Manila Standard - 2018 March 17 - Saturday

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NAPOLES TURNS STATE WITNESS, GETS GOVT PROTECTION

(Story below)

to prevent UEAmazon grad tops exams Alexa from cackling for physicians THE Professional Regulation Commission has announced that 1,067 out of 1,601 passed the Physician Licensure Examination given earlier this month, with a graduate from UE-RMMMC topping the list.

The top 10 passers: Jerald Lalaguna Pelayo Jay Ruyeras Orehuela Lori Belle Mariano Lofranco Maria Cecilia Castillo Navata Abdulraoph Gaus Deki Regina Mae Lo Ang Jill Jebulan Jaime Ommar Tampus Pacalundo Shannen Kaye Bumalay Apolinario Michael Vincent Leonor Bajamonde

VOL. XXXII • NO. 34 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net UE SWU UE Our Lady Of Fatima University UST UST Saint Luke’s College CDU

MARAWI UPDATE. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea gets an update on government efforts in the rehabilitation of Marawi City during the turnover ceremony of heavy equipment and vehicles from the Japanese government in the city’s barangay Sagonsongon on Thursday. Joining Medialdea are Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno. Malacañang Photo

FEU FEU

Amazon topoliticians prevent Criticizing Alexa from cackling can land one in jail JAKARTA—Indonesians could be jailed for criticizing national politicians under a new law that came into force Thursday, in what critics slammed as a major step back for the world’s third-biggest democracy.

The vaguely worded bill passed the 560-member house last month but has just become official over the objections of President Joko Widodo, who refused to sign off on the controversial legislation.

Widodo does not have veto power over the bill, although it can be challenged at the Constitutional Court.

The so-called MD3 law opens the door to pressing charges against anyone who “disrespects parliament or its members” but does not set out possible minimum or maximum jail terms.

Indonesia is the third biggest democracy globally behind India and the United States.

Protesters across the Southeast Asian archipelago who blasted the bill Next page

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Indonesian president Joko Widodo

Wow, what an unbelievable, crazy development!

— Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, expressing his shock at Janet Lim Napoles’ inclusion in the Witness Protection Program.

ICC exit reaches UN Govt takes first steps to withdraw from Rome Statute

Senate eyes more say in shaping PH foreign policy

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, F. Pearl A. Gajunera and Rio N. Araja FOLLOWING President Rodrigo Duterte’s unilateral decision to pull out of the International Criminal Court, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said he is willing to work to give the Senate a say in determining the country’s foreign policies.

At present, he said, the Senate had no say in a decision to withdraw from treaties, even though it ratifies those agreements.

He said this should be one of the provisions changed if the Constitution is amended as planned. Next page

By Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

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HE Philippines said on Friday it had given official notice to exit the treaty that created the International Criminal Court, which is examining President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war.

The move comes days after Duterte announced his nation would quit the court over its preliminary inquiry launched last month into allegations his crackdown on illegal drugs amounts to crimes against humanity.

Police say they have killed roughly 4,000 suspects who fought back during arrest, but rights groups say the actual number is three times higher and accuse the authorities of murder.

However, the president of the member states of the ICC said Friday he regretted Manila leaving the tribunal, warning it

would have a “negative impact” on punishing crimes.

“I regret this development. A state party withdrawing from the Rome Statute would negatively impact our collective efforts towards fighting impunity,” said President O-Gon Kwon, speaking from The Hague, after the Philippines officially gave notice that it was leaving the court.

On Thursday the Philippines said in a letter to the United Nations, which oversaw negotiations to found the court, that it was pulling out of the Rome Statute.

Next page

Twist in Napoles scam case shocks, dismays senators

By Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

the government’s Witness Protection Program after she executed an affidavit providing more details on the misuse of the multi-billion-peso Priority Development THE Department of Justice has provi- Assistance Fund of lawmakers.

“We confirm that Janet L. Napoles has sionally admitted suspected pork barrel scam architect Janet Lim-Napoles into been placed under provisional admission

of WPP subject to affidavit she submitted which is now undergoing assessment,” said Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II in a text message.

“As of the moment, physically she is not under WPP due to provisional status Next page

Palace confirms Cabinet revamp being considered

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENTIAL Spokesman Harry Roque on Friday confirmed a possible revamp of the Cabinet following President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement he was dismayed with the performance of some of its members.

But Roque did not say when the revamp would take place or name the officials who would be affected by it.

“He really said he was not happy with Next page

‘Bato‘ laments weak case kept from PNP

By Francisco Tuyay

ACCOUNTING OF PERSONNEL. Hundreds of police anxiously look for their names on a master list during an inspection and accounting of personnel Friday by the regional police chief at the police district in Manila. AFP

PHILIPPINE National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa on Friday said Justice department prosecutors should have “diligently considered public interest” before dismissing the drug cases filed against selfconfessed drug trafficker Kerwin Espinosa and Cebu businessman Peter Lim. “Though separate pillars of criminal Next page

BORACAY, WHY? Senator Nancy Binay, during the Senate inquiry Friday into the Boracay issue, questioned the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on why some establishments were allowed to construct facilities despite the absence of environmental compliance certificates.

Despite woes, Boracay attracts $500-m casino THE plan of a Macau-based casino operator and its local partner to build a $500-million casino-resort in Boracay will proceed despite an impending total closure of the island for up to one year to clean it up, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. said Friday.

“Yes, we are signing the contract for their

provisional license before the end of the month,” Pagcor chairman Andrea Domingo told GMA News.

She made her statement even as Malacañang on Friday said it was considering the welfare of the workers and small businesses in Boracay before closing down the worldfamous beach resort to clean it up. Next page

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

POEA to OFWs: Shun fake docs to avoid ban

By Vito Barcelo THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has warned those applying to work abroad against submitting fake documents or using false information because that could lead to their being banned.

POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia issued the advisory in the wake of reports that some Filipino nurses in Saudi Arabia were found to have submitted false information particularly on their certificates of employment.

Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III wants the memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and Kuwait to have a clause on the blacklisting of employers proven to have abused Filipino workers.

“If a worker is maltreated, there should be a provision that the employer and the foreign recruitment agency should be blacklisted,” Bello told GMA News on Friday.

Olalia said workers found to have misrepresented themselves by submitting fake employment documents could face disciplinary action, which could lead to their permanent disqualification from the overseas employment program.

He said in Saudi Arabia, the submission of false employment documents could result in the worker’s dismissal and a possible criminal prosecution.

He reminded workers to observe the code of discipline for workers abroad by providing truthful information about their skills, qualification and experience.

Olalia also reminded the recruitment agencies to make sure the employment documents of their applicants were genuine or face administrative or criminal charges against them.

He advised Filipino workers to report to his agency people or recruitment agencies issuing fabricated employment documents.

‘Pure political harassment’ vs Trillanes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, the Liberal Party president, on Friday described as “pure political harassment” the inciting to sedition case filed against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. This was after Trillanes, who is currently in Vienna, Austria to attend a conference, said he considered the complaint as harassment from the Duterte administration, and vowed to continue standing for his principles.

The former soldier was charged for allegedly urging government troopers to shoot President Rodrigo Duterte.

Another opposition stalwart, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, said Trillanes IV cannot be charged with sedition for something he said during a privilege speech.

“It violates the absolute parliamentary immunity for privilege speeches as established in Article IV, Section 5 of the Constitution,” said Drilon, a former justice secretary.

Pangilinan said from Day 1, the Duterte administration “has shown its intolerance towards dissent and criticism from the opposition and those who disagree with its policies, and this case is part of its efforts to silence and stifle dissent.

“It is anti-democratic and a threat to our freedoms and our democratic rights,” Pangilinan added.

Trillanes vowed to face the cases filed against him by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, which were approved by a Pasay city court.

“I’m not like Duterte who’s afraid to face cases. I’ll face this case,” said Trillanes, referring to the decision of the President to withdraw the Philippines’ ratification of the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court.

Duterte is facing charges at the ICC of crimes against humanity over accusations of extrajudicial killings in the pursuit of his war against illegal drugs.

Palace...

From A1 some of the secretaries, and that there would be changes in the Cabinet,” Roque said in a TV interview.

Talk of a revamp started after Duterte said he would replace Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II if the charges against alleged drug lords Peter Lim and Kerwin Espinosa were dismissed.

But Roque said Duterte’s statement should not be taken seriously because he continued to trust Aguirre.

Duterte has already fired two Cabinet secretaries: Ismael Sueño of the Interior department and Rodolfo Salalima of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

He also removed Commission on Higher Education Chairwoman Patricia Licuanan and Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor Chairman Terry Ridon for his alleged excessive travels abroad.

“We are serious about the drive against corruption,” Roque said.

Roque: Bautista should return, face Senate probe F

ORMER Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista should return to the country when the Senate resumes its probe into the latter’s alleged ill-gotten wealth on Monday, March 19, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Friday.

Roque said if the former Comelec chief believed he has nothing to hide, Bautista should come home and face the allegations against him, being a lawyer.

“You know, flight is an admission of guilt,” said Roque, a former party-list congressman who was among the lawmakers who pushed for Bautista’s impeachment last year, in an online interview.

Bautista resigned, but the Senate ordered his arrest for failing to attend the chamber’s hearings into allegations of his unexplained wealth amounting to around P1 billion.

According to his estranged wife Patricia Bautista, it included over P300 million in 35 bank accounts with the Luzon Development Bank.

In the same interview, Roque admitted wanting to run for a Senate seat in the 2019 elections but conceded he didn’t have the resources necessary for such a campaign.

“Am I disappointed? Of course, I am. Do I want to run? Yes, I do,” the spokesman said.

“But the reality is 14 months from now, you need P500 million [to run a senatorial campaign]—that’s minimum.”

Previously, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said President Rodrigo Duterte is supporting the possible Senate runs of Roque, top aide Christopher “Bong” Go, and political adviser Francis Tolentino.

Roque, while thankful for Duterte’s gesture, said he faces the reality of needing to raise “a lot of money” for political ads alone.

ICC...

From A1

drug war as a battle to bring safety to the nation’s 100 million people.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque continued defending the President’s move Friday, saying the ICC had insulted the Philippine justice system by seeking to take jurisdiction over the case.

In a radio interview, Roque said ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda insulted the Philippine courts when she condemned them as ineffective.

“What the prosecutor did was an insult, declaring our courts as useless because the ICC can only move if the local courts are useless in the face of impunity,” Roque said in Filipino.

“That is not acceptable because the ICC violated the principle of complementarity when it initiated a preliminary examination on the alleged crimes against humanity linked to the drug war. The international court could only step in if the domestic courts are not willing and capable to hear a case,” Roque said.

He also disputed the ICC’s claim of jurisdiction, saying that the war on drugs was a sovereign issue.

Roque said it was too late for the ICC to ask the Philippines to remain in the tribunal.

A former human rights lawyer, Roque admitted he had advocated membership in the ICC, but said he changed his stance when the prosecutor went beyond the scope of her authority.

Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, said Duterte was not afraid of the ICC. Panelo said the ICC decision to conduct a preliminary examination of Duterte and his war on drugs was “already a violation of due process” because it should not have been publicized.

By announcing prematurely the preliminary examination being conducted by the special prosecutor, the ICC made it sound like the President was going to be charged with all the crimes alleged.

He said that there was an assumption that the ICC would observe the Philippine Constitution, the requirement of due process, and the presumption of innocence—but it did not.

“The President feels we were tricked.

They do not respect our Constitution,” he said in Filipino.

The ICC reminded Duterte that withdrawing from the court would not change the Philippines’ obligation to cooperate in a proceeding that has already begun.

The tribunal also said the country’s withdrawal would not affect Filipino Judge Raul Pangalangan, who is assigned to the pre-trial division of the ICC. With PNA and AFP

“The decision to withdraw is the Philippines’ principled stand against those who would politicize and weaponize human rights,” the letter said.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, explaining the move from Manila, said the Philippines was quitting due to “the wellorchestrated campaign to mislead the international community, to crucify President Duterte... by distorting the human rights situation in the country.”

“This campaign against President Duterte and the Philippines is being effectively carried out by elements who seek to undermine our government and who have successfully infiltrated the human rights community and weaponized human rights protection mechanisms to advance their goal of overthrowing our democratically installed government,” Cayetano said.

“It is doubly lamentable that members of the international community, who include our own partners in the war against terror, have allowed themselves to be used as pawns by these individuals and organizations in undermining our own efforts to restore the rule of law,” he said.

“We are, however, confident that there is no crime or liability to speak of in the first place since our campaign against methamphetamines and other narcotics is a legitimate law enforcement operation designed to protect all Filipinos and uphold the rule of law,” Cayetano added.

Officially quitting the court requires a year’s notice and experts say pulling out does not preclude an investigation of the killings, which have drawn international concern.

The Philippines said in its letter that it “affirms its commitment to fight against impunity for atrocity crimes,” despite its withdrawal.

Duterte has frequently urged authorities to kill drug suspects while promising to protect police from legal sanction.

He has also previously declared that the ICC would never have jurisdiction over him.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world’s only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC, giving the tribunal authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

Duterte, who is buoyed by high popularity ratings at home, has fiercely defended the

Senate...

From A1 At his opening statement during a Senate regional consultative hearing on Charter change in Baguio City, he said the current Constitution says nothing about the Senate’s participation in the withdrawal from treaties.

“So why not open it up? Give the Senate [a bigger] role in determining our foreign policy so that this is not determined by one man, because the executive branch is led by one man.

We are open to that,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Duterte earlier announced the country’s withdrawal from the ICC due to “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him and his administration.

The Philippine government has already formally notified the United Nations of its decision.

Last year, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon filed a resolution stating that Senate had a say on the withdrawal from treaties.

But Senator Manny Pacquiao, a Duterte ally, blocked it.

To address the issue, senators will introduce a paragraph in each treaty they concur to stating that the termination of or withdrawal from the pact will be valid and effective

‘Bato’...

From A1 justice system, we are all under the chief executive branch of government,” Dela Rosa said as he pointed out that the DoJ panel of prosecutors could have alerted the police on the weaknesses they saw in the case.

“The mere fact that the decision came out last December, they should have told us early that the case is weak,” Dela Rosa said.

Last week, the DoJ dropped the complaint of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against Espinosa, Lim and others, citing the weak testimony

“I have no illusions. I know I was born a normal person. I know that possibly I would need more time if I want to raise that amount. There will be other chances, but [the 2019 polls] is 12 months from now―or 14 months from now, so I wouldn’t know where to get that P500 million,” he added.

Bautista, who has been abroad since last November, said he has never received an invitation from the Senate banks, financial institutions, and currencies committee.

He claimed he is exploring “professional opportunities and, more importantly, [to] seek assistance for certain medical challenges.”

Senator Francis Escudero, who chairs the banks committee, said the ex-Comelec chairman needs to submit either a bank waiver or a detailed affidavit answering the allegations hurled against him before the arrest order will be lifted. The affidavit should be sworn before the consul of the country where Bautista is staying, Escudero added.

Lawyer Igot files petition against Sereno

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has been prodded to compel on-leave Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to submit the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth she failed to present before the Judicial and Bar Council, and prove that she hurdled the psychiatric and psychological tests when she applied for the SC top post in 2012.

In a petition, lawyer Romeo Igot, who runs his own law office based in Pasig City and is governor of the Greater Manila chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, asked the SC to require Sereno to submit the missing SALNs that she failed to submit before the JBC. Igot was referring to the failure of Sereno to submit her SALNs for 10 years, which was discovered by the House committee on justice during the impeachment hearings. The panel discovered that the Chief Justice only submitted three SALNs instead of the required 10, covering years 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The impeachment complaint against Sereno also cited the failure of the chief magistrate to pass the required psychiatric and psychological tests.

“The Constitution provides that applicants to the Judiciary must be a naturalborn citizen, at least 40 years old, must have been in the practice of law for at least 15 years and a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence,” Igot said in his petition.

“For [Sereno’s] failure to comply with or pass the aforementioned requirements, there was utterly no basis for the JBC to determine her qualifications vis-a-vis her probity and mental fitness, much less nominate her,” the petition added.

According to the lawyer, the SC should compel Sereno to submit the other seven SALNs and her psychiatric and psychological exam results.

Failure on Sereno’s part to submit the missing SALNs should prompt the SC to declare her appointment as null and void for lack of qualification to continue to hold the post, Igot stressed.

only upon the concurrence of the Senate.

Former senator Juan Ponce Enrile said the administration’s move to withdraw from the ICC leaves no Damocles’ sword over Duterte’s head.

“Why should we get bothered by the ICC? If they want to assume jurisdiction over the Philippines, all we have to do is withdraw from the ICC, just like America. They withdrew,” Enrile said.

Besides, he said, the ICC move to examine the drug war would be interference in the country’s domestic affairs, which is contrary to accepted international laws.

Enrile said he saw no sound basis for charging Duterte before the ICC because he is a democratically elected President.

“When he assumed office, he took an oath and he said he would preserve and defend the Constitution and execute its laws and do justice to every man,” he said.

“Are you going to challenge him for doing his job to enforce our laws? Who else will enforce our laws except the police and the military?” he asked “What is in the national interest of the country, order or disorder? Peace or war?

Progress or poverty? It’s always a question of choice. If your society is degraded, decaying, you cannot be a soft President. If you become afraid, it’s the end. You must be firm and you

have to run the gauntlet, as they say,” the former Senate president said.

He insisted that any threat of prosecution by the ICC over the alleged killings of thousands of drug suspects should not worry the President.

“It’s just like insurgency, the effect of the drug menace is like the menace of rebellion or insurgency in the country. It destroys the fabric of society, especially the young people.”

“You have to cut off their [drug traffickers] source of supply and their financial resources. You have to use all the instruments of power to emasculate this menace,” he said.

“You cannot solve a drug problem in a country by prayers. If [drug users] want to be rehabilitated, rehabilitate them. If not, force them to be rehabilitated,” he said.

But detained Senator Leila de Lima said the withdrawal from the ICC is an act of fear and cowardice on the part of Duterte.

“His sad and unsuccessful attempt at avoiding a trial at the ICC at all costs betrays a deep fear,” said De Lima.

“What does that make of his guilt?” she said.

“His futile act of withdrawing the Philippines from the Rome Treaty is the equivalence of a guilty man fleeing from justice.

President Duterte is already behaving like a fugitive from justice,” added De Lima, who is detained on drug charges.

given by Espinosa’s driver and bodyguard, Marcelo Adorco.

The CIDG had filed a case against Espinosa for being the supplier of illegal drugs, using Adorco as courier and receiver of shabu.

CIDG Director Roel B. Obusan said Adorco had direct participation in the proliferation of illegal drugs, which meant his testimony was not hearsay.

“It does not need any collaboration because that is a direct participation coming from a person directly involved in the commission of a crime,” Obusan said.

Though he stopped short of blaming the DJ prosecutors, Dela Rosa said the information could have been relayed to them without vio-

lating legal processes.

“Its not their duty, it’s the job of the investigator. But they should be consciencebound, not duty-bound because it has legal implications. If you have conscience you should have told us that the case is weak,” Dela Rosa said.

On Wednesday, Judge Aristotle Reyes, former prosecutor with the DoJ, said the prosecution was not mandated to require parties to the case to provide evidence as it would amount to lawyering for their party.

Dela Rosa said President Rodrigo Duterte was so upset at learning of the dropped charges that he punched a wall hard enough to make it swell.

Criticizing...

From A1 could potentially see themselves jailed for such demonstrations in the future, critics said.

“How does the law define disrespect?” said Sebastian Salang from the monitoring group Indonesian Parliament Watchdog.

“It is not clearly explained and could be loosely interpreted as long as it fits the lawmakers’ interest to silence critics.”

Hundreds of protesters staged a rally outside the Constitutional Court in Jakarta Thursday, calling on it to revoke the legislation.

A spokesman for the court said it had already received three petitions challenging the law, but it could take months before it rendered a decision.

Any investigation of a parliamentarian would have to be approved by the House Ethics Council under the new law, which could block probes by Indonesia’s powerful Corruption Eradication Commission.

Some observers say the new law would criminalize criticism of endemic corruption and poor performance among some members of Indonesia’s political system.

At least eight lawmakers have been arrested for corruption in recent years, including former house speaker Setya Novanto who is on trial in one of the country’s biggest-ever graft scandals.

There have been growing concerns about freedom of speech and human rights during Widodo’s tenure. AFP

Twist...

From A1 of admission. If requested by subject we can provide additional security and as warranted, address medical needs,” Aguirre added.

Last year, Aguirre formed a new task force to reinvestigate the multi-billion peso anomaly after meeting one of Napoles’ lawyers.

He said Napoles implicated at least three more senators and two former executive officials in the PDAF scam.

The reinvestigation on PDAF scam came after the Court of Appeals acquitted Napoles earlier this month in the illegal detention case filed by pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy before the Makati regional trial court.

Napoles remains in detention since she is still facing plunder, graft and malversation charges before the Sandiganbayan, along with former senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile.

Earlier, Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes also confirmed that Napoles, who is the principal accused in the pork barrel scam, has been placed under the provisional coverage of the WPP. However, he declined to divulge details of the affidavit executed by Napoles pending review by the DoJ. Earlier, Napoles campfiled a motion before the Sandiganbayan seeking her transfer to the custody of the DoJ’s WPP. Napoles’ lawyers said she should be transferred from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Camp Bagong Diwa to the DoJ following her provisional admission to the WPP. Her camp attached a certification from the DoJ which states that Napoles “has been provisionally covered by the Witness Protection Security and Benefit Program effective Feb. 27, 2018.”

The Napoles camp cited harassment and death threats that she was receiving.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III expressed shock at Napoles’ inclusion in the WPP. “Wow, what an unbelievable, crazy development!” he said.

“Do some people in the DoJ really believe that Janet Lim Napoles is qualified to be a state witness in the PDAF scam which she herself invented organized and perpetuated?” he said.

Pimentel is the president of the ruling PDP-Laban where President Rodrigo Duterte sits as chairman.

Another ally of the President, Senator Joel Villanueva expressed hope that the DoJ has a good strategy in going after those who are guilty of crime and corruption, something he said it has not been able to do so far.

Senator JV Ejercito, a member of the majority bloc, said the DoJ seemed to be “on a clearing spree,” after it dismissed drug charges against Cebu businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug trafficker Kerwin Espinosa.

