Manila Standard - 2019 January 15 - Tuesday

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VOL. XXXII • NO. 334 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

HEAVY TRAFFIC. Drone shot at 8:20 a.m. Monday of vehicular traffic at the 2-km roundabout Elliptical Road, which circumscribes the Quezon Memorial Circle, near the Quezon City Hall and other government agencies.

The road is divided into 8 lanes, which include one for bicycles and pedicabs. Revoli Cortez

6 oil firms go with the flow, raise prices

By Alena Mae S. Flores OIL companies raised pump prices by P2.30 per liter for diesel, P1.40 per liter for gasoline and P2 per liter for kerosene at 6 a.m. Tuesday to reflect increases in the world price for oil.

PTT Philippines, Eastern Petroleum, Jetti Petroleum, Chevron Philippines, Petro Gazz and Pilipinas Shell issued separate statements about the hefty price increases.

Easten Petroleum said the recent price increase “only factors the increase in world oil prices and not the second tranche of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion [TRAIN] Law.” Gas stations are also expected to impose higher excise taxes under the TRAIN Law this week, which will add P2.24 per liter—including a value-added tax—to pump prices for both diesel and gasoline.

On Jan. 8, oil companies raised prices

by P0.80 per liter of gasoline, P0.70 per liter of diesel and P0.40 per liter of kerosene after Saudi Arabia said it would cut its oil production.

World oil prices went up as demand is expected to increase in February.

So far, the Department of Energy has

Palace: Spare public from passport mess ‘Live birth docs too cumbersome as prerequisite for renewals’

By Nat Mariano

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HE Palace on Monday said it was too “cumbersome” for people renewing their passports to submit original birth certificates, after the Department of Foreign Affairs made this a requirement because a previous contractor had made off with their data.

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State workers press for raise, ask high court

By Rey E. Requejo GOVERNMENT workers on Monday asked the Supreme Court to compel the Department of Budget and Management to release the fourth and final tranche of salary increases that state workers are supposed to receive this year under the Salary Standardization Law. In their petition, 50 government workers led by House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya asked the Court to order Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to pay out the salary adjustments, even though the government is using a reenacted budget because of a delay in the passage of the General Appropriations Act for this year.

Diokno has said that implementing the salary adjustments without the passage of the 2019 national budget would be illegal.

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Hollywood award season in full swing SANTA MONICA, United States—Hollywood’s award season was in full swing late Sunday, with Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma”—an ode to the director’s childhood in 1970s Mexico City—the big winner at the Critics’ Choice Awards.

“Roma” won trophies for best picture, best foreign-language film, and for both director and cinematography for Next page Cuaron.

ON THE ROLL. The National Printing Office in Quezon City starts printing ballots for the May mid-term elections and for the

coming plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Lino Santos

2 killed, 10 nabbed at checkpoints Most Pinoys say TWO unidentified persons were killed while 10 others were arrested on the first day of the setting up of the Philippine National Police and Commission on Elections checkpoints in Bulacan on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the candidates running for national and local posts should coordinate with military units during the campaign period for their security from possible rebel attacks, Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Noel Detoyato said on Monday.

Detoyato said candidates could request security but it was up to the Commission on Elections to approve it.

Supt. Orlando Castil Jr., City of San Jose Del Monte City chief of police, said the two slain men were riding on a

motorcycle without plate numbers and ignored the police and Comelec personnel manning the checkpoint around 1:15 a.m. at Graceville Village.

“The personnel tried to flag down the motorcycle but instead of yielding it accelerated, which prompted the police to chase the suspects,” Castil said.

He said all Police Community Precincts were ordered to establish dragnet operations while possible exit routes were blocked by mobile patrols.

“The suspects, sensing they would be overtaken, immediately got off from the motorcycle and fired shots toward the responding personnel, prompting them to retaliate,” Castil said.

The police collected a .45-cal. pistol, a 38-cal. revolver and the motorcycle used by the suspects.

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US can be trusted, are wary of China

By Nat Mariano THE majority of the Filipinos polled believe the United States is the most trustworthy country following the return of the Balangiga bells last month, while China is the most distrusted nation, a Pulse Asia survey said Monday.

This emerged even if Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Philippines two months ago.

In its survey on the trustworthiness of selected countries and regional organizations, eight out of every 10 Filipinos it Next page

“Applicants should not be burdened by submitting original copies of their certificates of live birth… which requires another application process before the Philippine Statistics Authority, to renew their passports just because the producer lost their relevant data,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo said that the submission of the old or current passport, which the applicant seeks to renew “should suffice for the purpose.”

“The ongoing practice is not only cumbersome to everyone affected but is a form of red tape, which this administration frowns upon and will not tolerate,” he added.

Panelo also said the loss of data was a “serious and grave matter” and assured the public that the National Privacy Commission is determining whether there were any violations to the Data Privacy Act 2012.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. last week said the French company that had been contracted to Next page

Senate rejects bicam on Road Board

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATORS on Monday refused to convene the bicameral conference committee on the Road Board abolition, but asked Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri to meet with House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya to discuss the matter.

“Generally, the sentiment was there is no need for a bicam because we have adopted the House version. We tasked Senator Zubiri, the majority leader, to talk to the majority leader of the House,

Congressman Andaya, to find out their reasons why there is a possibility that we can go into a bicam but nothing official.

That was agreement with Minority Leader Franklin Drilon,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said.

At the moment, Sotto said, the Senate maintains that the House measure abolishing the Road Board has been adopted.

“So whatever the outcome of the talks between the two majoriy leaders, we will take it up again and most probably, that would have to be tomorrow,” Sotto said.

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News

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rody ready for dialogue with Church

By Nat Mariano

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is willing to revive the talks with the Catholic Church following his scathing remarks against some of its leaders, the Palace said Monday.

“Of course, if that’s what they ask for.

“The President is okay with it... Anything that is beneficial to the nation, he always likes it. It’s okay with him, the President is easy to talk to.”

Panelo made his remarks as he again defended the President’s previous statement that loiterers should kill and steal from the rich bishops.

“So when I got there I said, ‘Hey you bystanders, when the bishop passes by, stage a holdup because he has lots of money, that son of a b*tch’,” Duterte said in his speech on Wednesday.

“Kill him. He’s angry at me, the one always blabbering.”

Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes then viewed Duterte’s statements as alarming and condemnable.

“This is a serious matter. Being the number one citizen of our country, the young generation might make him a role model in speaking improperly as though words have no moral consequences,” Bastes said in

Malacañang made the statement after nothing came out of the President and the church leaders’ earlier plan to have a dialogue.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the plan to conduct negotiations between the President and the Church leaders had not been carried out.

“It only started at the height of [his verbal tussle] with the Church. After that, nothing,” Panelo told reporters.

Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he was willing to negotiate between Duterte and the Catholic Church because the exchange of insults had become “uncomfortable.”

Sotto, a devout Catholic, said many Filipinos had become uncomfortable

with the situation.

“May nababato at bumabato pabalik,” he said.

Panelo attributed the seeming impasse between the government and the church to some of the traits of Filipinos during disagreements.

“Maybe because just like Filipinos, when there’s a problem they say, ‘let’s meet and talk.’ And then after a while, nothing happens, they have forgotten it until a controversy pops up again and they say let’s meet and talk’,” Panelo said.

Asked if Duterte, known for his sarcastic remarks against the Church, would be in the mood to sit down and talk with the country’s religious leaders, Panelo said:

6 oil firms...

Palace:...

monitored 444 retail gas stations that have imposed higher excise taxes as of Jan. 10 but there are a total of 8,006 retail stations nationwide.

DOE, through its Oil Industry Management Bureau, noted that 369 outlets are from Petron Corp., 46 from Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and 29 from Flying V. DOE has not issued an updated monitoring report.

Energy officials previously said they expect the entire 8,006 retail stations to impose the additional excise tax by February at the latest.

The DOE-OIMB said that a retail outlet’s imposition of excise tax depends upon how quickly they exhaust their 2018 inventory.

Only new inventories in 2019, directly imported or locally produced by refineries, are covered by the second tranche of excise tax.

The agency said the level of inventories varies depending on the status of individual depots and retail outlets and product turnover.

produce passports had “made off” with the data when its services were terminated, and that the DFA needed to rebuild its database.

