Manila Standard - 2019 January 8 - Tuesday

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VOL. XXXII • NO. 327 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MESSAGE, NO TRASH. Environmental advocates gather outside the Catholic Church in Quiapo on Monday (main photo above) to ask millions of devotees not to throw away their trash during the scheduled Traslacion on Wednesday. Vendors (above) prepare their miniature replicas of the Black Nazarene like shirts and handkerchiefs with the image of the miraculous icon outside the church. Norman Cruz, Ey Acasio

Trillanes loses plea, faces trial for 2007 rebellion at Peninsula

By Rey E. Requejo SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV will face trial for rebellion for his participation in the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, after a Makati court junked his petition to overturn its decision to revive the criminal case against him.

In an order dated Dec. 18, 2018, but released only Monday, Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 dismissed Trillanes’ motion and reaffirmed his order for the senator’s arrest and the issuance of a hold-departure order against him.

The rebellion case—which had been dismissed because of an amnesty granted to Trillanes—was revived after President Rodrigo Duterte issued a proclamation voiding that amnesty.

The court sustained its finding that Trillanes failed to prove that he has complied with the minimum requirements when he applied for amnesty under the previous administration.

Next page

Senate bets down to 82—Comelec

93 groups, 34,000 bets try luck in May polls

By Vito Barcelo

T

HE Commission on Elections has cut down the number of senatorial candidates for the 2019 elections from 152 to 82, and moved the release date for the final list of those qualified to run to the third week of January, a spokesman for the poll body said Monday.

“The number of candidates and party-list groups is expected to drop when we release the final list on the third week of January,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

The release date had been moved back because some candidates and party-list groups that had been disqualified have filed motions for reconsideration that are still being reviewed, he added.

For example, 46 groups have filed motions to be included in the list of party-list groups, which now number 93.

Next page

Traslacion ‘19: Ban Witness: Baldo plotted to kill ex-mayor on vendors in force

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

THE Commission on Elections on Monday asked politicians to respect the procession of the Black Nazarene—called the Traslacion—and refrain from using it to campaign.

“The Comelec calls on politicians, if possible, to leave these kinds of observances alone,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“There is a time for politics. The campaign period is coming up very fast and many politicians have already been campaigning anyway. What is one day to just give Filipinos a chance to focus on this very important part of their community life?”

The Philippine Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it has beefed up security preparations for the annual Traslacion.

MAYOR Carlwyn Baldo of Daraga, Albay also planned to kill his predecessor, the late mayor Gerry Jaucian, before Baldo was tagged by the Philippine National Police as the mastermind of the killing of Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe in December.

This was according to Emmanuel Jaduvar, the PNP’s main witness to the

slaying of Batocabe, investigators said Monday.

This developed as the authorities tried to figure out who would receive the P50million reward for the capture of the gunmen that killed the lawmaker and his bodyguard before New Year’s Day. Also, the results of the PNP Crime Next page

Next page

‘Duterte ax ready to fall on grafters’

By Nat Mariano

Fil-Am Golden Globe’s best actor “BOHEMIAN Rhapsody” pulled a cars conversation along with “Green major upset at the close of the Gold- Book” and “Roma.” en Globes on Sunday (Monday in Not to be forgotten was Darren Manila), taking home the final two Criss who earned a Golden Globe top prizes to put itself into the OsNext page

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will act on the issue himself if the authorities find enough evidence, Malacañang said Monday following the investigation of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission of his three Cabinet members who are said to be involved in corrupt activities.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said there were no sacred cows in the Duterte administration, but they would have to wait for the results of the PACC’s Next page probe on the three officials.

270 gas stations start collecting 2nd excise tax BUSINESS B1

DREADED CARMAGGEDON. Quezon City’s Commonwealth Avenue, which spans from 6 to 18 lanes, is in an extreme traffic backup on Monday with students returning to their classes after the New Year, proving a noxious sight of what transport observers call a huge parking lot during the morning rush hours. Revoli Cortez

Reds profiling: 3 cops probed for info leak

By Francisco Tuyay AT least three police intelligence officers were sacked for allegedly leaking the results of their discreet profiling on members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde said Monday.

Albayalde declined to identify the

three spy cops, but said they were from Manila’s Station 3, Quezon City’s Station 6 and a station in Zambales, with ranks of senior inspector to chief inspector.

Albayalde also ordered an investigation on the leak of confidential information.

The PNP chief said he signed no order to investigate ACT, but said if such Next page

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News

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

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Budget review eyed to cut deficit

By Maricel V. Cruz

H

OUSE Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. on Monday called for a review of the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 to find ways of reducing the budget deficit.

we realized that the proposed 2019 national budget prepared by DBM is out of touch with reality. We may have to reexamine the 2019 budget closely during the conference committee with the Senate,” Andaya said.

“We are walking on a tightrope and we need a really good balancing act.

The DBCC insists on a smaller contractionary spending program, yet the government needs to spend more just to catch up with inflation.”

Andaya said President Rodrigo Duterte had signed Joint Resolution 3 against the advice of his economic managers, who recommended its veto. That extended the 2018 budget until the end of 2019, giving

more spending room for social programs.

It also threw away Diokno’s ambitious cash budgeting system.

Since the 2019 budget has yet to be enacted, Andaya said, extending the life of the 2018 budget for 2019 meant foregoing the Budget department’s proposal of having only one expenditure program for 2019.

“In effect, we will now have two sources of spending for Fiscal Year 2019: the 2019 budget and the savings of 2018, which could reach about P200 billion,” Andaya said.

“No matter how you spin it, the people on the ground are already feeling the economic pinch and an unresponsive economic plan can lead to people’s unrest.”

“The numbers for 2018, as far as the country’s fiscal deficit is concerned, do not look so good. Government disbursements continue to outpace the increase in revenues,” said Andaya, chairman of the House committee on rules and a former Budget secretary.

“Both government spending and revenues are growing beyond their respective targets. As a result, government may fail

to meet its deficit ceiling for the year.”

Even Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno had admitted that the national government’s fiscal deficit for 2018 might exceed the P523.7-billion target, which is equivalent to 3 percent of the gross domestic product, Andaya said.

The fiscal deficit in 2017 was only 2.2 percent of the GDP. “Given this development, it is time

Senate...

Senate caucus to deal with Road Board abolition

From A1

Jimenez said the later release date of the final list would not affect the Comelec’s schedule of activities related to the upcoming elections.

“The printing of the ballots for the 2019 polls will be done as soon as the final list has been released,” Jimenez said.

In the Senate race, the Comelec has disqualified 70 candidates who do not meet the prerequisites, one of which is the ability to sustain a national campaign, he said.

Some 34,000 people are seeking an elective post in the 2019 elections, Comelec records show.

At the same time, Jimenez said the Comelec is considering issuing guidelines on paid political ads in social media to make sure candidates do not spend over the limit allowed by election law.

Candidates for president, vice president, senator, district representative, governor, vice governor, board member, mayor, vice mayor and councilor may spend P10 per voter. Candidates for party-list representative may spend P3 per voter.

Witness:...

From A1

Laboratory’s ballistics exam showed that the bullet slugs and shells found at the crime scene matched the Norinco caliber .40 pistol registered under one of the suspects, Henry Yuson, police Director General Oscar Albayalde said in a press conference.

Chief Supt. Amado Corpuz of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said police were leaning on Jaduvar’s statement that Baldo had offered P350,000 “sometime in 2018” to have Jaucian assassinated.

The same people who gunned down Batocabe were involved, Corpuz said, but the plot against Jaucian fizzled out because the mayor “died of illness sometime in 2018.”

Jaucian passed away on May 4, 2018 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 70, and his death allowed Baldo, Daraga’s vice mayor at the time, to assume the mayoralty.

Police have filed double murder and six counts of frustrated murder charges against Baldo and his supposed accomplices. The mayor has denied the allegations he wanted Batocabe, a looming rival for mayor in this year’s May elections, snuffed out, saying he was being made “a convenient scapegoat.”

Meanwhile, Albayalde said 11 caliber .50 shells and five slugs matched Yuson’s licensed firearms, which he said was used at the Batocabe crime scene, according to the crime lab findings.

“That will now boost our case,” the PNP chief said.

In his affidavit, Yuson admitted to using his own licensed gun when the caliber .45 pistol his group bought for the killing jammed.

PNP records showed, the registration of Yuson’s Norinco caliber .40 has been expired since 2015, UNTV News reported.

Yuson also admitted in his affidavit that after gunning down Batocabe, he shot at the lawmaker’s police escort, Senior Police Officer 1 Orlando Diaz.

He also sustained gunshot wounds to his arm and his side, as somebody from the lawmaker’s group exchanged fire with them, but Yuson couldn’t verify who.

Authorities previously said a former security aide of Baldo participated in planning the killing, but backed out and later gave vital information to investigators.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Benigno Durana Jr. said investigators will look into who should get the reward money “at the right time” and in coordination with the lawmakers and local officials who raised the bounty.

With Francisco Tuyay

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said Monday the Senate will discuss the suggestion of House Majority Floor Leader Rolando Andaya that the bicameral conference committee meet over the abolition of the Road Board when Congress resumes session on Jan. 14.

Andaya said the House contingent would be ready for a meeting of the committee on the Road Board abolition bill, which they withdrew on the same day the Senate adopted the House version.

“That will be part of our caucus on the 14th. I’m calling for one right after the roll call at 10 a.m.,” Sotto said.

He made the statement even as the Finance department said Monday the abolition of the allegedly corruptionplagued Road Board and the transfer of its funds coming from the Motor Vehicle User Charge to the state’s General Fund was already covered by its original proposal to Congress under the Du-

Trillanes...

From A1

“Unfortunately, Senator Trillanes failed to prove that the original of the alleged application form exists.

Senator Trillanes even failed to explain his failure to locate or find the copy thereof,” said the order, a copy of which received by the Department of Justice on Monday.

The court also cited the senator’s failure to prove the contents of his application.

“Since the existence of the fact of his admission of guilty of the crime he committed, the substitutionary evidence presented by Senator Trillanes is considered hearsay evidence and cannot be admitted as evidence to prove compliance with the minimum requirement set forth in Proclamation No. 75 (Amnesty Grant),” the RTC said.

Reds...

From A1

an order were issued, the intelligence officers should have done their job more discreetly.

ACT, in a statement, said police officers have been approaching officials of local schools and asking for a list of ACT members in their schools.

The Commission on Human Rights, for its part, expressed concern over the profiling, saying it violated ACT members’ rights to privacy and to free association.

‘Duterte...

From A1

“With regard to that, we will await findings, their recommendation, if there is enough evidence. Then the President will act on it,” Panelo told reporters.

“You violate the law, you are accountable.”

Panelo made his statement after PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna said they were investigating Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, and

Traslacion ’19...

From A1

In a statement on Monday, the PCG said it would deploy its patrol vessels to secure the vicinity of the Quirino Grandstand and Pasig River.

A total of 31 vessels would be deployed alongside with personnel from the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, Philippine Red Cross, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary as part of security measures for the event.

Tijam bows out: High court in good hands

By Rey E. Requejo SUPREME Court Associate Justice Noel Tijam, who reached his mandatory retirement age of 70 on Saturday, Jan. 5, has expressed confidence that the 15-member bench is in “capable hands.”

Tijam, who was President Rodrigo Duterte’s second appointee to the SC, attended the flag ceremony on Monday to give his `valedictory message’ to his colleagues at the high court.

Tijam, who penned the decision ousting then-Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, admitted that his stint as SC magistrate has been a “thrilling and enriching experience” and that is why it “almost feels like leaving home.”

“To everyone here in the Court, I leave here knowing that the Court is in capable hands,” Tijam told SC colleagues and personnel present during the flag raising ceremony.

“People always say that the judiciary is passive, but if there is anything that my two-year stint here in the Supreme Court has shown me, it is that all of . . . are watchful and vigilant in protecting all the ideals that this institution stands for.”

Last Friday, the SC held a retirement ceremony where Tijam was given the Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos Award and several tokens representing the judiciary.

In a speech during the ceremony, Tijam recognized public criticism of court actions, but he lamented that “oftentimes, these opinions are given evidently without those persons having actually read the Court’s decisions.”

According to him, the SC is not one to engage in public debate, but its decisions is its rebuttal to “unfair criticism.”

“In this day and age when everyone seems to have an opinion and when great institutions are so recklessly maligned and ridiculed, I am confident that the Supreme Court will remain strong because the best antidote to falsehood and fallacy are truth and reason which the Court has never denied the public,” he stressed.

Because of this, Tijam called on the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the official organization of all Philippine lawyers, to refrain from publicly criticizing court decisions and from signing and publishing manifestos.

terte administration’s comprehensive tax reform program.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said making the current and future funds of the Road Board part of the General Fund would ensure their appropriation was scrutinized by lawmakers as part of the normal budgeting process.

In the House, Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Monday appealed to his fellow Bicolanos to support Duterte’s decision last week to have the Road Board abolished and its funds used in part for flood control projects in the disaster-prone areas of the Bicol region.

“I call on my fellow Bicolanos to give their 100-percent backing to President Duterte’s decision to abolish the graftridden Road Board, more so after his commitment in CamSur last week to put the Board’s multi-billion-peso funds to better use,” Villafuerte said.

Earlier, Sotto said as far as the Senate was concerned the Road Board was as good as abolished.

“We adopted the House version, it’s as good as a bill that is supposed to be transmitted to the President already and I’m sure the President will sign it,” Sotto said.

He said when July 1 comes, the Senate will file a new abolition if the House does not believe that the Road Board has already been abolished and they will abolish it again.

The Senate on Sept. 12 last year adopted the House version to dispense with the bicameral conference. Later that day, the House rescinded its approval on third reading of its own version.

In 2017, the President called on Congress to abolish the Road Board and transfer its functions to an appropriate department.

Both houses have responded by immediately passing their own versions of the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon insisted on Wednesday that there was no need to convene a bicameral conference committee on the abolition of the Road Board. With Julito G. Rada and Maricel V. Cruz

The court held that the contentions of Trillanes in his appeal were already addressed by the court in its earlier ruling.

“Senator Trillanes was not able to prove through testimonial and documentary evidence that he filed his application for amnesty nor expressly admitted his guilty in the application form for the crime he committed during the Manila Peninsula incident which are the minimum requirement set forth under Proclamation No. 75,” the court said.

Trillanes had earlier posted bail amounting to P200,000 before the RTC Branch 150 and was granted temporary liberty. The same court also allowed him to travel abroad when it granted last November his motion seeking to temporarily lift the HDO to attend various engagements from Dec. 11, 2018 to Jan. 12, 2019, and from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10, 2019.

The RTC revived the rebellion case against Trillanes upon a motion by the DOJ.

The DOJ filed a similar motion before Makati RTC Branch 148 to also revive the coup d’état case against him in connection with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, but Judge Andres Soriano rejected the plea and ruled that the case was already dismissed and closed.

However, in the same ruling in October 2018, Soriano upheld the constitutionality of Proclamation No. 572, which voided the amnesty granted by the Aquino administration to Trillanes on both coup d’état and rebellion cases.

Trillanes has questioned the proclamation before the Supreme Court, but his plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order was denied.

Trillanes, a former Navy lieutenant, was among those who led mutiny in Oakwood Premiere Hotel in Makati City on July 27, 2003 and the Manila Peninsula siege on Nov. 29, 2007. Both actions were aimed at unseating then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

In a statement, Albayalde said there was no crackdown on ACT members in any school.

“What the PNP is undertaking is simply intelligence or information gathering, which is one of its major functions,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of the PNP to monitor any and all groups and organizations critical of the government, especially those linked to militant organizations whose objective is to overthrow the duly-elected government.”

He said Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison him-

self had identified organizations with links to the rebels.

“This did not come from us or even from the military…this was the pronouncement of Joma Sison. an. He identified these organizations, not us,” he added.

The Palace said Monday members of ACT should have nothing to fear if they are not doing anything illegal.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo maintained that the PNP has already dismissed the claims that the agency has called for an inventory of all public and private school teachers who are affiliated with the ACT.

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairman Leonor OraldeQuintayo for corruption.

Luna said Lapeña was being investigated over the P11-billion shabu shipment that allegedly slipped past Customs through magnetic lifters, but he kept mum on the two other officials.

Panelo said the three officials would “definitely” remain in their posts while the investigation was ongoing, but added the President would not allow a “whiff of corruption.”

“When he said a ‘whiff of corruption,’ there’s already substantial

grounds,” Panelo said.

“The President orders an investigation right away. It doesn’t mean that they will be promptly sacked just because someone accused them. The President is not like that. He is a lawyer, remember.”

The PACC said the results and recommendations following the “confidential” investigation would be submitted to the President immediately.

To look into the allegations of excessive lifestyles, graft and corruption activities of his Cabinet members, Duterte created the PACC in 2017 through Executive Order 43.

On a night of wins for movies representing minorities, two awards favorites about white people―Dick Cheney biopic “Vice” and musical romance “A Star is Born”―all but struck out, with each picking up just one trophy in the run-up to the all-important Oscars on February 24.

“Bohemian Rhapsody”―which charts the rise of British rock group Queen― picked up best actor for Rami Malek, who plays legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It also bagged the biggest movie award of the night―best drama.

“I am beyond moved. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now,” said Malek, whose list of people to thank included the Queen singer, who died in 1991. AFP

“The BRP Boracay and BRP Panglao will be positioned at the Manila Baywalk, which will serve as command post and medical evacuation post in emergency cases and eventuality of non-passable roads due to the Traslacion,” Capt. Rolando Punzalan, PCG-National Capital Region District Commander, said.

Rubber boats and small craft would be used and medical personnel would be on standby to provide emergency assistance to devotees along the Jones Bridge, according to Punzalan.

Meanwhile, some roads in Manila will be closed to motorists for the procession

of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 8 and 9.

In its traffic advisory, the Manila District Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Manila Police District said road closures will be implemented in the following areas: Jan. 8, 2019 - 10 p.m.: • Katigbak Drive and South Drive (one lane-accessible to Manila and H2O Hotel) • Northbound lane of Quezon and McArthur Bridges from Bonifacio Shrine onwards • Taft Avenue from Ayala Boulevard to Bonifacio Shrine Jan. 9, 2019—midnight: • Stretch of McArthur, Jones and Qu-

ezon Bridges • Roxas Boulevard from Katigbak Drive to T. M. Kalaw Street • Both lanes of Quezon Boulevard (Quiapo) closed to traffic from A. Mendoza/Fugoso Streets and Espana Boulevard/P. Campa Street for southbound and from Taft Avenue/Ayala Boulevard for northbound “Closure of some streets will be in effect as the procession approaches and will be opened immediately once the tail-end of the procession passes,” the advisory read. Joel E. Zurbano, Macon Ramos-Araneta, PNA

Fil-Am...

From A1

for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for his role as the reallife serial Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”

Like Cunanan, Criss is half-white and half-Filipino.

Backstage, after he won his trophy and the FX series won for Best Television Limited Series, Criss addressed being the first Filipino American to win a Golden Globe.

“I’ve said this before, but being half Filipino is one of my favorite things about me,” he said backstage at the Golden Globes. “I feel like I have been given a superhero cape and I am glad to step up to that plate.”

Night of wins for movies

News

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Usman damage reaches P4.2b’

By Rio N. Araja

D

AMAGE to agriculture and infrastructure caused

by Tropical Depression “Usman” reached P4.2 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Monday.

Damage to infrastructure was worth P3.3 billion, while destroyed agricultural produce climbed up to P984.7 million.

The assessment report included Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon); Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan (Mimaropa); Bicol, and Eastern Visayas.

At least 126 people were killed, 30 of

them from Bicol, particularly in Sagñay, Camarines Sur, where landslides occurred.

While 26 persons remained missing, 75 persons were injured, officials said.

“Usman” directly affected 150,877 families or 675,777 individuals in more than 900 barangays.

According to the NDRRMC, over 13,000 families or 58,000 individuals

were still in various evacuation centers.

Some P55.2-million assistance was extended to Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas.

In a related development: • Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said geohazard maps were readily available for authorities to be able to identify areas vulnerable to floods and landslides.

He said under Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, governors and mayors had been tasked to chair local disaster risk reduction and management councils at the provincial, city and municipal levels.