“I am disturbed and dismayed by the news that the so-called pork barrel queen has been granted provisional government protection by the DoJ under its Witness Protection Program. This is a setback in our fight against corruption and the pork barrel system,” he said.

Despite...

From A1 Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte recognized the impact of Boracay’s closure to those who would be affected by it.

Meanwhile, Senator Win Gatchalian on Friday asked on the government to shut down and file charges against the 300 establishments violating the building code and environmental laws in Boracay but objected to the island’s complete closure.

He said those establishments should be ordered to improve their waste disposal systems within 30 days.

“Implement a 90-day phasing of the improvement of critical infrastructure such us drainage systems and solid waste management,” Gatchalian said.

He also proposed the formulation of a long-term sustainable master plan that everyone on the island should follow.

Macau gambling operator Galaxy Entertainment Group says it is moving forward with plans to build a $500-million casino resort on Boracay despite Duterte’s threats to close the popular tourist hub.

Plans for the new casino project on the small island, known to be particularly popular with international tourists due to its white sand beaches and nighttime entertainment options, were first revealed by Galaxy in December 2017. Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Pimentel stresses need for secure ID

Senate President wants power repealed

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE President Aquilino Pimentel III has filed a bill seeking to transfer to Congress from the Health secretary the power to choose the vaccines to be included in the government’s basic immunization program.

“The danger of relying on the wisdom of one individual on a matter as vital as the health of our children has been made painfully clear to us all,” stressed Pimentel.

The Senate leader was obviously referring to the anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccination which has endangered the lives of over 800,000 children.

“For the sake of our children—and the sake of our health officials, too—the responsibility of deciding what vaccines our children are required to receive should not be borne by one person alone,” he said.

In the light of the ongoing controversy over the anti-dengue vaccine, Pimentel said it had become clear that the Health secretary had the power to “overrule reservations of other experts as regards what other vaccines should be administered to our children.”

“Hence, this bill proposes to repeal the secretary of Health’s power to include vaccines in the mandatory basic immunization program.”

He stressed that any proposal to add other types of vaccines to those enumerated in the law must be made before Congress, which should amend the law if it agreed the proposed addition was necessary.

Pimentel’s proposal was contained in Senate Bill No. 1743 that seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10152 or the “Mandatory Infants and Children Heath Immunization Act of 2011.”

Lambino: ‘Dark chapter at Port Irene has ended’ PORT IRENE, Cagayan—The destruction of first 14 luxury vehicles worth over P80 million at Port Irene, jewel of the Cagayan Economic Zone and Freeport, “shuts the door permanently on its dark history as entry point for contraband cars,” said Secretary Raul Lambino, administrator and CEO of Ceza.

As President Rodrigo Duterte and officials of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and a crowd of 500 watched, a bulldozer and a backhoe rolled over two rows of the luxury cars, brought into the country a few years ago despite a government ban on their importation.

“Not during my watch,” the President said during his speech.

Lambino, in a press statement, said the vehicles included one each of Porsche 911 GT3, Maserati Quattro Porte, BMW Alpina B12, BMW Z1, Opel Manta, one Renault R5 and eight Mercedes Benzes.

“This will send a strong message that Ceza does not, and will never again, tolerate or condone or encourage smuggling or wrongdoing of any kind at the Freeport,” said Lambino, who had earlier met the President upon his arrival at Lal-lo airport, 45 minutes by car southwest of here.

SPARE PARTS SEIZED. Members of the anti-carnapping unit of the Northern Police District raid Friday the Dimple surplus

motor shop along C3 Road, Barangay 21 in Caloocan, resulting in the seizure of millions of pesos worth of spare parts of motorcycle allegedly used in carnapping incidents. Manny Palmero

Comelec: 2 different ballots to be used in May elections

By Joel E. Zurbano

WO kinds of ballots will be used in the village and youth council elections on May 14, an official of the Commission on Elections said Friday.

T

“There will be two different kinds of ballots used in the 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections—the barangay ballot and the SK ballot,” wrote Comelec spokesman James Arthur Jimenez in his blog.

He said the barangay ballot would be used by voters aged 18 and up to elect the Punong Barangay and the members— called Kagawad—of the Sangguniang Barangay while the SK ballot would be used by voters aged 15 to 30 who are registered in the SK system.

Traditionally, the Comelec conducts a manual barangay and SK polls since the commission does not need to consolidate votes on a national level.

Voters are to choose one chairman and six barangay council members while young voters will elect their SK chief and six council members.

Jimenez said both the barangay and SK ballots would prominently feature the name of the electoral exercise for which they would be used—the barangay elections and the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, respectively.

He explained the barangay and SK ballots that would be used all over the country, except in Mindanao, would bear the date “October 23, 2017,” because these ballots were printed in 2017, supposedly for use in the polls scheduled for that year.

“Unfortunately, the law postponing the 2017 BSKE was enacted only after all the ballots had already been printed,” said Jimenez.

“Ballots bound for Mindanao, however, are still being printed and will bear the correct date—May 14, 2018.

These ballots were not printed in 2017, since the Comelec had promptly declared

the suspension of elections in Mindanao as a consequence of the imposition of martial law in that part of the country,” he added.

Jimenez reminded voters that both barangay and SK ballots would contain the following instructions: “Fill out the ballot secretly, using a ballot secrecy folder. Do not put any distinctive mark on any part of this ballot.”

“Preserving the secrecy of the voter’s ballot is an essential part of the right of suffrage as it protects the voter from undue influence and from reprisals. This is the same reason why the Comelec prohibits the use of any means to duplicate the filled-out ballot, including photography—yes, even cellphone photography,” he said.

Jimenez also reminded that putting a “distinctive mark” meant making the filled-out ballot identifiable in any way.

“This includes making small tears to the paper, writing anything on the ballot other than the names of the candidates being voted for, or otherwise ensuring that the ballot can be distinguished from all other ballots in the ballot box. This prohibition—which includes the drawing of hearts, smiley faces, stars and the like—is still intended to protect the secrecy of the individual’s vote.”

Govt rejects Miascor appeal to terminate its contract THE government has rejected the appeal of Miascor Aviation Services to reconsider its decision to terminate its contract with several airports in the country following the alleged involvement of some of its employees, particularly the ground handling personnel, in baggage theft.

This developed shortly after the Manila International Airport Authority and the Department of Transportation came up with a joint statement denying

the appeal of the firm addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“After careful evaluation of facts surrounding an incident of baggage pilferage involving Miascor’s employees, and in line with the clear directive of President Rodrigo Duterte for Miascor’s contract to be terminated, the DoTr denies the appeal of Miascor and stands firm in its decision not to renew the company’s contract with the Manila International Airports

Authority beyond April 2018,” the DoTr-MIAA joint statement read.

It added “The President has also said that he will not entertain any appeal from Miascor Aviation Services.”

MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said the leasing and concession contract of Miascor with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was not renewed following its expiration last year.

Joel E. Zurbano

SENATE President Aquilino Pimentel III stressed the need for a “tight, effective and comprehensive cyber security policy” amid the upper house’s passage on second reading of the bill seeking to establish a national ID system.

“It’s crucial for the effective implementation of a national ID system that we formulate a comprehensive cyber security policy that’s spread among the various state agencies tasked with defending and ensuring the integrity of government online information and our citizen’s private online data. If that data is compromised, then we will have problems with the ID system because sensitive information is stored online.”

Pimentel called on the PNP, DND, DoJ, DICT, DoST and other relevant agencies to assess “first, what would be the national policy on cyber security, and second, do we have the tools and technology to ensure that such policy is carried out.”

In his sponsorship speech, Senator Panfilo Lacson said by not instituting a robust national identification system, we deny Filipinos access to their rights.

“We deny them services from the government; we deny them the opportunity to realize their full potential; we deny them their rightful share in progress,” he said.

“What we allow are multiple identification systems in government which create unnecessary and costly redundancies, resulting in the exclusion of those who do not have the means and capacity to access the IDs,” he said.

Furthermore, Lacson said “we make it inconvenient for individuals to transact with government agencies and private sector entities.”

At present, the senator said we have the Unified Multi-Purpose ID or UMID, which is issued to the members of the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund).

However, while it provides a good chance at harmonizing the government ID systems, he said the UMID only covered less than 20 percent of the population since the start of its enrollment process in 2010.

He said several government-issued ID numbers were also in use, resulting in duplication of efforts, wastage of resources, and uncoordinated identity approaches.

In fact, he said “a perusal of the list of valid IDs in the Philippines enumerates 33—I repeat, 33— different forms of identification issued by various government agencies.”

Lacson, chairman of the Senate public order committee, said the national ID bill aimed to harmonize, integrate, and interconnect these countless and redundant government IDs by establishing a single national identification system to be known as the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys. The PhilSys will eliminate the need to present other forms of identification in a wide variety of public and private transactions, services, and derivative identity credentials.

Meanwhile, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno expressed hope the ID system would be passed into law before the Easter break or before this month ends.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Risa, Villar score NFA officials AKBAYAN Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Duterte administration’s “policy paralysis” resulted in a rice crisis as Senator Cynthia Villar scored National Food Authority’s officials for not being proactive in buying rice from local farmers.

Hontiveros said different government agencies failed to arrive at a consensus over a unified policy to address the rice problem.

“There is obviously policy paralysis on the part of the government. The agencies involved in working on this issue are in complete disarray,” she said.

Because of this, Hontiveros said it was not surprising if hoarders and profiteers were able to exploit this chaotic situation, undermine the country’s food security and the stability of supply and the price of rice.

Hontiveros said that based on the reports by different stakeholders, the

alleged lack of NFA rice supply could be attributed to the government’s failure to buy domestically-produced rice and import additional supply.

“In both aspects, the government was paralyzed into inaction. Aside from the lack of a consolidated policy framework to address the issue, it was also hampered by internal bickering over competing interests,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros pushed for a five-point response to address the rice crisis.

The following are: 1. Mandatory buying of palay at P19.00 per kilo to help smale-scale farmers and augment the country’s emergency rice reserves, 2. Calibrated importation of rice that balances the objectives of lowering rice prices while providing protection to and ensuring the competitiveness of Filipino farmers.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

NFA ROLE. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, discusses Friday with Dr. Roehlano Briones (right), senior research fellow of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the possible functions of the National Food Authority after the lifting of the quantitative restriction on rice imports. Briones said the NFA could still maintain rice stocks for contingencies. Villar said she will look into the practice of the Sugar Regulatory Authority where farmers are under agreement with SRA to sell stocks when the need arises. Lino Santos

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Japan’s isolated older ‘hikikomori’ shun society for years

W

BY Natsuko Fukue IKEIDA leaves the house once every three days to buy food, shuns deliveries to avoid human interaction and has not seen his parents or younger brother for 20 years.

The 55-year-old has chosen to shut himself completely away from society—such a commonplace phenomenon in high-pressure, conformist and workaholic Japan that there is a word to describe it: “Hikikomori.”

Until recently it was thought to be an issue mainly afflicting those in their teens and 20s, but ageing Japan is seeing a growing number of older hikikomori cloistering themselves away for longer periods of time.

There are more than half a million hikikomori in Japan—according to the latest government survey published in 2016—defined as people who have stayed home for more than six months without going to school or work and interacting with no one other than family members.

However, this underestimates the scale of the issue as it only counts people under the age of 39 and the government has now decided to conduct the country’s first survey of hikikomori aged between 40 and 59.

Ikeida (not his real name) told AFP he graduated from a prestigious Tokyo university and received several lucrative job offers from major firms during Japan’s “bubble economy” period in the 1980s.

But he quickly realized he could not follow his university colleagues into the massed ranks of Japanese salarymen.

“I went to a good university my parents wished me to go to and tried hard to conform,” he said in a rare interview arranged through a non-profit trying to help those isolated from society and their parents.

“But I realized I had to conform forever when I got those job offers. I felt hopeless. I couldn’t wear a suit. I felt like my heart had broken,” he added, speaking on condition on anonymity.

Feeling under unbearable pressure, he took the decision to shut himself away in his room, shunning all forms of human contact—a pattern that was to continue for the next three decades.

They have been hurt What drives people to shut themselves away is not entirely clear, but many featured in the survey said they stopped interacting with society after struggling with relationships at work or school, or failing at job hunting.

“Some people who suffer from schizophrenia become hikikomori.

But it’s often hard to know as they don’t go out to see a doctor,” said Kayo Ikeda, a clinical psychologist who heads a non-profit offering advice to elderly parents with hikikomori children.

“What we know is that they have been hurt. They were bullied or experienced interpersonal trouble at work,” she said.

Ikeida describes in his blog how his mother would hit him if he did not study hard enough and also subjected him to psychological pressure.

Statistics suggest they also find it harder to reintegrate into society after turning away.

In the 2016 survey, more than one third of hikikomori said they had withdrawn from society for more than seven years, up from 16.9 percent of such cases in a previous survey in 2009.

As the hikikomori age and shut themselves away for longer periods of time, this places more pressure on elderly parents, both financially and emotionally.

“Maybe it’s common overseas that grown-up children leave their parents’ home, but in Japan, parents let them stay,” said Ikeda, the clinical psychologist.

Rika Ueda, who works for the nonprofit that supports parents of hikikomori children, says social stigma can make the situation worse.

“Families with hikikomori children are very ashamed of themselves....

They hide their situation from their community and become isolated” without being able to seek help, Ueda told A FP. Turn to A5

Harry’s turn

E ARE all free to change our minds about anything, no matter how staunchly we have stuck to our decisions prior to the turnaround. This shows that we evolve, that we exercise critical thinking continuously, and that we are humble enough to admit we know better now than we did before.

Some changes are, however, less palatable than others, especially if the reason for changing one’s mind does not appear to come from enlightenment.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque easily comes to mind.

Several years ago, Roque styled himself as a champion of human rights and international law.

In 2011, he was among the most jubilant that the Philippines had finally signed the Rome Statute that paved the way for our membership to the International Criminal Court. The signing took 11 years of lobbying. Roque wrote then that it paved the way for ending impunity.

Roque also handled cases that invoked the applicability of international law on, for instance, the Malayas Lolas who were made into sex slaves by

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

the Japanese during World War II. Now he has changed his mind—and what an about-face we are seeing now.

Roque’s change of heart was prompted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to withdraw from the ICC after it said it would proceed with its investigations into the killing supposedly committed in the name of the war against drugs.

Now he says the ICC, which called on the Philippines to honor its commitment to address atrocities and deliver justice, went beyond the scope of its authority. The ICC has also said withdrawal from the Rome Statute will not exempt Mr. Duterte from prosecution for charges of crimes against humanity.

Roque’s reasons must be so compelling for him to contradict himself and go against the things he so passionately advocated in his previous life. Now he has had the rare opportunity of arguing an issue from opposite sides. Whether he is convincing is one thing.

Whether he is being true—and how he can stomach this pretension if he isn’t—is quite another.

Perhaps despite all the lofty things the spokesman has said and written about in the past, ultimately what matters is that he has a job to do. This is a rude awakening. It reminds us that even the most vocal of crusaders can fail their own high standards, too.

Sereno and Binay BACK in 2015 when then-President Benigno Aquino III and his overbearing allies in the Liberal Party were about to begin their last year in power, the LP campaign machinery was already planning the presidential campaign of Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. At that time, Roxas was the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government under Aquino.

Roxas was the vice presidential running mate of Aquino in May 2010 but he lost to Mayor Jejomar “Jojo” Binay, the patriarch of the Binay political dynasty which has lorded over the City of Makati in Metropolitan Manila since March 1986.

Political analysts attributed Roxas’ 2010 defeat to the LP strategy of directing its political arsenal against Senator Loren Legarda, who was running for vice president under a coalition forged with the Nacionalista Party. The LP viewed Legarda, not Binay, as Roxas’ main rival, and rightly so because Legarda put up a very credible fight in the 2004 vice presidential race against then Senator and ex-television newscaster Manuel “Noli” de Castro. In the end, Binay scored an upset victory.

Having learned their lesson in 2010, and determined to keep their hold in power, the LP prepared for the May 2016 presidential derby by focusing their strategies against Vice President Binay as early as January 2015. The LP top brass feared that since Binay beat Roxas in 2004, Binay may succeed in trouncing Roxas anew in 2010.

Now the shoe is on the other foot.

The Department of Injustice POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO SECRETARY Vitaliano Aguirre’s office is on a roll. However, what the Department of Justice churns out does not make people confident that justice is being administered.

In a shocking move, DoJ Assistant Prosecutors Aristotle Reyes and Michael Humarang dropped the charges of narcotics trade against Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, Lovely Impal and 19 others allegedly due to lack of evidence.

In a 20 December 2017 resolution that

detained in the New Bilibid Prison. Lim has been involved in drug-related cases and also faced congressional inquiry on illegal drug trade in 2006. Lim is said to be a “kumpadre” of Duterte.

On the other hand, Kerwin Espinosa appeared in the Senate hearing on illegal drug trade in November of 2016.

There, he confessed to being a drug lord The people do not operating in Eastern Visayas. Espinosa detailed his operations including how deserve this. much he was earning and paying people in protection money so his business would not be hampered. He alleged that he gave Senator Leila de Lima (then the triad in charge of the Visayas Region. Justice secretary) a total of P8 million as The triad was said to also involve Peter his contribution to De Lima’s senatorial Co and Herbert Colangco who are both Turn to A5 media got hold of on 12 March 2018, the DoJ dismissed the case which the assistant prosecutors described as weak.

Peter Lim was named by President Rodrigo Duterte as part of the drug

Never mind if Binay was a loyal ally of President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, the late mother of President Aquino III. As far as the LP was concerned, the quest for political power in the Philippines has no room for sentimentalism. True to form, the LP fight wasn’t just against Binay; it was also directed at his family.

By early 2015, news reports indicated that the construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II was unconscionably overpriced, with members of the Binay family and their close city council allies allegedly getting substantial kickbacks from the favored contractor. The news reports also indicated that the parking building was constructed after 2010, when the vice president’s eldest son, Jejomar, Jr. was the new city mayor, elected for the 2010-2013 term. In 2013, Binay Jr. won reelection as city mayor.

The controversy about the Makati City parking building was eventually taken up by the Office of the Ombudsman. By the end of the first quarter of 2015, the Ombudsman filed administrative charges against Binay Jr. Those charges could mean Binay’s suspension from office.

Binay Jr.’s lawyers asked the Ombudsman to dismiss the administrative case against the city mayor. For that purpose, they cited the “condonation doctrine” recognized in Philippine jurisprudence since 1959. Under this doctrine, any and all administrative cases pending against an elected public official are deemed condoned or abandoned upon the reelection of the public official concerned.

The condonation doctrine is anchored on the sound political concept of popular sovereignty. In an administrative case, the main issue is the fitness of the respondent public official to continue holding public office.

Since the Constitution explicitly provides that “sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them,” then Filipino voters should have the final say on who is to hold elective public office.

Turn to A5

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campaign in the 2016 elections.

Although Espinosa claimed to have “met” De Lima once in Baguio City late in 2015 (though they did not speak with each other), he said he gave the money in several installments to Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former boyfriend.

It will be remembered that at that time, De Lima was being hounded by Secretary Aguirre and other Duterte allies, allegedly for drug-related crimes.

De Lima has been arrested and put to jail in February 2017. The Senator stays in jail and has yet to be arraigned.

During his testimony, Espinosa also tagged his co-accused, Lovely Impal, as his supplier of illegal drugs.

The prosecutors involved in the Espinosa and Lim cases blamed the Philippine National Police for submitting weak cases. The PNP only had one witness, Marcelo Adorco, whose three statements were riddled with inconsistencies.

Curiously, Kerwin Espinosa’s confessions in the Senate were not submitted by PNP, the prosecutors claimed.

PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, on the other hand, was saying that the DoJ should have informed the PNP that the cases were weak.

The dropping of the cases resulted in a big backlash from the Filipino people. Not a few were scandalized that the case was dropped despite Espinosa’s admission of being a drug lord.

President Duterte was reported to have been furious about the matter to the point of threatening the Justice Secretary if indeed Espinosa and the others are set free. In response, Secretary Aguirre has formed a panel to look into possible offenses committed by the prosecution.

It should be noted that Assistant Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes with another prosecutor (Humarang) also handled, and in November 2017, cleared customs officials of any liability in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling case. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency filed a motion for reconsideration but this was also junked last Jan. 24.

People are intrigued by all these coincidences especially since Reyes was promoted by President Duterte as Regional Trial Court judge about a month after he started handling Espinosa’s and Lim’s cases. He, however, only took his oath of office as RTC judge on 2 February 2018.

Why did the PNP not include Espinosa’s Senate testimony, particularly his confession to being a drug lord in the complaint they submitted to the prosecutors? Why did the prosecutors not warn the PNP of the weak case?

Sereno...

From A4

Therefore, when an elective public official is reelected to office by the sovereign electorate, it must logically follow that the sovereign electorate want him to continue in office, the administrative cases pending against him notwithstanding. Restated, re-election logically erases any and all pending administrative liabilities on the part of the re-elected public official.

To the surprise of the Binay Jr. camp, the Ombudsman rejected the condonation doctrine and ordered the preventive suspension of the city mayor. That left Binay Jr. no other choice but to elevate the issue to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court set the Binay Jr. case for oral argument in April 2015.

At that time, Maria Lourdes Sereno was already the chief justice of the Supreme Court. President Aquino III appointed her chief justice in 2012, to succeed Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was unseated that year by the Senate sitting as an impeachment tribunal.

As everyone present at the hearing had expected, the lawyers of Binay Jr. invoked the condonation doctrine and asked that the suspension of the mayor be voided by the Supreme Court.

Like what happened in the proceedings before the Ombudsman, the Binay Jr. camp was in for a surprise. During the hearing, Chief Justice Sereno openly expressed her disapproval of the con-

Japan‘s...

From A4

“I think such circumstances contribute to the problem of prolonged cases,” she added.

Lonely death Recognizing the growing problem, the health ministry has requested 2.53 billion yen ($24 million) to support hikikomori people from the next fiscal year starting in April.

The government also aims to help such people find employment that suits their condition.

Ikeida lives mainly on social benefits

Why did President Duterte promote Reyes in September 2017, about two months before Reyes dropped the case of the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling involving Bureau of Customs officials?