Before the current contract with APO Production Unit Inc., passports were printed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, through the French firm Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare.

Locsin hinted that a crooked passport deal closed during the Aquino administration was to blame for the passport mess.

Former DFA chief Perfecto Yasay, however, said Locsin might have been misinformed, and that no data had been stolen. He said the real issue was that APO had subcontracted the job to United Graphic Expression Corp. without a public bidding, which is illegal.

Asked if President Rodrigo Duterte was concerned about the passport mess, Panelo said “of course.”

“He doesn’t want these birth certificates being lost, even without him saying it, it should not have happened,” he added.

On Monday, Locsin said the data “is possibly hopelessly

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He added that the Senate would await the results of the talks between Zubiri and Andaya before sending the enrolled bill to the President for signature.

Drilon said the agreement was reached during an all-senators caucus conducted earlier in the day.

In an interview, Drilon said the senators maintained the position that no bicameral conference committee need be convened because as far as they were concerned, they had adopted the House version with no disagreeing provisions.

But the current House leaders, led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Andaya, say the House has revoked the approval of the bill, which was drafted and approved during the time of the previous speaker, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.

Drilon on Sunday warned that the 17th Congress will likely close without abolishing the corruption-tainted Road Board if the Senate heeds the House’s call for a bicameral conference committee.

He said it is important that the Senate maintain its position that the bill to abolish the Road Board was validly passed.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said he wanted to abolish the Road Board and its collection of the road user’s tax be placed in the hands of the National Treasury.

The Road Board, a collegial body led by the secretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of Finance, had been mired in controversy due to allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds.

The Commission on Audit said the agency had misappropriated about P90.7 billion collected from the road user’s tax.

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Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna, chief of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office, said the 10 people were arrested in the PNP-Comelec checkpoint in Angat town.

“The suspects shouted towards the police manning the checkpoint and accelerated their tricycle and tried to evade arrest. They were immediately chased and arrested. The suspects were under the influence of liquor,” Bersaluna said.

“Appropriate criminal complaints against the arrested suspects are now being prepared for filing before the court.” PNA

But petitioners argued that the release of the fourth tranche of pay increases under Executive Order 201 signed by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2016 should be a ministerial duty on the part of the DBM. “There is no basis for the delay in the release and disbursement of funds as there are available alternative sources of funds for the fourth tranche of personnel benefits under EO No. 201,” they said.

The petitioners cited two alternatives for the DBM to cover for the P42.7 billion necessary for the fourth tranche of increases—the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and the savings from the reenacted 2018 budget.

The petitioners said the MPBF currently has P99.446 billion, which is “allowed to be used for payments of personal benefits, such as deficiencies in authorized salaries, bonuses, allowances, associated premiums and other similar personnel benefits of national government personnel, among others.”

Petitioners said P75 billion from the MPBF fund is allotted for “payment of compensation adjustment” and “funding requirements for staffing modifications and upgrading and salaries,” which could be used by the DBM for the fourth tranche of salary increases.

“As can be seen above, only P42,705,911,000 is needed by the

corrupted and at any rate inaccessible now or we are being lied to as usual.”

In 2015, DFA entered into a deal with APO despite its existing contract with the French contractor.

Oberthur, Locsin said, deposited the data in a warehouse in Lipa “out of irritation” and refused to give the access code so it could now be “corrupted.”

Locsin, in a separate tweet on Sunday, vowed to unmask those behind the passport mess, whom he said will launch a social media campaign against him.

“Apparently the mess crosses partisan lines,” he added.

THE Commission on Human Rights on Monday welcomed the investigation launched by the National Privacy Commission.

“CHR reiterates the importance of the right to privacy in preserving human dignity as stated in various human rights documents, including the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said.

“To this end, we urge the government to identify accountabilities and determine all applicable penalties, as determined by our laws, in preserving the rights of all concerned and in the interest of national security,” she added.

With Rio N. Araja, Francisco Tuyay and PNA

DBM to fund the fourth tranche salary increase and adjustment for the year 2019, when it has a total amount of P99,446,295,000 in the MPBF. Even if DBM simply uses the P75,169,215,000 covering allocations for compensation adjustment and salary upgrades, it is still more than the required forty-two billion requirement for the fourth tranche salary increase and adjustments. In fact, even if DBM wishes to use the proposed 2019 GAA for MPBF, which amounts to P51,575,607,000, it can still cover the required amount for salary increase and adjustment,” the petition said.

The petitioners also said the DBM may get just one-fourth of the required funding for the fourth tranche of about P10.676 billion “to cover for the first three months of 2019... considering that the 2019 GAA may still be passed within the first quarter of the year 2019.”

They also said the DBM may use the savings under the reenacted 2018 national budget.

“While the 1987 Constitution prohibits any transfer of appropriations by law, it does provide for certain key government officials to ‘augment any item in the General Appropriations Act for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.’ This provision thereby recognizes the need for some flexibility in budget execution in order to adequately respond to unforeseeable events,” they said.

Lastly, petitioners argued that the

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surveyed, Pulse Asia said 84 percent considered the US as the most trusted country while 29 percent had a great deal of trust and 54 percent had a fair amount of trust.

On the other hand, only 16 percent of the Filipinos surveyed expressed distrust in the US. The second most trustworthy country among Filipinos was Japan with 75 percent, followed by Australia with 72 percent and the United Kingdom with 57 percent.

The same survey showed that Filipinos continued to distrust over China despite the country’s “enduring relationship” with the Asian giant.

The pollster recorded that a majority of the Filipinos it suveyed, or 60 percent, did not trust China amid Beijing’s continuous reclamation activities, weather system installation and strong presence over the disputed South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea. However, with the several agreements signed because of Xi’s state visit to the country two months ago, 39 percent of the Filipinos surveyed believe the country should at least extend a fair amount of trust to China.

Russia also emerged as the second least trustworthy

a statement Monday.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos echoed Bastes, saying the remark deserves condemnation and not laughs or applause from the audience.

“The advice just promotes criminality, encourages lawlessness. What kind of authority calls for killing?” Santos said.

“It is an immoral authority, does not respect life, and teaches wrong values.

If he does it with bishops, how much more to ordinary citizens? What kind of head of state encourages killing?”

Meanwhile, the Palace insisted that issuing stiff remarks was the President’s style to defend himself.

“Ever since, that’s his style. What he only meant was, ‘Those who are in the Church, especially the bishops, you are living in comfort and yet people are wallowing in poverty. You are not doing the teachings that you provide to the faithful’,” he said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

fourth tranche—being a “continuing program”—should be automatically given allocation in the national budget and should not depend on passage of the GAA for 2019.

With these arguments, petitioners asked the Court to issue a preliminary mandatory injunction requiring the DBM and Diokno to immediately release the fourth tranche of salary increases to government workers without waiting for the passage of the 2019 GAA. The Court is expected to tackle the petition in session today.

The Palace, meanwhile, blamed Congress for the delay in salary increases.

“The one holding [the salary increase] hostage would be Congress, not the executive department,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a news briefing.

He added that they would await the decision of the Supreme Court.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers renewed its call for more substantial pay increases, given the high salaries that top government officials receive.

“The 4th tranche only amounts to an increase of P575 for Teacher I, P789 for Teacher II, and P1,008 for Teacher III, and it is us who compose around 90 percent of the workforce in public basic education. Meanwhile, the President will receive an additional P101,656 and DBM Secretary ‘Joke-no’ may receive as much as P71,601 more. It is impossible to miss the injustice here,” said Joselyn Martinez, ACT national chairperson.

country for those surveyed with 54 percent saying they did not trust Moscow as against 45 percent who did.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the figures showing the Filipinos’ trust and distrust on US and China were “understandable.”

“It’s understandable [for them] to feel that way because we have been used to the States being our allies.

We have been accustomed to America,” Panelo told reporters on Friday.

“Maybe as we go along, the public will see the sincerity of China. With respect to the agreements between the two countries, maybe it will change their point of view.”

Panelo said the survey results did not mean President Rodrigo Duterte had failed to persuade the Filipinos to like China.

“It takes some time for people to accept certain changes that they are not used to it,” he said.