On the other hand, the councilors were responsible for disaster management and risk reduction plans to minimize, if not to-

tally prevent, casualties during calamities.

“The DENR for its part contributes to disaster risk reduction efforts through the geohazard maps which the Mines and Geosciences Bureau distributes to all LGUs so they can identify landslide and flood-prone areas,” Cimatu said.

Meanwhile, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino urged the government to quickly address the latest increase in prices of goods due to Usman.

He also called on the government to deal with the projected rise in cost of petroleum products from the expected increase in fuel prices in the world market along with the additional excise tax on fuel under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

PH to act only where OFWs affected in China-Taiwan tiff

By Nat Mariano THE Philippines will only act if the overseas Filipino workers were affected by the conflict between Taiwan and China, Malacañang said Monday as it distanced itself from the political rift between the two nations.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the dispute should be left between the two countries even after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called for international support to defend Taipei’s democracy amid renewed threats from China.

“It’s between the two countries.

Our concern is our OFWs there.

When there’s already a problem arising out of that conflict, then we need to act for the safety of our OFWs,” Panelo told a Palace press briefing.

“Right now, we don’t know the situation yet, so we will let them be for now,” he added.

Asked if the Philippines would support Taiwan amid the country’s “enduring friendship” with China, Panelo said: “It depends.”

“I think I would leave the response to the proper authority— the Secretary of Foreign of Affairs.

That is his turf,” said Panelo, deferring the matter of international issues to Foreign Affairs chief Teodoro Locsin.

There was no immediate reaction from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

On Saturday, Tsai asked the international community to voice support and help Taiwan after Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing would use force to unite Taiwan with the Asian giant if necessary.

According to Tsai, if the international community did not support a democratic country that was under threat, Taiwan might have to ask: “Which country might be next?”

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BLESSING OF REPLICAS. Two days to the annual Traslacion for the Black Nazarene in Manila’s Quiapo district, devotees have their replicas of the image blessed after a Mass at the Basilica Minor de Nazareno along Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo on Monday. Ey Acasio

Mayor on ‘narco list’ survives slay attempt A MUNICIPAL chief executive in Libungan, Cotabato who had been alleged to be on President Rodrigo Duterte’s narcotics list survived an assassination attempt inside the town hall on Monday.

Mayor Christopher Cuan was inside the municipal hall when an unidentified gunman started firing at him, according to Senior Supt. Maximo Layugan, director of the Cotabato Police Provincial Office.

The mayor was able to escape, police said, but a utility worker at the town hall was hit by a stray bullet on the left knee.

Cuan’s security escort was able to fight back but the suspect was able to flee on a getaway vehicle waiting outside the municipal hall, just a few meters away from the town’s police station.

Cuan has denied his involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Authorities conducted a raid in October 2016 in a residence, guardhouse, motor pool, and gasoline station all owned by Cuan in Kabacan but they failed to find illegal drugs.

But police said they were able to recover high-powered firearms and hundreds of live ammunition.

In November 2017, the National Police Commission issued a list of local government officials stripped of their supervision and control over the police in their respective jurisdictions due to alleged drug links or abuse of authority.

Resumption of peace talks with Reds slim—Lorenzana CHANCES of reviving the stalled peace talks with communist rebels remain slim as the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army continue to commit atrocities and threaten to oust President Rodrigo Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has said.

“With his [CPP founder Jose Maria “Joma”

Sison’s] threat to oust PRRD and the continu- Duterte “hollow” and said the CPP-NPA ing attacks, extortions and burning of con- was losing to the government’s anti-insurstruction equipment I personally don’t see any gency campaign. chance of resumption of talks in the near fu“His previous call of prioritizing the ture. I have consistently said that Sison and his ouster of PRRD is a hollow one knowing people should also show some sincerity,” he fully how popular the President remains. said in a message to reporters Sunday.

But he has to make it ostensibly to rally his Lorenzana described Sison’s call to oust fighters,” Lorenzana said. PNA CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Members of the House of Representatives mourn the passing of a former colleague

HONORABLE GEORGE T. HOFER Representative, Third District of Zamboanga del Sur, 11th Congress Founding Father of Zamboanga Sibugay Author of H.B. 9575 resulting in R.A. 8973 creating the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay where he served for three terms as the first Governor

on Sunday, 6 January 2019 at the age of 80.

His remains lie in state at Cosmopolitan Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu City.

On Thursday, 10 January 2019, his body will be flown to Zamboanga Sibugay to lie in state at the GTH Compound, Kitabog, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Interment will be on Monday, 14 January 2019 at the George T. Hofer Park, Barangay Bangko, Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay after the 9:00 a.m. Funeral Mass at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Cathedral in Ipil.

We request the pious readers to pray for the eternal repose of his soul.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

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The Church should speak out HAVE you ever experienced a sense of helplessness in your life when you realize you can no longer do what you normally do?

I sent my driver to National Bookstore last week to buy typewriter ribbons. Yes I am a dinosaur—I still use a manual typewriter. He came back and told me the ribbons were out of stock.

“They may no longer sell it because nobody is buying it.”

I panicked at the thought that I might have to write my column in longhand. I instructed my driver to go to every National Bookstore there was.

The Catholic faithful need some guidance.

I never learned to use a computer despite receiving a laptop some years back. I even hired some people to teach me, but they gave up because I could not seem to learn. I tried my best but it took me hours to finish my column.

It’s a mindset, I guess.

But did you know that I was perhaps the happiest opinion writer during the “Dark Ages” of the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos? Recall that Metro Manila then had power outages that lasted between 10 and 12 hours. Brownouts notwithstanding, my column was always on time!

My driver came back with half a dozen ribbons. I was relieved. But I cannot forget the feeling of helplessness when

I was briefly confronted with the possibility of no longer using my manual typewriter. *** With President Duterte continually ranting against the Catholic Church, its bishops and priests—he demonizes the practices of the Church and says he wants Church officials killed—I keep wondering why the bishops choose to remain silent.

They may consider it useless to debate with him so they just choose to pray for him.

Still, there are members of the faithful who need the Church’s clarification on the President’s statements against the doctrines and practices of the Church.

For example, Mr. Duterte remarked that he could not understand the Trinity. But even the Church cannot understand it—that’s why it is called a mystery!

It’s all a matter of faith. Either you believe it or you don’t.

Thus, the Church should tell President Duterte that many things in the world cannot be understood by our finite intellect—and yet we believe.

The doubting Thomas told Christ that he would not believe he had risen unless he showed him his wound.

Christ said: “Blessed are they who have not seen, but believe.”

To me, that’s faith.

This is why the Church should clarify certain practices and doctrines of the Church.

I am truly surprised. The President went to Ateneo de Davao and even finished law at San Beda College. Why was he not indoctrinated by these institutions? Why is he now ranting against the Church? *** I was once asked why I thought the President continued to have very good acceptance and trust ratings. This, despite his rants against Turn to A5 the Catholic Church.

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

I

A show of faith

T’S that time of the year again: Catholics will flood the streets of Manila during the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9.

The religious celebration comes alongside several concerns: elections, the environment, security.

For instance, the Commission on Elections appealed to candidates to spare devotees from their political messages. It is a testament to their lack of scruples that these politicians even need to be reminded not to turn a religious celebration into a campaigning event.

And then we have fresh memories of the horrible garbage left by those who chose to celebrate Christmas and New Year at Luneta Park. After the revelry, several truckloads of

trash were gathered, showing Filipinos’ penchant for merrymaking and spending quality time with family and friends, but also a bad habit of expecting other people to clean up after them.

Terrorism is always a concern, especially since at least three countries recently issued travel warnings against the Philippines. Martial law in Mindanao has been extended precisely because of the continued threat of terrorism—and we can easily imagine how such danger can easily cross over from any part of the archipelago to the capital.

This year there is an added factor to consider—the President’s unrelenting attacks on the Catholic Church and its leaders. On many occasions over the past two and a half years, President Rodrigo Duterte has not only criticized but slammed the Church for its excesses and inadequacies, and ridiculed some of its

most cherished beliefs.

These shocking pronouncements notwithstanding, Mr. Duterte remains popular among his predominantly Catholic constituency. This presents a conundrum: If Filipino Catholics were, indeed, fervently religious, why isn’t there any outrage at all when their political leader insults their faith? Conversely, if the President were indeed popular, shouldn’t his views on the Catholic faith disturb many and dampen their religious zeal?

Then again, perhaps that is the essence of faith: Embracing a belief even when things go beyond logic and reason.

As Black Nazarene devotees go out and wear their devotion on their maroon sleeves tomorrow, may there be respect for religion, for safety, for sensibility—and most of all for the freedom to choose where to cast our faith.

Christmas in our hearts or most powerful people in the world.

According to Francis: “We might think that it would have been better had the star of Jesus appeared in Rome, on the Palatine Hill, where Augustus ruled over the world; then the whole emIT’S back to work for most people this pire would immediately have become week. Our airports have been busy this Christian. Or if it had shone on the weekend as Filipinos go back home palace of Herod, he might have done from vacations or go back to work good rather than evil. But God’s light here in the Philippines or abroad. Most does not shine on those who shine with of us think that the Christmas season, their own light. God “proposes” himwhich liturgically for Catholics began self; he does not “impose” himself. He with midnight mass on Christmas Eve, illumines; he does not blind. has officially ended with the Feast of It is not Duterte or Joma Sison that the Epiphany, more commonly known will bring peace to this country. It as the day of the Magi or Three Kings, is not the Sys, Ayalas, or Uys of the celebrated last Sunday. But actually, world that will bring out people out of the Christmas season has not yet end- poverty. It is not Trump or Putin who ed. will solve the challenge of climate As my former fellow columnist in change.

Manila Standard and my Dean at According to the Pope, “It is always the San Beda Graduate School of Law very tempting to confuse God’s light has repeatedly reminded us these past with the lights of the world. How many years, Christmas will end on the Feast times have we pursued the seductive of the Baptism lights of power of the Lord, the and celebrity, first Sunday afconvinced that ter Epiphany. we are rendering This has been good service to Let’s bring these gifts the case since the Gospel! But every day of the year. the revision of by doing so, have the liturgical calwe not turned endar in 1969. the spotlight on The liturgical the wrong place, season known as because God Ordinary Time begins the next day, was not there. His kindly light shines typically the second Monday or Tues- forth in humble love. How many times day of the New Year. too, have we, as a Church, attempted There are those who would even to shine with our own light! Yet we argue that the traditional and official are not the sun of humanity. We are end of the Christmas season is in fact the moon that, despite its shadows, reFebruary 2nd, or 40 days after Christ- flects the true light, which is the Lord. mas, which is the Feast of the Presen- He is the light of the world—Him, not tation of the Lord or Purification of us.” the Blessed Virgin Mary (commonly It is a people converted who see the called Candlemas). Imagine still lis- light that will bring peace, prosperity, tening to Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas and a safer world for all of us. in our Hearts or any version of Pasko Conversion requires embarking on a Na, Sinta Ko for another month, fol- journey, which is what the Magi did. lowed by all the hoopla around Valen- As Pope Francis urges, we must arise, tine’s Day. get up from our sedentary lives, and In this spirit, that Christmas contin- prepare for a journey. He says: “We ues, let me summarize and quote once must not stand still, like the scribes again from Pope Francis. In his hom- that Herod consulted; they knew very ily in Saint Peter’s Basilica last Sun- well where the Messiah was born, but day, to celebrate the epiphany, he em- they did not move.” We also need to phasized the following themes: Light, shine and be “clothed in God who is journey, and gifts. light, day by day, until we are fully The Lord is the light, not us and cer- clothed in Jesus.” But to do this, it is Turn to A5 tainly not the most famous, wealthy,

Send in the clowns

THE big news last week was the local stock market roaring into the new year with an unprecedented upsurge that beat out almost all other markets globally.

The PSEI gained by about four points over three straight days of upticks to Friday, making it the world’s second-best performing index according to Bloomberg. BDO’s chief market strategist Jonathan Ravelas expects the market to test the 8,000 level sometime the first half of the year, and “sooner rather than later.” *** Various reasons prompted this market optimism: better-than-expected GDP growth last quarter, double-digit improvement in corporate earnings last year, even spillover effects from the start of campaign-related spending.

But the biggest story of course was

Some show of humility would be nice—but don’t hold your breath. cooling inflation, with December inflation of 5.1 percent the weakest since May. This in turn relieves pressure on the central bank to continue raising interest rates and putting the brakes on economic growth.

The boys at the Department of Finance had been saying all along that the inflation spike last year would only be temporary—the product of one-off effects from excise tax hikes that would eventually be offset by higher disposable incomes after income tax rate cuts start to kick in.

What also happened—also as predicted—was the successful management

of rice prices and supply—with the implementation of further rice import liberalization and tarifficatio—as well as the moderation of global oil prices, which will now allow government to again raise oil excise taxes as scheduled this year.

All of this prompts me to ask: Where are all those inflation hawks now? What happened to all those doomsayers who were roundly blaming last year’s inflation spike on the Duterte administration and its aggressive pursuit of tax reform and infrastructure spending?

Some show of humility would be nice—but don’t hold your breath waiting for it. *** Going into the first full week of the new year, it’s sadly apparent that the same clowns will continue to ride high and hog the local headlines.

For starters, I nearly fell off my seat after coming across an online statement from the teachers group, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), comparing recent police visits to campuses as Turn to A5

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Opinion Breaking the rules WHAT do we have here?

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Greco Belgica must be trying to send a strong message to the Office of the Ombudsman—the government’s anti-graft body—that he can use his clout even without the latter’s imprimatur.

His latest move was an entrapment operation against two ranking Bureau of Internal Revenue officials based in Manila whom he accused of extortion/ direct bribery.

Belgica claims that a taxpayer who refused to be identified told him that the BIR officials were asking for a P2million bribe for settlement of the taxpayer’s tax liabilities.

Malacañang Executive Order No. 43 which established PACC in 2017 defined the agency’s jurisdiction and exercise of its powers upon complaint or motu proprio, and concurrently with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Belgica-initiated operation left out the participation of the government’s anti-graft court. Operatives from the Camp Crame-based Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) were tapped to carry out the entrapment, after which the two suspects were booked and hauled for inquest at the City Prosecutor’s Office of Manila.

Legal eagles are likely to suspect something much amiss here since Belgica failed to follow PACC-prescribed rules. Among these is that respondents to a verified complaint should be provided formal summons, a copy of the complaint and attached supporting documents, and that a legitimate complainant must be identified rather than hidden under the cloak of anonymity.

Belgica claims the complainant refused to be identified.

The PACC’s formal summons also asks the respondent to answer the complaint within seven days and file six hard copies of the answer plus addi-

Christmas...

From A4

necessary that we cast aside our pretentious robes. “Otherwise, we will be like Herod, who preferred the earthly lights of success and power to the divine light.”

We must be like The Magi and undertake a journey to find the mystery of God. As described by Pope Francis: “They arise and shine, and are clothed in light. They alone see the star in the heavens: Not the scribes, nor Herod, nor any of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

Like the Magi, we must travel a different road, the path of humble love, and become pilgrims on the paths of God and leave behind our worldly attachments. Francis urges us to imitate the Magi: “They do not debate; they set out. They do not stop to look, but enter the house of Jesus. They do not put

The Church...

From A4

I could not give an answer. I do not know what questions were asked in the survey, and I am not familiar with the methodology of the Social Weather Stations. I know that the results of a survey can depend on these things.

It is so difficult to know what the Filipino is thinking. We are so polite; we say “Ok” or “pwede na” even when we feel otherwise.

I also think that poll surveys that say how local and national candidates are faring before the elections should be outlawed. They just create a band-

Send...

From A4

“tokhang in schools”.

The group called these visits “grossly illegal” and “an unconstitutional attack” on their rights to free expression, organization, and privacy. They contend that “the PNP has no business meddling in the affairs of teachers organizations” and shouldn’t be allowed to just “step in and out of our schools.”

Well. It’s my first time to hear that our schools—all of them—are automatically exempt from the purview of law enforcement. I had always thought that this conceit was limited to the ivory-tower types in UP who like to style themselves the “Diliman republic.” Unfortunately, it

tional copies to the complainant/s and co-respondents. Such rule of procedure would disallow a complainant to remain incognito.

But Belgica went full steam ahead, thus the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office during inquest of the suspects virtually castigated the PACC commissioner for his lapses in legally prescribed procedure, citing that: a) Belgica failed to swear and subscribe before an authorized administering officer his complaint which is part of the record;

Legal eagles strongly suspect something is amiss.

b) Witnesses also failed to execute sworn statements that they indeed participated in the entrapment operation; and c) “The arresting officers.. themselves did not actually see how the direct bribery was consummated.”

The City Prosecutor’s Office also noted that “there is no sufficient evidence to substantiate that an agreement between the taxpayer and the two suspects had to perform an act in connection with the performance of their official duties in consideration of a gift of money.”

Senate versus DA Senator Cynthia Villar has chided Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol for claiming that the National Food Authority will not be able to sell cheap rice to the public under the Rice Tariffication Bill, which has been passed by both chambers of Congress.

Senate Bill No. 1998 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996 and replace the quantitative restriction on rice imports. The bill is among the measures pushed by the economic managers of the Duterte administration to address

high rice prices.

Villar, the principal author of the Senate bill, told Piñol that “the NFA is not allowed anymore to import rice under the new law but only to buy from local farmers.” She pointed out that the lifting of the QR would also remove all “unnecessary intervention” of the government in the rice market.

Villar, chair of the committee on food and agriculture, also informed Piñol that the NFA would not be abolished with the implementation of the law. She said that only the regulatory and importation functions of the NFA will be removed, with the agency focusing on buffer-stocking with its inventory acquired from domestic farmers.

According to the senator, the budget for the NFA should be pegged at around P7 billion, strictly for the maintenance of a buffer stock to stabilize the rice supply and allow it to sell subsidized rice to the poor and to release emergency supplies during periods of calamity.

Contrary to misconceptions, she said, the bill includes a package of support programs that “will help farmers adjust to competition under a tariffied regime.”

The proceeds from the tariff will be given to the farmers in the amount of P10 billion a year for the next six years to make them competitive through mechanization, better seed production, cheaper credit from state-run banks, and various extension services, including teaching them skills on modern rice farming techniques.

For his part, Senator Joel Villanueva, a co-author of the bill, said it could curb rice smuggling, a long-standing problem in this country.

Under the act, Filipino farmers will have a fighting chance against farmers from neighboring ASEAN countries as cheaper rice will start flooding the market.

Earlier, President Duterte said that even with rice tariffication and liberalization of the rice industry, the NFA shall continue to provide the public, particularly the less fortunate, with rice that is affordable and safe. ernhil@yahoo.com

themselves at the center, but bow down before the One who is the centre. They do not remain glued to their plans, but are prepared to take other routes. Their actions reveal a close contact with the Lord, a radical openness to him, a total engagement with him. With him, they use the language of love, the same language that Jesus, though an infant, already speaks. Indeed, the Magi go to the Lord not to receive, but to give.”

Pope Francis ended his homily last Sunday with a question: “At Christmas did we bring gifts to Jesus for his party, or did we only exchange gifts among ourselves?”

If we have forgotten Jesus in our gift-giving, the story of the Magi in the Feast of the Epiphany remedies that. Their story gives us what Francis describes as a little “gift list”: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold is the most precious of metals and reminds us that God must be first and center in our lives. That means we

must displace and renounce our own selves.

Frankincense is used for prayer; “just as incense must burn in order to yield its fragrance, so too, in prayer, we need to “burn” a little of our time, to spend it with the Lord.

Myrrh is the ointment that will be used to wrap the body of Jesus taken down from the cross. Pope Francis reminds us to have compassion, that “the Lord is pleased when we care for bodies racked by suffering, the flesh of the vulnerable, of those left behind, of those who can only receive without being able to give anything material in return”.

Officially, there will be an end to the Christmas season—be it next week or in February 2. But if we bring these gifts of the Magi with us every day of our year, then truly Christmas is in our hearts, and it will never end.

wagon mentality.

to is the extension of San Miguel’s TPLex all the way to La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and possibly to Baguio. As an Ilocano myself, I am excited about this. *** I am not surprised at all by the murder of a lawmaker who was running for mayor and the tagging of the supposed mastermind, the incumbent mayor.