Why did Reyes only take his oath as RTC judge last February, or about a month and a half after the cases against Espinosa, Lim, et al were dropped?

Another controversial and shocking move by the DoJ involves Janet LimNapoles, the principal suspect in the P10-billion scam involving Priority Development Assistance Fund, better known as pork barrel funds. The PDAF scandal exposed how monies allocated to legislators for their pet projects for their constituents were instead funneled to the coffers of fake non-government organizations of Napoles. This scam is said to have been put together and implemented by Napoles involving 12 former lawmakers. This has resulted in the imprisonment of former senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada.

Napoles, by virtue of a DoJ decision, is now provisionally covered under the government’s Witness Protection Security and Benefit Program. This DoJ issuance was released and made effective on the same day, 27 February 2018. This is a program that encourages a person who has witnessed or has knowledge of the commission of a crime to testify before a court of law by protecting the person from revenge and economic dislocation.

However, it is common knowledge that the Witness Protection Program cannot be availed of by principal suspects like Napoles. It is quite interesting therefore that since May 2017, Secretary Aguirre has been issuing statements about the possibility of turning Napoles into a state witness.

Now this is becoming a reality.

Enrile is now out of jail because of his age and frail health. However, news have it that he is joining the prosecution panel against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, if or when the impeachment trial commences. Is Enrile now in good health? What gives?

If Napoles indeed becomes a state witness, whom will she testify against?

Will it be former President Benigno Aquino III and former Budget secretary Florencio Abad? With the Napoles development, are we supposed to think that those in jail due to the pork scam will, like Espinosa and Lim, also eventually go free?

Really, has the Department of Justice turned into the Department of Injustice? The Filipino people do not deserve this. bethangsioco@gmail.com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook donation doctrine and scolded Binay’s lawyers for invoking the doctrine. That scolding they got from the chief justice made it to the news media.

Sereno was in for a surprise herself.

Days after Sereno scolded Binay Jr.’s lawyers, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, a leading expert in Constitutional Law, scored Sereno for what she did. In an interview he gave to the news media, Justice Mendoza said that Binay, Jr.’s lawyers did not deserve the scolding they got from the chief justice. Mendoza emphasized that lawyers are trained in law school to invoke doctrinal pronouncements of the Supreme Court to support their arguments.

Observers said that Justice Mendoza’s reminder was something Sereno ought to have known herself because she was a professor of Law in the University of the Philippines prior to her appointment as associate justice of the Supreme Court in 2010.

The Supreme Court eventually abandoned the condonation doctrine, but did not allow its retroactive abolition.

That meant Binay Jr. could still invoke it one last time in his case.

It has been almost three years since that hearing, and Sereno is now preparing for her own trial, this time before the Senate sitting as an impeachment tribunal.

One of the senators who will pass judgment in Sereno’s case is Binay Jr.’s sister, Senator Nancy Binay. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Sereno’s lawyers should be ready for some scolding. but also makes a little money by writing online articles from his room.

He desperately wants to recover and has asked his parents several times to accompany him to a psychiatrist but they refused.

“I want society to understand that we are not crazy people,” said Ikeida.

He also worries about dying alone, another common fear in ageing Japan.

“I think about a lonely death. I don’t want to die that way. I don’t want to be found rotten. So maybe I can ask for more visits by welfare officials, but I don’t want that either,” he said.

“It’s such a contradictory feeling.”

AFP

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

A5

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Prayer, almsgiving and fasting THE Gospel on the Fifth Sunday of Lent focuses on the coming passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. About his coming death and suffering, Jesus intimates to the Greeks through a metaphor, saying: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

The Gospel of John uses the metaphor of the grain of wheat to depict the transforming process of growth in order for us to understand all about Jesus’ death and resurrection. The seed falls to the ground and the warmth of the sun and moisture help the seed grow until the life secreted within it bursts its hull. A sprout pushes above ground into sunlight and roots spread out underground in search of nourishment. In time, the wheat grows taller and bigger as grain of wheat grows a stalk that heads out with a hundredfold new seed. It takes a while to flourish, but unless the seed falls to the ground, it cannot produce new grain of seeds.

The Gospel not only tells us about the fruits that Jesus death and resurrection will generate but also teaches us some invaluable lessons about humility, the fleeting nature of man, love of God for his creatures and the importance of obedience to the Father.

It is a source of inscrutable mystery that God for what he truly is, all powerful and all knowing, would come down from his throne in heaven and become one like us and allow himself to suffer in the hands of man. As Paul said, “He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself.”

And this one, who was now found in human form, this one “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.” This tells us the depth of God’s love for man—his beloved creature. By his death and resurrection, he exalted the Father and raised man, a pitiable creature enslaved by sin, to partake of the divine. By becoming man, he has shown to us the greatness of his love.

God is humble and meek. Unless a grain

of wheat falls and dies—words which exhorts us to be meek and humble for in truth we are abject creatures in contrast to greatness, majesty and holiness. It is ridiculous to think that man, despite his insignificance in the scheme of things, would often think and act as if he is greater than God. Today’s man arrogantly and conceitedly thinks that he can live without God. As the Scripture says, “for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” Indeed, in today’s society, peace of mind and tranquility are a rarity but discord and turmoil reign. It is because people choose to live without God and opt to separate themselves from him.

Today’s man arrogantly and conceitedly thinks that he can live without God.

and vanity, as a renowned essayist once said. It is by seeking God that life assumes an eternal and divine dimension.

To help us to be faithful, according to Pope Francis, the Church in this Lenten season brings to us the “soothing” remedy of prayer, almsgiving and fasting: “By devoting more time to prayer, we enable our hearts to root out our secret lies and forms of self-deception, and then to find the consolation God offers. He is our Father and he wants us to live life well.

Almsgiving sets us free from greed and helps us to regard our neighbor as a brother or sister. What I possess is never mine alone. How I would like almsgiving to become a genuine style of life for each of us!

How I would like us, as Christians, to follow the example of the Apostles and see in the sharing of our possessions a tangible witness of the communion that is ours in the Church! For this reason, I echo Saint Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians to take up a collection for the community of Jerusalem as something from which they themselves would benefit. This is all the more fitting during the Lenten season, when many groups take up collections to assist Churches and peoples in need. Yet I would also hope that, even in our daily encounters with those who beg for our assistance, we would see such requests as coming from God Himself. When we give alms, we share in God’s providential care for each of His children. If through me God helps someone today, will He not tomorrow provide for my own needs? For no one is more generous than God. Fasting weakens our tendency to violence; it disarms us and becomes an important opportunity for growth. On the one hand, it allows us to experience what the destitute and the starving have to endure. On the other hand, it expresses our own spiritual hunger and thirst for life in God. Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbor. It revives our desire to obey God, who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger.”

The Gospel on this last Sunday of Lent tells us that our God is a loving, meek and humble God, whom we must emulate and obey. Without the Lord, life is vanity, empty and bare. It is only in obeying God, and living his will that life becomes permanent and meaningful for in it we gain eternal life.

In the words of Christ, we learn about the fleeting and temporal nature of life and the importance of following God. Jesus said: Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. Indeed, we are all faced with the reality that life is brief and temporary; that wealth, fame and power are but empty expressions of vanity. It is a pity that many of us devote most of our time seeking recognition, praise, accumulating wealth and pursuing beauty but neglecting the most important thing— cultivating our relationship with God and fellowmen. Seeking the pleasures Facebook: Professor Tony La Viña or of life as if there is no tomorrow is foolishness. The world is all a carcass deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

Misplaced loyalty BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN FOR whatever differences exist in the political platform between the administration and that amalgam of political dregs denominated as yellow opposition, they should realize that there are rules of limitation to their course of action on certain issues. For them to cross the red line is to divest themselves of the privilege of a legitimate opposition.

It is their observance of this unwritten rule that delineates them from being classified as enemies of the states.

As legitimate opposition, they are obligated to subordinate their issues and course of action against the government to that of fiscalizers. Although their role is to check what the government is doing, they have to abide by that rule they themselves adhere to and believe in as part of our democratic process.

What is disturbing is the comment made by Magdalo party-representative Gary Alejano that President Duterte cannot get away with the complaint filed against him before the International Criminal Court just because he has decided to withdraw from what otherwise is known as the Statute of Rome.

One must not forget that this quisling of a fellow mutineer who together with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed a supplement in support of a lawyer with a shaded character in April 2017 accusing the President of human rights violation for his decision to impose martial law in Mindanao and for the alleged killings of drug suspects.

It is evident that the statement made by these disgraceful graduates from the country’s premier military academy indicate that they could no longer delineate their role as opposition sustained at that by their use of public funds to keep his venomous attacks against the administration. These erstwhile soldiers should know that as legitimate opposition, the issues they can bring against the government should revolve within the parameter of what is considered internal to this country. When they tried to bring in their case of a third and external party to conduct preliminary investigation preparatory to the possible filing of charges against our duly elected President, these political skunks automatically divested themselves of their right to speak as legitimate opposition free to exercise their freedom of speech as citizens of this country.

This political equation is simple to understand; that the Philippines

through our President can make a stand to withdraw our membership from the ICC. Aside from the issue that this international organization seeking to make a sham of the internationally recognized principles in criminal law, the ICC was organized by the most ruthless European colonizers now hallucinating to supplant the influence and hegemony of the US once its global dominance finally comes to an inglorious end.

The stand of these two former mutineers is in contrast to the position taken by the government indicating they are not acting within the limits of a legitimate opposition, but are serving as conduits of an external party to effectively mutate their role as enemies of the Republic.

Logically, any citizen who might encourage and even support to secure the arrest of our citizen, despite the President’s declaration to withdraw, could equally make him an enemy of the state.

They are living up to their roles as hideous traitors.

This position has nothing to do in determining the culpability of the President, but for their stand in siding the cause of an external power in seeking to violate our sovereignty.

Maybe the government can extend to these ideologues a degree of magnanimity who has been disguising themselves as progressives. But for how long can the government tolerate their destructive and divisive conduct?

As people now see their role, they are openly engaged in political opportunism; of fighting bloody battles against government forces while waging subversion to cause our people to lose faith and trust in the government through deceit and deception.

The statement made by Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate saying that the “President Duterte’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute is intended to escape accountability is ominous of an even worse human rights situation in the country.” The same can be said of the statement made by Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin. As enemies of the state, they are unanimous in wanting to send the President to the lion’s den.

Despite everything, this column is not suggesting we wage a tit-for-tat response to these vicious attacks against

the government of President Duterte.

Rather, this column would just like to pose a rhetorical question, like asking how would they feel if the government would raise the issue of bringing a case against their bosses now holed in Netherlands? Remember the crime of mass murder they committed was not against their enemies but against of their own followers on the flimsy suspicion of being deep penetration agents of the state.

Would they not argue lack of jurisdiction more so that the Philippines has withdrawn from that colonialist and racist sponsored Kangaroo Court? In fact, they exhibited their complete idiocy by insisting that President Duterte could not get away with the complaint by the expediency of withdrawing from the ICC. They failed to reconcile that the withdrawal came before the ICC could conduct its preliminary investigation to secure prima facie evidence against him. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo is correct in questioning the jurisdiction of the ICC when he said, “it (ICC) can no longer conduct an investigation on the alleged killings in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs after he announced the country’s withdrawal from the tribunal?”

The yellow opposition are not only living up to their role as hideous traitors, but are doing their best to project this country as made up of mental retardates that should forever remain a puppet state. Quite strange, the socalled party-list representatives, being the most vocal in denouncing imperialist interference, are now the ones clinging on to the underwear of the imperialist colonizers. More than that, the Philippines and Cambodia are the only Asian countries that joined the ICC. With the Philippines withdrawing, the ICC is contemplating in bringing President Hun Sen to the ICC for the fact that the lackeys of the imperialist lost in the recently concluded election.

To complete the stupidity of these so-called ideologues, the Bayan Muna, and Akbayan were joined by their fellow mad dogs, namely: Antonio Tinio of the Alliance for Concerned Teachers and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago in voicing out their demand to try our President, when they could not even secure a warrant for the arrest of US servicemen who commit crimes in this country? Indeed, they are living up to their true form as useful idiots for lending a hand to the yellow oligarchy while masquerading as ideologues as columnists Tiglao would derisively call them. rpkapunan@gmail.com

News

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PNP chief warns Bulacan ‘cop-rapists’

IN BRIEF Create Deputy CJ post—IBP exec

By Orlan Mauricio MALOLOS CITY—“Ipapako ko kayo sa krus. [I will crucify you if you indeed committed rape.”]

This was the blunt warning of National Police director general Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa to three Bulacan policemen from the City of Meycauayan who were accused by a 29-year-old mother of rape last March 6 during a police buy-bust operation.

The PNP chief motored yesterday morning at Camp Alejo S. Santos here to personally inquire on the status of the probe on the three cops.

“Effective today, you [the three cops] are all placed under restrictive custody inside the provincial headquarters,” he said. Dela Rosa ordered the cops to undergo a drug test.

The alleged victim, Abegail Edonio, of Caloocan City, said she was visiting a friend, Janet Fundales, in barangay Bangkal, Meycauayan City, when an anti-illegal drugs operations was carried out by four policemen in the area.

Edonio, who gave a videotaped account of her ordeal to GMA-7’s Gene Veneracion, identified three of the four cops in a police lineup last Wednesday (March 14) at the office of Bulacan PNP provincial director Sr. Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr. as PO2 Jefferson Landrito, PO1 Marlo delos Santos, and PO1 Jeremy Aquino.

The alleged rape victim claimed she was collecting payment for a "5-6" loan inside the house together with her two-year-old daughter when the policemen barged in.

“Alam ko po pulis sila kasi may baril,” Edonio said in the TV exclusive interview.

The victim alleged that the cops ordered all persons out of the house as they took turns molesting her. She said she was ordered by one of the cops to allegedly perform oral sex and then raped her.

In front of the PNP chief, the three suspect-cops vehemently denied the allegation.

Dela Rosa ordered lawyer Cristina Alcantara, chief of the Bulacan Police Internal Affairs Service to continue the probe in spite of a text message sent by the victim to the policewoman-on-case that Edonio is not anymore pursuing the case for fear of her life.

DOTr says LRT 2 to be completed by third quarter

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PNP chief Gen. Ronald dela Rosa held a press conference at the Alejo S. Santos Camp in Malolos City in connection with a rape complaint lodged against three Bulacan policemen. At right is lawyer Cristina Alcantara, Internal Affairs Service chief of the Bulacan Police, who was tasked to head the probe. Orlan L. Mauricio

Former PNP chief Purisima pleads not guilty of perjury

By Maricel V. Cruz

F

ORMER National Police chief Alan Purisima on Friday pleaded not guilty of perjury at the Sandiganbayan Second Division.

Purisima was charged with perjury at the Sandiganbayan in connection with his alleged non-declaration of some of his properties in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth for eight years.

Purisima is facing eight counts of perjury at the anti-graft court division.

The Ombudsman said Purisima violated Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code, for not being truthful in his declarations of his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2014.

Prosecutors said Purisima failed to declare the property of his wife, Maria Ramona Lydia Purisima, covered

by Certificate of Land Ownership CA25916, in his SALNs for 2006 and 2007.

In 2008, the number of undeclared properties of Purisima’s wife was increased to three: properties covered by CLOA VOS-28452 and a deed of donation dated May 12, 2008.

In his 2009 SALN, Purisima also did not declare another property covered by CLOA VOS-28012. Similarly, in 2011, Purisima was accused of not declaring

THE Department of Transportation said on Friday that it expects the LRT Line 2 Masinag Extension to be operational by the third quarter of this year.

“By third quarter of 2018, the LRT 2 extension from Santolan to Antipolo will be completed, and will be operational by next year,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

“Soon, you can travel from Manila to Antipolo in just 30 to 40 minutes,” he added.

The P2.27-billion LRT 2 East Extension Project involves the construction of a four -kilometer extension of the existing LRT 2 System from Santolan, Pasig City to Masinag in Antipolo, Rizal.

Two additional stations will be built including the Emerald station in front of Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia in Cainta, Rizal and Masinag station located before the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

Tugade also said that the construction of the MRT 7 is on track.

“In 2020, this 22-km line, which will have 14 stations, will make it easier for our commuters in Fairview, Commonwealth and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan areas to travel to Manila,” he said.

The P69.3-billion MRT 7 project, which will have 14 stations, is being built by SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. under SMC’s infrastructure subsidiary San Miguel Holdings Inc.

ARMY AWARD.

The Philippine Army received the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame Award for executing strategy in London, United Kingdom on March 14, 2018. Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito D. Bautista, (left) the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, was accompanied by the Chief of the Army Governance and Strategy Management Office, Col. Joel M Paloma, (right) as the Philippine Army was awarded at the Reimagine Strategy: Palladium Positive Impact Summit 2018 in London. The coveted award was bestowed by the co-creator of the Balanced Scorecard, and Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus, Dr. Robert S. Kaplan.

Makati City meets P15.6-b revenue goal for 2018

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government of Makati announced on Friday that it has already met 56 percent of its P15.6-billion full year revenue goal for 2018 when it collected more than P8 billion in January.

Mayor Abigail Binay said the city was “off to a good start” this year after the Office of the City Treasurer reported that total revenues collected from local sources reached over P8 billion in January.

“With major initiatives of the city now well underway or set for implementation this year, increased revenue collection is certainly welcome news to us. It means we can confidently proceed with our plans for the year,” she said.

Acting City Treasurer Jesusa Cuneta also cited in her report an 8-percent increase in collection over the same period last year from locally sourced revenues, which include business tax,

two firearms in his SALN: A Bushamaster assault rifle and an STI .40-cal. pistol.

Prosecutors said a CZ 9MM SPO1 Shadow pistol and a UDMC .556 rifle were added to the list of assets concealed from the 2012 and 2013 SALNs, respectively.

In his 2014 SALN, Purisima and his wife also did not declare their four real estate properties.

Purisima is also being tried for two separate charges at the anti-graft court: One, for awarding Werfast Documentary Agency Inc. a courier deal for the delivery of firearms permits, and two, separate charges for graft and usurpation of authority for his involvement in the January 2015 Mamasapano massacre which led to the death of 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force.

real property tax, fees and charges, and economic enterprises.

Mayor Binay said the increased revenue collections can be attributed to more efficient processes at city hall as well as to renewed investor confidence.

“Aside from our proactive collection efforts, we can credit our healthy revenue growth to improved processes at city hall which have made transactions more convenient and transparent, thus inspiring stronger investor confidence,” she said.

Records of the city Business Permit Office show an increase in new business registrants and renewed business permits in the first month of the year compared to January last year.

From 125, the number of new businesses grew to 243, while renewed permits rose from 29,225 to 31,311. The combined investment capital of new businesses has been estimated at P1.5 billion.

Based on the Treasurer’s report, business tax earned the highest revenue with P4.1 bil-

lion (46-percent attainment rate), which is seven percent higher than collection in January 2017. The next highest income came from real property tax with almost P3.6 billion (78percent attainment rate), showing a nine percent increase versus last year.

Other local sources include fees and charges with P313.2 million or 49 percent of target, and nine percent higher, and economic enterprises with P15.8 million or 7 percent of target, and 33 percent higher than last year.

Meanwhile, the city has earned P27.7 million in interest income or 17 percent of target, and received P94.8 million or 9 percent of its estimated Internal Revenue Allotment from the national government.

Unlike many local government units, Makati is not dependent on the IRA. Total revenue collections of the city as of January from both local and external sources amounted to P8.12 billion, or 52 percent of gross revenue target for the year.

A HIGH-RANKING official of the Integrated Bar of the Phiilippines in Baguio-Benguet has proposed the creation of a Deputy Chief Justice to shield the judiciary from politics.

Lawyer Alan Antonio Mazo, the IBP Baguio-Benguet chapter president, said that lawyers, justices and others in the legal profession want to push for judicial reforms in the face of the impeachment and quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

“Nu’ng pinapasadahan ko ang Constitution, I came up with several proposition. First, I was contemplating of proposing the creation of a position for a Deputy Chief Justice who shall automatically become the Chief Justice upon the retirement or incapacity of the Chief Justice to insulate the judiciary from any political pressure,” he said during his presentation in the onsultative hearing on Charter change conducted by senators.

He said the Deputy Chief Justice should come from among three Associate Justices.

Mazo also wants to propose to lower the mandatory retirement age of justices to give them more time to enjoy life.

“I was thinking of the mandatory retirement of trial court justice which is to lower from 70 to 60. For the justices of Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals which should be from 70 to 65,” he said.

Pass vital law for teachers—solons TWO militant lawmakers on Friday sought a congressional investigation into the alleged failure of the Department of Education to implement a vital provision of a law that was passed more than half a century ago.

In filing House Resolution 1759, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep Antonio Tinio and France Castro said the DepEd allegedly failed to provide the medical benefits for teachers mandated by Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.

“For 51 years, the law has assured public school teachers free compulsory medical examination and treatment and compensation for injuries. For 51 years, the government has failed to make these mandates a reality,” said Tinio.

Since the enactment of Republic Act 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers in 1966, the two lawmakers said its provisions mandating health benefits for teachers, such as free compulsory medical examination and treatment and compensation for injuries were never implemented.

“It is about time for our public school teachers to know the reasons for government’s neglect to provide their legally mandated benefits, which include zero funding,” Castro said. Maricel V. Cruz

No more brownouts in Occ. Mindoro town THE third class town of Palauan in Occidental Mindoro, part of the once dubbed brownout capital of the country, has been declared completely free of this—residents thank Solar Philippines.

The first Filipino company to win Power Company of the Year at the Asian Power Awards, also known in the region as “the Oscars of the power industry,” recently completed the largest solar-battery micro-grid and launched the “Solar Para Sa Bayan.”

In a statement, the firm said this is an initiative by its founder Leandro Leviste “to bring cheaper, more reliable power to areas poorly served by utilities, in support of the Duterte administration's aim to end energy poverty by 2022.”

Palauan Mayor Carl Pangilinan said since Solar Philippines began operations in December 2017, residents of the northwestern tip of Mindoro had enjoyed their first ever Christmas “without brownouts and students can now study at night and use computers at school.”

At the same time, Pangilinan said an ice plant was now being planned to support Mindoro fishermen.