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted after the US Department of Defense returned the historic Balangiga bells to the country as a sign of “healing and closure” between the two countries on Dec. 11, 2018.

Xi’s visit last Nov. 20, on the other hand, paved the way for Manila and Beijing to forge 29 agreements.

The said survey, conducted from Dec. 14 to 21, 2018, used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults.

Top cop’s ouster has basis—Palace

By Nat Mariano and Francisco Tuyay PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s order to relieve Bacolod City police chief Francis Ebreo and four other policemen for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs has a basis, the Palace said Monday.

“There must be a basis why the President has relieved this chief. I suppose intelligence information has reached him, and that’s why he made his move,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters.

He made the statement even as Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said Ebreo and the four other policemen will be accorded due process.

Meanwhile, Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the Bacolod City Council was leaving it to the law enforcement agencies to take action on the alleged involvement of Councilor Ricardo Tan in illegal drugs.

“Let’s leave it to the law enforcement agencies. I’m hoping that Councilor Ricardo Tan can defend himself together with his family,” Familiaran said at the sidelines of the peace covenant signing for the May 13 elections at the Bacolod public plaza on Sunday.

Tan, who is not seeking an elective post in the coming elections, was linked by Duterte to illegal drugs during his talk before an audience at the birthday party of a local businessman in Bacolod City on Saturday night, according to Chief Supt.

John Bulalacao.

Panelo said Duterte gathers information from several agencies such as the Philippine National Police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which all provide information relative to those who involved in illegal drugs.

“From what I know, he [Ebreo] has been relieved as chief of police. That’s it. There is an administrative process for that,” Panelo said.

Asked if the conviction of the five police officers would follow a process, Panelo said “Definitely, it has always been like that.”

Ebreo was supposed to visit Duterte in Malacañang on Monday, but Panelo said there was no such engagement scheduled in Duterte’s list of activities.

“We don’t have info on that. It’s the first time that I heard about it. I didn’t see it in his schedule,” Panelo said.

On Saturday, the President announced in his speech the dismissal from the service of the five police officers because they were “in cahoots with a drug syndicate.”

He then ordered the five to report to his office in Malacañang on Monday at 2 p.m. but the Palace insisted such meeting was not scheduled.

Meanwhile, Bulalacao said he had designated Senior Supt. Henry Biñas as officer-in-charge of the Bacolod police effective Sunday. With PNA

Hollywood...

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“This bunch of Mexicans are not as bad as sometimes they are portrayed,” said Cuaron said, a reference to President Donald Trump’s hardline rhetoric on immigration.

Shot in black and white, and filmed in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language, “Roma” is a semi-autobiographical chronicle of a year in the life of Cuaron’s family and his childhood nanny.

“Roma—the title a reference to a posh Mexico City neighborhood—earlier won two Golden Globes and is a leading contender for an Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony in February.

Christian Bale, who portrayed former US vice president Dick Cheney in “Vice,” won awards in the Best Actor and Best Actor in a Comedy categories, while Glenn Close (“The Wife”) and Lady Gaga (“A Star is Born”) jointly won in the Best Actress category.

Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”) walked away with a Best Supporting Actor win, while Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) won for Best Supporting Actress.

Offbeat 18th century royal romp “The Favourite” won the award for Best Acting Ensemble, while its star Olivia Colman won the Best Actress in a Comedy award.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won the Best Animated Feature award, beating out stiff competition from PixarDisney’s “The Incredibles 2,” Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and director Wes Anderson’s quirky “Isle of Dogs.”

Tom Cruise vehicle “Mission: Impossible—Fallout” won the Best Action Movie award, beating Marvel-Disney box office blockbusters “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity Wars.” AFP

News Coco farmers groups back plea to review SC decision

By Rey E. Requejo

THREE big coconut farmers’ groups supported the appeal made by an industry leader for the Supreme Court to review a controversial decision that could potentially strip the struggling coconut sector of more than P1 billion in needed support funding.

Efren M. Villaseñor, president of Confederation of Coconut Farmers Organizations of the Philippines (CCFOP-Confed); Mao K. Andong, Jr., vice president of Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Samahang Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan (PKSMMN); and Oscar C. Solidor, president of Alyansa sa Timawang Mag-uugmad sa Amihanang Mindanao (ATIMAN-Mindanao); assailed the High Court’s decision in the Felix Chua-UCPB case (G.R. No. 215999) penned on Aug. 16, 2017 by now Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, finding United Coconut Planters Bank liable to pay Felix Chua et. al.

P430,000,000 in cash and properties with aggregate amount of around P1 billion.

All three were former members of the UCPB Board of Directors.

This came after Dr. Jesus L. Arranza, a UCPB stockholder and former member of the bank’s Board of Directors and its Legal Oversight Committee, sent a letter to the SC seeking a review of the decision and investigation of several justices for possible violation of the Constitution and the High Court’s own rules.

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Drug trade thru mail up—PDEA

By Rio N. Araja

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HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Monday cited increasing incidents of trafficking of illegal drugs using mail and parcel courier service.

Director General Aaron Aquino said drug syndicates continue to transport illegal drugs through the mail and parcel courier service.

At least 35 incidents involving foreign express delivery and domestic courier services as mode of smuggling dangerous drugs into the Philippines were recorded in 2018, he said.

The number of interception of illegal drugs via courier services rose to 775 percent from four incidents in 2017 to 35 incidents in 2018.

For the period, mail and parcel interdiction operations in airports and seaports were conducted leading to the seizure of 94.67 kilos of shabu, 16,713 pieces of ecstasy tablets and 1,109.5

grams of marijuana kush, a hybrid marijuana with a total estimated market value of P672,161,877.88.

Aquino said the consignees were also arrested.

“Out of the interdiction operations conducted, 27 were interception of packages containing illegal drugs that originated from California, the United States of America,” he cited.

He credited the increase in the interception of drug-laden parcels to the enhanced capability of PDEA personnel to detect them.

PDEA agents assigned at the airports and seaports went through X-ray cargo

screening training conducted by the Office of the Transportation Security.

“They regularly conduct K9 sweeping and parcel screening on all cargo terminals nationwide,” Aquino said.

He said the agency has put up three airport interdiction units, three international airport interagency interdiction task groups and 12 seaport interdiction units to abort the entry of the illegal drugs through “vulnerable” seaports and airports.

“PDEA remains vigilant to ensure packages containing illegal drugs are intercepted and kept from being delivered,” he added.

Arroyo says Batocabe ‘confronted evil’

By Maricel V. Cruz

SPEAKER Gloria Arroyo on Monday said the late Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe of Ako-Bicol confronted the evil in his town of Daraga, Albay, and lost his life.

In her eulogy during a memorial for Batocabe at the House of Representatives, Arroyo called Batocabe the “Daring Daragueño” who, in the safer halls of Congress, “was also daring in the advocacies that he pursued. He manifested his fearlessness in the vigor by which he pursued his ideas and convictions.”

“Close to his heart were matters of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal of which he was a member. That [HRET] was [the subject of] our last conversation. We had a spirited discussion about the work of the HRET and just as he discusses in public, so in private he was very convincing on what he wanted to convey and sure enough in all those things we talked about, we adopted whatever he suggested because he was so persuasive,” Arroyo said.

She added that Batocabe, “aside from being bubbly, aside from being daring, was hardworking and left a legacy of 34 laws with national coverage.”

Troopers launch pursuit operations vs NPAs in Samar

By Francisco Tuyay TACLOBAN CITY—Government troops have launched pursuit operations against heavily-armed rebel fighters whom the soldiers engaged in a gunbattle Saturday morning.

Nine Army soldiers were injured in the encounter which occurred in the municipality of San Jorge in Samar.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Rizaldo Laurena, commanding officer of the 63rd Infantry (Innovator) Battalion of the Philippine Army, his troops and a group of fully armed Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA terrorists (CNTs) had a brief firefight when they chanced upon the rebels in a remote area in Barangay Bay-ang at around 6:50 a.m.

The soldiers were injured by shrapnels from a blast.

The Philippine Army’s 803rd Infantry (Peacemaker) Briigade and the 8th Infantry Division said the rebels also suffered casualties but they have yet to determine the exact number.

The injured soldiers were brought to the nearest hospital for treatment.