I covered the police beat in my early days as a journalist. I know for a fact that there are so many assets of policemen who know the crime underworld.

Any policeman who has served long enough will always know the methods of committing a crime.

*** There are some national projects that we have have all been waiting for. They are critical to our development.

One of them is the P750-billion “aerotropolis” to be built by San Miguel Corporation’s Ramon Ang. The project already got the nod of the National Economic and Development Authority. The state-of-the-art airport will be built on a 2,500-hectare flatland. It will have four runways, and a possible two more.

Some 1 million jobs will be created.

Ang was able to get its approval even without a government guarantee.

This is something to watch out for.

There is no doubt about its viability.

Another project we can look forward

looks like conceit is also infectious.

This kind of loony thinking would simply be laughable, were it not for the fact that ACT is a well-known affiliate of the National Democratic Front, whose job it is to give political and media cover to the violent NPA and the communist CPP. And so it’s evident that this statement from ACT is simply intended to allow them to continue to provide such cover, hiding under the glossy garb of “academic freedom.”

We can only expect the Left to spew out more of these rhetorical affronts to common sense, as government continues to cast its net wide to dredge up the armed and unarmed rebels who like to claim that they’re fish swimming in the waters of people’s revolution. ***

Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

www.emiljurado.weebly.com

Unfortunately, clowns can be found anywhere in the political spectrum, not just to the Left.

Over on the Right, we’re faced with the loony proposal from Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and ICT, the redoubtable Ramon Jacinto, to allow only two companies to construct the additional cellsite towers needed by our grossly underserved telecoms industry and consumers.

A whopping 113 million cellular subscribers are serviced by only 16,300 towers from the telco duopoly, Globe and PLDT. Our tower density score of only 0.14 is the lowest in Asia, well behind the 1.43 of market leader China. We need to build at least another 50,000 towers just to match the norms for the region.

So shouldn’t we open the field to anyone and everyone who can bring in the money

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Abuse that the national budget undergoes appeared to have been violated in such a gross manner.

In its reports, COA has been performing yeoman’s work in pointing out, and establishing responsibility for, the mis-implementation of the national-budget allocations for the I FEEL sorry for the national budg- Executive Department instrumenet, more formally known as the talities and the congressional disGeneral Appropriations Act. The tricts. COA has reported diversions document that economists consider of funds from one part of a congresthe most important economic man- sional district to another and from agement tool has become the most one purpose to another. This is not abused and disrespected of the key how budgeting of national resourcgovernment documents relating to es—scarce resources, to be sure— the economy. is supposed to be done. Funds are Based on DBM (Department of appropriated for a designated use Budget and Management) state- in a designated Executive departments and COA (Commission on ment because that is supposed to be Audit) reports—as reported by the their optimal use. Diversions defeat media —the abuse of the national the whole purpose of resource-use budget falls under the headings of planning and makes a mockery out padding, insertion, misdirection of the entire national budget-makand underutilization. ing process.

The practice of national-budget In some of its reports COA has padding is as old as the hills, and the drawn attention to yet another inplacement in stance of disthe proposed respect for GAA of inthe national flated figbudget. This ures has been the underuThe national budget istilization the practice by is a document of the since the first the national post-Indegover n ment highest importance. pendence naoffices and It is the North Star of tional budget the Congreswas put tosional districts a country’s economic gether by the of their GAA development effort.

First Conallotments. gress. BudgCOA reported et-paddi ng recently that has to be reGAA allotsorted to if ments totaling the contractors are to be able to pay P518 billion went unused in 2017. commissions to members of Con- Considering that the implementagress, local officials (governors, tion of economic-development promayors and barangay captains) and, jects cannot proceed without financyes, DBM officers. The need to pay ing, this piece of COA reporting is commissions gives rise to inflation not only shocking; it is exceedingly of GAA figures; without the com- saddening. Seen against this backmission-paying environment, the drop, the push of the Secretary of GAA would reflect real, unbloated Budget and Management for the numbers. cash-budget method of budgeting During the run-up to the deadline makes eminent good sense. for completion of the 2019 GAA the The national budget is a documost popular verb in the national ment of the highest importance. It discourse was “insert.” The media is the North Star of a country’s ecostories gave the impression that the nomic development effort. Yet, as leaders of the House of Representa- the foregoing discussion has shown, tives, from which all money bills it has been the object of abuse and must originate, were on an insertion disrespect. rampage. The amounts involved The present Philippine Developwere mind-boggling: The P2.4 bil- ment Plan (2016-2022) is targeting, lion and P1.5 billion were reported and its immediate predecessor tarto have been inserted in the alloca- geted, annual GDP (gross domestions for the districts of the Speak- tic product) growth of 7-8 percent. er of the House and the Majority So long as this country’s national Leader, respectively. The Consti- budget is put together and impletutionally mandated norms for the mented the way it currently is, the preparation of the national budget target is well nigh unattainable.

ISIS fanatics and Joma’s followers THE plot thickens.

Islamic State movement-inspired terrorists prey on “soft targets” like the bombing of a shopping mall in the advent of the New Year in Cotabato City.

On the other hand, the communist New People’s Army is set to “intensify” its attacks against the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the government.

Ousting President Duterte is the overarching priority of the communists this year, based on the assertions of self-exiled Jose Ma. Sison.

So, while the ISIS followers, particularly the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Maute Group, target defenseless innocent civilians, the CPPNPA have a bigger ambition—to “eliminate” the President.

The Sison-inspired plot against Manong Digong is based on the prem-

and technology to fill that gap? The more the merrier, right? But this straightforward logic totally escapes Mr. RJ, who can only mumble that the two dominant telcos can still build a needed tower if the tower company fails to respond positively within 30 days.

What in God’s name does that have to do with anything?

Luckily for us, the acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio—a former general whom I was lucky to recruit into the board of Bayantel during my stint there—is standing his ground on plain common sense.

And I have no reason to doubt that his reported successor, outgoing Senator Greg Honasan, will behave any less reasonably. *** Mexico City—We’re on a quick break here from the still-chilly LA weather

ise that the President, who continues to be as popular as ever and serves as the “nation’s unifying force,” needs to be exterminated if the moribund communist movement hopes to survive at all.

The communist umbrella organization, National Democratic Front, is tasked to oust President Duterte this year, Sison announced Thursday.

Isn’t it terrifying just imagining whom Sison wants to replace Manong Digong with?

Whichever way the terrorists desperately wish to achieve their goal of wresting power from the government, the people stand to suffer in the process.

There is not a tinge of difference between the rabid ISIS fanatics and Sison’s communist followers.

Their tactics may vary a little bit but both have little respect for the innocent human life and Filipinos’ aspirations for better life.

I’m not going to lose any sleep over any plot to exterminate the President, though.

It’s simply unfathomable. Such thought is a product of hallucination. The people are certainly not going to allow that to happen! to check off another bucket-list item of ours—venerating Our Lady of Guadalupe at the minor basilica built in her honor.

She’s one of only three Marian apparitions fully approved by the Church, together with Lourdes and Fatima. Because of her intercession into history, some 10 Million pagans in the Americas were brought into the faith, earning her a rightful place as patroness of the Americas (including the US) as well as our own country.

After this weekend, we look forward to being back home in the blissfully warm climes of the motherland. What could be a better way to start off the new year than that?

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

News

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Carranza invites Santillan kin into shootout probe CALABARZON regional police director Chief Supt. Edward “Ted” Carranza on Monday invited the families of Richard Santillan, the slain aide of former Biliran Rep. Glenn Chong, and Gessamyn Casing to “participate in the investigation” being conducted by their Regional Internal Affairs Service 4A unit.

This was after Jeanette Santillan, widow of Chong’s aide Richard Santillan, formally asked the Department of Justice last week to direct the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel investigation on the circumstances surrounding the killing of her husband.

Santillan was killed along with Casing in an alleged shootout with police officers in Cainta, Rizal on Dec. 10, but his vehicle was riddled with 30 bullet holes.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered a probe on the killing of Santillan and Casing and “denounced the brutal and brazen incident,” according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

In the wake of the incident, Carranza sacked Senior Supt. Lou Evangelista as provincial director of Rizal and Supt.

Pablito Naganag as chief of police of Cainta. Also dismissed were 10 members of the Calabarzon RIAS group and four Cainta policemen.

Carranza said the Police Regional Office 4-A’s IAS “is an independent investigating body which has the motu proprio power to determine if there were violations committed during the incident by our operatives.”

The regional internal affairs police, he said, “is currently in the process of summary dismissal proceedings, identifying liabilities and determining the pieces of evidence that will warrant the filing of criminal or administrative charges, if proven that there was indeed negligence on the part of our policemen.”

“In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, I encourage their families to join us,” Carranza added.

Jeanette Santillan said she wanted to file charges against the policemen under Carranza after submitting her letter to the DOJ. The widow said she does not believe in the findings of the Philippine National Police that her husband was killed after figuring in an “encounter” with policemen who were looking for a carnapped vehicle.

“The police conducted the autopsy without our consent and knowledge. We learned about it only after 16 hours,” she said.

In her request, the widow specifically asked the NBI to take custody of the evidence from the PNP, including Chong’s vehicle which was equipped with a dashboard camera and Santillan’s belongings. With Rey Requejo

IN BRIEF Abolish wage structure, TUCP urges Duterte

‘MALASAKIT.’ Special Assistant to the President Bong Go led the launching of the Malasakit Center inside the Lung Center of

the Philippines in Quezon City which aims to give assistance to poor people suffering from various illnesses. With Go in photo are (from left) Michael Lloyd L. Dino, secretary of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas; Dr.Vincent M. Balanag of the Lung Center of the Philippines and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque as they unveiled the marker of the Malasakit center. Manny Palmero

Napoles transferred to CIW in Mandaluyong

By Maricel V. Cruz

J

ANET Lim-Napoles has been transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology reported to the Sandiganbayan on Monday.

Taguig City Jail Warden, Chief Inspector Editha Roallo Balansay, told the anti-graft court's First Division that Napoles was transferred on Jan. 4.

“The said (person deprived of liberty) Janet Lim-Napoles was properly turned over to Correctional Institution for Women, Mandaluyong City, escorted by 12 STAR Team escorts from BJMP-National Capital Region Police Office, headed by Superintendent

Bernade Ruiz and 11 personnel of this unit,” Balansay said.

BJMP spokesman, Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, confirmed that Napoles was committed at the CIW around 4 p.m.

Fearing for her life, Napoles earlier asked the court to be allowed to stay in Camp Bagong Diwa.

She also questioned the commitment order issued against her that was signed

Subic Port makes ‘collection’ history

Dismiss petition vs.

BOL—‘Minda’group

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has been asked to dismiss the petition filed by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II seeking to declare as unconstitutional Republic Act No. 11054, also known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law. In a 51-page answer-in-intervention, the Philippine Association of Islamic Accountants, Inc. led by Amanoding Esmail argued that the BOL is far better that the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Refuting the arguments of the petitioner, the PAIA said that Section 18 and 19, Article X of the Constitution do not prevent Congress from passing legislations establishing or strengthening or even abolishing the ARMM and creating a new one.

The petitioner earlier claimed that the BOL violates the 1987 Constitution, particularly Sections 18 and 19, which created the ARMM. PAIA insisted that there was no legal basis to abolish the ARMM and that if the government wants to do it, it can only be done through amending the Constitution.

The group emphasized that Section 19 can be construed as a mere directive for the first Congress elected under the 1987 Constitution to pass the organic acts for the autonomous regions in Mindanao and the Cordilleras within 18 months from the time of its organization while Section 18 relates to the process of such organic acts.

“Petitioner overreached in opining that the constitutional provisions delimit the legislative power of Congress; it is reading something into the provisions,” the group said.

The PAIA also accused Tan of “overreading” the law in saying that the BOL violates the constitutional principle of separation of power and check and balance.

“In the traditional structure of power in political democracy, separation of power is apportioned between the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary, with the Executive executing the law and seeing to it that the law is faithfully enforced or complied with, the Legislature making the law and defining state policies , and the Judiciary interpreting the law. This political rule underwrites the principle of check and balance.

And the BOL, provides for this political arrangement,” the group argued.

by Associate Justice Edgardo Caldona, the junior member of the First Division.

But Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz said the internal rules of the Sandiganbayan allows Caldona to stand as the division chief in case the chairperson and the senior member go on an official leave.

Napoles was sentenced to life imprisonment owing to her alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel, of former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. amounting to P224.5 million from 2006 to 2010.

The Sandiganbayan, however, acquitted Revilla after the prosecution failed to prove that he had amassed illgotten wealth by channeling his pork funds to the Napoles-led foundations.

TEACHERS’ PROTEST. Members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers held a protest rally in front of the Camp Crame (Edsa Gate) on Monday to condemn the PNP on the reported profiling and ACT members in both public and private schools. Revoli Cortez

Immigration agents nab Korean posing as Pinoy at NAIA

By Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano IMMIGRATION officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport apprehended a “fake Filipino” who turned out be an overstaying Korean national who tried to leave the country by using a Philippine passport.

The Korean was identified as Kwak Dong Hee who was stopped at the departure area of the NAIA 3 terminal as he was about to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Saigon, Vietnam.

Kwak spent New Year behind bars at the BI Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig where he remains detained pending his deportation.

BI Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina said Kwak assumed the name of one Erik Nacis, purportedly born to a Korean man and a Filipina in Meycauayan, Bulacan in 1992.

However, the immigration officer who processed him became suspicious after noticing he could not speak Filipino and had trouble communicating in any local dialect.

“It was during questioning that he admitted his true identity as a Korean citizen and that the Philippine passport he presented is fraudulently-acquired,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

According to supervisor Carlo Gomez of the BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit, Kwak confessed that both his parents are Koreans and that he illegally obtained his Philippine passport by paying more than P120,000 to a compatriot in the Philippines.

Gomez said it was also the Korean, whose name Kwak refused to divulge, who processed and acquired the birth certificate found in his possession.

“Our records check showed that Kwak last arrived in the Philippines on Aug. 27, 2015, hence he has already been overstaying for more than three years,” Gomez added.

“These schemes will not pass. Our officers have a trained eye in detecting fraud. These aliens should not even consider attempting such schemes, lest they want to end up detained and deported,” Morente warned.

THE Port of Subic made history for posting its highest-ever collection of P22.4 billion in 2018.

Subic made a final push to end the year on a high note after it surpassed the annual revenue target of P21.1 billion, up by P1.2 billion, as of Dec. 28.

This is the most significant milestone for the port after breaking past the P20 billion mark for the first time.

Import duties and other taxes collected

by Subic port were 37 percent higher than its last year’s collection of P16.3 billion.

District collector and lawyer Rhea Gregorio credited the 2018 positive revenue performance to the strict implementation of customs laws and rules and regulations.

“This enabled the port to recover its deficit in the past three quarters and finish strong toward the last quarter of the year,” Gregorio said.

The tax take of the Port of Subic in December significantly contributed to its annual revenue collections, with the figure reaching P2.4 billion for the month.

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to abolish the 30-year-old tripartite wage setting structure in the country and do away with the current differentiated provincial wage rates and create a singular wage fixing body to determine a uniformed minimum wage rate nationwide.

TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said the old system should be replaced because the current minimum wage setting mechanism only favor those of businesses and no longer balance the interest of workers.

“The wage board is key in achieving equality and social justice for workers. Its mandate is to ensure that our economic growth also benefits the workers. However, our economy is growing and business enterprises have been prospering but the workers who helped built that wealth remains impoverished,” Mendoza said.

The 17 wage boards across the country were created in 1989 through Republic Act 6727 also known as Wage Rationalization Act. Its mandate is to set minimum wage that protects workers’ welfare and promote enterprise and workers productivity.

Despite wage increase orders issued last year—ranging from P8.50 to P56 daily wage hike—workers’ minimum wages across all sectors nationwide was raised to a total average of P374 a day by the end of 2018 from P340 during the first quarter of the same year—ailing to reach even half of the P1,400 daily standard amount set by the government’s National Economic and Development Authority as the amount needed by a family of five in order to live a comfortable life. Vito Barcelo

PH’s ‘lost kingdom’ of Lupah Sug restored THE lost Kingdom of Lupah Sūg has been restored and its new government is now in effect following the first flag raising last Sunday.

Raja Mohammad Ghamar Mamay Hasan Abdurajak and Queen Maria Makiling Helen Fatima Nasaria Panolino Abdurajak of the Royal Imperial Lupah Sūg Islamic United Kingdom of Sulu and North Borneo graced the flag raising ceremony attended by residents predominantly Moslems.

The Kingdom of Lupah Sug, which predates the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, is situated in Kanaway Lungan, Gitong Parang, Sulu, which is still part of the Republic of the Philippines.

“Raising their flag again was the momentous occasion for the people of Lupah Sug,” said Raja Mohammad Ghamar.

Lupah Sug is being considered as the Vatican of Rome, Italy; Luxemburg iof France and Timor Leste of Indonesia.

The restored country has an Official Seal, Flag, Standing Army and fixed territory under the name of the Federal Republic of Lupah Sug which include Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan for the Philippines, Sabah and Sarawak for the Federation of Malaysia and Kalimantan and Bulungan for Indonesia. Joel E. Zurbano

MMDA cracks whip vs.

50 erring motorists THE Metro Manila Development Authority apprehended more than 50 erring motorists as the agency started on Monday implementing a new policy increasing fines for illegal parking in the National Capital Region.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, based on reports from the MMDA public information office, a total of 57 vehicles were apprehended in simultaneous operations along F.B. Harrison Street, Taft Avenue and Gil Puyat Avenue, all in Pasay City; Quirino Highway, Roxas Boulevard, T.M. Kalaw in Manila, and areas of Baclaran in Parañaque City.

MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the government is hoping that through this campaign, it will be able to change the selfish behavior of most of these irresponsible drivers and individuals violating traffic rules.

He said the penalty for illegal parking for attended vehicles was raised to P1,000 from the present P200; fine for illegal parking for unattended vehicles was increased to P2,000 from P500; fine for obstructing the road was increased to P1,000 from P150; and fine for yellow lane violation was increased to P1,000. Joel E. Zurbano

ERRATUM IN THE story “MWSS now ISO-certified” that came out on Jan. 7, 2019 issue, the accompanying photo showed Maynilad COO Randy Estrellado and not Ferdinand dela Cruz on the left flank of the MWSS Administator.

This is the correct photo: (from left) Manila Water President Ferdinand M. dela Cruz, MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco and Maynilad President Ramoncito S. Fernandez.

Sports

Wolves fire head coach Thibodeau LOS ANGELES—The Minnesota Timberwolves have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is one of the winningest coaches in franchise history but has watched his team struggle this season.

Thibodeau was notified of the decision following the Timberwolves 10886 blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

In a brief statement the club said he was relieved of his duties both as coach and president of basketball operations.

“These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward,” Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said.

Taylor told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he didn’t think the team had performed up to its abilities.

“I said let’s let it go and see how things worked and I think now, we’ve gone halfway through the season and I don’t think we’re where we thought we would be or where we think we should be,” Taylor said.

“I’m just looking at the results.

The results are that I don’t think we should’ve lost against Phoenix or Detroit or New Orleans or Atlanta. Maybe one of those games. We just lost against a bunch of teams that we’re a better team.”

The club said Scott Layden would remain in his role as General Manager and run the day-to-day operations of the basketball department and assistant Coach Ryan Saunders will assume the role of interim head coach for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.

“Ryan has been around now quite a few years,” Taylor said. “He knows the players. The players know him. I think he was probably the best candidate to move ahead.”

Thibodeau finishes his time in Minneapolis with 97 career wins which ties him for the second-most in club history with Rick Adelman. Thibodeau also has 107 career losses.

The Timberwolves are missing two key players with injuries, including Derrick Rose who is out with a sprained ankle. Robert Covington is also on the injured list with a bruised knee. The Timberwolves are 11th in the Western Conference standings with a record of 19-21. AFP

Dune Raider Loeb eyes Dakar crown LIMA—Sebastien Loeb may never get a better opportunity to win the Dakar Rally but the French driver admits the sand dunes of Peru will present a very different challenge to the mud, snow and asphalt on which he swept to nine world rally titles.