PCSO earns P10.89b in two months; Balutan upbeat on reaching target IT’S too early to tell, but by just looking at its first two-month performance, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Alexander Balutan said he is optimistic that the agency will hit its P60-billion target this year or even surpass it.

“Our overall sales in just two months is P10.89 billion—a 37.32-percent increase from its sales on the same months last year. In January alone, PCSO earned P5.611 billion from all its games, which is a 44.34 increase from its sales in January last year. Same goes in February, PCSO earned P5.28 billion, which is a 30.58-percent increase from its sales for the same month last year,” said Balutan.

Compared last year, PCSO only earned a total of P7.93 billion from all its games, namely Lotto (6/42, Mega Lotto 6/45, Super Lotto 6/49, Grand Lotto 6/55, and Ultra Lotto 6/58) and Digit (4, 6, 3-Digits and EZ2).

Keno, Small Town Lottery (STL), Sweepstakes, and Instant Sweepstakes Tickets are also included.

“Despite the newly imposed lottery tax, the response of our gaming public has been very positive overall. If this growth continues every month, we will definitely hit our target this year, or even more!” said Balutan.

Apart from increasing revenue collections this year, Balutan revealed that the agency is also planning to implement the rationalization plan among its employees, add more branches, and build a headquarters or corporate center for PCSO. “Some of our employees have been here for years, but on contractual status. We see the need to really implement the rationalization plan so they can get permanent positions.

We will start reviewing the status of our employees to make sure that only the competent, qualified, and well-deserved employees will earn the position or promotion. We will make sure that the selection and appointment of our employees will undergo a fair and equal process,” said Balutan.

Sports

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Poe wants PH sports programs reassessed FOR the Philippines, every Olympic event has become a reminder of what the country has yet to achieve since it joined the Games in 1924—a gold medal.

Hoping to break the dry spell in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Sen. Grace Poe underscored the need to assess the current sports development programs to boost the country’s chances for the elusive gold.

Filing Senate Resolution No. 678, Poe asked the Senate committee on sports to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the efforts of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the entire sports community to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics.

“We need to take a deeper look at how these agencies are implementing existing laws on sports development and see what it will take for the Philippines to bring home the gold this time,” said Poe, who was a black belter in taekwondo.

After participating in 20 editions of the Olympics, the Philippines can only boast of 10 medals—3 silvers and 7 bronzes— including the silver medal of Hidilyn Diaz in the women’s 53-kg weightlifting division of the 2016 Summer Games.

“It’s time to up the ante on sports development, including training for international competitions, with the ultimate goal of winning the Olympic gold, which remains one of the unrealized dreams of our sports sector,” Poe said.

She said the silver finish of Diaz shows “we are almost there” and that the gold is not an impossible dream.

“This is a goal that the government must foster and support to the best of its capacity. We are also rallying the private sector to chip in for the success of our Filipino athletes,” Poe added.

The senator said she hopes that the new leadership of the Philippine Sports Commission will lead the way in improving the lot of athletes to make them more competitive and world-class toward bringing honor and prestige to the country. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Tiger opens strong at Palmer golf MIAMI—Tiger Woods’ rolled in six birdies, including a 71-footer at the seventh hole, to leap into contention Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational led by Henrik Stenson.

Woods, the 14-time major champion and eight-time winner at Bay Hill, started early and showed the peak form that sparked his best finish in five years last week.

“It was just getting a feel for playing tournament golf again and I think I have it,” said Woods, who is playing the fifth US PGA Tour event since returning in January from spinal fusion surgery last April.

“I’m not thinking as much around the golf course. I can just see it, feel it and go. That’s because I’ve got my ‘feels’ back.”

Three weeks before the start of the Masters, the year’s first major tournament, Woods showed none of the back pain that sidelined him most of the past two seasons. He has undergone four back operations, doubting at one stage if he would ever return to competitive golf.

“I enjoy just playing again. After what I’ve been through, just playing feels good,” Woods said.

Told that Las Vegas oddsmakers were making him the Masters favorite based on his past week’s performance, Woods said, “A lot of gamble-holics out there.”

“We have a long way to go. It’s just the first day. I’ve got three days to go and hopefully I can cap it off with a nice win.”

Sweden’s Stenson made nine birdies against a lone bogey to open with a 64.

American rookies Aaron Wise and Talor Gooch were tied for second on 65.

Jimmy Walker, the 2016 PGA Championship winner, holed out from 132 yards for an eagle on the 18th fairway to complete an opening 67 that left him tied with Rickie Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau, one stroke ahead of Woods.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy was set to match Walker and Fowler but closed with a doublebogey to finish on 69.

The day’s electricity came from Woods, the 42-year-old superstar who has not won a major since the 2008 US Open and hasn’t captured any title since the 2013 World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods, who also won his eighth Bay Hill crown in 2013, birdied all four par-5 holes and played the rest of the round at level par, two birdies undone by one bad tee shot and a double-bogey disaster. AFP

Sea Lions tame Cobras, capture 3rd NCRAA title

Smart Candy and jockey Kevin Abobo burst into the finish for an 8-length win in the 2nd leg of the Philracom 3YO Local Fillies and Colts Stakes Race. Angelica Villanueva

Smart Candy pulls off sweet win at 3YO race

S

C STOCKFARM-RAISED Smart Candy scored a sweet and emphatic win in the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) 3YO Local Fillies and Colts Stakes Race recently at the San Lazaro Leisure Park, Carmona, Cavite.

Right of the bat, Smart Candy rushed into a swift start, leaving the field following his trail.

Smart Candy’s quick burst of speed surprised no one, even winning jockey Kelvin Abobo, who knows the capability of his filly to sustain a good lead and he used it to the hilt as part of their game plan.

When it was over, Smart Candy was eight lengths ahead of her closest pursuers.

“Ang order sa akin, unahan na. Ang kabayo ko, magaling kapag nasa unahan.

Talagang banderista ito,” said the 34-yearold Abobo, who won for Smart Candy

owner SC Stockfarm of Oliver Velasquez the top purse of P600,000 from the total guaranteed purse of P1,000,000 up for grabs in the stakes race.

The 3-year-old dark bay filly reached the finish line of the 1,500-meter course in one minute, 32.6 seconds.

The battle for the second proved to be more tense as Here’s To Life (jockey EP Nahilat and owner Jose Quiros) nipped Perlas ng Silanganan in a photo finish for the P225,00 runner-up prize.

Third placer Perlas ng Silanganan earned P125,00 for owner Hermie Esguerra, while 4th placer Misha, who placed second in the first leg, took home

P50,000 for owner Leonardo Javier Jr. First-leg winner and the Napoleon Magno-owned Probinsyano with jockey Mark Angelo Alvarez aboard was out of the top five.

It was the longest race that Smart Candy ran this year and so far, she had already finished on top of five races.

“Malayo ang lamang namin. Mga eight paces. Pinilit ko talagang mauna,” added Abobo.

Last February, Smart Candy topped the 1,300-meter course of two 3-year old races and two 1,000-meter races last January, with Abobo also on top.

Abobo also guided Crème Brule to second place behind Play It Safe in the NPJAI Trophy Race, also on Sunday.

But with Brilliance, Abobo came up empty-handed in the 2018 PhilracomManila Horsepower Organization Race, which Manda ruled. Charles Dantes

Navara takes Stage 10; Oranza still ahead CALACA, Batangas—Navy-Standard’s Ronald Oranza posted his seventh podium finish in the 147.8-kilometer Tagaytay-Calaca Stage 10 ruled by teammate Junrey Navara yesterday to move two stages away from officially claiming his first-ever title in the Ronda Pilipinas 2018 presented by LBC. The 25-year-old Oranza outlasted 13 other riders to claim third place in three hours and 26.02 minutes in the stage, which started at the Tagaytay Convention Center and ended at the Calaca Municipal Hall here.

Navara won in 3:21:47, or a second ahead of Go for Gold’s Boots Ryan Cayubit with 3:21:48.

The seventh podium finish underscored Oranza’s domination of this 12-stage race staking P1 million to the champion as it was highlighted by stage victories in Vigan, Pagudpud and Tarlac.

Trailing fellow Navyman Jan Paul Morales by a few seconds after the opening stage in Vigan, Oranza imposed his will in the Vigan-Pagudpud Stage 2 to seize the overall lead and the red LBC jersey and never looked back from there.

With two stages to go, the Villasis, Pangasinan native, who has an aggregate time of 30:15:03, has practically sealed the win, as Morales, his closest pursuer with 30:35:18, had conceded as early as Stage 8.

Oranza, however, isn’t celebrating just yet.

“Maybe after Stage 11, we can talk about it,” said Oranza.

Oranza was referring to today’s 92.72km Calaca-Calaca Stage 11 that is practically a smaller sample size of Stage 10.

Standard Insurance’s Junrey Navara looks at Go for Gold’s Ryan Cayubit in the final stretch of the Ronda Pilipinas’ Stage 10. Navara won the stage, with Cayubit close behind.

The race concludes with the Stage 12 criterium in Filinvest, Alabang tomorrow presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, Filinvest, Philippine Rabbit, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Sports, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

Navara, the 26-year-old General Santos City bet who weighs 47 kilos, was at his best as he had an easier time negotiating the mountain passes in Ticub and Payapa to register his first lap victory in a long while.

It also gave Navara the lead in the King of the Mountain race with 35 points against

Morales’ 21 to close in on his fourth KOM title.

It also pushed him from No. 6 to No. 5 overall with 30:36:32, while sending Cris Joven of Army-Bicycology to No. 6 with 30:38:24.

George Oconer of Go for Gold was at No. 3 with 30:35:18 and Jhon Mark Camingao of Navy at No. 4 with 30:36:11, while Navy’s El Joshua Carino (30:42:23), Go for Gold Developmental team’s Jay Lampawog (30:45:06) and Navy’s Rudy Roque (30:46:55) rounded up the Top 10.

Navara was with Oranza, Cayubit and Joven when they made their move in the first 20-km, but he broke loose from the two in the ascent in Payapa, where he outsprinted Cayubit in the end.

Metro Manila Sportsfest to be discussed at Usapang Sports THE coming Metro Manila Sportsfest basketball and volleyball competitions presented by the Metro Manila Development Authority will be today’s topic in the Usapang Sports, Atbp. with Vic Endriga over Station DZAR 1026 at 2 p.m.

Veteran coach and now MMSF tournament director Bonnie Tan will talk about the competition featuring all 17 cities and municipalities under the Metro Manila Commission during the hour-long

Saturday-only sports program.

Tan, who was re-appointed by MMDA chairman Danny Lim to oversee the event for the second straight year, is expected to be joined by MMSF commissioner Pido Jarencio, finance officer Waiyip Chong and MMDA sports director Atty. Cris Saruca.

The inaugural MBT cage tournaments were held in two age divisions last year, with Marikina Shoelanders topping the

junior division (boys 16-under) category and Mandaluyong Tigers ruling the senior categoy (men’s 24-under).

This year, the junior and senior basketball and volleyball tournaments will kick off simultaneously on April 15.

DZAR 1026 kHz is the country’s most modern radio station with 50,000 watts digital power. Usapang Sports, Atbp. can also be viewed worldwide via livestreaming at FB live.

IT WAS five years in the making before Olivarez College could repeat as champions as the Sea Lions defeated the De Ocampo Memorial College Cobras, 72-64, to bag the Sta. Lucia Land-NCRAA 25th season crown Friday.

In front of their hometown cheering crowd, the Sea Lions poured out their emotion and came up with a steadier game in the final match of the season.

“I told the players, particularly the graduating students, that this will be the last time you’re going to wear green,” said Olivarez coach Mike Saguigit. “You need to give your best.”

Jayboy Solis, Pruvil Bermudes, Arnel Sunga snd Alvin Rabe ended their playing seasons as champions for the Sea Lions, who pocketed their third championship in the NCRAA. The Sea Lions took Game 1 via a thrilling 89-86 overtime win after squandering a 16-point lead in the fourth period.

De Ocampo Memorial College struck back in Game 2 with a more dominant showing to tie the series and force a rubber match.

In the final game of the season, the Sea Lions made sure there won’t be any more collapse.

The Cobras, on the other hand, selfdestructed in Game 3 and couldn’t complete a run due to their poor free-throw shooting.

They missed 16 straight free throws from the 7:16 mark of the third period until the 6:58 mark of the final quarter.

All in all, the Cobras shot a dismal 15of-45 from the foul line.

Race for 2nd spot in PH Superliga on Games Today

(Muntinlupa Sports Center) 1:45 pm – Foton vs F2 Logistics 4:10 pm – Cignal vs Smart

WITH Petron formally sweeping the first round, the race for the second spot heats up with F2 Logistics and Foton figuring in another action-packed encounter in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix today at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.

Action starts at 1:45 p.m. before the encounter between struggling Smart and Cignal in the 4:10 p.m. featured battle of prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu and UCPB Gen with ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.

After demolishing Cocolife late Thursday, 26-24, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, Petron posted a 7-0 sweep of the first round, leaving F2 Logistics, Cocolife, Foton, Sta. Lucia Realty and Cignal in the thick of the fight for the second spot.

The Cargo Movers tote a 4-1 slate, while the Asset Managers are in third with a 4-3 card and the Tornadoes, Lady Realtors and HD Spikers are bunched at the fourth spot with 2-3 as the first round of this tourney that has Senoh, Mikasa, Asics, LGR and Grand Sport as technical sponsors enters its crucial stretch.

Based on the league format, the top team after the first round will join the third, sixth and eighth seeds in Pool A while Pool B will be composed of the second, fourth, fifth and seventh ranked teams for another round of action to determine their quarterfinal standing.

The survivors in the quarterfinals will figure in a best-of-three semifinal series where tickets to a best-of-three finals showdown are at stake.

harden...

From A8

Cleveland—who have now lost five in a row in Portland—trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, trimming the deficit to three with 2:58 left to play only for their comeback bid to fall short.

CJ McCollum scored 29 points for the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard added 24 and a game-high nine assists.

James delivered 35 points—including a monster dunk over Jusuf Nurkic in the early going—and 14 rebounds. He also missed a layup with 32 seconds left and the Cavs down by five. AFP

LOTTO RESULTS 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

A8

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

Houston Rockets forward James Harden (13) drives hard to the basket against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 15, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. AFP

Falcons end UAAP baseball title drought ADAMSON University ended an eightyear baseball drought while its softball squad extended its UAAP Season 80 campaign at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium yesterday.

Jerome Yenson produced a scintillating outing as the Falcons turned back De La Salle, 13-6, to complete a two-game sweep of the baseball Finals.

Adamson University displayed tremendous poise to beat University of Santo Tomas, 8-5, sending the softball championship series to a decider.

With pitcher Lexter Carandang starting for the Falcons, Boo Barandiaran, Iggy Escaño and season MVP Kiko Gesmundo gave the Green Batters a 5-0 lead - the first in the series.

Then Game 1 starter Yenson led the Falcons’ turnaround from that deficit at the bottom third.

Adamson University scored 14 runs bridging from third to sixth inning to build a nine-run cushion and never looked back.

Yenson, a native from Nueva Ecija who was named the Finals MVP Best Pitcher, struck out six batters and tallied three RBIs in the title-clinching victory for the Falcons.

Adamson University thus won its 11th baseball crown - and the first since the 2009-10 season - as it finally came out from being also-rans during that dry spell.

A RBI single by Leslie Benabaye sparked the Lady Falcons five-run sixth inning to break the 3-3 tie despite having two outs.

“Sinabi ko sa kanila na kapag umiskor tayo sa sixth inning, panalo tayo. Naging inspiration nila yung sinabi ko sa kanila,” said Adamson Univerdity coach Ana Santiago, who made a major overhaul on her batting order in Game 2.

After tallying only three hits in the opener, the Lady Falcons got into the groove by nailing 11 to level the best-ofthree duel to one game apiece.

That kept Adamson University’s softball bid for their 8-peat championship alive, with Game 3 set on Tuesday at 9 a.m.

“Nag-step-up silang lahat,” said Santiago.

CJ Roa belted a grandslam homer to give the Tigresses an early 3-0 lead before the Lady Falcons clawed back and tied the match at 3-3 on a Flor Pabiania third inning homerun.

Dely Covarrubias and Jeanette Rusia came through with two RBIs for Adamson University.

San Miguel Beer guard Alex Cabagnot (5) drives past a pair of Barangay Ginebra defenders in Joe Devance (38) and Aljun Mariano.

PBA

Superal routs Rodriguez to rule ICTSI Tagaytay

T

AGAYTAY—Princess Superal broke a near two-year spell on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in smashing fashion, ruling the P1 million ICTSI Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Challenge via a record 16-stroke victory over Cyna Rodriguez here yesterday.

Finally flashing the form that won her a number of pro tournaments as an amateur and as a newly-minted pro, Superal tamed the wind-raked Highlands layout with solid driving and superb iron play, netting four birdies that negated a lone bogey on No. 4 for a closing three-under 67 and outclassing the field that included a slew of Thai aces with a 54-hole total of three-under 207 worth P250,000.

That was a whopping 16 shots over Rodriguez, who hardly recovered from two bogeys in the first five holes with a birdie on the sixth and limped with a closing 40 and a 75 for 223. She took home P120,000.

“I’ve waited for this for so long and I’m very, very happy to have finally put it

all together and won again,” said Superal, who has had a number of top five finishes since winning last in late 2016 via a onestroke victory over then amateur Pauline del Rosario at Eastridge.

“This will surely boost my confidence in my next tournaments,” added Superal, whose feat erased the previous largest winning margin of 15 which Thai and now-LPGA campaigner Meechai Wichanee posted at Splendido in 2015 over compatriot Walailak Satarak and former leg winner Sarah Ababa.

The runaway victory should also make Superal the player to beat in next week’s LPGT leg

at Riviera, her final local tournament before kicking off her 2018 campaign in the Symetra Tour in the IOA Championship in Beaumont, California on April 6-8.

Like Rodriguez, Chihiro Ikeda, who grabbed the first round lead despite playing with a slight wrist injury, failed to rebound from a poor start marred by a triple bogey on the par-5 No. 4, finishing with a horrible 40-43 (83) and ending up third at 228 worth P85,000.

Amolkan Phalajivin, the first Thai winner in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. in 2014 at Splendido, bogeyed the last two holes for a 75 but emerged as the top finisher among the aces from Thailand at fourth at 231.

She nipped Tiranan Yoopan, who settled for fifth at 232 despite a 72 while Kristine Torralba closed out with back-to-back pars to edge Korean Bang Choeun by two in their spirited battle for low amateur honors in the fifth leg of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI.

Roger extends winning streak INDIAN WELLS, United States—World No. 1 Roger Federer equaled his best start to a season to stay on course for a sixth Indian Wells title, while Borna Coric brushed aside a shaky first set to reach the semi-finals.

Federer booked his semi-final spot and extended his season win streak to 16 straight matches with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over South Korea’s Chung Hyeon on Thursday.

That equals the 16-0 start to the 2006 ATP calendar season. If he makes it to Sunday’s final and wins he will reach a career best 17 consecutive wins.

Switzerland’s Federer recalls parts of that streak but not all the tournaments he played in to get there.

“Twelve years ago, a long time ago. I don’t know. What was I doing back then?” he asked.

“I don’t even remember what tournament I played first up and won.

“I guess I had a similar good start to the year. Back then I was on this massive streak of winning 30, 40-plus matches. It had already started the year before that, which this time it didn’t. I had to get it going again in Australia.

“It’s a great start. Hopefully I can do one more and beat my best streak on Saturday.”

Federer put on an impressive display of serving and shot making, winning 70 percent of his first serve points against Chung. He had just one double fault and broke Chung’s serve four times in the one hour, 23 minute main stadium match. AFP

Roger Federer Switzerland celebrates after defeating Hyeon Chung of Korea during Day 11 of BNP Paribas Open on March 15, 2018 in Indian Wells, California. AFP

Harden helps Rockets beat LA Clippers LOS ANGELES—The Houston Rockets continued to steam toward the NBA playoffs on Thursday with a 101-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers while LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run of disappointment in Portland continued.

Houston’s Most Valuable Player candidate James Harden scored 24 points with seven assists and five rebounds, and his step-back jump shot to put the Rockets up by four points with 29.4 seconds left helped the Western Conference leaders put away the determined Clippers.

Eric Gordon added 23 points off the bench for Houston, who saw five players score in double figures but uncharacteristically struggled from three-point range.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it,” Harden said. “As long as we can just grind out four quarters and continue to do what wae do it’s going to be tough for teams to keep up with us.”

Tobias Harris led the Clippers with 29 points. Austin Rivers added 20 and scored twice in a 6-0 Los Angeles Run that pulled the Clippers within two points with less than a minute to play.

But Harden answered with his midrange dagger over Rivers and the Rockets improved to 54-14—two games ahead of the reigning champion Golden State Warriors atop the Western Conference.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers blasted the officiating, saying his players were frustrated by numerous fouls that weren’t called.

“We doubled them in the amount of points in the paint and it was 24-8 in free throws,” the coach said. “That’s a joke.

That is a complete joke.

“I thought our guys drove and got hit all game,” he added in remarks that could draw the ire of the league.

The Clippers remained just outside the eighth and final playoff position in the West, chasing the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs, fighting to add to their streak of 20 straight playoff appearances, edged the New Orleans Pelicans 98-93.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers, trying to get back to the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year, became the latest victims of the Trail Blazers, who stretched their win streak to 11 games with a 113105 win.

Turn to A7

Lady Eagles try to avenge loss to NU Games today: (Filoil Flying V Centre) 8 a.m. – UP vs AdU (Men) 10 a.m. – FEU vs Ateneo (Men) 2 p.m. – UP vs UST (Women) 4 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU (Women)

ATENEO hopes to get another payback, this time against National University today in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Lady Eagles suffered a five-set defeat at the hands of the Lady Bulldogs last Feb. 7 that dropped them at 0-2 - the team’s worst start in the coach Tai Bundit era.

The 4 p.m. match is crucial, as Ateneo is eyeing to force a three-way tie in second place and to keep within striking distance of defending champion La Salle.

“The second round is a fresh start for us. Siguro, ngayon we just need to show how we can really play and focus as much as we can,” said Lady Eagles team captain Maddie Madayag.