With PNA

LAST RESPECTS. Congressmen attend a necrological service for slain congressman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives. Lino Santos

PH seeks to strengthen political, economic ties with Sri Lanka ‘Printing of ballots

By Nat Mariano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte seeks to strengthen political, economic, and cultural interests with Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena through bilateral talks, Malacañang said on Monday, following the fiveday state visit of the Sri Lankan leader to the country.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo announced that Sirisena will be visiting the country from Jan. 15 to 19.

“President Sirisena will meet with President Duterte on 16 January 2019 in Malacañang Palace.

Their bilateral discussions will focus on areas of mutual interest, including political, economic, agriculture, cultural and people-topeople engagement,” Panelo said.

According to Panelo, the Sri Lankan president is also scheduled to visit the Asian Development Bank, the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna, and later meet the Sri Lankan community in Manila.

The Palace official added that Sirisena’s visit to the country is significantly historic.

“It will be the first by a Sri Lankan President serving both as Head of State and Government under Sri

Lanka’s 1978 Constitution,” said Panelo.

“Prior to that, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the only other Sri Lankan leader to visit in 1976, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1961,” he added.

The two nations celebrated the 58th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on Jan. 11.

Sri Lanka and the Philippines are exploring ways to expand their relations on trade and investment, defense, education, tourism, labor migration, agriculture, and mutual legal assistance.

PETITION FOR MANDAMUS.

House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. files a petition for mandamus before the Supreme Court to compel Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to release the fourth tranche of salary increase for state workers, including teachers, soldiers and police.

(Story on Page 1) Norman Cruz

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the nomination of MS. MA. THERESA B. DIZON-DE VEGA, Chief of Mission, Class I, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Republic of Germany, in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty two (32) copies on the above nomination to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 834-2713, 831-1824, 831-0527, 832-9830, 834-2706 and 551-1989.

14 January 2019.

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-JAN. 15, 2019)

for referendum on BOL ratification finished by Friday’

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

THE Commission on Elections said on Monday that the printing of more than two million official ballots for the referendum on the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law will be completed before Friday this week.

Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Administration Helen Flores said the printing of the remaining 600,000 ballots is expected to be finished by Wednesday.

Flores led the inspection of the facilities of the National Printing Office in Quezon City where the ballots for the Feb. 6 BOL plebiscite were being printed.

The Comelec earlier announced that the plebiscite for the ratification of the BOL will be conducted on two separate days, Jan. 21 and Feb. 6—to allow time for the full resolution of petitions for voluntary inclusion in the plebiscite.

Satur, other CPP leaders not yet off the hook—DOJ

THE Department of Justice will continue to pursue its terrorism cases against former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and other alleged leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army despite being delisted from government’s petition seeking to declare them terrorists.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the decision to drop the names of Ocampo, National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant Rafael Baylosis, United National special rapporteur on rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Lucia Tauli-Corpus and former Asia representative to the UN Expert Mechanism Jose Melencio Molintas in the government's proscription case before the Manila regional trial court did not mean that they will no longer be linked to the terrorism cases.

Rey E. Requejo

A4

Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

We need an opposition leader PRESIDENT Duterte has urged “tambays”—loiterers—to rob bishops, who are wealthy because they steal from the people, and priests because they commit sexual abuses. Now here comes Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo saying that Mr. Duterte was just using a figure of speech.

It’s always the same. When the President hurts the people’s sensibilities by ranting against anything or anybody he does not like, his minions scramble to explain what he supposedly really meant.

Sadly no one is stepping up.

exaggeraIf it’s not a joke, it’s an exaggera tion or hyperbole. It was taken out of context. That’s just his style, they say. He likes amusing people, making them laugh.

All these make me ask: Are we really amused?

Santa Banana, why does our President want to be a comedian?

There is some contradiction here. If we believe in poll surveys, the President continues to be very popular. But he says many things that people find objectionable!

Soon enough he will realize that

making such jokes will not make the problems of our nation go away.

Perhaps the President thinks he is still just a mayor. He certainly acts and thinks that way. He forgets that he has the future of 106 Filipinos on his hands.

To be sure, he is not the first one who what challenged dogma and the clergy. To a lot of the faithful, he is a Johnny-come-lately Protestant. Mr. Duterte should be reminded of Filipinos’ religious fervor during the recent Traslacion during the feast of the Black Nazarene.

In other words, Duterte is just wasting his time ranting against the Church. Notice how the Church has been keeping silent. And how can one argue when one is silent? *** One of the great tragedies of the nation is that there is no single leader of the opposition who can stand up against President Duterte.

Yes we have Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima. They have made a lot of noise against the President. But they have not generated enough following for the simple reason that people doubt their credibility and authenticity. In other words, they do not have the capacity to lead the opposition, much less the people.

This is tragic because a strong opposition leader is exactly what we need. Unfortunately, almost everybody in the Senate and House has become a part of the supermajority that kowtows to the administration.

My gulay, I have covered 10 presidents and seen history in the making.

I have walked the corridors of power. And yet we don’t have anybody leading the opposition and providing checks and balance on the Executive.

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

C

The weight of his words ty on Jan. 3, saying he was present at the occasion because he wanted Tolentino be senator.

He did so by insisting that Dela Rosa was “fundamentally honest.

Believe me.”

He does so by appearing in advertisements, airing in prime time TV shows, showing how good a public servant Go is, and giving him credit for several government programs.

By making these pronouncements, the President hopes some of his luster and popularity will rub off on his chosen few. We will not be surprised to see these names faring better in surveys in the weeks to come. Good for them.

For the public, not necessarily.

What all the undue and premature endorsement is telling the rest of us is that Mr. Duterte wants to have too obvious a hand in picking the members of the next upper house of Congress, supposedly an independent and co-equal branch of government as the Executive.

The 1987 Constitution conceived of the separation of powers as a

AN a president actually endorse senatorial candidates, and long before the designated campaign period at that?

Of course. President Rodrigo Duterte is doing exactly that.

One month before the start of the campaign period and four months before the polls, Mr. Duterte has had no qualms extolling the virtues of his three favorite candidates: his former Special Assistant Christopher Lawrence Go, his former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa, and former Metro Manila Development Authority chief Francis Tolentino.

He did so during a briefing in Camarines Sur, expressing disappointment at the results of an early survey saying his friends were not anywhere near the top of the winning column.

He did so by raising Tolentino’s arm during the latter’s birthday par-

way to ensure checks and balances, and that the chief executive will not be able to singlehandedly run the government.

This also tells us that Mr. Duterte thinks noting of violating election rules if it suits his purpose. There is not even an attempt at appearing to observe them.

Because he is extraordinarily popular, even midway into his term, he gets the feeling he can do anything, just as he feels he can never be too liberal with his mouth.

Meanwhile, the people will get so caught up with either scrambling to do the President’s bidding or figuring out how he is able to get away with many things that they will forget the one and only consideration for voting anybody in the office: Will his or her presence, given background and expertise, provide value to the Senate?

Again we are being conditioned to vote on the strength of somebody’s say-so. Is it too much to wish that voters resist this, and begin thinking for themselves?

Turn to A5

The Bangsamoro parliamentary system THE Bangsamoro Organic Law that hopefully will be ratified in several provinces, cities, and areas in the next couple of weeks provides for an interesting, and in my view positive, political innovation. This is the establishment of a parliamentary system as the form of government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. I am confident that the new system will be good for the Bangsamoro and its people and for the Philippines as well. In fact, the latter might just want to do the same thing when the time is ripe for charter change.

Article VII of the BOL outlines the government structure of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Government with the powers of the Bangsamoro Government vested in the Parliament which shall set policies and, legislate on matters within its authority.

The Parliament elects the Chief Minister, who shall serve as the chief executive of the BARMM. He or she must be a member of parliament and is elected on the first session day of the Parliament by a majority vote of all its members. He or she must be at least 25 years of age and a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.

Executive power shall be exercised by the Cabinet headed by the Chief Minister who shall be assisted by two Deputy Chief Ministers. Aside from being the head of the Bangsamoro Government, the Chief Minister has the power of appointment, to issue executive orders, formulate a platform of government subject to the approval by the Parliament. He shall represent the Bangsamoro government in the affairs of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The Parliament, aside from enacting laws, also has the power and authority to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, enact laws to augment items in the general appropriation law, discipline its members, and be consulted in matters affecting the environment. It shall pass

the annual appropriations law.