Loeb goes into Monday’s opening stage of the world’s most famous endurance race as one of the favourites following the decision of 2016, 2017 and 2018 winners Peugeot to pull their factory team from the race.

However, Loeb remains cautious as he heads into his fourth Dakar which this year is contained within the borders of Peru and at 5,000km is almost half the distance of last year’s event.

“On paper, this does not look like a good Dakar for me,” said Loeb of the prospect of racing over sand.

“But I will drive the way I know how.

It will be complicated for us because of the sand dunes—they are not my strong point.”

Loeb, 44, drove for the Peugeot factory team in the last three Dakar races with a best finish of second spot in 2017.

The French manufacturer may now have called time on their desert raid involvement but Loeb will still enjoy a familiar feel behind the wheel in Peru as he pilots a private Peugeot entry instead.

He will be attempting to become the first privateer to win the Dakar since Jean-Louis Schlesser back in 2000.

“I am coming with a private team to have fun. I also told myself that we don’t often have the opportunity to race in places like this,” he said.

“Doing it as a private entry means a different approach, it’s cooler and more relaxed and I am happy to share the experience with Daniel Elena (his long-time co-driver).”

Last year, Loeb failed to finish the Dakar which was won by Peugeot teammate—and fellow former world rally champion—Carlos Sainz who this year heads up Mini’s challenge. AFP

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Raptors cool off red-hot Pacers L

OS ANGELES —Norman Powell scored 23 points and Kyle Lowry returned from injury to tally 12 as the Toronto Raptors snapped the Indiana Pacer’s sixgame NBA win streak with a 121-105 victory on Sunday.

Pascal Siakam finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka scored 18 as the Raptors won—despite missing Kawhi Leonard, who sat out to get some rest.

The four-time all-star Lowry also dished out eight assists after missing the last 10 of 11 games due to back and thigh problems. He played 32 minutes and shot four-of-10, going two-for-six from beyond the arc in front of a crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena.

“Good to be out there with my guys,” Lowry said. “It felt good to be able to help them get a win.”

Danny Green scored 15 points and

equalled his season high with five three pointers as Toronto returned from a victory in Milwaukee on Saturday to win their fifth consecutive contest at home.

The Raptors nailed 17 of 33 from threepoint range, one shy of their season best.

“He’s a big piece of what we’re trying to do here,” Powell s a i d of Lowry. “It seemed like he hasn’t missed a beat.”

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, Domantas Sabonis had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Victor

Oladipo scored 16 points for Indiana, who have lost 14 of their last 16 against Toronto.

The Pacers last win in Toronto was in 2013.

“This is a tough place to play,” said Pacers coach Nate McMillan. “We haven’t had success here in a number of years. We never really established that we could stop them.”

Thaddeus Young scored 14 points and Darren Collison had 11 in the loss.

Toronto made six of nine three pointers to take a 37-35 lead at the end of the first quarter. Powell scored 10 points in the second and Toronto led 70-63 at halftime.

Ibaka delivered 10 in the third as the Raptors took a 96-84 lead into the fourth.

Elswhere, Bradley Beal scored 25 points as the Washington Wizards thumped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-98 despite a triple-double from Russell Westbrook.

Otto Porter had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, Jeff Green scored 16 points and Tomas Satoransky added 15

Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors passes the ball behind the back against the Indiana Pacers at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. AFP

Eagles edge Bears; Chargers oust Ravens CHICAGO—Defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia edged the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Chargers ousted Baltimore from the championship chase in two NFL playoff thrillers Sunday.

Bears kicker Cody Parkey clanked a 43-yard field goal attempt off the left upright and crossbar with five seconds remaining as the Eagles sealed a 16-15 victory at Chicago.

“It came down to the wire. We were just hoping for a miss,” said Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.

“The big thing is we saw some adversity in the first half with a couple turnovers but no one loses faith. We were able to rally behind our defense and we were able to get the win.”

The Chargers seized a 20-point lead but needed a turnover in the final seconds to thwart a Ravens fightback and claim a 23-17 first-round triumph at Baltimore.

“Our defense was unbelievable,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said.

“We couldn’t get anything but field goals early on offense but we finally got it done. It was a great team win.”

The Eagles booked a trip to top seed

New Orleans next Sunday with the other National Conference playoff matchup sending the Dallas Cowboys to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

The Chargers have a second-round date next Sunday at New England while top seed Kansas City will entertain the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the other American Conference contest.

Mitch Trubisky drove Chicago 80 yards and connected with Allen Robinson on a 22-yard touchdown pass for a 15-10 Bears lead with 9:04 remaining, but Chicago failed on a 2-point conversion run.

Foles, last year’s Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, drove the Eagles to Chicago’s 2-yard line, where the NFL’s stingiest defenders at allowing points denied two runs and a pass to set up a tensionpacked fourth-down all-or-nothing play.

Foles hit Golden Tate with a 2-yard touchdown pass for a 16-15 Eagles lead with 56 seconds remaining but a 2-point conversion run failed, giving Chicago a final chance.

“I just waited on my opportunity. I just tried to make a play and it worked out,” Tate said.

“A great collective effort. We found a way.”

Parkey’s misery miss But the drama wasn’t over. Trubisky

marched the Bears downfield where Parkey was foiled the first time when the Eagles called timeout just before the snap to negate a kick he booted down the middle between the uprights.

On the next attempt, Parkey struck an upright for the fifth time this season and saw the ball bounce off the crossbar before falling on the wrong side for the Bears.

Jake Elliott’s 43-yard field goal had put the Eagles ahead only 5:23 into the game but Parkey answered from 36 and 29 yards for a 6-3 Bears half-time lead.

Foles tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter to put the Eagles in front 10-6.

The 83-yard, seven-play touchdown march was aided by two key penalties against Bears defenders, a third-down unnecessary roughness call on Adrian Amos sustaining the drive and a 33-yard pass interference call against Prince Amukamara, a cornerback of Nigerian heritage, putting the ball at the Chicago 10-yard line.

But the Bears rallied to reclaim the lead, starting with Parkey’s 34-yard field goal with 14:13 remaining to pull Chicago within 10-9. AFP

Peugeot’s French driver Sebastien Loeb leaves the car in Lima, ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally, which this year will take place in Peru from January 6 to 17. AFP

for the Wizards in the win.

“It has to be up there, there’s no question,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks.

“We battled. We played against one of the best teams in basketball. They’ve got a lot of talent. They’ve got three all-stars on the floor and I think we battled them and did a lot of things well.”

Westbrook finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season and the 116th of his career.

Paul George scored 20 points and Jerami Grant added 17 for the Thunder, who had their modest three-game winning streak halted.

The Wizards went on a 15-2 run in the third to take a 80-69 point lead late in the quarter.

Sam Dekker’s reverse dunk put the Wizards up 96-81 with about 10 minutes left and later Green stretched the lead to 20 points with another three pointer. AFP

Schauffele roars back to seize golf lead LOS ANGELES—Xander Schauffele made two eagles in a remarkable 11-under par 62 on Sunday to seize victory in the US PGA Tour Tournament of Champions by one stroke from Gary Woodland.

Schauffele started the day five shots off Woodland’s lead and opened with a bogey on the par-73 Plantation course in Kapalua, Hawaii.

He birdied four of his next five holes before chipping in for his first eagle of the day at the ninth.

He holed out for an eagle from 107 yards out in the fairway at 12, birdied 14 and 15 and capped his round with back-to-back-birdies to edge his fellow American, who had led four-time major winner Rory McIlroy by three strokes coming into the final round.

“Honestly, it was a crazy day,” Schauffele said after signing for a 23-under total of 269.

Woodland had five birdies in his 68 for 270.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, meanwhile, could get nothing going in the final round of his first appearance at the event, which is open only to winners of tour events the previous season.

He carded a one-under par 72 that left him tied for fourth, eight shots off the pace. He finished on 277 alongside American Dustin Johnson and Australian Marc Leishman.

Justin Thomas carded a 65 to finish alone in third on 274.

While the expected duel between Woodland and McIlroy, playing together in the final group, never materialized, Schauffele provided plenty of drama.

The 25-year-old admitted that even after birdies at the third, fifth, sixth and seventh holes he wasn’t looking much at the leaderboard, since he started the day so far back.

His chip-in for eagle at the ninth boosted him into second place, just one shot back.

But Woodland made his second birdie of the day at the ninth to push the margin back to two, and gave himself more breathing room with a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-three 11th.

Schauffele promptly eagled the 12th, regained a share of the lead with a birdie at 14 and took the solo lead for the first time with a birdie at 15. AFP

Bullpups nip Junior Archers KIER Napolitano’s first-half goal powered National University to a 1-0 win over De La Salle-Zobel to vault on top of the table Sunday in the UAAP Season 81 juniors football tournament at the FEU-Diliman pitch.

Napolitano scored his third goal of the season in the 17th minute to help the Bullpups open their second round campaign by getting their third win, while keeping the Junior Archers winless.

With 11 points, NU is one clear of defending champion Far Eastern University-Diliman, which drew an opening second-round bye.

In the other match, Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas battled to a 1-1 standoff to share points.

Jethro Noel Paraso struck in the 78th minute for the Blue Eaglets before the Tiger Cubs equalized five minutes later courtesy of Kyler Ken Escobar.

Ateneo moved up to eight points in third place, while UST now has four points.

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

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

Sports

2 Fil-Ams complete Mighty Sports five

The four gold medal winners in the Indonesia Asian Games, namely weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (left, inset), skateboarder Margielyn Didal (center, inset), and the golfing trio of Bianca Pagdagangan, Yuka Saso and Lois Kaye Go (above), are the top nominees for the PSA’s highest award.

Asiad gold medalists lead Athlete of Year nominees

T

HE best of Philippine sports will be honored once again as the Philippine Sportswriters Association is set to recognize the top achievers of 2018 during its Annual Awards Night next month.

The traditional gala will be held on Feb. 26 at the Manila Hotel, with the handing out of the Athlete of the Year award serving as the highlight of the affair.

The PSA Board, led by president Dodo Catacutan of SPIN.ph, already deliberated on several nominees for the group’s top honor and other various awards to be given out on this night of

remembering and celebration.

The four gold medal winners in the Indonesia Asian Games emerged as the top nominees for the Athlete of the Year award. They are weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, and the golfing trio of Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Lois Kaye Go. The four gold medals the young Fili-

pina quartet won were the most for the country since bagging the same number of golds during the 2006 edition of the Asiad in Doha, Qatar.

Last year, world champions Jerwin Ancajas (boxing), Krizziah Lyn Tabora (bowling), and Carlo Biado (billiards) were the recipient of the PSA Athlete of the Year plum.

Composed of editors, sportswriters, and columnists from print (broadsheet and tabloid), and online media, the PSA will also be naming its regular President’s Award, Executive of the Year, National Sports Association of the Year, and Lifetime

Gin Kings look forward to healthy ‘19 campaign

Key Ginebra players, led

by Greg Slaughter, were in and out of the Gin Kings’ line-up the past year due to various injuries.

By Jeric Lopez LAST season, Barangay Ginebra went to war in the Philippine Basketball Association while dealing with pesky injuries left and right.

Key players such as Joe Devance, Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, Jervy Cruz, Art Dela Cruz and Sol Mercado, among others, were in and out of the Gin Kings’ line-up through the past year due to various injuries.

In the 2019 season, Ginebra is looking to once again contend as it is finally back in full force after quite some time.

According to team skipper LA Tenorio, the team is completely healthy with players like Cruz, Dela Cruz and Devance back in the fray. “’Yung long break gave us a lot of time to recover,” said Tenorio.

“Players who had injuries are now back healthy. Good start for us.”

Ginebra is already in its preparations for the coming Philippine Cup with everyone back in action.

The Gin Kings will be bannering an intact line-up as all of their key players were retained.

“Still the same team, same personnel. We just have to refocus again,” added the heady guard.

Last season, the Gin Kings were able to take the Commissioner’s Cup title before falling short of winning a third straight Governors’ Cup crown.

Achievement Award.

Also to be named are awardees as Mr. Basketball, Mr. and Ms. Volleyball, and Mr. Football.

The country’s sports fraternity, the oldest media group in the Philippines first established in 1949, will likewise be giving away Major Awards and Citations in various sports, the Tony Siddayao Awards and the MILO Junior Athletes of the Year, both being given to young top achievers.

Also to be recognized with a Posthumous honor are athletes, officials, and other personalities who passed away in 2018.

Thailand sacks coach after Asian Cup horror show ABU DHABI—Thailand has fired coach Milovan Rajevac following a humiliating 4-1 thrashing by India in their opening Asian Cup game at the weekend.

The 65-year-old Serb, who took charge of Thailand in 2017, paid the price after the War Elephants conceded three second-half goals to slump to a shock defeat in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Thai football chiefs took a dim view of their Group A flop and acted swiftly to remove Rajevac the morning after.

“The result is not what is expected of the Thai national team and that our supporters deserve,” Thailand’s FA president Somyot Poompanmoung said.

“Like all Thai football fans across the country, I am also disappointed with the result. But as president of the football association, I cannot stand still with this problem.”

Former assistant coach Sirisak Yodyardthai will assume control of the team when they face Bahrain and hosts United Arab Emirates, Thai officials added.

Rajevac, who has had spells in charge of Algeria and Qatar, famously steered Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup where they were beaten on penalties by Uruguay.

But he was left shell-shocked by Thailand’s horror show against underdogs India, whose veteran striker Sunil Chhetri scored twice, overtaking Lionel Messi’s 65 international goals in the process.

Lamenting his side’s abject display, Rajevac admitted that India were worthy winners.

“They were phenomenal—they ran more, were more aggressive and wanted it more,” he said. “They absolutely de-

served to win. But we underperformed, especially in the second half.”

Rajevic has been criticized for his defensive style but the Serb clearly felt otherwise after watching Thailand overrun by a hungry India side.

“It’s not always about technical ability and skill on the ball,” he said. “We lacked power, strength and aggression.

We need to put more pressure on the ball and show more passion.”

Thailand, appearing for the first time since co-hosting the Asian Cup in 2007, have now won just one of 21 games at the continent’s showcase competition.

Cricket-mad India find themselves as unlikely leaders of Group A thanks to their first Asian Cup win in 55 years.

The Emiratis were held 1-1 by Bahrain in Saturday’s curtain-raiser. AFP

TWO promising Fil-Am players complete the Mighty SportsPhilippine team that is seeking redemption in the 2019 Dubai International Basketball Championship slated Feb. 1 to 9.

Jeremiah Gray and Roosevelt Adams are expected to provide additional firepower and stability to the team that will be handled by coach Charles Tiu. The 6’4” Gray recently broke Dominican University of California’s single-season scoring record in the NCAA Division II with 509 points —a feat that enabled him to secure a spot in the All-PacWest Third Team.

The addition of the 6’5” Adams likewise firms up the team’s backcourt crew since he’s also a good outside shooter.

“These two Fil-Am players are welcome additions to the team and we are hopeful they can easily adapt to the system of coach Charles,” said Mighty Sports co-team owner Alex Wongchuking.

Both Wongchuking and Tiu expressed confidence the team backed by Healthcube and Go For Gold will fare better this time after winning only once in its initial foray in the event that has lured some of the toughest teams from the Arab nations.

“The tournament is one of toughest events in the Middle East, but we’re hopeful we will perform better this time,” said Wongchuking, who co-owns the team with brother and long-time amateur basketball patron Caesar.

Spearheading the team are NBA veteran and former LA Lakers star Lamar Odom, Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee and Chinese Basketball Association import Randolph Morris.

Other members of the team are ex-Ginebra player Jett Manuel, Gab Banal, Joseph Yeo, University of the Philippines playmaker Juan Gomez de Liano, La Salle forward Santi Santillan, and College of St. Benilde’s Justin Gutang.

Tiu, however, is still looking for another ‘big’ to fortify their frontcourt rotation knowing full well that will be up against taller and heftier rivals.

Arellano U tossers make semifinals ARELLANO University waylaid Emilio Aguinaldo College, 25-19, 25-11, 25-8, to advance to the semifinals, even as Perpetual Help slammed Mapua, 25-22, 25-17, 25-15, to reenter the Top Four in the women’s division of the 94th NCAA volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City yesterday.

Last year’s Finals MVP Regine Anne Arocha did most of the heavy lifting as she uncorked a match-best 14 points she highlighted with nine spikes and four service aces as the Lady Chiefs grabbed their seventh win in row, while assuring themselves of a spot to the Final Four.

Or the defending champion could leapfrog straight to the best-of-three finale if it could beat Perpetual Help on Thursday and San Beda, AU’s finals victim last year, on Jan. 15.

Cindy Imbo led her team with 12 hits as the Lady Altas jumped to a share of fourth spot with the San Sebastian Lady Stags.

In the men’s section, AU survived a stubborn EAC, 25-13, 25-18, 27-29, 16-25, 16-14, to claim solo No. 2 with a 6-1 card.

Christian dela Paz unloaded 16 points, while Kim Vincent Tan and Jesrael Liberato chipped in 14 and 13 hits, respectively, as the Generals registered their sixth triumph in seven games, while inching closer to solo leader Perpetual Help (5-0).

EAC captain Joshua Mina and Joshua Ramilo unleashed 23 and 22 points, respectively, and ignited the comeback but couldn’t deliver when their team needed them the most in the end.

EAC slipped to their third setback against five wins but remained at No. 4.

In juniors’ play, EAC surprised AU, 25-14, 25-20, 25-19, to improve to 3-5.

The Junior Chiefs skidded to 4-3.

IN BRIEF

PH-Europe free trade agreement hits snag THE Philippines may have a hard time negotiating for a free trade agreement with the European Union, an official of the Department of Trade and Industry said Monday.

The EU Parliament, according to the official, was having doubts on forging a trade agreement with the Philippines because of several “problematic” areas and socio-civic issues.

“The EU Commission cannot schedule the third of negotiation lest they be questioned by the parliament,” the official said.

The Philippines, however, is confident that Manila and the European Union will hurdle the difficulties and sign and a long-term and mutually-beneficial trade agreement.

In a recent trade mission to the EU, the Philippines conveyed to the European Parliament’s Delegation that Philippine economy was now on a high growth trajectory and offered positive prospects for EU investors. Othel V. Campos

Business

SEC: Coin offerings by foreign firms OK THE Securities and Exchange Commission is open to allowing foreign companies to conduct an initial coin offering in the Philippines.

According to the revised draft rules on ICO, the SEC will allow registration of security tokens by non-resident foreign companies provided they are registered in another jurisdiction The SEC at the same time wants foreign companies to submit proof that the security tokens were registered in another jurisdiction and before they are allowed to make an ICO. However, if a foreign company planning to conduct an ICO in the Philippines, but whose security tokens have not been previously registered with other jurisdictions, will be required to establish a Philippine branch office.

Jenniffer B. Austria

GOOGLE-SMART PARTNERSHIP. Smart Wifi is teaming up with Google to bring free internet services to the Philippines, providing more Filipinos access to world-class Wi-Fi connectivity. Shown during PLDT executives’ visit to Google headquarters in Silicon Valley to sign the Google Station deal are (front row, from left) PLDT senior vice president and head of Smart Enterprise business group Jovy Hernandez, PLDT and Smart chief revenue officer and ePLDT president and chief executive Eric Alberto, Google chief business officer for Next Billion Users Initiative David Shapiro and Google head of business development for Next Billion Users Sumeet Sharma. With them are other top executives of PLDT and Google.

Aboitiz shuts 242-MW diesel plant in Navotas A

By Alena Mae S. Flores

BOITIZ Power Corp. said subsidiary Therma Mobile Inc. decided to mothball a 242-megawatt bunker C-fired diesel power plant in Navotas City after it failed to secure a power supply agreement.

Aboitiz Power said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it notified Manila Electric Co. it would physically disconnect from the power distributor’s system and deregister as a trading participant in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market effective Feb. 5, 2019.

“This is due to TMO’s commercial inactivity since June 26, 2018, following the absence of an approved power supply agreement. After evaluating the circumstances and the options available, TMO decided to mothball its bunker C-fired diesel power plants,” Aboitiz Power said.

