seeing his video on Facebook, former TV host Arnell Ignacio (right) met with Lance Busa and started pushing the young singer to give singing professionally another try. to Fox Network Group Asia, 10 were selected and only Busa and Hans Dimayuga were chosen to perform before Michael Bolton when he visited the country in May. The two amateur singers recorded a studio version of “Said I Love You… But I Lied.” Busa recorded a contemporary R&B version of the 1993 charttopper, while Dimayuga recorded a funk-rap version. The winner for that round was declared via a radio announcement.

“I couldn’t believe that I made it this far. I was competing with someone who’s more experienced. It’s really a challenge when you are competing with someone who is very familiar with music and very knowledgeable in terms of the technicality of his craft,” the 22-year-old aspiring singer shared with Manila Standard.

When Ignacio learned about Busa’s inclusion in the shortlist of auditionees,

Solaire welcomes Martin Nievera

SOLAIRE Resort & Casino has announced its new celebrity endorser, the Philippines’ Concert King, Martin Nievera.

The renowned singer songwriter stars in a music video of a song he co-wrote with Moy Ortiz entitled “Follow the Sun”, showcasing Solaire with Martin singing and swinging all around his new home.

If the casinos along the

world-famous Las Vegas strip had Sinatra, we at Solaire have Nievera.

Solaire, the only Filipino-owned integrated resort located in the rapidly evolving Entertainment City, provides a grand venue for luxurious accommodations, gaming, dining, entertainment, and recreation, all with the magnificent view of the Manila Bay sunset.

OPM icon and Concert King Martin Nievera performing at Oasis Garden Cafe in Solaire. The renowned singer is the new celebrity endorser of the resort and casino complex.

It made its mark as a world-class destination when its Sky Tower was awarded 5 Stars by Forbes Travel Guide.

“Martin embodies (sic) who Solaire is – he is a homegrown star, known for his many talents. Nievera, a multi-awarded, world-class performer definitely knows the finer things in life. He’s a perfect match for Solaire,” said Cyrus Sherafat, senior vice president for Casino Marketing.

In his own words Nievera says, “Having traveled around the world performing and experiencing world-class service wherever I go, Solaire certainly stands out among the best.

What makes me gleam with pride the most is that around the world, the Filipino talent is imported to smoothly operate their resorts and casinos. In Solaire, that same worldclass service I get is here, making my every stay a true five-star experience.”

Prior to the announcement, Nievera has performed in various sold-out shows at The Theatre and

hopes to continue performing there like it was his own “theater,” and at the same time personally invite some of his already famous friends to do the same.

“Performing at The Theatre at Solaire is a worldclass experience. We have housed some of the most popular Broadway productions and continue to give Filipino audiences a chance to see some of the biggest names internationally known, not to mention keeping OPM alive by showcasing outstanding performances by our own homegrown talents. Every time I perform in The Theatre, I feel so proud to be a Filipino artist and I am excited to show off The Theatre’s amazing facilities to anyone and everyone who steps inside. The show better be good, because the venue is already awesome!”

Throughout his two-year endorsement, Nievera will be doing more shows for Solaire that are both open to the public and exclusive to its VIP guests.

he told the young singer: “Ito na ‘to (this is it). This is the kind of opportunity that we’ve been waiting (for).”

The former director of a chorale group is positive that Busa has a big chance to win the competition. He personally saw how hardworking and dedicated the young singer was even before this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity knocked on his doorstep.

“Masarapsiyangtulungankasiit’s easy to motivate him.

And it works so well for me that he’s got a very positive disposition. I believe he is more than ready for the bigger stage,” Ignacio said.

Busa may sound very professional when he performs but the PAGCOR executive believes that there are still minor details that they need to focus on to improve his performance.

Assomeone who used to handle a chorale group, Ignacio trains the young singer on how to move onstage.

“I always tell him that he needs to know the point of view of the person who wrote the song and understand the marriage of the lyrics and the music. When you understand it, it will be easy for you to interpret the song. That’s the only point that a song becomes a performance, a work of art. That’s how you get the attention of the audience -- when you start talking to them through the song that you sing,” Ignacio related.

He also further stated that he always tells Busa that he no longer needs to analyze his voice too much because his instrument is already polished.

“He sings with structure, the kind of singing that’s different from the usual style that local audiences are already used to.

All he needs is guidance. I remind him that the preparation is always before any performance, which is the mistake of so many artists these days,” Ignacio added.

Now that Busa is gunning for the top prize in Bolt of Talent, which includes a record deal, Subaru ambassadorship, and a chance to join Bolton in his upcoming world tour, the former TV host is keeping a positive mindset on the young singer’s journey in the show. He said that the moment he saw Michael Bolton approach the singer and told him that he’s been chosen to be part of the series he already knew that something big is ahead of this aspiring singer.

“He couldn’t talk. He was just crying. You could see how genuine this kid was based on his reaction. And with his talent, he’s such a perfect singer to represent Filipinos on the world music stage. Whether he wins or not, I will still help him and mentor him just to sustain the momentum. And help him with his career plan,” Ignacio ended.

Lance Busa will be competing for another round of elimination to be part of the top two who will again perform on the show’s final episode. Bolt of Talent airs every Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. on Star World.

Kate Hudson joins Michael Kors to

‘Watch Hunger Stop’

MICHAEL Kors is pleased to announce that actress, author, entrepreneur, and humanitarian Kate Hudson is once again lending her talents to support Watch Hunger Stop, the brand’s annual campaign to fight global hunger.

“This is the third year I’ve had the honor of collaborating with Michael on this important cause,” says Hudson. “In June, I visited schools in Cambodia, where the funds raised by Watch Hunger Stop enable the United Nations World Food Programme to feed children so they receive the nutrition they need to grow and to finish their education. It was an amazing experience—I can’t wait to share everything that I saw and learned there.”

Watch Hunger Stop, established in 2013, raises funds and awareness to help achieve a world with Zero Hunger. The brand’s partner in the effort is the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and funds go to support WFP’s school meals program.

The sale of special products is one way Watch Hunger Stop raises funds for WFP. This year, those products will include a special edition of the notyet-released Michael Kors

Access Sofiesmartwatch and a unique version of the brand’s bestselling Lon aviator sunglasses.

“I’m thrilled and grateful that my friend Kate is joining us once again in our efforts to end hunger,” says Michael Kors. “She and I share the belief that if we all work together, this is a problem we can solve.

Watch Hunger Stop supports WFP’s school meals program, improving the lives of children who deserve the chance for a healthy, happy future. We’re proud to be able to help.”

In the Philippines, Michael Kors is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and ShangriLa Plaza Mall.

Follow @ ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.

Hollywood actress Kate Hudson collaborates with fashion designer Michael Kors in a campaign against world hunger