The Parliament is to be composed of eighty (80) members, unless increased by the Congress of the Philippines. The seats in the Parliament are classified into representatives of political parties which constitute one-half of its membership, forty percent (40%) coming from Parliamentary districts and the remaining ten (10%) percent are reserved seats and sectoral representatives. However, election of reserved seats for nonMoro indigenous peoples shall adhere to customary laws and indigenous processes.

The term of office for members of the Parliament, who are at least 25 years old, able to read and write and a registered voter of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, shall be three (3) years with a maximum limit of three (3) consecutive terms. Upon assumption, they are required to disclose their business and financial interests.

They are likewise prohibited from engaging in any business activity or any other activity that would be in conflict

This is the first time the Philippines will be experimenting with such a system of government at any level.

with their of official ficial functions. The pro prohibitions for national public officers under Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Public Officers and Employees shall also be made applicable to the members of the Parliament.

In case of vacancy of a proportional representation seat, the party to which that seat belongs shall fill the vacancy.

If the vacancy belongs to an unaffiliated member occurring at least one year before the expiration of the term of office, there will be a special election conducted to fill up such vacancy.

Upon a vote of no confidence of at least 2/3 of all the members of the Parliament against the Government of the Turn to A5

A changing America LOS ANGELES—After having been away from this country for years, I find it gripped by far-ranging social and political changes, mostly not for the better.

The biggest topic here these days is President Trump’s—$5-billion proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico. It won’t just be a wall, of course (whether steel or concrete), but will include an entire package of surveillance systems, holding facilities, beefed-up

border patrols–everything needed to improve security against a non-stop influx of illegal immigrants that could include drug traffickers and potential terrorists.

Weeks ago, a horde of “asylum seekers” from Central America—mostly in Honduras—began walking north with the avowed objective of forcing their way into the US. We can only surmise who’s been financing and directing this well-organized assault, and to what end.

But what’s surprising is how these blatant law-breakers are getting some degree of sympathy from the American public.

These sympathizers would include critics of forced separation of children from their illegal-alien parents who’re being held for deportation proceedings.

This kind of emotional blackmail being preached by the lefty-liberals conveniently fails to mention that whenever anyone is arrested and detained, of course he or she will have to be separated from their kids. That’s just common sense. What ought to matter is how government treats the kids meanwhile, and on that score, nobody’s faulted the authorities here.

The woolly thinking of these critics is best exemplified by their latest darling, newly-elected NY congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortes (AOC”), who’s a year short of thirty. In her latest pronouncement, AOC declared that “it’s more important to be morally right than to be factually correct.” It’s a distressing Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

Survey says...

SAME same, but different.

That’s the likely scenario when the smoke clears after the May midterm elections.

We’re referring to the possible results of the polls after two popularity surveys showed that most of the pro-administration senatorial bets are likely to win in May, thus assuring the passage of the Duterte administration’s key legislative proposals.

According to the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted from December 14 to 21, 2018, incumbent Senator Grace Poe will top the Senate race once again with a 75.6 percent rating. The survey also showed reelectionists Cynthia Villar and Sonny Angara ranking second and third with 66.6 percent and 58.5 percent rating, respectively. The rest of the winners’ circle or the top 12 are: Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano (55.4 percent), former senator and actor Lito Lapid (49.8 percent), Senator Nancy Binay (46.7 percent), Sen. Koko Pimentel (45.5 percent), former senator Serge Osmeña (38.8 percent), former senator Bong Revilla (37.6 percent), Ilocos Governor Imee Marcos (36.7 percent), former senator Jinggoy Estrada (36.3 percent), and former police chief Ronald dela Rosa (35.7 percent).

Within striking distance of winning are former Sen. Mar Roxas II (35 percent), as well as reelectionist Senators JV Ejercito (33.6 percent) and Bam Aquino (32.6 percent).

The rest of the political opposition are languishing far behind, and unless they are able to perform some kind of miracle in the months ahead, they are likely to lose miserably when May 13 comes along.

Offhand, what this particular survey tells us is that the Senate will continue to be dominated by pro-administration members if the numbers hold until voting day. This means, furthermore, that the Duterte administration’s legislative priorities, including the draft federal Constitution prepared by the House and already approved by the majority, could breeze through the Senate

when the third session of the 17th Congress opens in the second half of this year.

Should the draft federal charter be likewise approved by the Senate before the May polls, then a no-election scenario is possible, which most if not all reelectionists would welcome, but aspiring lawmakers and local executives would uniformly oppose.

Apps Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 recently upheld his earlier ruling that President Duterte’s Proclamation 572, which declared Senator Antonio Trillanes’ amnesty as void from the beginning, had factual basis. This ruling paves the way for the revival of the case against Trillanes for rebellion over his involvement in the 2007 Manila Peninsula incident.

This means good things for the Duterte administration’s legislative agenda.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines has described this as double jeopardy, but apparently the Palace is undeterred by any legal impediment as it sees Trillanes as an arch-enemy who must be disposed of by any means fair or foul.

Amid this brouhaha, we ask a practical question: Is there any agency or office, government or private, that requires any applicant of any document, such as a permit, license, certification, identification, or whatever, to keep a copy of such application?

I don’t think so.

Most offices require only one copy of such an application, duly signed by the applicant. Others might require two or three copies of an application, but that’s for their own records, not one is returned or given to the applicant himself for his own records.

If an applicant wants a copy of his application, he can do so, but even if he signs it,

it serves no useful purpose except for filing purposes if it is not approved by the pertinent authority.

What the agency or office normally does with an application or copies of an application is to either approve it or disapprove it, in which case it goes to their archives, for safekeeping for a certain period of time.

In other words, the approving authority has the duty and the responsibility to keep all its records intact so that questions regarding such records can be settled in the future.

If the records cannot be found by the approving authority, it’s their fault, because they have been negligent or remiss in record safekeeping.

I raise this point, even if belatedly, in light of the recent controversy regarding the presidential proclamation voiding the amnesty granted to Senator Antonio Trillanes because it says his amnesty application could not be found and therefore there’s no record that he admitted guilt which is for a condition for such amnesty to be granted.

Going by the logic or reasoning of the presidential proclamation, if you cannot produce the original copy of your application, whether for a license, or a permit, or a certificate, then the license, or permit, or certificate that you now hold is void and therefore illegal, and you would have to answer for that in a court of law.

By way of example, take the case of the recent filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) by aspirants for senatorial and local positions in May next year.

Did any one of the aspirants get to keep an original or even a certified copy of their original COC even if unsigned by the Comelec?

I really doubt it.

If so, does that make their candidacies void?

Apparently not.

Our conclusion: the case against Trillanes for his inability to show an original copy of his application for amnesty is pure and simple political harassment, no more and no less.

With the conflicting rulings by two courts on the case, it is now up the Supreme Court to settle the matter. ernhil@yahoo.com

MAIL MATTERS Let us manifest our confidence in Secretary Locsin I HAVE high measure of respect for Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin’s judgment so I will refuse to comment on his early findings concerning the passport challenges.

It has been several years since I left the department and much appears to have happened since then.

For now, the public should be left to judge the level of efficiency on pass-

A changing...

From A4 example of the kind of self-indulgent, selfrighteous cluelessness that’s taken over so much of current millennial thinking here.

On the issue again of immigration, the same critics have been claiming that immigrants in fact have lower rates of criminal behavior compared to the native-born. Well of course that’s true—but only if you lump all immigrant groups together. If you exclude communities like the Asians, and focus only on illegals from Latin America—most of whom can’t even be bothered to learn English—the results would be quite different—never mind if my theory smacks of politically incorrect ethnic profiling. *** From Manila, I note with approval the latest plan of President Duterte to duplicate his Boracay feat by also cleaning up the waters of Manila Bay. This is bound to be a much bigger and more controversial challenge. Duterte has pointed his finger at the hotels and other tourist establishments along the seashore. But DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu has also uncovered another surprising culprit: Manila Zoo, which presumably has been taking shortcuts in disposing of the zoo animals’ waste.