TMO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp. through Therma Power Inc., its holding company for thermal energy investments.

It said notices would be sent to Philippine Electricity Market Corp., Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc., Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission, following the notice requirements under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, its implementing rules, and other relevant rules and regulations.

Aboitiz Power chief operating officer

270 gas stations start collecting higher excise tax

By Alena Mae S. Flores MORE than 270 retail stations implemented the second tranche of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law for petroleum products as of Jan. 5, the Energy Department said Monday.

This developed as oil companies also implemented higher oil prices of P0.80 per liter for gasoline, P0.70 per liter for diesel and P0.40 per liter for kerosene effective Tuesday 6 a.m.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said 268 stations implemented the higher excise tax for gasoline and diesel at P2.24 per liter (including value added tax) as of Jan. 5, but the number increased by an additional six stations in the morning of July 7.

“It’s a moving target,” Fuentebella said, adding the department took mea-

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

B1

Higher gold prices lifted GIR to $78.5b in December

DICT eyes subsidies on common towers THE Department of Information and Communications Technology plans to grant subsidies to common tower companies that will build cellular towers in underserved and unserved areas.

DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said at least three tower companies had shown interest in signing an agreement with the agency to build more cell sites across the country.

ISOC Infrastructure Inc. was the first to sign an agreement with DICT in December, while at least three others were expected to follow suit.

The agreement will pave the way for the DICT to support a common tower company in facilitating permits, right of way, and provide other government support for infrastructure if it secures a contract with any of the telco operators.

The agreement will take effect for a period of 12 months from signing.

Darwin G. Amojelar

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

sures to prevent abuse and ensure fair and effective implementation of the taxation scheme.

The retail stations which began implementing the higher excise tax were Petron Corp. and Flying V mostly in the Luzon area. These stations comprised about 3 percent of the 8,006 retail stations nationwide.

“The Department of Energy is mandated to ensure that the pricing of oil products is carried out within the parameters of the Train Law,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said in a statement.

“Over the process of the implementation of the first tranche of the Train law, we have reached out to our stakeholders, especially the oil companies for their cooperation and we will continue our coordination with them throughout

the second tranche,” Cusi said.

He said the department would be more vigilant in monitoring the implementation of the second tranche of the Train law for petroleum products.

“We will ensure the fuel stocks for 2018 will be utilized first and sold at the pre-implementation prices,” Cusi said.

Under the second tranche of Train law’s implementation, an additional excise tax of P2 will be imposed per liter of diesel and gasoline and P1 per kilogram on cooking gas or LPG (excluding value added tax).

The agency said the increase in pump prices of petroleum products resulting from the imposition of the second tranche of fuel excise tax would still be smaller because of the offsetting effect of the rollbacks implemented last year and January 2019.

Emmanuel Rubio said that while the company decided to mothball the facility, “these are barges so we can relocate where they are needed.

Meanwhile, Science Park of the Philippines Inc., one of the country’s leading industrial estate developers, teamed up with Aboitiz Power for the energy needs of its newest project, the Light Industry & Science Park IV, a 212-hectare park situated in Malvar, Batangas.

LISP IV is part of a mixed-use development called Malvar Cybergreen, which includes commercial, institutional, and residential components. It retains about 35 percent of its original landscape to preserve its natural ecosystem that enhances the environmental quality of the park. It has numerous advantages including the ability to withstand the worst-recorded flooding in the area in a hundred years.

THE gross international reserves ended 2018 at $78.46 billion, surpassing the earlier projection of $76 billion for the year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said Monday.

Guinigundo said the reserves in December climbed from the $75.68-billion level recorded in November 2018.

He said the increase was due mainly to inflows arising from the BSP’s foreign exchange operations, net foreign currency deposits by the national government and revaluation gains from BSP’s gold holdings resulting from the increase in the price of gold in the international market.

“However, the increase in reserves was partially tempered by payments made by the national government for servicing its foreign exchange obligations,” he said.

“The end-December 2018 level of GIR continues to serve as an ample external liquidity buffer and is equivalent to 6.9 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income,” he said.

It was also equivalent to 5.8 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4 times based on residual maturity.

Net international reserves, which refer to the difference between the GIR and total short-term liabilities, also increased by $2.78 billion to $78.44 billion as of end-December 2018 from $75.66 billion in November.

The Bangko Sentral expects the GIR to settle at $77 billion this year, as the balance of payments would likely remain in deficit.

The revised projections of economic data showed that the BoP was expected to post a lower deficit of $3.5 billion this year, from the projected $5.5-billion shortfall last year.

Julito G. Rada

Govt task force endorses P25-b medium-term Boracay action plan THE Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force adopted the Medium-Term Boracay Action Plan on Dec. 21, formally laying out programs for the island’s rehabilitation, the National Economic and Development Authority said Monday.

Neda said the task force would install safeguards from ecological degradation and sustain tourism activities in Boracay. These programs and activities would be implemented following Boracay’s six-month closure from April to October 2018.

“It primarily provides the strategic interventions to ensure the island’s rehabilitation over the medium term and sustainable management over the long term,” Neda Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro said.

She said the plan embodied the stakeholders’ vision of a “secure and globally-competitive world-class tourism destination with a vibrant, productive and climate-resilient economy that is geared toward inclusive growth and anchored on the sustainable development of its innate natural resources.”

The plan has four thematic areas, namely: enforcement of laws and regulations, pollution control and prevention, rehabilitation and recovery of the ecosystem, and sustainability of island activities.

The proposed estimated total investment requirement for the plan is P25.27 billion for all thematic areas, including P16.21 billion (64 percent of the total) for infrastructure. Julito G. Rada

B2

Business

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rises for 4 straight day T th

HE stock market rose Monday for the fourth straight day after a blockbuster performance on Wall Street as US jobs data beat forecasts and the head of the Federal Reserve hinted at a slower pace of interest rate hikes.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 26.55 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,787.66 on a value turnover of P8.4 billion. Gainers beat losers, 126 to 82, with 38 issues unchanged. The PSEi surged to as high as 7,900.70 in early trading before profit taking capped the market gains.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fast-food chain, advanced 4.5 percent

to P323 on expectations that the lower inflation of 5.1 percent in December would boost household consumption.

Wilcon Depot Inc., a major retailer of construction supplies and materials, climbed 4.5 percent to P14.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which operates a casino on a reclaimed part of Manila Bay, rose 4.3 percent to P10.12, while conglomerate Ayala Corp. gained 4 percent to P998.

The rest of Asian markets rallied Monday. China’s move to make it easier for banks to lend also provided support to equities, while investors keep an eye on Beijing as negotiators begin talks to end a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

Dealers started the week on the front foot following a surge on Wall Street Friday that came after figures showed more than 300,000 US jobs were created in December, tempering recent concerns about growth.

Later that day, Fed boss Jerome Powell said the bank had no “pre-set” plan for raising borrowing costs and was keeping a close watch on financial developments.

“We’re listening... sensitively to the message that markets are sending and we’ll be taking those downside risks into account as we make policy going forward,” he told a gathering of economists.

The news was music to the ears of traders, who have been fretting that the Fed would press on with its rate hike cycle, making it more expensive to borrow for investment.

The comments saw the Dow pile on more than three percent while the Nasdaq was more than four percent higher.

They also overshadowed the budget gridlock on Capitol Hill that has shut down the US government, with Donald Trump warning it could go on for years if he is not given funding to build a wall

on the Mexican border.

And the gains filtered through to Asia, where Tokyo’s Nikkei ended 2.4 percent higher, while Sydney gained 1.1 percent and Seoul jumped 1.3 percent.

Taipei surged more than two percent and Jakarta gained 0.7 percent.

Hong Kong added 0.6 percent and Shanghai finished 0.7 percent higher, with buying also boosted by news that the People’s Bank of China had cut the amount of cash banks must keep in reserve.

The move aims to free up funds for lending in a bid to grease the economy’s wheels following a string of weak data that has raised questions about the outlook.

There was also some optimism as Chinese and US officials kicked off talks to find a solution to the trade war that has seen the two sides impose tariffs in hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.6 28,700 93 2,523,390 2.18 33,000 129.5 1,519,950 1.46 82,000 27.8 131,700 7.58 100 16.2 1,000 12.68 1,085,800 4.5 296,000 0.64 64,000 1.47 3,000 0.47 130,000 82.5 2,566,670 0.95 8,062,000 12.86 18,700 43.95 692,400 180 1,830 59.55 18,990 29.4 174,100 163.4 921,090 64.4 57,020 1.16 50,000

1,707,675 238,993,565.50 71,810 199,715,492 118,180 3,654,405 758 16,200 13,741,898 1,331,050 44,960 4,320 63,000 214,147,032 7,604,210 232,900 30,430,490 329,051 1,110,849 5,036,470 151,563,044 3,672,428.50 58,000

1,610,325 28,559,824 -5,582,078 -1,635,680 758 -3,951,708 90,700 43,643,517.50 -1,798,030 -13,895,300 8,950 -16,056,737 -2,800,517 -

35.5 16.68 1.04 1.27 0.249 92 1.97 15.48 159.5 30.9 16.2 38.55 59.3 1.73 6.5 6.35 11.16 15.08 8.3 7.18 20.45 66.05 25 2.07 5.79 11.12 1.87 309 45 3.17 8.91 26.45 10.9 18.1 380.8 0.176 1.38 3.68 7.76 5.5 9.1 1.15 10.74 47.4 5.93 4.8 1.94 2.8 1.48 11.88 81.8 5.9 0.87 129.3 1.87 1.6

INDUSTRIALS 35.6 1,129,000 16.84 605,700 1.09 5,098,000 1.3 1,733,000 0.255 1,170,000 92 2,360 2 26,330,000 15.78 469,800 160.2 1,440 31.3 237,400 16.98 500 39 1,200 59.3 210 1.77 49,000 6.74 79,400 6.35 79,200 11.36 3,042,900 15.12 370,900 8.36 600,800 7.34 245,000 20.45 2,784,300 67.5 60,290 25 41,300 2.1 3,059,000 5.8 958,600 11.5 2,049,900 1.95 737,000 323 1,004,160 45 200 3.26 16,000 8.91 8,800 27.5 584,800 11 710,900 18.22 3,834,000 380.8 320,370 0.176 100,000 1.4 16,273,000 3.71 679,000 7.76 3,481,400 5.78 367,300 9.1 19,200 1.3 68,320,000 10.8 51,100 47.5 683,400 6 592,900 4.85 462,000 1.99 125,000 2.84 34,000 1.54 903,000 12.22 241,100 82.9 242,110 6.07 793,100 0.89 62,000 130.5 2,729,650 1.88 6,734,000 1.62 5,285,000

40,348,750 10,176,318 5,498,620 2,271,010 292,630 219,929.50 52,699,980 7,414,676 230,511 7,393,340 8,412 46,625 12,533 87,110 533,111 505,529 34,440,244 5,608,444 5,045,136 1,778,019 58,902,945 4,063,514 1,038,900 6,423,770 5,564,147 23,576,374 1,420,060 322,676,272 9,000 51,110 78,408 15,762,135 7,856,676 70,116,534 124,031,140 17,600 23,119,320 2,515,560 27,192,262 2,115,568 174,840 85,317,940 551,508 32,852,440 3,553,538 2,228,500 244,130 95,490 1,380,870 2,927,974 20,034,640.50 4,796,247 54,490 357,013,830 12,852,290 8,575,360

3,085,230.00 3,304,542 -58,300 -264,000 -24,359,450 364,694 -1,602 -3,928,485 44,750 -440,044 4,249,782 3,025,200 -1,628,165 580,531 16,065,840 333,264.50 570,000 378,660 -5,485,834 7,581,748 154,713,710 -1,522,365 -1,514,118 -23,331,676 -4,312,284 -10,515,270 -9,516,243 -46,592,390 -14,171,770 -1,932,350 -502,390 -1,214,764 -10,153,882.50 -110,999.00 -151,982,077 1,119,080 200,470

0.74 59.2 11.96 0.9 6.54 28.2 1.49 1.49 998 7.2 12.92 13.5 0.241 1,020 6 60.45 5.88 4.91 0.61 4.45 16.12 0.61 4.92 0.039 1.18 2.49 148.9 981 0.74 1.34 249.8 0.265 0.227

0.71 57.2 11.74 0.81 6.4 26.6 1.42 1.4 965 7.03 12.6 13.2 0.23 986 5.81 59.6 5.88 4.91 0.57 4.14 16.04 0.58 4.75 0.038 1.18 2.45 146 940 0.73 1.29 232 0.255 0.213

HOLDING FIRMS 0.72 23,034,000 57.2 1,020,350 11.8 12,914,500 0.81 1,343,000 6.4 102,000 27.4 78,400 1.46 10,737,000 1.44 10,888,000 998 781,940 7.11 569,000 12.6 5,163,300 13.24 783,100 0.241 640,000 986 111,400 5.86 26,100 60 2,628,960 5.88 1,000 4.91 1,000 0.59 316,000 4.31 8,000,000 16.04 4,249,900 0.61 456,000 4.75 22,156,000 0.038 6,900,000 1.18 40,000 2.49 531,000 146.5 361,120 940 328,330 0.74 51,000 1.34 199,000 249.8 6,110 0.255 3,710,000 0.224 270,000

16,687,620 59,546,580 153,387,832 1,093,740 655,580 2,138,925 15,695,690 15,440,880 773,563,980 4,067,124 65,661,158 10,438,992 153,410 111,593,980 153,094 158,183,503.50 5,880 4,910 186,860 34,249,720 68,300,110 271,540 106,807,130 262,300 47,200 1,315,370 53,146,151 315,327,245 37,690 260,440 1,470,944 963,450 60,300

621,450 4,855,466 -122,218,330 642,500 8,250 -10,927,220 361,376,000 1,095,442 -23,887,764 763,738 23,447,440 23,944 38,621,366 -6,027,800 -4,858,056.00 154,580 3,144,500 -3,317,810 11,410,885 22,940 -

8.6 0.86 1.74 1 45 2.47 4.3 6.45 0.45 0.93 0.248 0.39 7.96 21.25 0.49 0.111 1.48 1.2 5.02 0.49 0.47 2.31 0.43 3.58 22.4

8.4 0.82 1.7 0.97 43.8 2.41 4.22 5.82 0.44 0.89 0.24 0.36 7.9 19.84 0.485 0.111 1.44 1.14 4.83 0.465 0.46 2.24 0.415 3.54 21.2

7,285,116 2,611,900 511,020 4,739,340 755,678,710 4,506,960 2,116,670 25,338 3,860,200 562,750 238,190 1,357,550 416,652 56,650,817 388,100 33,300 17,330,230 3,771,210 265,712,560 25,445,650 290,200 13,818,850 974,050 1,436,620 69,259,490

4,363.00 83,000 98,000 332,553,815 -1,498,200 -851,480 443,500 71,050 -1,586 -5,774,977.00 -329,800 -6,770,050 -236,000 -11,901,540 -908,950 1,113,150 -332,000 -233,640 -5,252,025

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59 94 2.18 133 1.47 27.55 7.58 16.2 12.38 4.57 0.72 1.42 0.46 84 0.92 11.98 43 180 57.6 28.8 163.4 64.4 1.16

59.6 95.7 2.18 133.3 1.47 27.85 7.58 16.2 12.72 4.57 0.72 1.47 0.5 84.2 0.98 12.86 44.6 180 59.9 29.5 166.5 65 1.16

59 93 2.15 129.5 1.43 27.55 7.58 16.2 12.38 4.45 0.64 1.42 0.46 82.5 0.91 11.98 43 179 57.6 28.65 162.5 64.3 1.16

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

35.8 16.86 1.06 1.3 0.25 92 1.99 15.72 160 31.15 16.2 38.55 60 1.73 6.5 6.6 11.2 15.1 8.3 7.18 21.3 66.05 25.25 2.11 5.9 11.12 1.9 309 45 3.18 8.91 27.85 10.9 18.16 394.6 0.176 1.43 3.68 7.77 5.67 9.1 1.16 10.98 47.4 5.93 4.88 1.95 2.8 1.52 11.88 81.95 6.09 0.87 129.5 1.96 1.65

36 16.9 1.1 1.34 0.26 95 2.04 15.8 160.2 31.8 16.98 39.05 60 1.79 6.74 6.7 11.38 15.2 8.46 7.35 21.6 68.45 26 2.14 5.9 11.7 1.96 324.2 45 3.26 8.91 27.85 11.2 18.4 395 0.176 1.48 3.74 7.9 5.83 9.18 1.3 10.98 48.7 6.04 4.88 1.99 2.84 1.58 12.3 83.05 6.2 0.89 131.7 1.96 1.67

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

0.73 58.25 11.96 0.81 6.5 27.5 1.47 1.48 965 7.03 12.78 13.46 0.23 995 6 59.9 5.88 4.91 0.58 4.15 16.06 0.58 4.87 0.038 1.18 2.45 146 960 0.74 1.31 245 0.265 0.227

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND

8.4 0.85 1.71 1 43.8 2.42 4.25 6.45 0.445 0.89 0.248 0.38 7.9 19.9 0.49 0.111 1.46 1.17 4.83 0.465 0.47 2.31 0.43 3.55 21.7

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

2.03 3.12 38.55 1.38 5.75 0.71 5.65

2.03 3.18 39 1.43 5.75 0.73 5.72

1.98 3.12 38.5 1.36 5.63 0.7 5.6

2.02 3.15 38.95 1.41 5.75 0.73 5.69

999,000 107,000 19,640,500 5,950,000 343,700 335,000 5,202,900

2,013,160 336,790 765,314,790 8,312,540 1,965,747 238,000 29,546,028

85,250.00 275,245,890.00 -140,000 -7,801,693

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A 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

14.32 20.4 1.35 0.415 0.04 14.08 3.34 9.71 78.65 7.62 6.98 7.1 2.16 15.26 900 1,873 5.6 316 3.31 2.01 100 10.42 8.2 0.125 6.4 3.37 14.86 3.39 0.81 18.26 0.345 5.15 2.6 1.99 3.72 10 9 3.48 118 3.46 1,160 0.83 0.325 48 88 7.41 2.52 0.81 0.45 5.37 0.78 13.5

14.32 21.2 1.38 0.43 0.04 14.98 3.44 10.24 79.85 7.75 7.15 7.47 2.16 15.26 900 1,936 5.66 325 3.34 2.02 101.2 10.42 8.2 0.129 6.59 3.39 14.86 3.45 0.83 18.46 0.365 5.31 2.72 2.05 4.05 10.08 9 3.53 122.1 3.64 1,192 0.87 0.345 49.75 88 7.62 2.54 0.82 0.46 5.4 0.79 14.22

14 20.4 1.32 0.415 0.039 14.04 3.1 9.71 78.45 7.6 6.97 7.01 2.16 14.2 900 1,860 5.55 316 3.2 2 99.7 10.4 7.8 0.125 6.35 3.37 14.86 3.36 0.81 18.02 0.345 5.14 2.6 1.96 3.55 9.78 8.55 3.45 114.1 3.42 1,148 0.82 0.325 48 87 7.41 2.5 0.78 0.45 5.33 0.77 13.5

SERVICES 14.08 20.9 1.38 0.425 0.04 14.98 3.43 10.12 79.5 7.74 6.99 7.4 2.16 14.9 900 1,860 5.65 325 3.25 2.02 100 10.4 8.09 0.127 6.49 3.39 14.86 3.45 0.83 18.44 0.365 5.31 2.63 2.05 4.03 10.08 8.7 3.53 122 3.55 1,148 0.85 0.34 49.05 87 7.62 2.51 0.79 0.45 5.38 0.78 14

188,800 248,600 294,000 1,690,000 9,700,000 1,200 6,894,000 12,741,500 127,520 72,200 3,542,900 180,300 3,000 168,300 2,480 26,780 386,900 2,050 1,603,000 312,000 1,539,000 4,000 6,600 6,590,000 22,225,200 42,000 3,600 790,000 163,000 494,900 250,000 38,000 4,675,000 291,000 6,942,000 18,200 3,900 10,000 179,600 2,360,000 73,100 13,511,000 220,000 10,899,600 2,312,980 506,400 2,771,000 26,613,000 21,380,000 133,600 4,688,000 14,139,900