University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas, two teams nursing slim Final Four hopes, clash in the first game at 2 p.m.

Sporting a 5-3 record, Ateneo is trailing NU (5-2) by a full game in the race for the second twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four.

Coming off a 25-27, 25-27, 16-25 loss to the Lady Spikers a week ago, the fears of another second round meltdown by the Lady Bulldogs were raised.

NU’s character will be truly tested once more, as the Bustillos-based spikers are aching to erase the stigma of the debacles in the last two seasons.

San Miguel Beermen target berth in PBA finals

By Jeric Lopez ONE more win is all San Miguel needs to get back to the finals yet again. The Beermen are aiming to do that right away as they look to finish off ailing Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-seven semifinals showdown in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. The Beermen, ahead by a commanding 3-1 edge, will gun for the first finals berth in Game 5 at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City even as the Gin Kings are bound to fight desperately to extend the series.

Motivated to have an easier route back to the finals, San Miguel showed everyone

exactly why it is the three-time defending champion.

The Beermen stamped their class emphatically and manhandled the Gin Kings from start to finish in Game 4 last Thursday, taking it with authority, 102-81, to take a 3-1 series lead and move a win away from a fourth straight finals appearance in this particular conference.

It’s now about finishing the job and keeping the level of intensity moving forward for the Beermen according to SMB coach Leo Austria.

“Energy is the big factor for us in this series. That’s what helped us in our last game,” said Austria. “We need to carry that with us to close out and move to the finals.”

While the four-peat seeking Beermen are in a good spot in their continuing quest for another successful title defense, the same can’t be said for the Gin Kings, who are now on the brink of elimination.

After pinning Ginebra’s Game 4 loss on himself, Gin Kings coach Tim Cone hopes his team can move forward and display the never-say-die spirit it is known for now that it’s win or go home time.

“It’s a tough one to swallow but we move forward from it. We hope to play better and hope to extend our run,” said Cone.

Meanwhile, Magnolia is gunning for a similar 3-1 lead as it is currently going for a third straight win against NLEX in their own best-of-seven semis affair as of this report.

IN BRIEF

DoST says BNPP not sitting on a fault line

STUDIES conducted by experts from the Department of Science and Technology have shown that the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant does not sit on a fault line and is located in a most ideal location.

“Focusing on locational hazards, this (Bataan) is one of the most suitable locations (for BNPP),” DoST Undersecretary Renato Solidum Jr. said after “probabilistic studies” and risk assessment were made on the site several years ago using a software designed by the agency.

The BNPP was completed in the mid 1980s but never operated on concerns of safety risks amid claims it sat on a fault line.

The Philippines was plunged into a power crisis lasting for several hours every day in the early 1990s following the decision of the government to mothball BNPP. Solidum said BNPP was located near Mt. Natib in Morong, Bataan which the agency deems as “not an active volcano” and has very little risk of eruption.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

Napocor building hybrid solar-diesel power plant STATE-OWNED National Power Corp. held the groundbreaking ceremony for its first solar photovoltaic–diesel hybrid power plant in Limasawa, Southern Leyte.

Napocor awarded the construction contract of the project, costing an estimated P54 million, Power Dimension Inc. The project is expected to be commissioned in early 2019.

The power plant will have a 120-kilowatt peak solar installation and 120-kWh energy storage system.

“The power plant will use battery energy storage to maximize power generation from sunlight, stabilize supply and ensure continuous power,” said Napocor vice president for power engineering services Rogel Teves.

Napocor said once completed, the project was expected reduce the overall power rates in the island.

Limasawa Island is being powered by Napocor’s Limasawa Diesel Power Plant.

The power plant has a dependable capacity of 700 kW, or enough to meet the island’s demand.

Napocor serves 1,200 household-customers in the island through the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative Inc.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

B1

The Davao City government recognizes Aboitiz Power Corp.’s subsidiaries Therma South Inc. and Davao Light and Power Co. as the local government’s top taxpayers in 2017. Therma South is acknowledged as Davao City’s top real property taxpayer, while Davao Light receives a citation as the local government’s top business taxpayer last year. Therma vice president and plant manager Valentin Saludes III (right) receives the top real property taxpayer award from Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (center) and city assessor Jaime Adalin.

Jica grants initial subway funding

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency on Friday signed a 104.53-billion yen (about P50.2 billion) official development assistance to fund the initial phase of the 25-kilometer Metro Manila subway project, one of the major infrastructure projects of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and chief representative Yoshio Wada of Jica signed the funding agreement at the Department of Finance building in Manila.

The amount represents the first tranche of the approximately P356.96

billion ($7.05 billion) loan from Jica for the construction of the 25-kilometer subway that is expected to help decongest the metropolis.

The traffic snarl is causing around P3.5 billion in economic losses daily, based on the preliminary results of the Followup Survey on the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for the Greater Capital Region.

Traffic costs are the economic costs of transportation, including vehicle operating costs and time costs spent in traffic in Metro Manila.

The Department of Transportation said the first phase would cover three stations in Quezon City—Mindanao Avenue, Quirino and Tandang Sora. The project will start from Mindanao Avenue to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“Because of the large amount [of the project], we consider this a ‘dream’ becoming a reality,” Dominguez said after the signing ceremony.

He said the government would work “25/8” to make the project as soon as possible. The National Economic and

Development Authority approved the subway project in September 2017.

Jica’s Wada said the project was a major development in the country’s transportation sector. He said the subway would help in moving people and goods in the Mega Manila area and surrounding areas as well.

The DoTr estimates around 26 million people are affected by the daily traffic in the metropolis.

Dominguez said the signing of the succeeding tranches of the loan would depend on how quickly the government completes the first part of the project.

He said the government also planned to lease the spaces near the subway project so that revenues to be derived from it could contribute to the payment of the loan.

“As the Philippines’ trusted partner in development for many years, Jica offers our support to the construction of the subway project so the Philippines can sustain its growth trajectory, and improve the quality of life of many Filipinos through seamless mobility and connectivity,” Wada said.

2017 net profit of LT Group up 15% to P10.8b

PLDT reducing 6.6% interest in Rocket Internet

By Jenniffer B. Austria

By Darwin G. Amojelar PLDT Inc. said it plans to divest part of its stake in German-based technology firm Rocket Internet to partly fund capital expenditures this year.

“To supplement funding requirements this year, we are considering selling part of our stake in Rocket Internet subject to certain parameters and market conditions,” PLDT said.

PLDT currently owns a 6.6-percent stake in Rocket.

PLDT in 2014 bought 10 percent of Rocket Internet for 333 million euro, or $445 million.

Share price of Rocket at the end of 2017 closed at 21.125 euro, higher than 16.03 euro as of end March.

PLDT has programmed P58 billion in capital expenditures this year to further expand its fixed and mobile broadband networks.

The company last year set a capex of P40 billion, or 26 percent of the consolidated service revenues.

PLDT earlier reported a 33-percent drop in net income to P13.4 billion in 2017 from P20.16 billion in 2016.

It reported a net loss of P8.51 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017 from P4.14 billion in 2016.

Total revenues fell 3 percent to P159.93 billion last year from P165.26 billion in 2016. PLDT’s revenues reached P40.86 billion in the fourth quarter from P39.88 billion in the same period in 2016.

PLDT’s Home and Enterprise Business Groups reported revenues of P33 billion and P34.1 billion, respectively, posting growth rates of 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

TOP DAVAO TAXPAYERS.

ING Bank expects peso to depreciate further DUTCH financial giant ING Bank said strong remittance growth is unlikely to change the peso’s bias toward weakness, unless a significant amount of foreign direct investments enter the Philippines this year.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Thursday reported that money sent home by overseas Filipino workers in January 2018 grew 9.7 percent to $2.37 billion from $2.169 billion a year ago, the fastest in 10 months since the 10.7-percent expansion in March 2017.

Personal remittances for the month, which include non-cash items, expanded 10.8 percent to $2.655 billion from $2.396 billion a year ago, also the fastest in 10 months since the 11.8-percent growth in March 2017. “... Despite strong remittance growth in January, the amount still fell short of financing the trade deficit. The shortfall amounted to $938 million. The three-month moving average shows a deterioration from September’s excess of $94 million to December’s shortfall of $1.1 billion and January’s 3-month moving average shortfall of $1.2 billion,” the bank said in a report.

Julito G. Rada

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

POEA ONE-STOP SHOP. SM Supermalls executives led by SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia (fourth from left), Bacoor, Cavite Rep. Strike Revilla (fifth from left) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration officials led by deputy administrator Joy Sanchez discuss the establishment of a POEA One-Stop Shop at the fourth floor of SM City Bacoor, Cavite. Revilla says government frontline services will be made more accessible to Bacooreños and Caviteños currently working or planning to work overseas.

Eagle Cement hikes income to P4.26b EAGLE Cement Corp. registered a net income of P4.26 billion in 2017, up four percent from P4.11 billion in 2016 on higher sales and volume.

Excluding one off-expenses related to the initial public offering in 2017, net profit rose 5 percent to P4.33 billion in 2017.

The cement firm attributed the performance to higher sales volumes that boosted net sales to P14.87 billion, up 12 percent from a year ago.

“We have continued to beat our operational targets in terms of volume growth and cost efficiencies. Our efforts in upgrading and de-bottlenecking of our existing production lines allowed us to keep healthy margins despite the challenging market environment,” Eagle president and chief executive Paul Ang said.

Aside from increased competition among local cement producers which has pushed prices lower, domestic cement has to contend with cheap imports.

Despite the challenges, cement companies are still pushing through with their expansion plans on expectations

of increased demand.

Eagle is expanding its cement capacity in line with the infrastructure push from both the public and private sectors.

Slated to start commercial operations this year is the third production line (Line 3) in Bulacan.

Line 3 will expand Eagle’s annual production capacity to 7.1 million metric tons, opening up to new markets in Region I, Mimaropa and Bicol in Southern Luzon, as well as reaching Western Visayas.

Eagle in November broke ground on its fourth production line (Line 4) in Malabuyoc, Cebu, marking the firm’s nationwide reach.

The project is on track to meet the target completion date in 2020, and will add another two million metric tons to Eagle’s annual production capacity.

Line 4 will include a manufacturing plant and a marine terminal to serve Negros islands, Cebu, Bohol, Masbate, Misamis Oriental, Davao, Zamboanga and South Cotabato.

Jenniffer B. Austria

LT GROUP Inc. of tycoon Lucio Tan reported a 15-percent increase in 2017 net income to P10.83 billion from P9.39 billion a year ago, boosted by the strong performance of the banking and tobacco businesses.

LT Group said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Philippine National Bank contributed P4.83 billion or 45 percent of the total attributable income, followed by the tobacco business at P4.39 billion, or 40 percent.

Liquor units Tanduay Distillers Inc. and Asia Brewery Inc. added P631 million and P551 million, respectively, while property unit Eton Properties Philippines Inc. provided P348 million.

Victorias Milling Company Inc., which is 30.9-percent owned by the company, contributed P174 million to the group’s total attributable net income.

PNB earlier reported net income in 2017 rose 16 percent to P8.56 billion from a year ago level of P7.38 billion.

The higher income was attributed to increased net interest income, net service fee profit and higher gain from the sale of real and other properties acquired.

The group’s income from the tobacco business reached P4.40 billion in 2017, while net earnings from the 49.6-percent stake in PMFTC Inc. amounted to P4.37 billion.

The higher earnings were mainly attributed to better pricing and improved mix.

PMFTC in November 2016 raised the price of the Marlboro brand, the first time since 2013.

The industry’s total volume was estimated to have decreased by 6 percent to 74.9 billion sticks, largely due to excise tax-driven price increases, tempered by trade loading toward the end of 2017 in anticipation of more price increases as the excise tax was further raised starting 2018.

PH current account gap doubled to $2.5b in ‘17 THE current account deficit more than doubled to $2.5 billion in 2017 from the $1.2-billion gap a year ago on the back of the widening trade-ingoods deficit, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

Data showed the deficit was the biggest since 1999, when the current account shortfall stood at $2.85 billion. The current account is one of the main components of the balance of payments.

Bangko Sentral assistant governor Francisco Dakila Jr. said in a briefing Friday the higher trade deficit more than offset the increased net receipts in the trade-in-services, and secondary and primary income accounts during the year.

The trade-in-goods deficit for 2017 rose 15.9 percent to $41.2 billion as the growth in imports of goods of 14.2 percent outpaced that of exports of goods at 12.8 percent “The widening of trade-in-goods deficit was reflective of the continued growth of the economy as the growth in imports was driven by demand for goods to be used for infrastructure projects of the government,” Dakila said.

Exports of goods rose to $48.2 billion in 2017 from $42.7 billion a year ago, driven by continued demand from the country’s trading partners such as China, Hong Kong, South Korea and some countries in Europe.

The expansion in exports of goods was due largely to higher shipments of manufactured items and mineral products, which registered doubledigit growth of 10.3 percent and 72.4 percent, respectively.

Imports of goods aggregated $89.4 billion in 2017 from $78.3 billion a year ago. The upturn was accounted for mainly by higher imports of raw materials and intermediate goods (16.7 percent), and mineral fuels and lubricant (32.9 percent).

Dakila expressed optimism that the current account would return to surplus in the coming years, especially with the recovery of the Philippines’ main trading partners, including the United States.

“That will provide support to the country’s exports,” Dakila said.

The balance of payments position in 2017 registered a deficit of $863 million, more than double the $420-million gap a year ago, due to the increased deficit in the current account.

The BoP, however, yielded a surplus of $505 million in the fourth quarter, after recording a deficit of $662 million a quarter ago. The surplus was also a reversal from the $2.1-billion deficit registered in the same quarter a year ago.

Julito G. Rada

B2

Business

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks rally to end 3-day slump

T

HE stock market rallied Friday to snap a three-day slump, buoyed by a government report Thursday showing money sent home by Filipinos working overseas increased 9.7 percent in January from a year ago, the fastest increase in 10 months.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 48.14 points, or 0.6 percent, to 8,238.15 on a value turnover of P19.7 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 139 to 75, with 42 issues unchanged.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said remittances reached $2.37 billion in January, up from $2.169 billion in the same month last year. Remittances fuel consumer spending and economic growth.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, jumped 7.5 percent to

P305.40, while major property developer Ayala Land Inc. gained 1.7 percent to P41.

SM Investments Corp. of retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. climbed 2.7 percent to P937, while unit SM Prime Holdings Inc. added 2.2 percent to P34.75.

The rest of Asian investors, meanwhile, remained on edge Friday as the curtain came down on another volatile week for markets with fears of a global trade war playing off against a positive economic outlook.

Tokyo ended 0.6 percent lower, while Hong Kong slipped 0.4 percent and Singapore eased 0.1 percent. Shanghai fell 0.7 percent, while Bangkok and Jakarta were also down.

But Sydney added 0.4 percent and Seoul gained 0.1 percent. Wellington and Taipei also rose.

Investors have swung from optimism

to pessimism since last week’s controversial move by Donald Trump to throw up tariffs on imports of some metals, with the removal of his moderate secretary of state adding to the unease.

However, the president’s agreement to meet Kim Jong Un to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program provided muchneeded relief, while a positive jobs and wages report tempered worries interest rates would shoot up.

Attention now turns to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting next week. A rate rise is expected but its statement and new bank boss Jerome Powell’s comments will be pored over for clues about future hikes with speculation it could announce three more this year.

“It’s shaping up to be arguably one of the most critical central bank policy events in some time as Jay Powell gets

set to dictate the course of Fed policy for the remainder of 2018 and beyond,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. “Given the enormity of the risk event, traders are getting remarkably anxious awaiting hints on forward guidance, so we should expect interest rate uncertainty to intensify as we near the event horizon.”

Wall Street’s three main indexes ended mixed, with a drop in US jobless claims providing support, while top White House advisor Peter Navarro, a trade hawk looking to sooth trade war fears, told CNBC the administration planned to work with allies “to make things better for everybody.”

However, he added that Trump would soon consider fresh measures against Beijing over its “theft” of US intellectual property. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.6 5,160 114.7 4,199,070 3.18 64,000 146.6 5,038,700 1.71 199,000 35.2 406,200 15.48 415,700 30.85 773,300 3.41 15,000 0.65 221,000 0.56 1,747,000 88.5 7,475,010 1.23 4,094,000 12.6 23,900 23.5 3,800 56.35 36,800 244.8 3,610 106.6 2,200 87 10 46.2 340,500 251 1,039,530 1,950 2,165 90 125,630 1.2 62,000

306,816 481,566,118 201,430 733,010,912 333,990 14,273,025 6,442,788 23,897,755 51,420 148,410 1,001,560 667,539,782.50 5,013,160 301,140 86,025 2,075,493.50 883,548 235,570 870 15,799,850 255,764,534 4,218,450 11,309,446 74,520

203,300 -128,328,991 -103,751,788 2,176,055 -6,200,000 1,936,070 -75,900 -311,640,819.50 753,000 -1,307,379 -313,514 41,040 -4,483,750 -9,640,100 -2,775,986.50 -

39.9 13.74 0.58 1.31 19.02 0.219 150 3.71 17.44 300 48.6 28.5 61.05 63.55 86 2.03 5.39 10.14 11.6 14.5 11 7.37 5.65 1.72 16.62 64.5 25.1 9.49 17.1 2.5 286.8 51.15 4.94 18.14 26.6 16.5 20.55 326 0.205 8 2.78 5.1 9 6.06 8.11 1.54 12.5 59.15 6.05 615 4.7 2.48 2.39 15.3 5.45 0.136 1.03 142.8 2.63 1.95 23.9 0.95

INDUSTRIAL 40 5,009,200 13.96 1,029,800 0.6 1,274,000 1.32 653,000 19.28 8,200 0.224 710,000 180 8,240 3.71 3,887,000 17.6 2,666,200 320 260 50.9 524,070 28.5 371,100 62.5 15,610 63.55 3,950 86 130 2.08 2,639,000 5.5 222,600 10.14 12,700 11.76 2,264,900 14.68 490,600 11.02 2,307,300 7.37 1,421,400 5.65 16,812,900 1.84 81,000 16.8 1,565,700 67 102,950 25.1 415,100 9.6 63,700 17.52 1,133,800 2.52 19,322,000 305.4 2,052,470 51.15 50 5 704,000 18.18 4,400 27.15 3,192,500 16.52 211,800 20.7 387,600 335 837,210 0.205 32,990,000 8.07 5,200 2.85 1,067,000 5.11 1,192,100 9 16,088,000 6.1 71,200 8.11 35,600 1.55 296,000 12.5 24,300 59.9 2,175,570 6.05 45,100 619 19,360 4.7 6,000 2.5 154,000 2.44 5,274,000 15.3 450,900 5.45 15,300 0.136 1,810,000 1.04 44,000 150 2,274,780 2.83 9,000 2 2,842,000 23.9 400 0.96 8,693,000

200,705,800 14,315,706 751,440 864,580 158,390 155,680 1,423,735 14,983,950 46,827,784 82,560 26,257,644 11,268,060 966,925 255,391.50 11,180 5,456,650 1,270,842 129,564 26,573,470 7,147,950 25,416,086 10,492,091 96,016,285 140,720 26,224,646 6,838,531.50 10,755,795 606,221 19,818,298 50,496,820 616,862,708 2,557.50 3,560,900 79,952 86,476,570 3,510,846 8,024,165 277,577,648 7,199,150 41,750 3,035,500 6,130,159 145,547,083 433,007 298,220 459,260 308,290 130,540,072 273,905 11,982,555 28,540 387,090 13,535,490 6,928,254 83,838 250,140 45,600 335,032,903 23,870 5,669,610 9,560 8,508,560

-82,850,200 4,972,578 280,400 226,100 96,500 -577,834 -1,661,310 26,035,562 -27,995 354,075.50 -4,120 -27,840 65,910 1,972,220 3,830,404 7,366,784 -9,681,235 -56,084,053 2,794,030 1,520,582 -5,633,780 1,954 -7,137,796 2,788,170 111,838,456 -7,078,780 -81,524 2,802,910 117,007,636 63,000 1,809,400 -245,304 -115,284,312 -607 -209,372 31,850 -53,503,722 -3,700,815 -17,500 200,140 -2,656,710 545 16,570 64,191 1,548,990 1,960

0.315 75 14.6 1 7.5 0.64 0.66 1,020 2,480 7.4 13.68 7.56 5 0.204 1,308 7.24 65.9 5.3 5.31 0.68 5.3 19.86 0.64 5.62 0.053 1.17 3.24 2.7 141 940 0.84 1.84 648 279 0.26 0.219 0.22

0.3 72.05 14.38 0.91 7.4 0.62 0.64 990 2,000 7.26 13.38 7.32 5 0.194 1,289 7.08 62.3 5.3 5.2 0.64 5.17 19.2 0.53 5.54 0.047 1.13 3.15 2.7 139.6 906 0.82 1.73 605 274 0.241 0.197 0.219

HOLDING FIRMS 0.31 1,560,000 72.05 8,437,330 14.38 7,088,600 0.95 742,000 7.5 396,800 0.62 10,318,000 0.66 1,576,000 990 1,094,400 2,000 60 7.4 5,827,200 13.68 7,571,200 7.56 4,700 5 200,000 0.204 440,000 1,298 164,360 7.08 16,100 64.55 68,874,690 5.3 2,100 5.24 15,000 0.67 540,000 5.18 22,149,000 19.6 6,452,100 0.61 22,807,000 5.6 36,626,800 0.048 61,850,000 1.13 1,091,000 3.21 1,636,000 2.7 3,000 140.5 272,430 937 1,017,490 0.83 124,000 1.74 3,746,000 605 2,320 278 180 0.25 780,000 0.201 6,200,000 0.219 290,000

483,300 610,269,404.50 102,047,184 699,210 2,943,466 6,456,170 1,021,500 1,089,994,820 134,280 42,837,799 102,827,844 34,629 1,000,000 86,570 213,346,030 114,314 4,444,654,705.50 11,130 78,681 351,350 114,735,872 126,147,034 13,696,020 204,760,187 3,067,360 1,244,450 5,229,530 8,100 38,155,274 948,981,405 102,680 6,700,970 1,428,670 49,660 194,780 1,273,690 63,600