What I think is likely to be the biggest culprit will be the “informal settlers” around the shoreline and beside the Pasig river, whose detritus—together with the waste from industrial establishments along the river bank—ends up in Manila Bay. I’ve never forgotten the story once told me by green activist Orly Mercado, a former defense secretary under President Erap, who

port issuances during our periods of responsibility.

I know that ultimately our SFA will be successful in correcting the current passport problems to the total satisfaction of our people.

Let us manifest our confidence in him.

Albert del Rosario Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs

unleashed the entire Armed Forces at one time to clean up the entire Pasig riverbank. Lo and behold! just six months later, the pollution levels were back up again, as if the clean-up had never happened.

Luckily, the communities and local governments in other resort areas—from Puerto Galera to Panglao to Davao—already took the initiative to clean up their act as soon as the “Boracay solution” was implemented. They could see the way the wind was blowing, and it was self-evidently in their own best interests to clean up their own act, too.

But Manila Bay will be different. It’s beset by complications that Boracay never had to face, and its problems will will require a devilish amount of political will and sustained enforcement to address. We can only hope that Duterte will be able to enlist the kind of popular support in this campaign that he has a right to expect in light of his stubbornly high trust and performance ratings this late in his term. *** While my wife packs for our return flight to Manila, I can’t help thinking back to the highlights of our month-long holiday in the States, the longest I’ve been away from Manila in a long while: • Family reunions in Virginia for Christmas Eve and in Pennsylvania for the New Year, where I rediscovered what East Coast cold weather really means; • Meeting my first grandchild, Sebastian George Olivar IV, for the first time, and making sure that his chronically unobservant father had him baptized; • Visiting my cousin’s colonial-era house, a national heritage site, on the Delaware river in the quaint village of New Hope, as well as George Washington’s stately manse on the Potomac river in Mount Vernon;

BOL’s violations so basic and so numerous by the Constitution for Congress, i.e., legislative powers. As examples, Philconsa cited the power to create GOCC (government-owned and -controlled corporations), the power to grant tax exemptions and subsidies and the power to designate protected areas, such as THE BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law) nature reserves, forests, watersheds and that is scheduled for a January-February aquatic parks.

Philconsa also noted the grant to referenda is so full of violations of the 1987 Constitution—constitutional in- BARMM of powers reserved by the firmities, legal scholars call them—that Constitution to the President of the Philthe only plausible conclusion one can ippines. It singled out two: in the power reach is that the members of Congress, to enter into trade relations with other when drafting the new law, believed countries and the power to contract forthat it somehow would pass Supreme eign loans.

Philconsa further noted that BOL alCourt muster. The legislators’ thinking appears to have been along the lines of lowed BARMM to create a Bangsamoro blind approval of BOL by a Supreme Economic and Development Council.

Court filled with appointees of Presi- This, the Philconsa petition said, was contrary to the Constitution, which had dent Rodrigo Duterte.

Philconsa (Philippine Constitution designated NEDA (National Economic Association), a group founded in 1963 and Development Authority) as the ecoby a number of prominent lawyers to nomic planning agency of the government. NEDA is question the headed by the payment and President and subsequent audit is composed of approval of legmembers of the islators’ “allowThere is only one Cabinet. ances,” has just way the Supreme Additionally, gone to court to Philconsa noted make it very difCourt can decide on the “unjustified ficult for BOL this matter. advantage” givto get past the en to BARMM Supreme Court. over the other Philconsa had regions by the pointed out nuBOL provision merous infirmities—some political, some economic, in allowing the revenues collected by certain national taxes—DST (documentary nature—in the BOL. First, the Constitutional infirmities stamp tax), donor’s tax and estate tax— that are political. Chief among the po- to go straight to BARMM’s coffers. litical infirmities pointed out by Phil- This unfair advantage was violative consa is the irregularity of BARMM of the Constitution’s equal protection (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in clause, Philconsa argued.

Furthermore, Philconsa questioned a Muslim Mindanao) itself. In the 37page, late-2018 petition that it filed with BOL provision granting BARMM the the nation’s highest tribunal, Philconsa power to enact laws governing commerquestioned the Constitutionality of the cial and other civil actions that now are BARMM provision of Republic Act not covered by the Code of Muslim Per11054. Said the petition: “The creation sonal Law. Under the Constitution the of a Bangsamoro political entity is con- Shariah and other special courts do not trary to the Constitution which created have jurisdiction over such actions.

The BOL violations of the Constituonly ….. autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras.” The tion discussed above are so basic and so petition went on to say: “R.A. 11054 numerous that one wonders how the BOL abolished the ARMM and created the can possibly survive Philconsa’s SuBARMM ….. in lieu thereof without preme Court challenge and other similar first amending the Constitution ….. vio- challenges that are bound to follow. The lated and/or amended Sec. 1, Art. X of involved Constitutional provisions are so the Constitution without jurisdiction or clear and, as every law student is repeatauthority, with grave abuse of discretion edly told, clear legal provisions are either tantamount to lack of or in excess of ju- enforced or they’re not enforced.

How is the Supreme Court likely to risdiction.” Philconsa called BARMM a decide Philconsa’s challenge? If the “stranger” and an “interloper.”

Another basic violation of the Consti- Constitution is worth the paper it is tution pointed out by Philconsa was the written on, there is only one way it can grant to BARMM of powers reserved decide the matter.

New faces, new choices

DEL ROSARIO

• My daughter’s engagement—the surprise of the year—to her boyfriend, a nice ItalianAmerican kid who had the Mediterranean grace to first ask for my blessings even before proposing to her (in Hawaii); • A truly expensive dinner at the “molecular cuisine” restaurant of Chef Jose Andres in Beverly Hills, courtesy of my sister who joined my wife (her Sigma Delta Phi sister) in drinking their hubbies under the table; • Most of all, a side trip to Mexico City, where my shortness of breath from the high altitude only made our pilgrimage to the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe seem more luminous. That sacred tilma, mounted on its place of honor by the altar above a giant Mexican flag, is a breath-taking reminder of how Divine Grace occasionally tears a hole in the fabric of our world and shines the light of eternity into the darkness of human history.

Taipei airport—A sadder intimation of eternity has greeted us here while waiting for our Manila connecting flight, with the unexpected news that my balae, Bob Ramos, died peacefully in his sleep. An Ateneo product, Bob raised thoroughbred dogs, but his real vocation and passion revolved around his fellow rockers from legendary sixties bands like the Hijacks and the Moonstrucks who regularly descended on his Cubao home for weekend jam sessions.

Bob was forbearing enough to let me join him in toasting our newly-wed children with songs at their simple nuptials. Today the kids are preparing to immigrate soon, leaving us behind.

Bob, I know you’ll have my back as we continue to look out for them. Rest in peace, balae, and may Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold you in her eternal embrace.”

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@ yahoo.com.

BASED on the latest Pulse Asia survey, at least three “fresh” faces surfaced among the frontrunners in the senatorial race in the upcoming May midterm elections, providing the electorate with a few new choices.

Former Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Former PNP Chief, retired P/ Dir. Gen. Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa, placed 8th, leading Mar Roxas, JV Ejercito, and Bam Aquino.

Within striking distance is former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go at 14th place.

An objective view of the poll’s top 15 Senate aspirants shows eight incumbents and five former senators who have the advantage of “name recognition” as senators.

Except for Marcos, Dela Rosa and Go are non-traditional politicians or what we call “trapos.”

The eight returning incumbent and former senators are “trapos” who are either heirs of political families or popular movie actors.

We need...

From A4

The Bangsamoro...

From A4 day, the Chief Minister, within 72 hours of such vote shall inform the Wali (see below) to dissolve the Parliament and call for a new Parliamentary election. In no case shall the Wali countermand the advice of the Chief Minister.

Article VIII defines the office of the Wali who is the ceremonial head of the Bangsamoro Government. Aside from other qualifications, the Wali must be a resident of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for at least fifteen (15) years. In selecting a Wali, the Parliament issues a resolution reflecting its consensus from a list submitted by the

Council of Elders. The Wali shall only perform ceremonial duties such as the opening of the Parliament, among others. The Wali may be removed if he fails to dissolve the Parliament after a vote of no confidence; if he commits a crime involving moral turpitude; failure to perform the duties of a Wali; and such other grounds as the Parliament may provide.