2,672,784 5,202,195 392,790 712,950 387,400 17,062 22,426,890 128,302,927 10,069,432.50 549,419 25,013,264 1,338,039 6,480 2,489,240 2,232,000 50,478,145 2,169,701 663,740 5,258,150 624,160 154,802,103 41,620 52,939 830,700 144,198,333 141,920 53,496 2,692,580 132,190 9,075,976 89,300 195,698 12,418,350 590,450 26,638,800 178,656 34,260 35,070 21,907,166 8,286,410 85,935,155 11,415,340 73,100 534,765,655 201,512,676.50 3,757,705 6,980,970 21,141,120 9,660,500 718,134 3,660,300 196,316,360

-89,284 16,600 1,078,470 40,575,326 3,537,534 -403,044 32,956 -18,000 -11,028,110 302,600 17,636,744 26,460 2,310,929 34,060 -429,508.00 1,239,880 -590,620 308,715 -2,276,440 259,455 15,800 316,030,300 -15,860,392.50 396,190 -3,863,590 240,300 133,272 97,691,444

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

0.002 1.7 2.68 16.5 1.3 2.11 0.3 7.92 1.69 0.207 0.123 0.13 0.007 1.28 2.44 1.1 0.66 1 0.013 0.013 0.013 3.39 3.78 16.2 24.7 0.0078

0.0021 1.72 2.8 16.76 1.3 2.15 0.305 7.97 1.7 0.22 0.126 0.132 0.007 1.31 2.51 1.11 0.66 1.04 0.013 0.013 0.013 3.4 4.14 16.46 25.3 0.0085

0.0019 1.67 2.68 15.9 1.3 2.08 0.29 7.39 1.67 0.205 0.119 0.12 0.0069 1.27 2.43 1.09 0.64 0.99 0.013 0.013 0.012 3.39 3.73 15.4 24.7 0.0072

MINING & OIL 0.0021 453,000,000 1.68 6,812,000 2.71 35,000 15.9 19,000 1.3 3,000 2.09 1,204,000 0.3 470,000 7.88 6,600 1.68 1,806,000 0.215 1,690,000 0.119 10,160,000 0.131 1,170,000 0.0069 12,000,000 1.28 512,000 2.43 7,114,000 1.1 221,000 0.65 1,096,000 1.01 393,000 0.013 4,700,000 0.013 100,000 0.012 3,900,000 3.4 101,000 4.12 14,509,000 15.48 2,561,500 24.9 1,712,400 0.0076 101,000,000

907,300 11,552,350 96,200 313,374 3,900 2,552,450 141,050 51,786 3,030,610 354,150 1,237,830 148,640 83,000 660,680 17,652,980 243,200 711,400 395,610 61,100 1,300 48,100 343,300 57,969,180 40,665,152 42,902,635 799,200

-1,591,830 -13,570 -12,720 -10,750 -815,820 978,120 4,233,270 771,608 -4,361,545 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H

18.7 456 500 98 96.5 103 480 5.4 900 1.02 98 999.5 1,003 100 971.5 75.9 77.2 72 74.9 72

19.48 460 500 99 96.5 104.7 480 5.49 900 1.02 100.8 999.5 1,003 100 971.5 75.9 77.2 72 74.9 72

18.7 456 500 98 95.8 103 480 5.4 900 1.01 98 980 1,002 100 970 75.85 76.5 72 72.3 72

PREFERRED 19 116,100 460 3,100 500 90 99 1,000 96.5 5,060 104.7 540 480 260 5.49 32,100 900 10 1.01 22,000 100.8 110 980 900 1,002 300 100 3,760 971 1,140 75.85 1,880 76.5 2,060 72 5,500 72.3 50 72 6,600

2,202,868 1,414,160 45,000 98,500 487,580 56,368 124,800 176,029 9,000 22,240 11,004 885,160 300,700 376,000 1,106,905 142,666.50 158,913 396,000 3,663 475,200

-1,817,478 4,825 -1,106,905 -

LR WARRANT

2.04

2.07

1.99

WARRANTS 2.06 179,000

363,150

-

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.15 1.77

5.59 1.79

5.06 1.73

5.42 1.79

10,913,185 11,046,310

-98,640 -233,630

FIRST METRO ETF

115.5

117.1

115.4

1,229,088

-

MS

PROPERTY 8.6 0.83 1.74 1 44.8 2.45 4.29 5.84 0.445 0.93 0.247 0.375 7.95 20.85 0.485 0.111 1.44 1.19 4.9 0.48 0.46 2.25 0.43 3.55 21.2

857,700 3,112,000 295,000 4,794,000 16,911,800 1,857,000 495,000 4,300 8,670,000 618,000 970,000 3,690,000 52,500 2,707,200 800,000 300,000 11,891,000 3,187,000 53,635,000 53,280,000 630,000 6,106,000 2,330,000 405,000 3,163,000

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES

18,462,617

INDUSTRIAL

165,815,292

HOLDING FIRMS

123,542,375

PROPERTY

213,512,766

SERVICES

182,571,535

MINING & OIL

627,241,704

GRAND TOTAL

1,339,480,482

SME

2,048,100 6,273,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 116.2 10,540

VALUE 1,789.80 (down) 23.81 873,680,891.05 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,358.82 (up) 108.91 1,469,517,150.87 HOLDING FIRMS 7,648.11 (up) 41.07 2,089,340,433.50 PROPERTY 3,939.75 (up) 62.39 SERVICES 1,495.44 (up) 12.03 2,047,532,429.59 MINING & OIL 8,900.98 (up) 28.83 1,722,378,638.90 PSEI 7,787.66 (up) 26.55 182,960,955.7283 All Shares Index 4,671.97 (up) 19.38 8,408,604,833.38 Gainers: 126; Losers: 828; Unchanged: 38; Total: 246

ABS-CBN, GMA both claim higher TV ratings

By Darwin G. Amojelar ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. on Monday both claimed higher nationwide television ratings throughout 2018.

The multimedia company owned by the Lopez Group said it topped all TV networks in urban and rural areas nationwide in 2018, gaining an average audience share of 45 percent for the whole year (excluding Holy Week) against GMA’s 32 percent, based on data from Kantar Media.

Multinational audience measurement provider Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

In 2018, ABS-CBN in 2018 was the network of choice by Filipinos in Metro Manila, where it scored an average audience share of 42 percent against GMA’s 26 percent.

ABS-CBN also started gaining ground last year in Mega Manila and capped off the year by registering an average audience share of 36 percent versus GMA’s 34 percent.

GMA Network, meanwhile, continued to lead in nationwide ratings throughout 2018 based on full year data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

From January to December, GMA tallied a 40.8-percent total day people audience share, which bested ABS-CBN’s 37.5 percent, in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement.

The network was also the most watched station in both Urban Luzon and Mega Manila—winning across all day parts including the hotly contested primetime block. Urban Luzon and Mega Manila respectively account for 76 percent and 59 percent of all urban viewers in the country.

Full year 2018 data showed GMA still kept a double-digit advantage in Urban Luzon with a 45.9-percent total day people audience share while its rival only managed to get 31.5 percent.

SEC warns public against investing in Angel Investor

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Securities and Exchange Commission warned against investing their hard-earned money in Angel Investor Group Inc., a company not authorized to solicit investments from the public.

The SEC said in an advisory while Angel Investor was registered in 2000, it did not have a secondary license that could enable it offer, solicit or sell investments or securities to the public.

An initial investigation gathered by the SEC showed that individuals or a group of persons representing Angel Investor were enticing the public to invest their capital in the company through the internet.

Angel Investors is reportedly promising investors 100-percent profit after one month plus 1,500 bonus share.

“Such activity requires secondary license from the commission and the securities of investment product should be registered with the SEC before they can be offered or sold to the public under Section 8 and 12 of the Securities Regulation Code,” the SEC said.

“In view thereof, the public is hereby advised to exercise caution before investing in these kinds of activities and to make the necessary precaution in dealing with Angel Investor Group Inc. or its presentative,” it said.

The SEC said those who act as agents involved in Angel Investor in convincing people to invest in the investment scheme might be held criminally liable and could face a penalty of P5 million or 21 years of imprisonment or both.

The SEC also warned those who invite or recruit people to join or invest in the venture or offer contracts to the public, saying they might also be held liable and and sanctioned or penalized.

The warning is the first advisory issued by the SEC this year against a company engaged in illegal activity.

The SEC in 2018 issued advisories against some 43 companies allegedly involved in the sale of securities or investment contracts through online without prior registration with the corporate regulator.

Some of the companies are also engaged in selling “virtual currency” through initial coin offerings, which is not yet allowed by the SEC.

World

B3

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cambodians hail anniversary of Khmer Rouge’s expulsion

RELIEF. In this photo taken on December 21, 2018, a paraglider prepares to take off from Ma On Shan peak in Hong Kong. With

most young Hong Kongers priced out of the city’s eye-watering property market—often living with parents in cramped flats well into their thirties—paragliding is one of a number of outdoor sports that offers release from the stress of the concrete jungle below. AFP

PHNOM PENH―Tens of thousands of Cambodians packed a stadium in Phnom Penh Monday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime―a day strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen called the country’s “second birthday”.

The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge, led

by Pol Pot, installed a reign of terror in 1975 that left two million Cambodians dead from starvation, hard labor, torture and mass executions.

It ended on January 7, 1979, when Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge cadre, led Vietnamese forces into the capital to expel the murderous regime.

The 66-year-old premier hailed the day as Cambodia’s “second birthday” at an elaborate ceremony in Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium, where he was joined by traditional Khmer apsara dancers and marching bands.

“Today we celebrate this ceremony in order to recall unforgotten memories of the most heinous crimes of Pol Pot’s group,” Hun Sen told the crowd, and thanked Vietnam for saving the country.

A UN-backed tribunal found two top

Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of genocide in a landmark ruling in November.

The feisty prime minister―who has ruled the country for 33 years―also took the opportunity to revisit history, hitting back at the countries that continued supporting the Khmer Rouge after its ouster.

“These countries ... boasted about humanitarian and human rights and democracy [but] unjustly blocked” when the people needed assistance from the international community, he said, without naming any specific nation.

After the regime was toppled in 1979, Hun Sen found his Vietnam-backed government caught between geopolitical forces as the US sought to keep the ousted Khmer Rouge at the table in the United Nations.

The Southeast Asian country in recent years has tilted towards China thanks to loans for infrastructure and few complaints on human rights issues.

Last July, his party won a much-criticized election handily, after his government dissolved the country’s main opposition group and jailed its leader― effectively turning Cambodia into a one-party state.AFP

Maduro defends his rule as legitimate

C

ARACAS― Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro defended his government’s legitimacy Sunday as his bid for a second six-year term has come under growing fire internationally and by the country’s oppositioncontrolled National Assembly.

But in another sign of turmoil around Maduro, who is to be sworn in Thursday, a Supreme Court judge and former ally appeared on US television to denounce last year’s election, having fled

the country.

“I have decided to leave Venezuela ... to disavow the government of Nicolas Maduro,” Christian Zerpa, who sat on a panel that deals with electoral issues, told EVTV Miami.

“It was not a free election, it was not a competitive election,” he said of last year’s vote, going on to accuse Maduro of manipulating the court.

News of the Zerpa’s defection came a day after the opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Maduro’s presidency to be illegitimate and called for a transitional government to organize democratic elections.

Responding on Twitter, Maduro declared: “Legitimacy has been given us by the people with their vote. To those who hope to break our will, make no mistake. Venezuela will be respected!”

Maduro was re-elected May 20 in presidential elections called by a regime-backed Constituent Assembly and boycotted by the opposition, many of whose best-known leaders were under house arrest or barred from running.

The United States, the European Union and a grouping of countries from the Western Hemisphere called the Lima Group have refused to recognize the election.

On Friday, Canada and 12 other Lima Group countries joined in calling for Maduro to step down and open the way for a transitional government formed by leaders of the National Assembly.

The US State Department issued a statement Saturday saying the United States stands with the National Assembly as “the only legitimate and last remaining democratically elected institu-

tion that truly represents the will of the Venezuelan people.”

On Sunday, the Venezuelan foreign ministry accused Washington of attempting “to consummate a coup d’etat ... in promoting the repudiation of legitimate and democratic institutions.”

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, said it has opened an investigation into Zerpa, over allegations he sexually harassed women who worked in his office.

The Supreme Court said the investigation dates back to November 2018, but it was only made public after the reports that the justice had fled to Florida.

Venezuelan journalists based in the US linked the defection to Maduro’s controversial attempt to remain in office for another six years.

Journalist Carla Angola, who said she

interviewed Zerpa, reported he was in Florida and was prepared to cooperate with US prosecutors investigating Venezuelan corruption and human rights violations.

Supreme Court president Maikel Moreno charged that Zerpa was the subject of numerous allegations of “indecorous and immoral conduct to the detriment of a group of women.”

The Supreme Court statement said he was being investigated for “sexual harassment, lascivious acts and psychological violence” against women in his office.

Moreno denied that the case exposes divisions within the court, which has acted consistently in line with the government.

“Far from separating us, it unites us,” he said. AFP

IN BRIEF Malaysia’s king abdicates

KUALA LUMPUR―Malaysia’s king abdicated Sunday in a historic first for the country that ended weeks of speculation about his future after he took medical leave and reportedly married a Russian ex-beauty queen.

Sultan Muhammad V’s decision marks the first time a king has stepped aside during his five-year term in the Muslim-majority country.

The national palace confirmed the resignation with immediate effect of the 49-year-old, who had been on the throne for two years and was known for his fondness for four-wheel driving and other extreme sports.

“His majesty tells the people of Malaysia to continue to be united to maintain unity, tolerance, and work together,” said a statement from the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

Malaysia’s Islamic rulers will now meet to decide on the next king.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, with a unique arrangement where the throne changes hands every five years between rulers of the nine Malaysian states headed by centuries-old Islamic royalty. AFP

Thousands stung in jellyfish ‘invasion’ SYDNEY―Highly venomous jellyfish have stung more than three thousand people on Australia’s northeastern shores in just a few days, authorities said Monday, forcing the closure of several beaches.

The massive influx of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish, whose stings are notoriously painful, has been described as an “invasion” by local media in the state of Queensland.

Coastguard association Surf Life Saving said a “whopping” 3,595 people had suffered painful burns after encounters with the creatures, also known as bluebottles for their transparent bluish appearance.

At least four major beaches remained closed as the organization warned that even more jellyfish were on their way.

“A wall of bluebottles is approaching #Rainbow beach. Lifesavers are closing the beach. Please stay out of the water,” read one of several warnings from Surf Life Saving.

Bluebottle stings are a frequent occurrence and it is not uncommon to hear howls of pain from changing rooms along Australia’s eastern beaches during the southern hemisphere’s summer.

But the sheer number of people stung in the last few days has surprised authorities. AFP

OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

A Vietnamese vegetable vendor attends a customer at a street in the early morning in Hanoi on January 7, 2019. AFP

Spacey due in court on sex assault claims NEW YORK―Actor Kevin Spacey was due in court Monday to appear before a judge on the tony destination island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, over accusations he sexually assaulted a teenager in 2016.

The “House of Cards” star had asked that his lawyers represent him at the hearing, but Judge Thomas Barrett declined, forcing Spacey to appear before him at 11:00 am (1600 GMT).

The formal charges come more than 13 months after the complaint was filed, and is part of the latest chapter in the #MeToo movement after the sentencing of actor Bill Cosby and the indictment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

The case marks the first time Spacey has faced charges, although there are dozens of claims against him.

The actor faces five years in prison if charged for repeatedly reaching down into the pants of a man identified as William Little, who was 18 at the time of the alleged assault in July 2016 at a Nantucket restaurant.

The young man had been working as a bus boy for the summer at the restaurant.

He had remained in the bar after his shift had finished to see Spacey, of whom he was a fan.

After meeting the actor and telling him he was 23 years old―the legal drinking age is 21 in Massachusetts―he said he started drinking first beer and then whiskey with Spacey at his urging.

Spacey then allegedly invited him back to his place, along with some other friends. The young man declined, suspecting the actor was trying to seduce him. But he stayed in the bar

in the hopes of getting a picture with Spacey.

It was then Spacey began sexually molesting the young man, according to court filings.

The two-time Oscar winner―for his supporting role in “Usual Suspects” in 1996 and his lead role in “American Beauty” in 2000―told the judge in a letter that he intends to plead not guilty.

Spacey, who was forced out of public life by accusations of sexual misconduct in 2017, posted a video online in December of himself speaking about allegations of sexual abuse in the character of Frank Underwood, the scheming politician he played in “House of Cards” before the show dropped him.

The message has several levels of interpretation, evoking both the destiny of Underwood, the lead character written off the show, and the claims against Spacey.

“You wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you? You wouldn’t rush to judgments without facts, would you? Did you? No, not you. You’re smarter than that,” Spacey said in the video.

“Of course, some believed everything and have been just waiting with baited breath to hear me confess it all. They’re just dying to have me declare that everything said is true and that I got what I deserved.

“Only you and I both know it’s never that simple, not in politics and not in life.”

Spacey was considered one of the finest actors of his generation, but his career nosedived following allegations of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men in the United States and Britain. AFP

Manila

Standard

TODAY Republic of the Philippines Province of Bohol MUNICIPALITY OF SEVILLA INVITATION TO BID

1.

The Municipality of Sevilla, Bohol through its Bids and Awards Committee, (BAC), invites Bidders to apply for Eligibility and to Bid for: Name of Project Project Description

: PURCHASE OF ONE (1) UNIT BRAND NEW 4 x 4 PICK UP TYPE VEHICLE (RESCUE SETUP) :

Purchase of one (1) unit brand new 4 x 4 pick-up type vehicle (rescue setup), with a low-sided open cargo hauler, and a passenger cab (extended/crew cab) accommodating up to 6 passengers including the driver, with 4 side doors designed to carry both passengers and cargoes, diesel-fed, with an engine displacement not exceeding 3000 cc, power-steering, manual transmission. Detailed Technical Specifications are found in Section VII of the Bidding Documents.

Location

: Poblacion, Sevilla, Bohol

Contract Duration

: 60 Calendar Days

Approved Budget for the Contract

: Php2,000,000.00

Fund Source

: Unutilized LDRRMF balances for 2013, 2014 & 2015 (70% Allocation for Preparedness and Mitigation per SB Resolution No. 16, series of 2018)

Bid Documents Fee

: Php 5,000.00

2.

Price quotations shall be FOB-Sevilla, Bohol, i.e., prices shall be inclusive of freight and handling costs, VAT, custom clearance charges and other related charges. The unit must be delivered to Sevilla, Bohol. Add-ons, if any, shall be for the account of the bidder/supplier. Contract duration shall be sixty (60) calendar days reckoned from the date of receipt of Notice to Proceed and Purchase Order.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure using non-discretionary pass/fail criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A. 9184 known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Only bids from Bidders who pass the eligibility check will be opened.

4.

The Municipal Government of Sevilla, through its Bids and Awards Committee, will hold a Pre-Bid Conference open to all interested bidders on January 26, 2019 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning at the Municipal Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Municipal Building, Poblacion, Sevilla, Bohol.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents in English may be purchased by any interested bidder or his duly authorized representative upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Five Thousand Pesos (Php5,000.00), Philippine currency. Bidding Documents will be available during office hours from January 8, 2019 to January 25, 2019at the BAC Secretariat, Office of the Municipal Accountant, Ground Floor, Municipal Hall, Sevilla, Bohol.

6.

Deadline for submission of bids will be on January 28, 2019 at 12:00 noon. Bidders may submit their sealed bids on or before the said time and date to the BAC Secretariat, Office of the Municipal Accountant, Ground Floor, Municipal Hall, Sevilla, Bohol. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the form indicated in the Bid Documents. LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

7.

Bid Opening shall be at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon on the 28th of January 2019 at the Municipal Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Municipal Building, Poblacion, Sevilla, Bohol.

8.

Bidders should have completed, within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single largest contract similar to the project to be bid with a value of at least 50% of the Approved Budget for the Contract, and must meet the other minimum eligibility requirements stated in the eligibility documents.

9.