-349,791,510.50 -8,836,074 4,900 623,080 -615,953,932.50 13,641,925 -6,902,008 -20,983,105 5,068 -596,447,657.50 3,350 4,850,977 31,735,136 1,151,010 7,109,410 -19,890 13,560.00 -180,340 -896,694 -184,387,305 8,280 13,900 -

7.01 1.06 18.9 2.1 0.89 41.35 3.78 4.92 6.45 6.42 0.44 1.11 1.02 0.285 0.475 34.7 0.65 0.135 1.78 1.41

6.9 1.02 16.78 2.1 0.86 40.4 3.71 4.85 6.2 6.03 0.43 1.06 1 0.275 0.455 32.9 0.64 0.135 1.73 1.37

2,764,269 8,590,670 6,496,820 29,400 2,417,070 1,713,935,175 7,261,620 5,758,810 1,335,449 12,226 1,345,650 200,870 579,190 5,331,550 46,200 32,806,255 1,296,230 13,500 17,478,780 3,278,390

-330,615 -314,860 -1,046,704 253,700 -127,340,540 4,469,810 217,900 8,600 3,300 32,640 -565,200 4,750 -4,346,215 -1,294,950 -9,970,470 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59.6 115.1 3.06 145.9 1.72 35.5 15.46 30.9 3.58 0.69 0.57 91 1.28 12.6 22.8 56.5 245 109 87 46.5 250.6 1,930 90 1.21

59.6 115.1 3.24 148 1.75 35.5 15.54 31.05 3.58 0.7 0.6 91.85 1.28 12.6 23.5 56.5 247 112 87 46.55 251 1,950 91 1.21

58.45 114.1 3.06 142.3 1.64 34.9 15.46 30.6 3.41 0.65 0.56 88.5 1.18 12.6 22 56.35 244 106.3 87 46.2 241 1,930 90 1.2

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

40.2 13.8 0.6 1.33 19.4 0.219 150 3.98 17.44 310 49.95 29.3 62.5 68.4 86 2.09 5.52 10.16 11.74 14.6 11 7.64 5.8 1.75 16.94 66.5 27.8 9.5 17.1 2.62 286.8 51.15 4.94 18.14 27.5 16.6 20.7 329.8 0.226 8.08 2.85 5.26 9.25 6.1 8.49 1.56 12.74 61 6.2 621 4.7 2.51 2.69 15.36 5.48 0.139 1.04 149.4 2.63 2.01 23.9 0.97

40.6 14 0.6 1.34 19.42 0.226 195 4.03 17.8 343 50.9 32.5 62.5 68.4 86 2.1 6 10.5 11.76 14.74 11.3 7.64 5.91 1.84 16.94 67 27.8 9.9 17.56 2.77 305.4 51.15 5.18 18.18 27.5 16.86 20.8 335 0.234 8.08 2.85 5.26 9.3 6.1 8.5 1.56 12.78 61 6.2 621 4.87 2.65 2.69 15.54 5.48 0.14 1.04 151 2.83 2.02 23.9 1.01

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

0.315 75 14.52 0.98 7.5 0.63 0.65 1,006 2,480 7.3 13.58 7.35 5 0.197 1,300 7.24 63.1 5.3 5.31 0.67 5.3 19.8 0.57 5.58 0.053 1.15 3.2 2.7 140.9 915.5 0.82 1.84 648 279 0.241 0.206 0.22

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

7 1.03 17 2.1 0.88 40.4 3.75 4.91 6.4 6.03 0.435 1.08 1.02 0.275 0.475 33.9 0.65 0.135 1.78 1.39

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.87 4.75 0.78 0.48 0.55 4.3 34.25 20.75 2.15 3.29 33.8 1 22 0.86 6.38

1.02 4.9 0.8 0.485 0.55 4.33 35 20.75 2.16 3.29 35.9 1.01 22.6 0.86 6.5

0.85 4.75 0.68 0.45 0.53 4.21 34.2 20.15 2.01 3.2 33.8 0.99 21.4 0.83 6.27

0.93 4.9 0.68 0.45 0.55 4.25 35 20.7 2.06 3.28 34.75 1 22 0.86 6.5

8,705,000 24,244,000 503,992,000 14,400,000 2,927,000 1,900,000 4,100 4,215,100 2,732,000 470,000 22,387,900 777,000 65,200 16,000 11,606,100

8,379,120 118,207,290 361,532,800 6,612,850 1,587,240 8,128,930 142,615 86,851,635 5,729,950 1,527,680 780,574,955 776,610 1,421,750 13,380 75,214,913

2,027,430 40,858,830 -2,429,220 -70,150 73,250 -726,600 -122,970.00 136,920 -86,759,315.00 2,155 -334,327

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

18 29.5 1.35 0.59 0.057 12.5 13.6 0.067 100 8.71 7.5 7.6 2.54 34.75 1,699 6.3 325 11.32 5.6 2.7 107 8.3 0.13 1.49 3.39 16.24 5.75 1.03 27 0.51 5.25 7.71 3.24 18.5 13.02 11 10.5 3.11 107 6.93 1,540 1.18 0.44 53.1 87.2 8.13 2.68 1.46 0.52 3.41 1.03 11.04

18.2 29.9 1.4 0.61 0.058 14.5 14.86 0.068 100.1 8.96 7.51 8 2.54 35 1,699 6.36 328 11.34 5.7 2.72 109 8.3 0.132 1.54 3.46 16.24 6.32 1.03 27.1 0.51 5.3 8.06 3.26 18.5 13.12 11.98 10.6 3.15 107.4 7.01 1,545 1.19 0.44 53.3 87.2 8.4 2.74 1.47 0.55 3.42 1.05 11.34

18 29.2 1.33 0.59 0.052 12.5 13.6 0.066 99.75 8.71 7.45 7.26 2.41 32.25 1,649 6.29 319 11.32 5.53 2.7 106.3 8.2 0.128 1.48 3.23 15.12 5.7 1.02 26.15 0.51 5.04 7.63 3.24 17 12.6 11 10.3 2.87 106.1 6.93 1,514 1.17 0.42 52.85 84 8.1 2.63 1.45 0.52 3.4 0.95 11.04

SERVICES 18 29.2 1.39 0.59 0.053 13.1 14.86 0.066 100.1 8.95 7.45 7.5 2.42 32.8 1,670 6.33 321 11.32 5.6 2.72 109 8.3 0.128 1.49 3.24 15.3 6.3 1.03 27.05 0.51 5.11 7.75 3.26 18.46 12.7 11.24 10.6 3.15 107.4 6.98 1,520 1.17 0.435 53 84.5 8.4 2.65 1.46 0.52 3.42 0.96 11.22

22,200 42,500 231,000 7,784,000 326,740,000 25,400 14,526,700 29,810,000 403,300 1,100 544,600 295,100 68,000 180,300 158,280 242,700 27,130 500 1,501,000 9,000 3,375,490 37,000 5,820,000 265,000 116,000 1,535,000 22,711,900 105,000 2,857,000 50,000 483,300 2,603,300 2,602,000 11,500 6,817,300 424,900 7,900 187,000 7,525,600 316,200 284,890 2,219,000 3,310,000 2,332,650 3,991,620 820,400 874,000 6,461,000 20,577,000 227,000 23,046,000 3,959,700

400,512 1,250,100 309,000 4,648,750 17,887,880 340,892 208,159,266 1,974,950 40,342,327.50 9,778 4,062,804 2,219,507 168,780 5,960,595 263,603,820 1,533,989 8,813,532 5,662 8,369,652 24,400 365,628,560 304,600 756,880 395,540 395,520 23,786,940 136,449,604 107,810 76,850,825 25,500 2,458,737 20,164,032 8,457,410 204,876 86,649,572 4,764,096 83,040 566,160 805,236,973 2,200,657 432,808,965 2,611,600 1,414,550 123,741,220 336,754,661.50 6,769,744 2,330,180 9,391,910 10,959,660 773,670 22,730,330 44,322,678

48,830 63,720 -278,470 121,896,562 -3,318,473 4,480 25,140 -29,967,620 -6,396 4,530 3,842 45,644,890 13,000 -10,170 56,450 -635,718 20,325,995 -22,978 14,626,271 2,050,610 -942,946 26,356 17,600 43,902 27,860 -6,522,050 -779,220 22,490,115.50 -43,295,421.50 894,944.00 -969,080 -313,850 214,830 11,240 35,022,454

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

0.0036 1.65 4.87 1.67 0.31 7.33 2.68 0.212 0.148 0.0097 1.6 6.4 1.19 0.49 1.03 0.012 0.012 2.45 6.13 14.34 33 0.0068

0.0038 1.65 5 1.69 0.31 7.33 2.68 0.23 0.15 0.0097 1.6 6.45 1.19 0.49 1.05 0.012 0.013 2.45 6.13 14.44 33.95 0.0068

0.0035 1.61 4.86 1.66 0.3 7.16 2.59 0.212 0.148 0.0095 1.55 6.15 1.17 0.445 0.96 0.011 0.012 2.21 6.08 13.44 32.3 0.0068

MINING & OIL 0.0037 4,454,000,000 1.64 3,546,000 4.86 130,000 1.69 563,000 0.3 870,000 7.32 700 2.59 2,285,000 0.225 520,000 0.15 3,810,000 0.0095 9,000,000 1.58 136,000 6.2 2,510,200 1.19 171,000 0.45 800,000 0.96 3,277,000 0.012 13,700,000 0.012 28,300,000 2.34 21,000 6.1 77,100 13.72 2,537,300 32.3 3,361,400 0.0068 2,000,000

16,191,400 5,737,540 633,360 943,260 261,550 5,045 5,955,350 113,720 566,930 86,100 214,370 15,581,308 202,660 367,850 3,271,730 157,200 342,700 48,320 469,901 34,776,764 109,339,615 13,600

-147,600 -64,800 9,000 -181,050 945,959 -45,000 29,650 26,000 4,872 1,457,478 -58,546,200 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF GMA HLDG PDR HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G

28.55 515 102 6.16 101 1.05 108 1,035 1,174 982 104.9 109 76.95 78.15 75.1 78 76.6

28.55 515 102.4 6.36 101 1.06 108 1,035 1,174 982 104.9 109 76.95 78.15 75.1 78.1 76.6

28.5 514 102 6.1 101 1.05 108 1,035 1,174 982 104.9 109 76 78.15 75.1 78 76.6

PREFERRED 28.5 80,200 514 3,960 102.1 14,400 6.15 97,300 101 100 1.06 105,000 108 50 1,035 30 1,174 10 982 600 104.9 310 109 10 76 1,320 78.15 45,000 75.1 6,800 78.1 49,350 76.6 8,200

2,285,715 2,035,490 1,470,522 597,339 10,100 111,280 5,400 31,050 11,740 589,200 32,519 1,090 100,443.50 3,516,750 510,680 3,853,735 628,120

-1,142,865 10,200 37,932 -85,243.50 -

LR WARRANT

3.5

4.06

3.42

WARRANTS 4.06 9,121,000

34,950,840

-79,080

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

5.9 2.89 3.47 3.6

5.94 2.89 3.5 3.6

5.85 2.89 3.3 3.49

5.88 2.89 3.42 3.49

6,422,966 2,890 1,226,030 8,269,510

41,010 -675,590 -46,740

FIRST METRO ETF

125.9

125.9

124.6

7,760,775

-

USD TECH B2

1.05

1.05

1.02

25,710

-

MS

PROPERTY 7 1.05 18.5 2.1 0.87 41 3.78 4.91 6.3 6.42 0.43 1.1 1.02 0.275 0.47 33 0.64 0.135 1.73 1.37

396,400 8,286,000 359,800 14,000 2,782,000 41,936,900 1,931,000 1,178,000 208,800 2,000 3,120,000 187,000 575,000 19,190,000 100,000 988,000 2,025,000 100,000 10,037,000 2,368,000

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

27,353,239

INDUSTRIAL

149,293,476

HOLDING FIRMS

280,419,064

PROPERTY

699,951,632

SERVICES

518,656,436

MINING & OIL

4,532,245,751

GRAND TOTAL

6,211,772,539

SME

1,091,300 1,000 362,000 2,334,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 125.9 61,940 1.02

DDS

25,200

VALUE 2,141.83 (down) 2.65 2,326,562,928.08 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,619.42 (up) 199.38 2,480,866,506.268 HOLDING FIRMS 8,203.27 (up) 1.22 8,146,126,932.17 PROPERTY 3,713.03 (up) 58.47 1,729.23 (up) 5.04 3,314,914,248.62 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,222.83 (down) 180.22 3,210,961,446.36 PSEI 8,238.15 (up) 48.14 195,304,508.3876 All Shares Index 4,982.50 (up) 16.06 19,698,428,512.34 Gainers: 75; Losers: 139; Unchanged: 42; Total: 256

First Gen reports flat net profit, to hike capital

By Alena Mae S. Flores FIRST Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group said Friday net income in 2017 was flat at $163 million due to calamities and weak spot market prices for its hydro and geothermal facilities.

“The flat earnings growth does not reflect the many noteworthy achievements of 2017 that strongly positions the company to develop a cost-competitive and flexible platform. This platform is best prepared to both enable and address a low-carbon energy future,” First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

First Gen’s energy portfolio consists of clean and renewable energy power projects, such as natural gas, geothermal, hydro and solar.

The board of First Gen, meanwhile, approved an increases in the capital stock to P11.6 billion from P8.6 billion to provide “increased financial flexibility.”

The company said it would create 300 million series “H” preferred shares with a par value of P10 per share to implement the increased capital stock.

First Gen, meanwhile, reported an attributable net income of $134 million in 2017, down $29 million from a year ago due to the one-time effect of break funding costs.

The funding costs were incurred as a result of a $500-million refinancing of the 1,000-megawatt Santa Rita power plant’s long-term debt in May last year, as well as premiums paid for the partial buyback of the US dollar-denominated bonds of First Gen and Energy Development Corp.

These were in addition to EDC’s earthquake- and typhoon-related expenditures.

Puno is optimistic of prospects for this year with the recent approval of First Gen’s ancillary service contracts.

“2018 is already off to a good start as the San Gabriel contract with Meralco has already been signed, while the ERC has provisionally approved FG Hydro’s Ancillary Service contract,” Puno said.

“San Gabriel and Avion have been running at high dispatch levels and benefitting from higher electricity prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market as a number of older base load plants are going through maintenance in preparation for the hot summer months.

Moreover, EDC’s Leyte projects are on their way to a full recovery,” he added.

Max’s Group’s income rises by 12% to P627m

MAX’S Group Inc. registered a net income of P626.7 million in 2017, up 12 percent from P561.7 million in 2016, on strong restaurant sales and rollout of new stores.

MGI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange systemwide sales rose 13 percent to P17.34 billion in 2017 from P15.34 billion in 2016.

Revenues increased 11 percent to P12.66 billion from P11.44 billion, while restaurant sales climbed 11 percent to P10.46 billion from P9.42 billion, driven by sustained same store sales performance and revenue contribution of new stores.

The group’s delivery business posted a significant growth of 27 percent to P1.37 billion from P1.08 billion on efforts to broaden online ordering channels and upgrade delivery infrastructure.

A same store sales growth of 5 percent and a 13-percent increase in overall transaction count contributed to and sustained the group positive financial performance in 2017.

“MGI maintained a strong growth momentum in 2017. Our brands ensured their relevance to today’s customers, and were undeterred in retaining their leadership positions in the casual dining segment despite the challenging market conditions encountered,” MGI president and chief executive Robert Trota said.

“We are excited to gain a stronger foothold in the consumer foodservice industry as we continue to expand our business through a renewed focus on franchising,” he added.

After opening 78 new stores in 2017, MGI now has a network of 673 branches, including 55 across several cities in North America, the Middle East and Asia.

MGI plans to roll out of 80 to 90 new outlets this year, primarily through franchising. Jenniffer B. Austria

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B4

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

CORNERSTONE OF GOVERNMENT AGENDA.

Of the expected P130 billion revenue from Train, 70 percent will be allocated to infrastructure spending. Better infrastructure means more efficient business. If projects to improve public transportation, bridges and airports will be funded, investors will be encouraged to invest more in the country.

Train law seen to boost PH real estate

T

HE Tax Reformation for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill was signed into law late last year, and took into effect on 1 January 2018.

Industry observers believe the law allows for a simpler and more efficient tax system for the Filipinos.

In general, the Train law aims to reduce personal income tax while imposing higher tax on certain products like sweetened beverages, oil, petroleum, and fuel products, coal, stocks, automobiles, and others. While the spotlight has been focused on personal tax income reduction and increased fuel prices of fuel products, The Manila Standard takes a look on how the real estate system is faring aboard the Train.

Estate tax In the previous system, estate tax, or the tax imposed on inherited properties, was computed based on a schedule wherein properties worth P200,000.00 and more are taxed between 5 to 20%. Under the TRAIN, lawful heirs and beneficiaries would only have to settle a flat rate of 6%.

Another significant change is that Train law exempted the following from estate tax: estate properties with a net value of P5 million and below; and family homes worth P10 million and below. Previously, only family homes worth Php1 million and below are exempted from tax.

Estate tax deductions The new system also imposed changes on the allowable deductions on the gross estate of an individual. The train law removed: funeral expenses, judicial expenses, and medical expenses from the allowable deductions.

To make up for the removal of these, Train increased the standard deduction to P5 million, which was pegged at only P1 million in the previous system.

Also, the standard deduction can now only be enjoyed by citizens (resident and non-resident) and resident aliens. Nonresident aliens may still avail standard deductions but only up to a maximum of P500,000.00.

Estate tax settlement Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certifications are now required for estate tax returns exceeding a gross value of Php5 million.

The Train law also amended the allowed period for filing of estate-tax returns from 6 months from the decedent’s

death to 1 year.

Installment payment The Train implies that full estate-tax liability must be settled within two years – this limit was not included in the previous tax system.

Real estate transactions, VAT Train imposed the following on VAT exemption provisions regarding real estate transactions: Real properties not primarily held for sale to customers or for lease in the ordinary course of trade or business, and properties utilized for socialized housing is now exempted from the VAT. Previously at P1,919,500, Train lowered the VAT exemption of residential lots to P1,500,000. This means residential lots that were previously tax exempt (worth Php1,500,001 to Php1,919,500) are now subject to VAT. Further, residential lots will no longer be qualified for VAT exemption.

Train also lowered the VAT exemption of residential dwellings (house and lots, condominiums) from Php 3,199,200 to P2,500,000. This means houses and condos that were previously tax exempt (worth P2,500,001 to P3,199,200) are now subject to VAT. Further, the exemption was lowered again from P2,500,000 to P2,000,000, and every three years thereafter, the amount stated will be adjusted to its present value using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as published by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Lease of a residential unit with a monthly rental not exceeding P15,000, is now exempted from VAT. Positive change From a macro perspective, industry observers believe the Train will usher in “real positive change beginning in 2018.”

The Train would be giving back “almost P150 billion” to the people in the form of tax relief, while raising “significant revenues” to fund the President’s priority and social infrastructure programs to reduce poverty from 21.6 percent to a targeted 14 percent by 2022, ” according to the Department of Finance, Pronove Tai International Property Consultants shared this optimistic view, noting that while corporate and commercial property taxes were not included in the first package, several provisions would encourage growth across industries including real estate.

NEW HUB IN THE METRO. Ortigas & Company recently launched its newest development Ortigas East (formerly Frontera Verde) as an integrated, mixed-use property. Straddling the avenues of C-5, Ortigas, and Julia Vargas, the 16-hectare Ortigas East is being positioned as an accessible urban neighborhood in the Ortigas Central Business District (Main photo). The P50-billion development, which kicked off at the start of the year, will be done in three phases. The company is investing P18 billion for the first phase, which will introduce to the estate new office, residential, and retail components. “Ortigas East is designed to bring connected living in an urban neighborhood,” said Jaime E. Ysmael, Ortigas & Company President and CEO. The development is going to be metro east’s prime residential, business, lifestyle, and entertainment hub.” Ortigas & Company will be launching The Glaston Tower, a 34-storey office building, in the first phase. It is poised to become Manila’s next prime business address (inset).

The retention of tax exemption for the IT-business process management firms (IT-BPM) in Philippine Economic Zone Authority accredited buildings and zones is also seen to sustain the growth of an industry that is currently one of the biggest drivers for the office property market.

Socialized housing A Pronove study noted that once the Train is implemented, “socialized housing transactions worth P450,000 and below as well as low cost housing worth P3 million and below will be exempted from value added tax (VAT). This is an improvement from the previously exempted low cost housing sales worth P1.9 million.”

“This translates to savings of up to P360,000 for starting families due to the VAT exemption,” Pronove explained.

The provision exempting from the 12 percent VAT the sale of residential dwellings worth P2 million and below outside of the National Capital Region, supports the move to decongest Metro Manila,” It added.

This should help in the government’s efforts to address the rising mass housing backlog in the country, estimated to have reached some 5.7 million units, and in the private sector’s move to provide the market with affordable, decent housing.

“Getting the horse to drink” According to Pronove, young members of the workforce, who are likely to rent condominiums or apartments near their workplaces, “will benefit the most in the VAT exemption for lease of residential units being raised from P12,800 to P15,000 as well as the removal of VAT on association dues for condominiums.”

“Train simplified the tax policy by removing the 2 to 15 percent tax table as previously used,” It added.

“Twenty years is a long time. The tax code was definitely in need of a simplification to encourage compliance and increase generation. We remain hopeful that implementation will be done smoothly and efficiently,” Pronove concluded.

But Attorney Lorna Kapunan urged caution on deciding whether the the amendments on estate taxes , such as more simpler and filer-friendly procedures, would indeed improve collection of estate taxes in the long run.

“As the saying goes, “you can bring the horse to the water, but you cannot force the horse to drink,” she said.

Lamudi honors PH top brokers SOME of the top real estate brokers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao recently gathered for the second Lamudi broker awards night where sixteen categories were divided into individual, company, and special awards, distributed among Lamudi’s 5,000+ broker network. Among the special awards given by Lamudi were the people’s choice award for the best broker, as well as loyalty awards for both broker and brokerage who have been with Lamudi since 2014.