This is the first time the Philippines will be experimenting with a parliamentary system of government at any level. This is good because in my view the presidential system (which emphasizes executive power) has not served the country well and we must try other forms.

Legally and constitutionally, a parliamentary system for an autonomous government can be justified because Article X of

the Constitution only requires that there be a Legislative and Executive Branch and that they be elected. The office of the Chief Minister and the Bangsamoro Parliament are still distinct and the Chief Minister is an elected member of Parliament.

The proportional representation concept is embodied in the BOL. This is great as it will probably result in development and maturing of authentic political parties. It will also mean that governance will require coalitions of shared interests as no one group is expected to dominate. While I would have wanted an anti-dynasty provision in the BOL, a party-based system might just work to address the problem of political dynasties.

Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Under the dictatorship of Marcos, the opposition was alive and kicking with Aquino, Diokno, Tañada and many others. There was Jaime Cardinal Sin. Now there is no one challenging the President—not even the Philippine press!

With only Mar Roxas in the winning circle, there will just be a handful of oppositionists in the Senate. I am deeply troubled at this. *** There are some factors that can make and unmake candidates in the Philippines: Public awareness or popularity, and of course money.

Popularity is the name of the game.

To set the record straight, I have nothing per se against being a “trapo,” be it heirs of political clans or actors and entertainment celebrities for that matter, so long as they did or will perform their tasks while being members of the lawmaking body.

Without exactly endorsing anyone’s candidacy, I would enjoin everyone to seriously consider choosing new aspiring legislators in the coming elections.

Apart from Dela Rosa and Go, who both have proven themselves in the field of public service, there are a number of new possible picks for senators who can press the needed reforms in the country.

These non-“trapo” choices for senators, including those beyond the list of poll leaders offer a wide range of expertise and advocacies that can uplift the quality of life in our nation.

The same is true for the congressional and local elections which are dominated by “trapos,” fixtures including scions of powerful clans and warlords.

Beyond name-recognition, we must take cognizance of the opportunity to bring about genuine reforms by electing new leaders.

If we want real change, then we should consider going with the new ones.

Still, that is no guarantee. Look at what happened to the very popular action star Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004. He lost anyway.

To me it’s rather funny that Lapid would run for senator again. Did he not say that he felt out of place in the Senate since he could not participate in interpellations nor sponsor a bill?

Money makes a real difference especially in the province. With it, candidates can have the necessary natiowide exposure. You also need money to transport voters to polling stations.

You need money to buy votes. In other words, you need money to cheat.

This is why people vote for members of political dynasties. They have money to spread around. It’s a symbiotic thing. www.emiljurado.weebly.com

News

A6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Anti-graft court gives go-ahead for Jaraula trial THE Sandiganbayan has moved to proceed with the graft trial of former Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula in connection with the alleged misuse of fertilizer funds worth P3 million from December 2003 to June 2004.

The anti-graft-court’s Second Division, in a resolution dated Jan. 10, denied Jaraula’s motion to dismiss his case for lack of merit.

Ombudsman investigators accused Jaraula of channeling P3 million in fertilizer funds to a foundation linked to detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

The case stemmed from Jaraula’s endorsement of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc., which was based in Taguig City, as the partner nongovernment organization to implement his project in Cagayan de Oro City using fertilizer funds from December 2003 to July 2004.

Jaraula also appealed to the Sandiganbayan to order the Ombudsman to reinvestigate his case and have the charges against him dropped in lieu of the proceedings.

But the Sandiganbayan said only the charges against then Department of Agriculture regional officials Jose Quitazol Sr., Antonio Rosal, and Eduardo Lecciones Jr. would be reconsidered because they were not given a chance to submit their counter-affidavits.

“The allegations of herein movant are matters of defense not proper in a motion, more so, be based upon a condition.

His defenses are evidentiary in nature and is best passed upon and ventilated upon a full-blown trial on the merits,” the anti-graft court said.

The complaint alleged that Jaraula signed the endorsement and the agreement with PSDFI even if the congressman failed to comply with the accreditation process mandates by Commission on Audit Circular 96003, well as failed to submit the complete supporting documents.

PSDFI allegedly lacked qualifications having its funding sources as donations, grants and minimal membership fees. It also failed to submit a list of previous projects to prove its expertise.

Ombudsman Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer III Charmaine Ruiz said despite the PSDFI’s alleged failure to deliver the fertilizer, officials of the Department of Agriculture’s Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao regional units managed to release the payments to PSDFI. Jaraula was also charged with one count of violation of Section 3(g) of the antigraft law for allegedly entering into a contract that was disadvantageous to the government. Marice V. Cruz

Maguindanao ex-mayor fined P30k

THE POINT IS. Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (right) confers with Senate Finance Committee chairman, Senator Loren Legarda, in Monday’s continuation of deliberations for the proposed 2019 budget of the DPWH at the Senate session hall in Pasay City. Ey Acasio

House resolution directs DOTr to legalize ‘Angkas’

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

PANEL in the House of Representatives has passed a resolution directing the Department of Transportation to allow the operation of motorcycle taxis.

The House special committee on Metro Manila Development, headed by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, adopted a resolution that would legitimize the operations of Angkas without having passed a bill for the purpose.

Castelo said the DOTr could issue a Department Order to allow Angkas operations in the same manner that Transportation Network Companies or Transport Network Vehicle Services like Grab were allowed to operate.

“Now that we have established that Angkas is safe, fast, and affordable, and is relied upon by thousands of Filipino commuters, the Committee now comes up with a resolution urging the DOTr to immediately allow Angkas a pilot run

nationwide as the DOTr drafts the implementing guidelines for the operation and regulation of Angkas,” Castelo said.

“The committee is now directed to draft the resolution for immediate compliance by the DOTr,” Castelo added.

The House committee-approved resolution provides for a nationwide pilot run for Angkas as proposed by Manila Rep. Cristal Bagatsing who also supported the operation of motorcycle taxis under strict regulations to avoid accident.

Bagatsing revealed that when the Supreme Court TRO came out allowing the LTFRB to apprehend Angkas riderpartners ferrying passengers, many of her constituents reached out to her.

Negros Oriental Rep. Teves seconded

Bagatsing’s motion for resolution, saying while the government was crafting laws that would govern their operations, the motorcycle taxis should be allowed to operate.

Also present during the hearing was DOTr Undersecretary Mark de Leon who said the agency would be creating a Technical Working Group for this purpose.

The TWG will discuss the regulatory requirements for motorcycle taxis,” De Leon stated.

“We are open to get back to Congress after the TWG meeting in January 18 to propose the implementation of the nationwide Angkas pilot,” he added.

Angkas’ George Royeca, in turn, praised the DOTr for coming up with the TWG and its willingness to immediately work on the implementing guidelines for the operation and regulation of Angkas.

He also stressed they were happy to be able to provide a means of livelihood to their rider-partners, while stating how much their riders earn on the average.

Solon tags Customs official A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Monday urged Bureau of Customs chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero to pursue criminal and administrative charges against a ranking Customs official responsible for the removal of the X-ray mobile scanning unit at the Customs Clearance Area of Mindanao International Container Terminal Services Inc. at the Phividec Industrial Estate complex in Misamis Oriental.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles said that the removal of the X-ray unit could have allowed the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and other contraband at the MICTSI through so-called “swinging operations.”

In a letter to Guerrero, Nograles said that Director Eduardo Chico of the Ports Operations Service, Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group had no authority to revoke Administrative Order 296 issued by former President Ramos in 1996 that established the Customs Clearance Area in Special Economic Freeport Zones. Nograles claims that Director Chico violated Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. “How can a mere verbal order of a Director in Customs revoke and Administrative Order of the President of the Republic of the Philippines?” questioned Nograles, referring to the order of Director Chico to cease the operations of the Customs Clearance Area.

“The “Swinging” modus will only work when the containers are not properly inspected. For more than three months, from September to December 2018, containers were rushed out of the port and into the streets of Mindanao and elsewhere because of Director Chico’s illegal verbal order,” Nograles, a deputy majority leader, said. Maricel V. Cruz

THIS IS IT. Weather

forecaster Raymond Ordinario monitors Monday the incoming Low Pressure Area located on the eastern section of Mindanao which may be the typhoon to be called ‘Amang.’