All particulars relative to the Eligibility Requirements and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulation as Revised.

10.

The Municipal Government of Sevilla, Bohol reserves the right to accept or reject any bid or to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award. Likewise, the LGU assumes no responsibility or liability for any and all costs associated with the Bidder’s Participation in the bidding process regardless of its result.

Bids and Awards Committee.

(SGD.) JOCELYN M. DANO BAC Chairman Municipal Hall Poblacion, Sevilla, Bohol 09196680508 (MS-JAN. 8, 2019)

LGUs

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

B4

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

DILG names QC council ‘most outstanding’

By Rio N. Araja FOR three consecutive years, the Quezon City council has been hailed as the most outstanding Sangguniang Panlunsod in Metro Manila for its “progressive performance on legislating measures responsive to the needs of the community” by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte thanked the DILG for the 2018 Local Legislative Award for the Highly Urbanized Category at the regional level, saying the 37-member city council is committed to create ordinances in accordance with Mayor Herbert Bautista’s executive agenda.

“We would like to thank the DILG for this award. We credit the effort and hard work of our councilors,” Belmonte said.

She cited the passage of the Road Safety Code, Traffic Management Code, Dangerous Drugs Code, Responsible Gaming Ordinance, Comprehensive Socialized Housing Code, Revision of Fair Market Values and Batas QC among other important legislation.

Meanwhile, Bautista on Monday ordered the creation of a real-estate management and coordinating and monitoring committee to effectively and efficiently manage the locality’s private lands.

He issued Executive Order 9 to ensure the coordination and cooperation among concerned departments in real properties control and monitor the task implementation and performance.

The committee, Bautista said, shall assess and consider proposed projects or utilization of real properties, recommend improvement measures for the betterment of the management system, and propose legislative measures to make real properties management more effective and efficient.

Tboli crater lake closed to visitors GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The municipal government of Tboli in South Cotabato shut down the famed crater-lake of Holon to visitors starting Monday, in line with its annual rehabilitation.

The entire mountain lake and its environs were specifically declared off limits to trekking and other tourism-related activities for at least two months based on an executive order issued by Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan.

Tuan said the move is in compliance with the provisions of Municipal Ordinance No. 33, series of 2016, that sets the conservation and protection activities for the area’s tourism sites.

He said Section 20 of the ordinance provided for the “closing or cordoning off of certain areas of the cave, forest, lakes and others to visitors at certain times of the year or for several years to allow the ecosystem to breath or revert to its natural state.”

“This will give the lake some time to recuperate and allow us to implement some conservation initiatives,” he said in a radio interview.

Lake Holon, formerly known as Maughan, is the banner ecotourism destination of Tboli and draws thousands of local and international visitors annually.

It is part of the area’s ecotourism circuit, which includes the Bakngeb Cave in Barangay Laconon, Lamhaku Hot Spring in Barangay Lamhaku, and Hidak Falls and Hikong Kemebel in Barangay Kematu.

Tuan’s order did not cite the specific date for the reopening of the lake but noted that it will be made before the opening of the town’s Seslong Festival in March. PNA

Officials of BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, and its partner, the Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc. (FTI), mark the turnover of 100 typhoon-resilient resettlement homes in Sta. Fe, Leyte before Christmas 2018. The foundation also built a multipurpose hall in the village (inset) to support the livelihood activities of the beneficiaries.

NUJP hits Red link, Joma ‘supervision’ A

FORMER member and organizer of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Monday asserted his knowledge of the “direct communication and supervision” of Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison on the newsmen’s group.

The statement came about a week after the same source, who called himself “Ka Ernesto” but did not divulge his real identity, made headlines in local tabloids and regional newspapers for calling out the “deceit and lies” of the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, ahead of the communist group’s 50th anniversary last Dec. 26.

In a statement also issued Monday, the NUJP disowned their supposed member and denounced the continued efforts in linking them to the communist revolutionary movement, saying the tagging “is part of an orchestrated effort to intimidate them into silence.”

NUJP officers found themselves answering requests for interviews from community news outfits around the country, soliciting reactions to charges by the so-called Ka Ernesto.

When the union asked where the story originated from, the community outfits invariably pointed to banner stories carried by a number of Manila-based tabloids— Police Files Tonite, Bagong Bomba and Saksi Mata ng Katotohanan—which carried the exact same headline: “NUJP pinamumunuan ng CPP-NPA-NDF” (NUJP headed by CPP-NPA-NDF), the

latter initials referring to the National Democratic Front, which Sison heads.

“It is hilarious that they keep repeating these charges since the NUJP’s membership represents a broad spectrum of creeds and political beliefs bound by a common dedication to defending and expanding the bounds of freedom of the press and of expression,” the newsmen’s group statement read. “But, as they say, stupid is as stupid does.”

Ka Ernesto, who requested that his full name not be made public for the sake of his personal safety as well as his family’s, said the link between NUJP and CPP “is part of a collective effort of people from the communist organization supervised by a certain RSV, the group’s political officer.”

He said the NUJP has a direct link with the Utrecht-based Sison and the communist leadership because of a “special operation” the journalists are supposedly spearheading—that is, to shield members of the NPA who are getting arrested.

Being a “longtime member” of the CPP, Ka Ernesto said he is a witness of the communications and dialogues of “RSV” and a certain “JMS” on Facebook Messenger and other social media chat apps, and claimed to have deciphered messages

of those communications.

He said he has been with the movement for a long time and he can attest to the fact that the operations and leanings of NUJP are being manipulated by the communist group.

Ka Ernesto claimed to be a pioneer of the NUJP and had been active in recruiting and influencing laborers to form union groups in different newspaper companies.

He said he started out as a youth organizer for the College Editors Guild of the Philippines and became editor-in-chief of a college paper of a known university in Metro Manila.

He added that he did finish his college degree after he was convinced by the CPP to go full time in the group’s “legal point.”

This is the second time in a few weeks the NUJP has been linked to the rebels since a certain Mario Ludades, claiming to be one of the founders of the CPP, accused the group of being a “legal front” of the underground movement in stories run by several outfits on Dec. 26, incidentally the 50th anniversary of the CPP. Ka Ernesto, however, said the CPP “will get back at him” since he had been speaking of the “wrongdoings” of the communist group.

He said he spent 12 years as the movement’s organizer of youth for the CPP and as a fact-finding journalist in areas where the NPA is being defeated by government troops during encounters.

There is no way the communists can oust President Rodrigo Duterte who enjoys a very high trust and approval ratings from the people, Ka Ernesto added.

Top paper highlights prolific Nueva Vizcaya women writers

By Ben Moses Ebreo THE recognition of women as prolific writers in Nueva Vizcaya and Cagayan Valley inspired Dr. Lovella GamoniaVelasco, a professor of the Nueva Vizcaya State University Bambang campus to focus her research paper.

Her research paper, “Ubbog Ti Asin: Kuwento at Kwenta ng mga Babaeng Mannurat,” exposes and recognizes the contribution of literary women writers in

SCHOOL PROJECT. Teachers of the Bacongco National High School in Barangay

Assumption in Koronadal City pose with members of Koronadal National Comprehensive High School Batch 83 prior to the start of the later’s outreach program ceremony. More than 100 students—who mostly have to walk almost 9 kilometers daily to reach the school— benefited from the feeding program. They also received school supplies and kitchen utensils from KNCHS Batch 83.

the province.

For her research, she received the highest Gawad Julian Balmaseda award in 2017, including a cash prize.

The award was given by the Commission on the Filipino Language or Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) at the Bulwagang Romualdez at the KWF office in Manila.

Velasco said her book will be formally published on January this year by the KWF.

It also narrates the grief of local legend mountain princess “Yumina” due to the death of her husband “Gumined.

As the legend goes, before Yumina took her life, she asked the gods to cover their bodies with salt – or so goes the gist of the legend of the Salinas Salt Spring, one of the forgotten natural attractions in Bambang.

The spring’s salt flow, however, was destroyed during the 1990 earthquake and has since ceased to become a tourist attraction.

PCCI BICOL AID. The national leadership of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the largest business organization in the country, have spearheaded a relief drive for typhoon victims in Bicol to help them get back on their feet. Photo shows PCCI president Ma. Alegria “Bing” Sibal Limjoco (2nd from left) handing over a check for relief assistance to PCCI governor for Region 5 Clarine Tobias (center), with PCCI honorary chairman and treasurer and Philexport president Dr. Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. (left), PCCI chairman for CSR Nora Lacuna (2nd from right), and PCCI honorary president Dr. Alberto Fenix (right) witnessing the turnover.

BDO gains Asset award for work with PWD group BDO FOUNDATION, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, was recognized again for promoting the welfare of underserved members of society and empowering disadvantaged communities.

Its program for persons with disabilities (PWDs) affected by Typhoon “Yolanda” was recently recognized

by The Asset Corporate Awards as a Highly Commended Initiative in Social Responsibility.

The award, presented to BDO Unibank at an event in Hong Kong, cited the foundation for developing a community for calamity-stricken PWDs and supporting their livelihood.

BDO Foundation and its partner, the Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc. (FTI), a non-profit organization that promotes the welfare of PWDs, built a community for Leyte-based PWDs, who were displaced and left homeless by Yolanda.

In line with its disaster response advocacy, BDO Foundation and FTI constructed 100 typhoon-resilient resettlement homes in Sta. Fe, Leyte for the disabled people and their families.

The PWD community, touted as the first of its kind in the Philippines, was backed by the provincial government of Leyte, the Sta. Fe Municipal Social Welfare Development Office and Institute for Social Entrepreneurship.

BDO Foundation also built a multipurpose hall in the village to support the livelihood activities of the beneficiaries. The PWDs use the structure to manufacture school furniture, which the foundation purchases for its school buildings program.

The award-winning corporate citizenship initiative aims to alleviate the plight of persons with disabilities, who have lost their homes and livelihood in the wake of the super typhoon. The PWDs of Leyte bore the brunt of the disaster, as many of them did not have immediate access to aid due to their disability.

Organized by Asset Benchmark Research, The Asset Corporate Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in corporate sustainability, social responsibility and investor relations.

The Asset award is the latest international recognition given to BDO Foundation for its program for PWDs. The foundation also received the prestigious Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year Gold Award from Asian Banking & Finance, and an award conferred by Enterprise Asia at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards for the same program.

SBMA sets cash aid for MSMEs

By Butch Gunio SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—A financial assistance program is now available here for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are accredited to deliver goods and services in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone .

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said the SBMA has partnered with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to provide loan facilities to MSMEs and other logistics-focused companies as part of the agency’s port marketing initiative.

The SBMA had initiated talks with the LBP as early as February last year to push for the loan facility under the agency’s program to assist MSMEs operating in the Freeport, she said.

According to Land Bank Subic Bay Branch Manager Edwin Manalo, interested MSMEs can avail of the loan facility through the Zambales Lending Center, a unit of the Land Bank that was formerly located in Dinalupihan, Bataan.

“As the number one government financial institution, Land Bank is always here to help the community on their financial needs. With the transfer of our Lending Center to Subic, we will be in a better position to help the public, especially MSMEs needing financial assistance,” he added.

Land Bank is a universal bank owned by the Philippine government with a special focus on serving the needs of farmers and fishermen and keeping them financially viable to help promote countryside development.

Zambales Lending Center Manager Ma. Marita San Diego said that this partnership with the SBMA is especially intended for corporations, private enterprises, cooperatives, as well as non-SBFZ companies that are accredited to deliver goods and services in the Freeport.

She said that processing time for MSME loan would take around 45 days, after the applicant submitted a complete set of the requirements.

San Diego added that her office has already received several some applications after the center relocated from Bataan to Subic Bay.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

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Myths vs. Facts: Family planning T

HE road to family planning is paved with misconceptions.

According to the World Health Organization, 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraceptive methods. This is mirrored in a report by the University of the Philippines which found that one in every three Filipinas prefers traditional birth control methods.

The WHO report revealed reasons of the women who are not using modern contraceptive methods include limited choices, limited access to contraception, fear or experience of side effects, and cultural or religious oppositions.

To help address unmet needs and common questions about family planning among couples, below are some misconceptions and facts surrounding the topic: MYTH: Family planning has negative effects on sexual desire and performance.

FACT: Libido depends on individuals and their circumstances. The Department of Health explains that contraceptives generally do not diminish sexual desire or function.

On the contrary, agreeing to a family planning method helps spouses have increased enjoyment during sex because they don’t have to worry about unplanned pregnancies.

MYTH: Family planning puts the health of my wife at risk.

FACT: When used properly, all family planning methods are safe. Women who have had more than four babies are at an increased risk of death as reported by the WHO in 2018, which means mothers will benefit greatly from family planning. Using condoms can help prevent sexually transmitted infections, like gonorrhea and syphilis, and even decrease the chances of getting infected with HIV. Combined oral contraceptives or pills can reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers. And while there are side effects to using modern contraceptives, including headache, spotting, slight abdominal pain, and changes in weight, they are not harmful and usually do not last long.

Since family planning allows parents to space pregnancies and decide the number of children, mothers can recover better after every birth and devote time for personal growth; spouses can have better mental health and relationships due to reduced anxiety; and children can grow up healthy because their parents are able to better care for each offspring.

MYTH: Long-term use of family planning methods will cause infertility or pagkabaog.

her regular fertility cycle resumes immediately.

MYTH: Family planning is a form of abortion.

FACT: Philippine law is clear on this: abortion is illegal. Contraceptives do not terminate pregnancy/ cause abortion; rather, they prevent pregnancy and actually help couples avoid unplanned pregnancies.

The Food and Drug Administration declared that progestin subdermal implant is among contraceptive products that are non-abortifacient MYTH: Family planning is expensive.

FACT: There are family planning options that match every Filipino family’s need and situation; many are reasonably-priced and can be accessed over-the-counter in drugstores. The DOH is mandated by the state under the Reproductive Health Law to offer available modern contraceptives for free primarily to indigent families.

PhilHealth covers the costs of family planning counseling, and the insertion of LARCs such as the Intra-Uterine Device and the progestin subdermal implant, as well as provide other methods including no-scalpel vasectomy, injectable, and the initial cycle of progestin-only-pills.

FACT: The woman’s menstrual cycle resumes to regular schedule when she discontinues use of a contraceptive, hence mothers take back the ability to conceive once they decide to have a child.

Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives are 99 percent effective in preventing women from getting pregnant for three years and above, depending on the type of LARC. For instance, a progestin subdermal implant, which is placed under the skin of the woman’s upper arm, releases progestin that stops the body from releasing ova or eggs every month and thickens mucus in the cervix that blocks sperm. Once the woman decides to have the contraceptive implant removed,

Dr. Grace Carole Beltran, a pathologic dermatologist, loves the creamy taste of Kaffea coffee.

Local coffee gets the nod from pathologic dermatologist ONE of the leading practitioners in aesthetic and pathologic dermatology is Dr. Grace Carole Beltran, with a career spanning almost three decades.

Dr. Beltran is an educator, a speaker, and a lecturer. She’s also a columnist and a popular resource person. She also does socio-civic work for the less fortunate through Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko and GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. But aside from her love of serving the public through her practice, she also loves Kaffea coffee.

The pathologic dermatologist shared she fell in love with Kaffea at first taste.

“It’s creamy. Masarap siya, at saka hindi siya masyado matamis.

Pero meron ibang tao na maaaring matamis na ito, sa akin okay lang ito (It’s delicious and not too sweet. It may be too sweet for others but for me it’s just right),” said Dr. Beltran.

Kaffea is a unique, one of a kind coffee. It has balanced acidity and is sweetened by coconut sugar, which

The Department of Health, the World Health Organization, and other organizations set the record straight on family planning and how contraceptives help couples raise a healthy and happy family.

SM Foundation renovates EAMC pedia ward SM FOUNDATION turned over in December the newly renovated neurodevelopmental clinic of East Avenue Medical Center’s pediatrics section.

The newly renovated EAMC pedia ward in the outpatient department, now called as neuro-developmental clinic, will be headed by Dr. Carina Cruz-Quimbo of the Neonatal ICU. The NDC is a sub-specialty of the department of pediatrics where the development of children are monitored to see if their mental development is in accordance with their age.

“Upon discharge, we determine if we have mentally-delayed children, autistic, or are ADHD-inf licted,” said Dr. Quimbo.

EAMC’s neuro-developmental center will cater to patients’ needs for free. The center also has occupational, physical, and speech therapy clinics This is the second project of SM Foundation in the pediatric unit of EAMC. In 2002, the neonatal ICU of the hospital was renovated and refurbished. The foundation continues to maintain the NICU as part of its com- As Henry Sy Sr. and family’s gift to children, SM Foundation turned over the newly renovated neuro-developmental clinic to East Avenue Medical Center before Christmas. mitment to the hospital.

means even diabetics can drink it because of its low glycemic index.

In addition, the local coffee brand is made from all-natural ingredients rich in antioxidants, essential vitamins, and minerals that promote digestive health.

Because of its delicious flavor and beneficial ingredients Dr. Beltran believes Kaffea will succeed as a delicious yet healthy ready to drink coffee blend.

“This is a brand that is going to make it in the market kasi masarap (because it’s delicious),” declared Dr. Beltran.

To know more about her services call (02) 263 4094 or 0917-4976261.

Kaffea is available nationwide at Shopwise, Rustan’s, SM Hypermarket Bazaar, SM Market Street, SM Kultura, CityMall GoLokal stores, and online at lazada.com. ph and beautymnl.com. Call (02) 477-9920 for inquiries.

The NDC of the pediatrics’ outpatient department will cater to patients’ needs for free.

Life

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

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Living a sweet life even with diabetes

N ESTIMATED six million Filipinos have diabetes, with the condition’s prevalence rapidly increasing over the years, according to the Philippine Center for Diabetes Education Foundation.

Records from International Diabetes Federation reveal there were over 3.7 million cases of diabetes here in the country in 2017.

While life isn’t sweet with diabetes, understanding how to live healthily with diabetes is a great way to get started. Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass, with the help of US registered nutritionist-dietician Cheshire Que, shares tips for keeping blood sugar levels normal.

Stay active

The American Diabetes Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercises at least five times a week. Staying active and constantly moving keeps cells more sensitive to insulin and helps lower blood glucose levels.

Take control of your plate

The key element to healthy eating is to fill up plate with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Skip simple carbohydrates such as cakes, chocolates, or white bread as these will only cause a drastic increase in blood sugar level.

While this may sound a lot of sacrifices, Que says it doesn’t mean one has to give up their favorite food all at once.

“Moderation and meal-timing are the keys to regulate blood sugar. For instance, if you decide to go for a piece of cake for a dinner affair, be willing to cut back on some of your carbohydrate sources such as rice or pasta or potatoes for that meal. It’s all about give and take,” advises Que. She adds, “It’s also important to space out your mealtime regularly to prevent your blood sugar level from dropping too low, a condition we call hypoglycemia, which often leads to shaking, weakness, dizziness, and sometimes seizures.”

Rest from stress

Knowing how to effectively manage one’s stressors will not only help improve mood, but also boost immunity. When a person is under stressful situations or conditions, the natural response of the brain is to bombard the body with tons of hormones to neutralize the stressors, often leading to an increased blood sugar level.

Learn to say no and never overcommit— have “me” time and don’t forget about yourself.

“Sleep is a vital part of stress management because it gives our body a chance to recuperate and repair body organs. Not only will it enhance your focus and clear your mind, it will also put you in a better mood,” says Que. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults.

Fiber is your friend

Fiber is considered the holy grail of a diabetic meal plan. Consuming at least 30g of fiber every day is beneficial not only in managing blood sugar level but also in lowering blood cholesterol and improving gut health.

Found in whole grain bread or pasta, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables, fiber also slows

Dyan Castillejo and mom Edna keep their blood sugar on a normal level with the help of Easy PhaMax Wheatgrass.

down digestion causing a more stable blood sugar level in the long run. It’s also beneficial in weight management due to its high satiety value, which means an individual who takes it feels fuller for a longer period.

Wheatgrass CAN helps individuals meet the required daily servings of fiber, which is impossible to devour on a daily basis. Touted as the king of alkaline, wheatgrass is a very rich source of fiber that’s equivalent to 10kg of vegetables in nutritional value.