Among the high-profile awardees was Philippine Regulation Commission Board for Real Estate Service (PRBRES)

chairman Dr. Eduardo Ong, who was recognized as Lamudi’s Influencer of the Year for 2017. The Lamudi brokers award night 2018 was held in cooperation with AboitizLand Inc., Anchor Land Holdings Inc., and Federal Land Inc., as well as Zen Rooms and iSkin Beauty and Wellness. Leading the celebration were Lamudi PH managing director & CEO Bhavna Suresh (second from left) and VP for commercial strategy Gilles Hage (second from right). They were joined by partners acquisition lead Jan Andre Mercado and sales supervisor Krismae Cartujano.

SMART CITY PLANNING. The MVP Group of Companies recently attended an inaugural course on inclusive city making at the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) School of Public Policy. The course was conducted in partnership with the Leagues of Cities and Provinces of the Philippines, at the National University of Singapore. The executive program, which was co-sponsored by Grab, is an avenue to seed progressive, long-term thinking on smart city planning and development. The participants worked with experts from around the world to explore innovations and strategies for tapping the power of stakeholders to foster urban excellence. The MVP LGU leadership development program for smart cities is supported by PLDT-Smart, Meralco and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

(MPIC). Shown are some of the attendees of the program (Left to right): PLDT senior relationship manager- public sector Jojo Alonzo; League of Provinces of the Philippines executive director Sandy Paredes; Balanga City, Bataan Mayor Francis Anthony Garcia; Bataan Governor Albert Garcia,;Maynilad head of government relations Anette de Ocampo; PSF President Ma. Esther Santos; Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta III; and MPIC Foundation President Melody del Rosario.

FIX THOSE LIFTS! A delegation of executives and officials of IFE Elevators Co. Ltd. from China blew into town recently. The delegates — all 147 of them — came from the IFE China headquarters in Dongguan.

They visited the LRT2 station in Recto, Manila, one of local railway system’s busiest stations. IFE Elevators Philippines was awarded the project to rehabilitate the defective elevators and escalators within the LRT 2 system, which stretches from Santolan in Pasig to Recto Avenue in Manila. The rehabilitation was completed in September last year, providing convenience and safety to the more than 200,000 passengers that use the system daily.The delegates greeted hundreds of passengers riding the IFE elevators and escalators. They also met with LRTA officials who gave the delegates a short tour of the station. Aside from the LRT2, other major projects for IFE Elevators Philippines include the Diliman Doctors Hospital along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. IFE elevators and escalators are likewise present in establishments in Cebu such as the BAI Hotel Grand Tower and the Apple One Residences.

IFE products can also be seen at the Chinatown Center in Valencia Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

VERDON PARC IN DAVAO. DMCI Homes

recently started selling the third building of its three-hectare Verdon Parc development in Davao City. Verdon Parc’s first two buildings, Martel and Belvedere, have been enjoying decent sales prior to the start of the construction of the third building, dubbed the Trevans. DMCI Homes’ tropical themeddevelopment has sold 72 percent of the 866 total unit inventory of the first two buildings before the construction of the 20-storey Trevans kicked off last year. Verdon Parc, located along Ecoland Drive corner Peacock Street in Davao City, welcomed its first batch of unit owners with the turnover of its only mid-rise building, Martel, in January this year.

The 20-storey Belvedere, on the other hand, began construction in February 2016 and is set to be completed in March 2020.

World Antri-Kremlin opposition to monitor polls MOSCOW―In a packed room, supporters of Russia’s main opposition leader Alexei Navalny scribble notes as a lecturer gives tips on how to nab ballot-stuffers at Sunday’s polls.

Keep toilet breaks discreet, avoid getting into fights and resist invitations from polling station officials to slip away for lunch, says lecturer Nikolai Levshits.

“On March 18 you’re the main heroes of the day,” he said.

“Just your presence at the polling station halves the risk of violations.”

Navalny, whose bid to stand for president was scuppered by a criminal conviction, has urged supporters to boycott the polls.

He dismisses even the nominally oppositional candidates as hand-picked

by President Vladimir Putin.

But he nevertheless told supporters to chronicle violations as authorities are expected to go all-out to boost turnout after a lacklustre campaign.

“We are putting out a huge number of observers for the first time. It’s a very complex process. [The authorities] are really bashing us,” Navalny told Echo of Moscow popular radio station on Wednesday.

Across Russia, law enforcement has raided the offices of Navalny supporters and detained and jailed organizers.

Navalny has urged against street protests on polling day as a potential “gift to the Kremlin.”

Nevertheless, another opposition figure Ilya Yashin told AFP he expected some protest activity. AFP

Hun Sen’s critics refuse to be silenced SYDNEY―From the safety of suburban Australia, Bou Rachna recalls the hours before her husband Kem Ley, a prominent Cambodian political analyst, was shot dead at a Phnom Penh gas station in a 2016 killing that rattled the nation.

They had just finished breakfast together when he left to meet some students for a chat over coffee. She received a call soon after, informing her that he had been gunned down in broad daylight.

“He never did anything for himself,” Bou Rachna told AFP of her late husband. “He did everything for Cambodia, so that it could have freedom, real democracy, independent courts and respect for human rights.”

She and her five children arrived in Australia last month where they were granted asylum after hiding for more than a year in Thailand.

But reminders of the violence that felled Kem Ley have followed them, with death threats mailed to the family ahead of a visit to Sydney by Cambodia’s strongman leader Hun Sen for a special Australia-Asean summit this week.

Australia’s hosting of the summit, which will focus on economic ties and counter-terrorism cooperation, is not without controversy.

Critics say Canberra has a patchy record on rights in Southeast Asia with Human Rights Watch warning that the government should not “dance with dictators”.

While Australia granted asylum to Kem Ley’s family, it also struck a controversial deal with Hun Sen’s government to take in a small number of refugees refused Australian asylum in exchange for $55 million in aid.

Despite the death threats, Bou Rachna is determined to speak out from her new home, and believes her husband was silenced for his criticism of the Cambodian regime. AFP

GRIEF Mourners grieve during the funeral of slain Brazilian councilwoman and activist Marielle Franco outside Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Chamber in Brazil on March 15, 2018.

Brazilians mourned Thursday for the council woman and outspoken critic of police brutality who was shot in the city center in an assassination-style killing. Some 1,000 people stood under the tropical sun outside City Hall to greet the coffin of Marielle Franco, 38, who was murdered late Wednesday.

AFP

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

B3

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Thousands flee Eastern Ghouta A

DRA, Syria― Thousands of civilians poured out of Eastern Ghouta on Thursday after a monthlong bombardment brought the Syrian regime closer to recapturing the devastated rebel enclave outside Damascus.

EXODUS. Syrians from rebel-held Eastern Ghouta walk through a regime-controlled corridor in Hawsh al-Ashaari, east of the Eastern Ghouta town of Hamouria, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus after escaping the enclave on March 15, 2018. AFP

Western allies confront Moscow over spy attack MOSCOW-Moscow warned on Thursday it was preparing to retaliate against the “irresponsible” expulsion of its diplomats from London, as Britain urged its allies to take a stand against Russia over the poisoning of a former spy.

The escalating international scandal is unfolding as former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in critical condition after exposure to the Soviet-designed chemical Novichok on March 4 in the British city of Salisbury.

Britain on Wednesday said it would expel 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts over the poisoning, which it has blamed on Russia.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia could be directly responsible or may have “lost control” of the nerve agent. She had given Moscow until midnight Tuesday to disclose details of the Novichok program to the

international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday also said he would announce unspecified “measures” in the coming days, condemning the attack in the “strongest possible terms.” His office earlier backed Britain’s claim that Russia is behind the attack.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Thursday slammed Britain’s position as “absolutely irresponsible”.

He warned that retaliatory steps would soon follow and President Vladimir Putin would choose the option that “most suits Moscow’s interests.”

Russia would respond by kicking out British diplomats, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying at an event in Moscow, adding that it would happen “soon.”

Russia has rejected demands by Britain to explain how Novichok was used on Brit-

ish soil, accusing May of resorting to populism and using Russia as a scapegoat.

May’s statements that Moscow is behind the poisoning are “completely crazy accusations against Russia, our entire country, our people,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists Thursday.

Moscow has mostly shrugged off the measures announced by May, ridiculing the prospect of the termination of high-profile visits.

Zakharova further accused Britain of refusing to “grant access to Russian citizen [Yulia] Skripal” or to work with Moscow through the OPCW and give Russia access to the poisonous substance.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the BBC however that Britain is “entirely in conformity” with OPCW procedures and is sending a sample of the nerve agent to the watchdog for examination. AFP

Biodiversity crisis to be assessed at summit PARIS-Earth is enduring a mass species extinction, scientists say―the first since the demise of the dinosaurs and only the sixth in half-a-billion years.

The reason? Humanity’s voracious consumption, and wanton destruction, of the very gifts of nature that keep us alive.

Starting Saturday, a comprehensive, global appraisal of the damage, and what can be done to reverse it, will be conducted in Colombia.

“The science is clear: biodiversity is in crisis globally,” WWF director general Marco Lambertini told AFP ahead of a crucial meeting of the Intergovernmental

Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

“We depend on biodiversity for the food we eat, the water we drink, the clean air we breathe, the stability of weather patterns, and yet our actions are pushing nature’s ability to sustain us to the brink.”

Scientists and government envoys will gather as the 128-member IPBES to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on five monumental assessment reports designed to inform global policymaking into the future.

Compiled over the last three years, the reports will provide the most up-to-date picture of the

health of the world’s plants, animals and soil.

The diagnosis will be unveiled in two parts at the summit in Colombia’s second-largest city, Medellin.

First, on March 23, the IPBES will simultaneously release separate assessments for the four regions into which it has divided the world―the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia.

A fifth report, due March 26, will focus on the global state of soil, which is fast being degraded through pollution, forest-destruction, mining, and unsustainable farming methods that deplete its nutrients. AFP

Defying expectations and calls to step down, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad was strengthening his grip on power as the conflict entered its eighth year.

His troops advanced in a ferocious assault on Ghouta, once the opposition’s main bastion on the outskirts of the capital.

A war monitor said regime forces now control 70 percent of the area, splitting the remaining rebel territory into three shrinking pockets.

After a fierce air and ground assault, regime forces on Thursday captured Hammuriyeh town, in an isolated southern part of Ghouta.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said rebels later launched a counter-attack and regained parts of the town, killing 14 regime fighters.

Elsewhere, however, it said the regime overran Al-Rihan town in an assault led by Russian officers and advisers.

The regime’s advance into Hammuriyeh had punched a corridor through the town into governmentcontrolled territory.

Streams of women and children escaped through that corridor on Thursday, carrying plastic bags stuffed with clothes and pushing strollers piled high with suitcases and rugs.

They reached a regime checkpoint in Adra district, where ambulances and large green buses waited to take them to temporary shelters.

The Observatory said nearly 20,000 people fled the enclave in 24 hours before the flow stopped on Thursday evening.

It called the exodus “the largest displacement since the beginning of the assault on Ghouta.”

The United Nations said it was trying to determine how many people have left the enclave.

“The UN has not observed the evacuations, but is visiting collective shelters where some of the evacuees are arriving,” a UN spokesman said.

Eastern Ghouta had been the main rebel bastion on the outskirts of Damascus since 2012 and came under a devastating regime siege the following year. AFP

Manila

In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful Standard

TODAY REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BASILAN BIDS AND AWARDSCOMMITTEE Provincial Capitol Bldg., Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 (InvItatIon to BId) for

SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SIXTEEN (16) UNITS HEAVY EQUIPMENT intended FOR THE OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL ENGINEER, BASILAN PROVINCE. Under BaC PUBLICatIon 03-003-2018 1.The Provincial Government of Basilan intends to apply part of the sum of Seventy Two Million Six Hundred Twenty Thousand pesos (P72,620,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment for the contract for SUPPLY and deLIverY of SIxteen (16) UnItS HeavY eQUIPMent , ProCUreMent Under tHe offICe of tHe ProvInCIaL enGIneer , BaSILan, CHarGeaBLe aGaInSttHe Loan ProCeedS froM LandBanK of tHe PHILIPPIneS aS dIStrIBUted BeLow . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Name of Contract a) Supply and Delivery of Heavy Equipment for Road Rehabilitation Province wide under PR No. E-065-2018 1. Two (2) Units Brand New Motor Grader 2. Two (2) Units wheel loader 3. Two (2) Units Hydraulic Excavator B) Supply and Delivery of Heavy Equipment for Road RehabilitationProvince Wide under PR No. E-066-2018 1. Two (2) Units Brand New Vibratory Rollers 2. Two (2 ) Units Brand New Dumptruck 3. Four (4) Units Brand New Concrete Mixer c.) Supply and Delivery of Heavy Equipment for Road Rehabilitation Province wide under PR No. E-067-2018 1. One (1) Units Brand New Backhoe Loader 2. One (1) Units Brand New Fire Truck TOTAL

Approved Budget for the Contract

10,500.000.00 8,900.000.00 13,700,000.00

6,700,000.00 4, 300, 000.00 19, 920,000.00

3, 650, 000.00 4, 950,000.00 P72,620,000.00

2. The Provincial Government of Basilan now invites bids for Procurement of Goods for the Supply and Delivery of Sixteen Units (16) Heavy Equipmentintended the Office of the Provincial Engineers, Basilan. Bidders have completed within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders.

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

4. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from The Provincial Government of Basilan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am to 5pm.

5. A complete Bidding Documents may be purchased in the amount of Fifty Thousand pesos (P50,000.00) for the procurement of the contract by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fees for the Bidding Documents and ONE THOUSAND PESOS (P1,000.00) for Letter of Intent . It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids 6. The Provincial Government of Basilan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 10:00 am, March 27, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, Basilan Province, which shall be open to all interested parties.

7. Bids must be delivered on Bid Opening to the address below on or before 10:00 am, April 10, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, Basilan Province. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

8. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

9. The Provincial Government of Basilan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

10.For further information, please refer to: The BAC CHAIRPERSON LGU- BASILAN Bids and Award Committee C/O BAC Secretariat Ground Floor, Provincial Capitol Building, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Fax No.: 062 200 3416 & 062 200 3417 (SGD) INTAN GORDANA A. ABUBAKAR Chairperson, Bids and Award Committee (MS-MAR. 17, 2018)

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Stars celebrate ARAW NG DABAW

G

MA Network continues to take part in the country’s biggest festivals, with GMA Regional TV bringing some of the most-sought after Kapuso stars to Davao to celebrate Mindanao’s ‘Araw ng Dabaw’.

The stars of The Cure and The Stepdaughters also went to SM City Davao later that day to treat their fans to an exciting Kapuso Mall Show.

The fun started at 4:00 p.m..

The stars of the upcoming series The Cure—Jennylyn Mercado and Tom Rodriguez—headlined the Parada Dabawenyo on Friday at 7:00 a.m..

Joining them onboard the Kapuso Float were the actors behind Afternoon Prime’s The Stepdaughters --real life couple Megan Young and Mikael Daez, together with Katrina Halili.

Today, the cast of the primetime series Sherlock Jr. will continue the party via another Kapuso Mall Show.

Two of GMA Network’s brightest young stars and one of today’s hottest love teams Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia will be in Abreeza Mall at 4:00 p.m. to spread fun and kilig to their Dabawenyo fans. GabRu will be joined by their co-stars Andre Parasand Kate Valdez.

“We are bringing some of our biggest stars to celebrate with our Kapusong Dabawenyos for their city’s founding anniversary as a testament to our gratitude for keeping us the leading broadcast network all over the Philippines. We invite you to join the cast of The Cure, The Stepdaughters, and Sherlock Jr. and enjoy the surprises we have prepared for you,” says GMA Regional TV Department Vice President and Head Oliver Amoroso.

Love team Ruru Madrid and Gabbi Garcia

Oscar-winning producer Peter Guber in PH for ANC leadership series ACADEMY award-winning producer Peter Guber is coming to the Philippines to share his success story at the ANC Leadership Series on March 20 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

Guber, Mandalay Entertainment chairman and chief executive officer, will talk about his experiences as an executive and entrepreneur in media, sports and technology in the forum entitled “Telling Stories, Winning Games.”

Prior to founding Mandalay Entertainment, Guber was chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, chairman and CEO of Polygram Entertainment, co-founder of Casablanca Record & Filmworks and president of Columbia Pictures.

He produced or executive produced (personally or through his companies) films that garnered five Best Picture Academy Award nominations (winning for Rain Man) and box office hits that include The Color Purple, Midnight Express, Batman,Flashdance, The Kids Are All Right and Soul Surfer.

Academy award-winning producer Peter Guber

The media and sports mogul is executive chairman and co-owner of the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, an owner and executive chairman of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), co-chairman of aXiomatic, an esports and gaming company and is an owner of Team Liquid, a premier esports

organization. He is also an investor and chairman of the advisory board for NextVR, which offers exclusive access to sports, music, and entertainment immersive experiences in virtual reality.

Guber is a Regent of the University of California, a full professor at UCLA, and the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Tell to Win, Connect Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story.

He is the third featured speaker in the ANC Leadership Series, which began in 2016 with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, followed by former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright in 2017.

The ANC Leadership Series is part of the country’s premier all-English cable news channel’s efforts to raise the level of discourse on global affairs and business issues in the country by bringing renowned international speakers for a one-day speaking engagement. For inquiries, visit www.ktx.com.ph or call TicketWorld at 8919999.

Editors‘...

From C4

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 1. Angeli Bayani (Maestra) 2. Alice Dixson (The Ghost Bride) 3. Chai Fonashier (Respeto) 4. Teresse Malvar (Ilawod) 5. Jasmin Curtis (Siargao) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 1. Enrique Gil (Seven Sundays) 2. Sid Lucero (Smaller And Smaller Circles) 3. Dido dela Paz (Respeto) 4. Arnold Reyes (Birdshot) 5. Dominic Roco (I’m Drunk I Love You) BEST SCREENPLAY 1. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (Kita Kita) 2. Eric Cabahug (Deadma Walking) 3. Jason Paul Laxamana (100 Tula) 4. Njel De Mesa and Alberto Monteras II (Respeto) 5. Raymond Lee/ Ria Limjap (Smaller And Smaller Circles) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Ike Avellana (Respeto) 2. Mycko David (Birdshot) 3. Neil Daza (The Ghost Bride) 4. Odyssey Flores (Siargao) 5. J.A. Tadena (Smaller And Smaller Circles) BEST VISUAL EFFECTS 1. Ang Panday 2. Bliss 3. Gandarrapido 4. Ilawod 5. The Ghost Bride BEST IN MUSICAL SCORING 1. Ryan Cayabyab (Ang Larawan) 2. Jay Durias (Respeto) 3. Robbie Factoran and Ricardo Jugo (Siargao) 4. Von De Guzman (Deadma Walking) 5. Jerrold Tarog (I’m Drunk I Love You) BEST IN PRODUCTION DESIGN 1. Popo Diaz (Respeto) 2. Michael Español (Birdshot) 3. Gino Gonzales (Ang Larawan) 4. Ericson Navarro (Smaller And Smaller Circles) 5. Mark Christian Sabas (The Ghost Bride) BEST IN SOUND DESIGN 1. Nicole Amores, Jason Conanan, Mark Locsin, John Michael Perez, Kathrine Ariane Salinas, Mikko Quizon (Siargao) 2. K.C. Caballero (Ang Larawan) 3. Albert Michael Idioma (The Ghost Bride) 4. Albert Michael Idioma (100 Tula) 5. Corinne De San Jose (Respeto) BEST EDITING 1. Lawrence Ang (Respeto) 2. Jay Halili and Mikhail Red (Birdshot) 3. Marya Ignacio (Kita Kita) 4. Vanessa De Leon (Deadma Walking) 5. Mark Victor (Siargao) BEST ORIGINAL THEMESONG 1. “Aking Ligaya” (Deadma Walking) – Lyrics by Eric Cabahug, arranged by Khalil Refuerzo, interpreted by Ahbby Sumaoang 2. “Basta’t Kasama Kita” (I’m Drunk, I Love You)—Lyrics and arranged

by Kai Honasan (and Carlo Lava), interpreted by Kai Honasan 3. “Kaya Natin ‘Yan” (100 Tula) Lyrics by Jason Paul Laxamana, arranged by Carl Christian Guevarra, interpreted by Bela Padilla 4. “Respeto” (Respeto) – Lyrics by Abra and Loonie, music by Jay Durias, beats by B-Boy Garcia, interpreted by Abra and Loonie 5. “Twelve” (12) – Lyrics and interpreted by Alessandra De Rossi, music and arrangement by Marc Abaya Special Awards: Joe Quirino Award—Mario Hernando (Posthumous Award); Manny Pichel Award—Ricky Lo (Entertainment Editor, Columnist, TV host); Producer of the Year—Vic del Rosario, Viva Films Posthumous Awardees: Mario Hernando, Mario J. delos Reyes, Soxy Topacio, Maning Borlaza, Bernardo Bernardo, Argel Joseph, Isabel Granada

‘Home Sweetie Home’ gets more exciting WEEKEND viewing gets more fun and more exciting in Home Sweetie Home as the neighborhood gets even bigger as Julie (Toni Gonzaga), Lia (Rufa Mae Quinto), and JP (Piolo Pascual) embark on a new business venture starting this month.

Aside from the three and Julie’s family, Nanay Loi (Sandy Andolong), Gigi (Miles Ocampo), Rence (Clarence Delgado), and neighbors Obet (Jobert Austria), Pinong (Nonong Ballinan), and Mang LA (Mitoy Yonting), the gang welcomes to Brgy. Puruntong

Ireneo and Irenea, who will both be played by Ogie Alcasid.

After finding out that Sunshine is already with another man in New Zealand, JP decided to just go back to Manila and be with his friends and family. To ease JP’s sadness and to divert his attention while mending a broken heart, Julie thought it might be a good idea for them to open up a business alongside her BFF Lia—a pastry shop and restaurant they will call Walang Kapares.

Will Julie, Lia, and JP succeed

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, March 17, 2018

ACROSS 1 Computer giant 6 Cleaning tool 9 Wood nymph 14 Enticements 15 Night before 16 Pee Wee of baseball 17 Empire builder 19 Humiliate 20 CIA employee 21 Ape a pig 22 Gives a rap 23 Mex. miss 25 Leipzig link 26 List of names 29 Cross the ocean 31 Mention casually 32 Mosque feature 36 Billie — King 37 Dog-scolding word 38 Like some bath rugs 40 Silent types 43 Think highly of 45 Asian nanny 46 Script lines 47 Famed orca 50 NE state 51 Cut too short 52 Rubaiyat author 54 Strain, as an engine

57 Scale unit 58 Fine dishes (2 wds.)

61 Knock for a loop 62 Gold, in Peru 63 Tea clippers 64 Alternate name 65 Capt.’s heading 66 Hone a razor

30 Assist 33 Like Nero 34 Morally wrong 35 Kahuna’s spud 37 Car grill cover 39 Limb 41 Meddles with 42 Cassowary kin 43 Love dearly 44 Huge racket 47 Long oar DOWN 48 Vietnam’s 1 Anguished wail capital 2 Logger’s 49 Aluminum commodity company 3 Mice, to cats 4 Superman foe — Luthor 5 Spanish “that” 6 Radio, TV, etc.

7 Range part 8 Fringe benefit 9 Fearsome vampire 10 Steel rod 11 Long time 12 Useful thing 13 Poor grades 18 Our, in Tours 23 Blows away 24 Primary color 25 Finish first 26 British rule in India 27 Tub in the fridge 28 Leave laughing 29 Box-office hit

50 White-water craft 51 Furniture buy 52 A woodwind 53 Daybreak, in verse 54 Fibber 55 A law — itself 56 Pant 59 “60 Minutes” network 60 Summer forecast

in their new business? What role will Ireneo and Irenea play in Brgy.

Puruntong?

Since the sitcom premiered in 2014, Home Sweetie Home has been a consistent top-rater on weekends and has always been part of the top ten list of most watched programs in the country. Aside from the laughter it brings, the show also imparts to viewers valuable lessons in life and promotes good family values.

Home Sweetie Home , airs every Saturday after TV Patrol Weekend.

The growing cast of 'Home Sweetie Home' led by Toni Gonzaga and Piolo Pascual, with Ogie Alcasid as its new member.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2018

Editors’ group announces nominees for Eddys 2018

IRST-TIME directors Alberto Monteras II (Respeto) and Julius Alfonso (Deadma Walking), 26-yearold Mikhail Red (Birdshot), 34-yearold Raya Martin (Smaller And Smaller Circles) are up against consistent hitmaker Cathy Garcia Molina (Unexpectedly Yours) in the heavily contested directing category of the annual awards derby.

Their five works, namely, Birdshot (TBA Studios/Pelikula Red); Deadma Walking (T-Rex Entertainment, Octo Arts Films); Respeto (Cinemalaya Foundation, Arkeo Films, Dogzilla); Smaller And Smaller Circles (TBA Studios); and Unexpectedly Yours (Star Cinema) are also vying for The Eddys’ Film of the Year plum.

In the best actress race, local showbiz’ Megastar Sharon Cuneta is nominated against stage stalwart Joanna Ampil (Ang Larawan), international award-winning actress Alessandra de Rossi (Kita Kita), writer-actress Bela Padilla (100 Tula), and tyroMary Joy Apostol (Birdshot).

The David and Goliath theme continues in the best actor race as established names Aga Muhlach (Seven Sundays) and Ronaldo Valdez (Seven Sundays) go up against Joshua Garcia (Love You To The Stars And Back) Edgar Allan Guzman (Deadma Walking) and rapper Abra (Respeto).

There will be three special awards: the Joe Quirino Award will be given posthumously to the late movie reviewer and professor Mario Hernando, the Manny Pichel Award will be handed to entertainment

Newcomer Mary Joy Apostol, star of 'Birdshot,' is up against seasoned actresses Joanna Ampil, Alessandra de Rossi, Bela Padilla, and Sharon Cuneta for top acting honors.

editor and columnist Ricky Lo, and Producer of the Year will go to Vic del Rosario, Jr. of Viva Films.

A special tribute will be given to Hernando, directors Mario J. delos Reyes, Soxy Topacio, Maning Borlaza, Argel Joseph, actressIsabel Granada and award-winning actor Bernardo Bernardo who have passed on recently.

Organized by the Society of Entertainment Editors or SPEEd, the Eddys aims to encourage local filmmakers, producers, writers, and actors to continue pursuing their passion for creating films that mirror the realities of our society. It is slated to happen in the middle of the year.

Here is the complete list of nominees for the 2nd Eddys Awards for Movies: BEST FILM 1. Birdshot (TBA Studios/Pelikula Red) 2. Deadma Walking (T-Rex Entertainment, Octo Arts Films) 3. Respeto (Cinemalaya Foundation, ArkeoFilms, Dogzilla)

The blossoming of Bianca Umali GRACEFULLY blooming into a fine young woman is GMA Artist Center star Bianca Umali who celebrated her 18th birthday on March 2. At a young age, she has established a beautiful career and she now looks forward to more challenges and growth as an artist.

Looking at Bianca, it is easy to get mesmerized with her face. But what really draws you in and captivates you is her heart that is nurtured by her love for learning.

Currently, Bianca topbills Kambal, Karibal with her perennial partner Miguel Tanfelix, and together, they enjoy telling the story of the thrilling series. But apart from being a talented actress, the Kapuso star takes pride in being an advocate for education. In 2016, together with Miguel, she participated in an advocacy dubbed as ‘Pass A Book Ni Biguel” project. They invited their followers to donate preloved books, which were given to chosen public schools across the country.

Meanwhile in 2017, she was hailed as the World Vision Youth Ambassador for Education. Starting early in the business never drove Bianca to set aside knowledge, and she continued to acquire skills that add more to her charm and appeal as an it girl.

Now that she enters adulthood, Bi-

anca promises to do more of what is expected of her.

“I am entering the adult life and that is a bit intimidating, but if I keep learning and getting support from the people I love, I don’t have to worry. I have goals I want to achieve and I’m excited to discover more of myself as I accomplish each of them.”

Today, the Kapuso star is celebrating her debut party at EDSA Shangri-la, with dresses made by Dubai-based Filipino designer Fay Reyes, styling

by JP Dizon, and glamming up by Ting Duque and Aries Manal.

Bianca also thanks Nikki Duque & Roy Cervantes, Niceprint Photography, The Events Studio of Gideon Hermosa, C&L Decor, Arteegram Manila, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Events Embassy, Honeyglaze Cakes, Luce Acustico, Print Divas, The Addlib, The Concept Room Studio, The Sweet Couple Bakery, Bum, Zanea, Calayan, Converse, Technomarine, Ellips, McDonalds, and GMA Network.

4. Smaller And Smaller Circles (TBA Studios) 5. Unexpectedly Yours (Star Cinema) BEST DIRECTOR 1. Julius Alfonso (Deadma Walking) 2. Raya Martin (Smaller And Smaller Circles) 3. Cathy Garcia Molina (Unexpectedly Yours) 4. Alberto Monteras II (Respeto) 5. Mikhail Red (Birdshot) BEST ACTRESS 1. Joanna Ampil (Ang Larawan) 2. Mary Joy Apostol (Birdshot) 3. Sharon Cuneta (Unexpectedly Yours) 4. Bela Padilla (100 Tula) 5. Alessandra de Rossi (Kita Kita) BEST ACTOR 1. Abra (Respeto) 2. Joshua Garcia (Love You To The Stars And Back) 3. Edgar Allan Guzman (Deadma Walking) 4. Aga Muhlach (Seven Sundays) 5. Ronaldo Valdez (Seven Sundays) Continued on C3

YUGEL LOSORATA PEOPLE who recall band frontman Miguel Escueta performing covers on mainstream local TV during Sunday noons may agree that he was an odd-man-out sharing limelight with, you guess, popular actor-singers.

Small surprise he himself admitted he was hurting inside all along. He was not being himself.

Reflecting on this past stint in a GMA7 Sunday variety, Miguel, his hair brushed up and looking confident than ever, kindly acknowledged the nature of mainstream showbiz, “No regrets. It was a great experience and I learned a lot from it.”

Sure it was, a big TV break. But then again an artist needs to be who he is. Miguel wanted to sing his own compositions: “I went on TV to be seen by a bigger audience. But the problem was I was being seen for who I was not.

I was sad. That’s the reason why I went indie—to take control of my career.”

Boy he did just that. He transformed himself into a band act he dubbed The Morning Episodes; goodbye noontime episodes! The group produced an eponymous EP in 2011, the fulllength album “Never Felt So Alive” and strong cut “Until The Sunrise” (with Solenn Heussaff) in 2012.

He took a long break before recently delivering a new sound in “Devil”, digitally released and featuring artists Curtismithand Leanne. The track, which last December peaked No.

EDITORS’ CHOICE. The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors has unveiled the list of nominees in this year's Eddys Awards for Movies with films 'Birdshot,' 'Deadma Walking,' 'Respeto,' 'Smaller And Smaller Circles,' and 'Unexpectedly Yours' vying for top honors.

MIGUEL ESCUETA, happily back in control

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Miguel Escueta

12 on Magic 89.9’s Top 30, is modernly atmospheric that sonically creates a sexy club scene of young beautiful people hanging on some nearly boiling excitement.

A new single, “Fee The Night,” just released on Spotify, takes listeners further with dancey rhythm and distinct guitar hooks. This time, the group collaborates with hip-hop duo No One’s Home comprised of Claudio Lopa and Mark Yap. Interestingly, The Morning Episodes has enjoyed song placements in international TV shows, namely, “The Young and the Restless” (CBS), “Switched at Birth” (ABC), and “Malhacao” (Brazil TV).

Their track “Not Yet Done” is in YouTube

Red’s newest web series “Youth & Consequences” starring Ana Akana. “’Not Yet Done’ is about people saying that you can only do so much when you know you can do so much more,” Miguel said.

For a time he took a break to focus on his bar and restaurant businesses (Pablo’s, Frank & Dean and Ocean’s Telephone Company) and finish a Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship.

He shared, “I always knew what I wanted so I took many risks to be able to meet the right people and score gigs.”

After a trip abroad almost made him penniless, he was welcomed home with a TVC deal for liquor brand Emperador. He pointed out, “My breaks can be attributed to me building relationships and focusing on what’s at hand.”

I myself have witnessed the close bond he had with MCA Music Philippines president Ricky Ilacad who gave him his initial breaks in the biz. As a regular record label office visitor, I would see Miguel come into Ilacad’s office bursting with ideas, some of which came to fruition. Between 2006 and 2010, he released through the label his solo albums, “I Am M.E” and “Now It Starts” and one EP called “Sleeping While The World’s Awake.” He couldn’t have a stronger stepping stone towards artistic maturity.

Miguel’s talented crop of sidemen includes Paul Binag, Juni Devecais, Hosh Domingo, and Igi Montelibano.

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @mstandardLIFE saturday, march 17, 2018

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Life travel and leisure

Prawn masala from The Common Good’s Tiffin section, which features authentic Indian dishes.

Affordable wellness at

The Common Good

By Joyce Babe Pañares

I

’M HoTeL, which houses the largest state-of-the-art onsen spa in the country, completes the wellness experience with the launching of The Common Good, an upmarket food hall concept where no dish is priced beyond P400.

In a country where healthy eating has become associated with overpriced, overrated, and overly bland food, The Common Good breaks the stereotype with its competitively priced dishes that do not scrimp on flavor nor serving size.

“Healthy food should be available for everyone,” said I’M Hotel marketing manager Melissa Lim. “The Common Good aims to make the common denominator of all guests’ experience good food. Instead of a menu heavy on excessively expensive ingredients, the chefs focus on commonly found local and seasonal ingredients, elevating them in a display of true culinary mastery. The result is a delicious yet accessibly priced menu with the freshest ingredients,” she added.

Set in a backdrop of sleek interiors and floor to ceiling windows providing a view of the bustling Poblacion area in Makati City, The Common Good features nine different concept stations: Parilla (Barbecue and Grill Section), which pays homage to the local term for grills and serves freshly grilled meats and seafoods, including Wagyu isaw; Al Dente (Italian), which erves rustic italian classics with a Pan-Asian twist, such as sisig pizza and salted egg paste; Paul and Ranuka (Healthy Instagrammable Eats), which seeks to offer dishes catering to dieting lifestyles such as Keto, Paleo, and Vegan; Empress Jade (Modern Chinese

Shibuya honey thick toast

I’M Hotel houses the largest state-of-the-art onsen spa in the country.

Cuisine), which is originally a standalone joint that has been rated as one of the top new restaurants in Makati in 2017.

The station focuses on modern authentic Chinese cuisine, with several famous Singaporean and Malaysian dishes; Perfect Four, which allows guests to build their own rice bowl and pick

or vegan dishes. The idea is that the health conscious should not lose out on the social aspects of communal dining,” Lim said.

In the very near future, The Common Good will also be serving drinks with life enzymes, which are very similar to the good bacteria that can be found in Yakult. “our life enzyme drink is a delicious way to introduce healthy bacteria into your colon. And the sky is the limit when it comes to flavors,” she said. “our pineapple basil mix, for example, is refreshing, and tastes a bit like vodka – you can almost fool yourself that you are drinking an alcoholic drink,” she said.

The decision to offer healthy dishes was actually demand-driven as most of I’M Hotel’s onsen spa guests have been asking for food that would complement their wellness experience.

Lim said the hotel is looking into the possibility of offering wellness retreats complete Salad with avocado and feta cheese (photo by Charles Arvin Dantes) with yoga and other activities, which makes perfect sense given that onsen spa and The Common Good are already in place.

I’M Hotel has several good things in store for its guests for the year. But perhaps the best news is that it is opening its second branch—this time called I’M Suites—in Salcedo Village by 2019.

So if you are in the capital for a quick vacation (although some of I’M Hotel’s return guests book for three weeks or longer) or if you are just interested in a staycation, why not relax at the onsen spa, eat healthy and delicious food, and enjoy a peaceful slumber?

Do yourself a favor and head off to I’M Hotel Ebi tendon donburi at the heart of Brgy. Poblacion.

the perfect combination of starches, protein, fiber, and healthy fat for a balanced and satisfying meal; One Bowl Wonder, which serves classic Japanese donburi and Hong Kong roast meat rice topping; Tiffin, where one can enjoy authentic Indian cuisine prepared by The Common

Good’s Sri Lankan executive Chef; Fountain, which offers seasonal healthy drinks; and Sucre (Sugar), which serves thick shibuya honey brioche toasts complemented with homemade ice cream.

“Diet can affect one’s social life because your friends might not exactly like Keto

Life

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saturday, march 17, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

The Manor’s old world charm

The impressive row of accommodations of The Manor, as seen from its beautifully landscaped garden.

mercury rising

BY BOB zOzOBRadO

A

ReCenT big family celebration brought all my siblings to Manila from all over the world. Since all of us find it very difficult to be together in one place due to our busy individual schedules, I thought of making the most of this opportunity. After the big family event that they came here for, I prepared an interesting land tour for all of us to join.

The Le Chef which offers an impressive menu personally curated by popular culinary wiz Billy King

the details of the Lady’s apparition and the ensuing showers of rose petals in their garden.

After an overnight rest, we headed north to Pangasinan, to visit the Minor Basilica of the Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag, another widely popular pilgrimage destination. The beautifully crafted and miraculous 16th century ivory image of the Blessed Mother is enshrined in the Basilica’s majestic altar.

trees further enhanced the elegance and old world charm of The Manor at Camp John Hay. Most of my siblings have never set foot in the city before because they left the country at a young age, so it was really a welcome and most interesting “discovery” for them.

The itinerary I drew up would take They were very pleased to see at my siblings to parts of the country The Manor the same high standard which they haven’t been to. And, to accommodations and facilities they save time and make it “senior-friendly,” saw at ski resorts in the US. FurtherI limited the scope of travel to points more, they enjoyed the cozy only within Luzon. and hospitable ambience that We started the tour in the the hotel is known for, and cool environs of Tagaytay. The YOUR weekend CHUCkLe were very impressed with the picture-perfect view of Taal A customer asked a bookstore salesman, “Where’s standard of service rendered Volcano and Lake called for a the Self-Help Section” to which he answered, “If I by the employees. nice relaxing cup of coffee and told you, that would defeat the purpose!”

The Moringa Tea, which we some snacks at the veranda of were all served upon checka perfectly positioned hotel. in at the lobby, was a big hit Then we drove further south After hundreds of miles of land trav- with my siblings. They liked its taste to visit the Monastery of The Lady of Mount Carmel in Lipa, Batangas, as el, the fitting climax of our land tour so much that they didn’t stop pressurmy sisters were interested in learning was a refreshing rest in “the city in the ing the salesgirl at the lobby store to sell more about the Miracle of the Rose sky.” Of course, I chose the best accom- them her entire stock and more, of that Petal Showers that took place there sev- modations one can get in Baguio City, tea, so they could bring it with them back to their respective homes. After eral times many decades ago. We were the City of Pines.

The crisp mountain air, the cool much arm-twisting, they finally got fortunate to have one of the Carmelite sisters from the convent recount to us breeze, and the pleasant scent of pine what they wanted.

But The Manor is more than just the refreshing tea. Its tastefully designed rooms, the view from the balconies, the in-room facilities, and the staff’s efficient and friendly service make it the hotel that should be the benchmark of other resort properties. energized by the soothing cool air and by the refreshing garden view from the balcony of our two-bedroom suite, my siblings and I decided to seat ourselves comfortably on the balcony, to chat the night away and bond with each other some more. This is a pastime we seldom get to do as each of us live in different parts of the globe.

The hotel’s veranda that opens into the well-manicured garden was another favorite of ours. After enjoying the sumptuous buffet breakfast at Le Chef, we took a leisurely walk, as one big group, around the garden, still chatting about anything and everything that came to mind.

And, of course, we are all Cebuanos.

What are Cebuanos good at? Singing!

naturally, we drifted towards the hotel’s Piano Bar and sang to our hearts’ content. It’s a good thing the pianist knew all our favorite songs, so we ended up being the noisiest group in the joint.

But, as the erstwhile chartbuster group, ABBA, said in one of its top hits, “What would life be…thank you for the music for giving it to me!”

It was a well spent respite in Baguio City, what with all the traveling we did in such a short span of time. The Manor at Camp John Hay was the perfect choice for us to take that much-needed energy-booster and, certainly, a valued antidote for frayed nerves. It was also the most ideal setting for our family bonding, something that all of us, siblings, really enjoyed and appreciated.

The Manor and its old world charm certainly beckon to everyone who enjoys the finer things in life…and more!

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

Diamond Hotel receives Asean MICE Venue Award FIVe-STAR hotel Diamond Hotel Philippines recently received the prestigious Association of Southeast Asian nation MICe Venue Award (Hotel Setting) for its development, promotion, and support to the local MICe industry.

Diamond’s general manager Vanessa Suatengco and director for Sales and Marketing Sunshine Robles received the award from Department of Tourism officials, namely Market Development Group director Cynthia Lazo; Tourism Regula-

tion, Coordination & Resource Generation assistant secretary Maria Lourdes Japson; and Office of Tourism Standards and Regulations director Danilo B. Intong.

The award is given to properties that meet the Asean Tourism Standards. The hotel has been the function venue to several diplomatic events, local, and international tourism activities, meetings and conferences of heads of state, international delegates, foreign dignitaries and other prominent leaders of different countries.

Strong connection at Marriott Manila MAnILA Marriott Hotel takes pride in its fast and reliable Internet connection, capable of handling huge bandwidth demands of its checked-in guests and corporate clients. The hotel’s general manager, Bruce Winton, believes that eastern Communications has been a significant part in their ability to offer guests the luxury of strong connectivity. eastern Communications is Marriott Manila’s partner in providing reliable Internet connection and innovative data services. It is one of the country’s top premier telecommunications companies, trailblazing paths for business connectivity in strategic locations in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Baguio.

With Marriott as the company’s testa-

ment to its edge on providing services in the hospitality industry, Catherine Muynila, eastern Communications head of Marketing shares the company’s latest products and services for hotels and restaurants.

The telco company offers Internet Direct Service or IDS, a premium and dedicated Internet service with a 1:1 contention ratio which runs through eastern Communications’ fully redundant fiber optic network.

According to Muynila, it is capable of providing gigabit per second connection between the Philippines and peering partners in the Asia Pacific region, as well as in the US and europe. IDS has highspeed, high quality, and redundant links that are ideal for companies with round-

Eastern Communications marketing head Catherine Muynila (left) shares their latest products and services for hospitality businesses and others.

the-clock, mission critical transactions.

Meanwhile, the ISDn PRI is a voice service that allows customers to utilize multiple voice channels through a single phone line. This service is ideal for companies with high voice traffic, such as contact centers, allowing clients to experience better value for money without sacrificing voice quality. eastern Communications has also launched customized packages for different industries as part of its vision of providing customers a unique brand of “high tech and high touch” service.

High Tech means delivering products and services that are at par with other telecommunication companies. High Touch, on the other hand, means offering personalized customer service and solutions to their clients—helping them to arrive at solution suited to their company or industry’s needs.

Aside from strong, fast, and reliable Internet connection, Marriott Manila also offers sumptuous treats. Winton introduces Marriot Cafe’s Barrels of the Sea Seafood Buffet, which serves fresh tiger prawns, salmon, live crabs, clams, and more seafood options, every Friday and Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Cru Steakhouse’s Sunday Steak Day is a chance for meat lovers to enjoy unlimited servings of US Certified Angus Roast Beef paired with salad or soup, two side dishes, and a slice of classic apple pie from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Marriott Manila and eastern Communications, as partners, look forward to helping guests discover and enjoy everything the digital world has to offer during their stay at the hotel.

Mae Gianina C. Pascual

Diamond’s general manager Vanessa Suatengco and director for Sales and Marketing Sunshine Robles receive the Asean MICE Venue Award

Asiana Airlines partners with Security Bank for sale promo ASIAnA Airlines, a leading global airline based in Seoul, South Korea partnered with Security Bank for an amazing summer sale promotion.

Using Security Bank credit card, customers can buy roundtrip tickets to Korea for $295, to the US for $555, and to europe for $610. This exclusive travel deal is available until March 18. Travel

period is from April 1 to December 31.

Asiana Airlines flies to London, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Venice, and Barcelona, in europe; and to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago in the US. For more information, call (02) 6628000 or follow @asianaph on Facebook for updates and promos.

Asiana Airlines and Security Bank offer a summer sale promotion