It also boasts impressive levels of 17 amino acids, 13 vitamins, 10 alkaline minerals, detoxifying fiber, chlorophyll for a healthy blood circulation, plus more than 100 types of enzymes, For long-time Wheatgrass CAN International brand ambassador and sportscaster Dyan Castillejo, wheatgrass has been a staple for her daily source of fiber.

“Since I’ve discovered this product in 2009, I never leave home without it. It’s the easiest and most accessible fiber source that I could take with me that helps me to meet my daily required allowance,” shares Castillejo.

She continues, “My mom who’s been taking it as well for the longest time maintains her dauntless beauty and grace at 78.”

Sportscaster Diane Castillejo gets her daily recommended fiber intake from wheatgrass.

Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass comes in original, honey, and lemon flavors and available at Mercury Drugstores, S&R, Watsons, and other leading supermarkets nationwide.

Let’s get musical: Spotify reveals top workout songs SEVERAL studies reveal the many benefits of listening to music while working out, from helping regulate and maintain pace to releasing feel-good chemicals in the brain.

No wonder there are 43.5 million workout-themed playlists on Spotify.

The music streaming service reveals the most popular jams users listened to while getting their sweat on.

For the third year in a row, Eminem’s “Till I Collapse” is the top global workout song of all time, followed by “Lose Yourself,” also by Eminem, “Stronger” and “POWER” by Kanye West, and “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Top workout songs globally in 2018 Listening to music are Drake’s “God’s Plan,” Cardi B’s “I helps improve Like It,” Eminem’s “Till I Collapse,” workout, according Drake’s “Nice For What,” and Dua Lito scientists. pa’s “One Kiss.”

Filipinos, meanwhile, embraced girl power with Jessie J’s “Bang Bang” as the melodies of “Uptown Funk” and “Till I songs in the Philippines are “Worth It” by top workout song, followed by the groovy Collapse.” Completing the top workout Fifth Harmony and “Lose Yourself.”

Eminem’s ‘Till I Collapse’ is the top workout song of all time.

Jessie J’s ‘Bang Bang’ is the top gym-time jam of Filipinos on Spotify.

From left: Pru Life UK assistant vice president for corporate affairs Gizelle Camua, Manila Ocean Park executive vice president and chief operations officer Francis Low, and Manila Ocean Park vice president for sales and marketing Armi Cortes sign the memorandum of agreement sealing the partnership between Pru Life UK and Manila Ocean Park.

Life insurer teams up with Manila Ocean Park for life-saving program IN LINE with its mission to help secure the future of communities, Pru Life UK, through Prudence Foundation, inks a partnership with Manila Ocean Park to provide the public with valuable life-saving information as part of the pan-Asian SAFE STEPS program.

Launched in 2014, SAFE STEPS is a multi-platform mass awareness and education program that provides vital life-saving tips on natural disasters, road safety, and first aid.

The program consists a series of public service announcement video and online materials, designed to raise awareness and provide critical information to help build safer and more resilient communities.

SAFE STEPS focuses also on part-

nerships with organizations across all sectors in order to reach and benefit as many people as possible.

Through the partnership, Manila Ocean Park will be promoting resilience among its patrons by using SAFE STEPS educational materials focusing on Natural Disasters and First Aid, which will be shared across its communication platforms, such as the central atrium, website, social media sites, and its sister company, Hotel H20.

To date, SAFE STEPS reaches over 250 million people daily across the region and is increasingly adopted by governments, private sector companies, and humanitarian organizations.

Go to www.safesteps.com for more information.

Entertainment

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Marco Gumabao no regrets transferring to Viva

The Itchyworms

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NTERNATIONAL headliners, renowned OPM bands and Waray artists got together at The Farm at Ginsiyaman in San Miguel, Leyte for For the Love of Leyte, a non-profit, benefit arts and music festival organized to commemorate super typhoon Yolanda’s fifth anniversary.

Organized by the Philippine Foundation, in partnership with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), One Love Festival-UK and Tabo-an Ha Ginsiyaman, the two-day festival aimed to empower and create positive change in Leyte, as well as re-introduce postYolanda Leyte to tourists by championing sustainable tourism and development in the region.

Artists giving stellar performances include Ben&Ben, Bullet Dumas, The Itchyworms, Kiko Bun from UK, Babani Records from Mauritius, Reese Lansangan, Ang Bandang Shirley, Hernandez Brothers, La Loba Negra, Tom’s Story, Conscious & The Goodness, Free the Robots from the US, Irie Sunday, Lunas, Rob Mananquil, The 76 Receipts, Kulahig, LSR, Lady Suzette, Maroon & Gold, Succubus, The Guerillas, Aurora, KRNK, Specs, Digital Danboi from UK, Tom Turner and Bruder.

The festival also showcased Region VIII’s arts and crafts through Tabo-an Ha Ginsiyaman which means Market at Ginsiyaman, which highlighted Leyte’s rich culture. A series of workshops also help raise awareness on the province’s traditions.

All proceeds of the festival will be used to rebuild Leyte arts, culture and tourism sector.

For the Love of Leyte festival harnessed the Leyteños fortitude and

Artists unite ‘FOR THE LOVE OF LEYTE’

Ben&Ben

resilience after facing a devastating and presented the rebirth of a beautiful province rich in history, culture, talents and skills. By staging the festival, Leyte hopes to kickstart long-term tourism and livelihood initiatives for its people and attract new advocates of Leyte’s creative industries.

Bullet Dumas

ACCORDING to hot newbie Marco Gumabao, he has no regrets with his recent decision of leaving original management Star Magic to ink a contract with Viva Artist Agency.

He said he sees it as a good career decision as it brought fresh new start for him that made him feel excited to work.

How was the transition? Did he have any difficulty in the process?

“Actually, it was a smooth one. I don’t deny the fact that I owe ABSCBN a lot because I’ve been with them for five years straight. During my stay with them, I was able to build close relationships with lots of people.

It’s good that when I expressed my decision to them, that I wanted to do more, they saw my point and even wished me luck in my new venture.”

Looking back, the good-looking lad understood if Star Magic hasn’t given him enough projects when he was still under contract with them.

“I’m aware of the fact that they have lots of talents in their stable.

They have to attend to each one of us and it’s impossible to include everyone in all of their programs. I realized this so I thought of another game plan and that is to change and go to a new management which can give my career the boost it needs!”

Just like any normal talent who switched management, Marco reveals he also had initial fears of not getting the projects he wanted to have.

“I was very hesitant to move to a new management. In fact, my former handler in Star Magic asked why I decided to leave when I’m inside the network already. I said that I’ve been with them for five years and I’m

Viva artist Marco Gumbao

thankful because I was able to create a name for myself during that period but it wasn’t really the career pace I dreamt.

He thought of trying new things and explore more possibilities which he could only achieve if I would transfer to new grounds.

“I expressed this sentiment to two of our bigwigs in Star Magic, Mr. Johnny Manahan and Ms. Mariol Alberto and I’m grateful that they understood my point. I’m happy with the fact that there’s no bad blood whatsoever between the two parties.

Everything was in good fate,” he says.

Marco hopes that things will continue to be brighter for him this 2019.

“I’m happy with the positive developments in my career. I hope and pray that it continues that way.

Personally, I believe that it should be slowly but surely. I don’t want an overnight popularity. I really dream to be given projects that would hone my acting skills to the hilt,” he ends. *** Ken Chan is both happy and proud with the good feedback his afternoon soap My Special Tatay receives from television viewers.

“All of us in the production team are overwhelmed whenever we’ll learn of our daily ratings. We literally jump for joy because it’s worth all the efforts and hard work.”

Interestingly, the following the show has in social media is quite amazing.

“Imagine, the videos reach 7 million, 1 million, 2.3 million views.

Wow! Through those numbers, we are able to entertain the viewing public.

That’s what’s important for us: to bring a smile on their faces every time they watch the show. It feels good that you know you make many people happy.”

Apart from the entertainment aspect, Ken notes that he’s glad My Special Tatay becomes an instrument for viewers to understand those who have mild intellectual disability just like the character he portrays. “ It’s also one of our main goals in the program and I’m glad that many get inspired by our story. It’s one great reward, really.”

Because of its good showing in the ratings chart, the afternoon tearjerker will have an extended run.

“That’s great news, isn’t it? We’re extended until 2019. It really feels good. Thank you for the support of our avid viewers,” says Ken.

Enchong Dee, Peri-peri cook up awesome flavors

Bryan Tiu and Enchong Dee officiate the ribbon cutting to open the newly-relocated Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar branch at the Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley, BGC.

PERI-PERI Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar, known for their succulent charcoal-grilled chicken, premium fall-off-the-bone BBQ back ribs, and the widest selection of sauces, is set to excite more palates with its trademark flavours as it opens its newly-relocated store in McKinley, BGC. Finding a new home at the Venice Grand Canal Mall, the homegrown restaurant will add some much-needed zing and sizzle to the upscale area.

The brainchild of innovator and visionary Bryan Tiu, PeriPeri has brought the vibrant taste of South America and melded it

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, January 8, 2019

ACROSS 1 Enjoys the pool 6 Polite address 10 Playing card 14 Cowboy competition 15 Repeat 16 Claim 17 Tangle 18 Snug retreat 19 Tilt 20 Canasta plays 22 Fracas 24 Tracts of wet, spongy land 26 Rx directive 27 Taking notice 28 Mooch 32 Kept cold 33 Tunes from an opera 35 Jellystone bear 36 Calif. neighbor 37 Ms. MacGraw of “Love Story” 38 Zig’s opposite 39 Singer — Brickell 41 Inaugurates 43 Type of pasta 44 Having a high salary (hyph.)

46 We live on one 48 Animal fat 49 Goings-on 50 Second helping 53 LaBelle or

LuPone 54 Box in 55 Valhalla honcho 57 Reward for bravery 61 Down Under birds 62 Extremist sect 63 Seize the throne 64 Playing with a full deck 65 Arthroscopic surgery site 66 Mushroom parts DOWN 1 Almost-grads 2 Gained a victory 3 Mont. neighbor 4 Fishy lady?

5 Long-faced 6 Progresses toward recovery 7 Poker cards 8 Happy sighs 9 Slogans 10 In an insincere manner 11 Currier and — 12 Tender meat 13 Sea eagle 21 Org. for Annika Sorenstam 23 Put into action 24 Break away

25 Cotton pest 26 Shower feature 27 Tendon 28 Put away neatly 29 Exuding moisture 30 Marbles 31 Finger or toe 34 Very quick 40 Flattened circle 41 Rowboat part 42 Difficult position 43 Most wacky 45 Friend

47 Paper in chem lab 49 Florentine poet 50 Hwys.

51 Humorist — Bombeck 52 Satyr 53 Mucho money 56 Demand payment from 58 Owed right now 59 Rocker part 60 Vinyl records

to the local appetite. Tiu has also been responsible for bringing a wide range of cuisines all over the world here through the iFoods Group, Inc. According to Tiu, 2018 has been a tremendous year for the brand as more branches of PeriPeri will be opening soon.

“Right now, we are 23 and growing. We have grown so much as a brand, and we will only keep growing in the coming years. Our success story is a strong testament to the trust and love the public has for PeriPeri,” Tiu said.

Since opening its doors in 2005, the restaurant has enjoyed

consistent growth as it established itself as the go-to place for Charcoal Grilled Chicken, BBQ Back Ribs, and unique, characterfilled sauces.

Adding to the festivity of the opening is the presence of the brand’s endorser, Enchong Dee. Enchong’s love for the brand truly runs deep as the actor is also a Peri-Peri Happy Franchisee of UP Town Center, Market Market, and SM Megamall branches.

As the server of the day, the actor is more than happy to share the awesome exPERIence to more and more people.

“Peri-Peri is such an easy place to get lost in. There’s the satisfac-

tion of eating great-tasting food, the upbeat energy that grabs you the moment you step inside, and the passionate colours that entice you—hese things create such a distinct atmosphere,” he said.

“I hope that in the coming years, we will continue to grow and excite more tastebuds, the way only Peri-Peri can,” Enchong added.

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar currently has branches in Nuvali Solenad 3; Alabang Town Center; Uptown Mall BGC; Greenbelt 3; Eastwood Mall; Capitol Commons; Megamall B; Promenade Greenhills; Evia Lifestyle Center, Las

Piñas; Gateway Araneta Center; UP Town Center; Trinoma Mall; SM City Bacolod; Meerea High Street Mandaue, Cebu; Robinsons Manila, Brittany Square, Fairview; Ayala Feliz, Marikina; SM Marikina; Festival Mall, Alabang; Market Market, BGC; Banaue, Quezon City; and Resorts World Manila.

For Franchising inquiries, contact Peri-Peri’s marketing arm, BrandAction Inc., at 09055158463 or 807-0399. For more updates, follow Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken on facebook. com/peripericharcoalchicken and instagram.com/pericharcoalph.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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Entertainment

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019

Who is MICHAEL ANGELO?

I

T SOUNDS like the name of the famous 15th century Italian sculptor Michelangelo, but no, I am not talking about him. I’m referring to Michael Angelo Lobrin.

For starters, Michael Angelo is a TV host and an actor who has appeared in TV series including Tsuperhero, Pari ‘Koy, and Pamilya Roses, to name a few.

To those who religiously watch #MichaelAngelo: The Sitcom, which airs on GMA News TV, they know him as a former seminarian who ven-

tured into motivational speaking, and later on, TV hosting.

In a press conference held on Friday at the 77 Café Restaurant in Quezon City, the ever witty and spontaneous TV host addressed everyone in the room and made a rather lengthy introduction of himself.

“Sorry, I talked to much,” he started.

“To those who didn’t know, I’m a former seminarian, I only had two years left before becoming a priest.”

“I decided to pursue a life outside the seminary even though I was about to finish the course. I asked Jaime Cardinal Sin’s, when he was still alive, permission. I told him, it’s hard to be a priest if you’re good-looking. So, he let me go,” he quipped.

After leaving the seminary, Michael Angelo became a professor.

“I teach Philosophy and Theology subjects at De LaSalle University, Manila Doctors College and at St. Paul Quezon City.”

After delivering a motivational speech in one of the events he attended to, he got an offer from a GMA executive who apparently got amused by him entertaining the crowd with his wisdom and wit at the same time.

“And then my friends in

show business namely AiAi delas Alas, Dingdong Dantes and broadcaster Mike Enriquez helped me enter the entertainment industry,” he said.

Apart from producing a TV show Michael Angelo is a businessman and a book author as well. He is the author of the best-selling book Laugh with God Today!.

“I know that hindi ako pang-boy next door. But I believe that, if there’s no opportunity, you create the opportunity.

And so I create my own show. It wasn’t really that easy. I tried looking for sponsors and thankfully, God answered my prayers,” Michael Angelo shared.

The show is still currently connected with GMA Kapuso and remains in fact as the longest running sitcom on GMA News TV. It will be launching its fresh new season - the unprecedented Season 13 - on Jan. 27.

Part of the cast of #MichaelAngelo: The Sitcom are Derrick Monasterio, Betong Sumaya, John Feir, Maey Bautista, Arny Ross, and Lovely Abella.

The feat of being the longest-running show would not have been possible, according to the TV host and comedian, “ if not for the overwhelming support and patronage of the viewrership, marked by a consistently excellent rating, as well as with the host of sponsors and partners.”

While the show still consistently receives good ratings, exciting plans to further its reach are underway. The team is now currently preparing for a Lenten Special.

“We will be having replays in the evening as well as another segment in the morning for an hour of Lenten reflections and teachings entitles #Michael Angelo Holy Week Reflections,” Michael Angelo told showbiz reporters.

“We are also lining up additional characters for the show. Among them is Congressman Henry Ong of the second district of Leyte, who will help magnify the public service angle of the show. His character will portray someone involved in the advocacy of public service,” he concluded.

TV host and motivational speaker Michael Angelo Lobrin

"Pilipinas Got Talent" judges Freddie Garcia, Angel Locsin, Vice Ganda and Robin Padilla

Kapamilya shows rule 2018 ABS-CBN is still the network of choice for most Filipinos in 2018 as they tuned in to its valuesladen shows and newscasts, as it recorded an average audience share of 45 percent, or 13 points higher than GMA’s 32 percent, according to data from Kantar Media.

The Kapamilya network won across all territories all year round, particularly in Mega Manila where it scored an average audience share of 36 percent, versus GMA’s 34 percent, and in Metro Manila where it garnered 42 percent, beating GMA’s 26 percent. ABS-CBN also won in Total Luzon with 40 percent, compared to GMA’s 35 percent; in Total Visayas with 53 percent, versus GMA’s 26 percent, and in Total Mindanao with 52 percent, while GMA only got 28 percent.

Multinational audience measurement provider Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100% of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

ABS-CBN secured 16 slots in the top 20 list of most watched programs in 2018, which was led by the highest-rating program FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano (41.2 percent).

Also part of the list are Pilipinas Got Talent (38.1 percent), Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids (33.3 percent), Bagani (31.8 percent), La Luna Sangre (31.4 percent), TV Patrol (30.5 percent), Ngayon at Kailanman (28.8 percent), MMK 25 (27.2 percent), and The Kids’ Choice (26.2 percent).

Other top-rating shows include Wansapanataym (25.7 percent), Home Sweetie Home Walang Kapares (23.4 percent),

Coco Martin as Cardo Dalisay of "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano"

Wildflower (23.3 percent), Home Sweetie Home (23.2 percent), Halik (22 percent), Meteor Garden (21.6 percent), and Rated K (19.8 percent).

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN also won across all time blocks, particularly in primetime where it recorded an average audience share of 49 percent, or 17 points higher than GMA’s 32 percent. The primetime block is the most important time of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investments in to reach more consumers effectively.

The Kapamilya network was also triumphant in the morning block (6:00 a.m. to 12 nn) with an average audience share of 38 percent, compared to GMA’s 30 percent; in the noontime block ( 12:00 nn to 3:00 p.m.) with 44 percent, beating GMA’s 33 percent, and in the afternoon block (3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) with 43 percent, versus GMA’s 35 percent.

Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano of "Bagani"

New docu brings R. Kelly into spotlight A SIX-HOUR documentary series has brought American R&B star R. Kelly back into the spotlight, revisiting accusations of criminal misconduct including having sex with several minors.

The Lifetime cable network show that premiered Thursday and broadcast subsequent episodes Friday and Saturday sheds new light on charges against the artist, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly.

Known especially for his hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” the 51-year-old singer and producer was charged in 2002 with filming sex acts between him and a 14-year-old girl, but was ultimately acquitted in 2008.

The team behind Surviving R. Kelly held dozens of interviews filmed with

members of the singer’s inner circle.

In the documentary, backup singers detailed sexual relations between R. Kelly and three girls under the age of 16, including 15-year-old star Aaliyah, who died in 2001 in a plane crash.

The allegations are subject to criminal prosecution in several US states including Illinois, where R. Kelly lived as a resident of Chicago.

Aaliyah’s mother Diane Haughton called the allegations “fabrications” and accused the witnesses of being “saboteurs of Aaliyah’s legacy.”

In the documentary, women portray R. Kelly as manipulative, violent and focused on young girls, allegedly demanding they call him “daddy.”

Lizzette Martinez, who met the artist at age 17 as he was approaching

his thirties, says she was a victim of “mental and physical abuse” during their relationship, which lasted several years.

“He stole my life from me being abused like this,” she says in the documentary directed by filmmaker Dream Hampton. “I don’t think he understands girls that are young how impressionable we are and how traumatic these experiences are. They change you forever.”

Neither R. Kelly nor his record label RCA responded to queries by AFP. In May, the online streaming platform Spotify removed the artist’s music from its playlists and recommendations after the Time’s Up movement for gender equality urged the music industry to dump him over persistent sex abuse

allegations.

The service ultimately backtracked on a policy that reduced exposure for artists accused of personal misconduct, however, after criticism that the leading streaming platform was hurting musicians over vague criteria.

R&B pop singer John Legend was among those who appeared in the documentary, and prior to its debut tweeted: “To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all.”

“I believe these women and don’t give a fuck about protecting a serial child rapist,” he said.

“Easy decision. These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice,” he added. AFP

American singer, songwriter and record producer R. Kelly