Lino Santos

PhilHealth ready for Health Care challenge

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. on Monday said it was ready to take on the challenges of Universal Health Care which President Rodrigo R. Duterte will soon sign into law after it posted stronger performance in 2018.

PhilHealth Acting president and CEO Dr. Roy B. Ferrer said such performance was enough proof that the National Health Insurance Fund was intact and protected to meet the rising health care demand of its 100-million beneficiaries here and abroad.

“As stewards of the National Health Insurance Fund, we owe it to the members and stakeholders to keep their fund in excellent shape to meet all our financial obligations,” stressed Ferrer.

PhilHealth records showed that it surpassed its previous year’s records on its net income, benefit payments and membership coverage.

In its November-end financial status,

PhilHealth got a net income of P8 billion which is 671 percent higher than last year’s P1 billion, a virtual seven-fold growth.

With just a month left before the year comes to a close, PhilHealth expressed optimism that it will end the year with a positive bottom line.

Owing to its intensified collection activities, the state agency registered a premium income of P118 billion or 21 percent higher than last year’s P97.180 billion. Releases by the National Government for the premium contributions of around 21-million indigent and senior citizen members and their qualified dependents topped the billing at P49.7 billion which is 15 percent higher against P43 billion from the same 11-month period last year.

Coming in next are the premiums paid on behalf of private sector workers at P43.6 billion, having the highest year-on-year growth with 34 percent or P11-billion increase from last year’s P32.5 billion.

Meanwhile, its investment portfolio rose to P152 billion which is 21 percent higher than last year’s level.

FOR failing to declare his properties in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth for 2011, 2013 and 2014, the Sandiganbayan has slapped a former Maguindanao town mayor with a P30,000 fine.

The anti-graft court 6th Division, in a decision dated Jan. 10, 2019, found former Talitay Mayor Montasir Sabal guilty of three counts of violation of Section 7 of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and three counts of violation of Section 8 of RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Court records showed Sabal pleaded “not guilty” during his arraignment on May 30, 2018. His counsel subsequently manifested that he has expressed to the prosecution the accused’s intention to enter into a pleabargaining agreement.

In a resolution dated Oct. 11, 2018, the court granted the parties’ joint motion to approve plea bargaining agreement and approved their proposed terms for the accused’s guilty plea in the three counts of violation of Section 7 of RA 3019 and three counts of violation of Section 8 of RA 3019, as well as the withdrawal of the three counts of perjury.

The anti-graft court ordered the withdrawal of the three counts of perjury on Jan. 10, 2019. The accused also withdrew his “not guilty” plea in the three counts of violation of Section 7 of RA 3019 and three counts of violation of Section 8 of RA 3019.

The Office of the Ombudsman charged Sabal with graft for failing to declare a house in Robinson Highlands, Buhangin, Davao City; three residential lots covered by TCT Nos. 146-2013011685, 146-2013011686, 146- 2013011687; and a parcel of land covered by TCT No. T-53323, known as Lot 245-F-2-V, located in Barrio Biniruan, Cotabato City in his 2011, 2013 and 2014 SALNs, which the law requires to be declared. PNA

133 foreigners barred by BI

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration barred 133 foreign nationals from entering the country last year for being rude and disrespectful to immigration officers.

BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said the number of rude aliens who were turned back in 2018 was slightly higher than the 129 excluded in 2017.

Medina advised foreigners visiting the country not to be discourteous and avoid using foul and indecent language when talking to immigration officers whom they encounter in the ports of entry.

“The entry and stay of foreigners in the country is (sic) only a privilege, not a right,” Medina said. “Aliens are not allowed to verbally abuse or disrespect our immigration officers.”

Statistics show that 37 Chinese nationals topped the list, followed by 25 Americans, and 23 Koreans.

“They were also placed in our immigration blacklist of undesirable aliens, thus they are banned from reentering the country,” he said .

BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the BI has been strictly implementing a policy to disallow the entry of foreigners who exhibit arrogance or make offensive utterances against immigration officers, the latter being symbols of Philippine authority.

MIAA reports significant hike in air travellers traffic

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Manila International Airport Authority has reported a significant increase of air travelers traffic at the country’s main gateway in 2018.

Foreign and local airlines carried 45,082,544 passengers in 2018, a seven percent increase from 42,022,484 passengers that have arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2017.

Arriving and departing international travelers went up by 22,958,026 in 2018, compared to 20,957,571 in 2017.

The number of travelers in domestic destination last year has also reached new heights.

A record of arriving and departing passengers in 2018 rose to 22,124,518, outpacing the 21,064,913-passenger volume growth in 2017.

According to data of Department of Tourism, foreign arrivals on October 2018 increased by 8.5 percent to 4.85 million in the first eight months despite a decline in a number of top source market.

Supplementing the passenger influx in NAIA were returning Filipinos (balikbayans) and overseas Filipino workers who were traveling to several local destinations in the Philippines.

The airport authority is also expecting more passenger traffic this year as new international routes were mounted by local airlines.

Sports Only PSI can conduct swim tryouts for PH team NO ENTITY can select the members of the Philippine swimming team to the 30th Southeast Asian Games other than the local swim body recognized by the International Swimming Federation or Fina.

The legitimate officers of the Philippine Swimming Inc. yesterday notified the PSI general membership in a memorandum not to entertain a group that falsely announced an open tryouts for the national team. ``It has come to our attention that a group led by Eric Buhain and Carlos Brosas have announced open tryouts for participation in the swimming competitions of the Southeast Asian Games to be held in the Philippines later this year,’’ said the memorandum issued by the PSI Board of Trustees. ``They also claimed to have opened online registration for participation in these tryouts claiming to represent Philippine Swimming Inc.,’’ added the statement, which was circulated to all PSIregistered members nationwide.

The duly elected officers of the swim association vehemently denounced the misrepresentation since Buhain and Brosas are not members of the PSI, which is also recognized by the Asian Swimming Federation. ``Participation in the Southeast Asian Games swimming competition can only be achieved under the auspices of the PSI, AASF and Fina,’’ said the memorandum. ``Clearly, the group led by Buhain and Brosas are misleading the general public as to the true leadership of Philippine Swimming Inc., as well as their authority to conduct any swimming competitions with an aim towards participating in the Southeast Asia Games,’’ it added.

The memorandum explained that a new set of PSI officers and board of trustees headed by Lailani Velasco as president were properly and validly elected on Feb. 17, 2018.

According to the board of trustees, the results of the election were ratified by 67 out of the 87 clubs from all over the country in a well-attended general membership meeting last Dec. 7.

Fina executive director Cornel Marculescu and president Dr. Julio Maglione have recognized Velasco’s election as well as the AASF through its secretary general Taha Al-Kishry.

Philippine Olympic Committee membership committee chair Robert Bachmann confirmed that the PSI under Velasco enjoys the support of the POC, which lifted the suspension of the swim body through an executive board resolution.

The reinstatement of the PSI headed

by Velasco was then ratified by the POC general assembly two months ago. ``We have been working together toward the betterment of Philippine aquatics and we hope to be allowed to continue doing so unfettered by baseless claims and accusations, as well as acts aimed at sowing divisiveness and confusion,’’ declared the PSI Board of Trustees.

Red-hot...

From A8

“Tonight he played like a superstar,” Ibaka said of Leonard. “That’s how we need him to play and he did his job as a superstar. When we need him to step up and make big plays, he did them for us.”

The Raptors, who improved to an NBA-best 33-12, burst out of the gate and were up 51-28 late in the second quarter and by 17 with less than a minute to play in the third.

Washington chipped away, helped by Bradley Beal’s second triple-double of the season with 43 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds.

“We got lucky to get out of here with a win,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

In New York, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed Joel Embiid back with a hard-fought 108-105 victory over the host Knicks.

Embiid, sidelined from Friday’s loss to Atlanta with a sore ankle, scored 26 points in his return to the starting lineup, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking six shots.

Ben Simmons had a big game, connecting on 10 of 13 shots from the field on the way to 20 points, and grabbing a career high 22 rebounds as the Sixers dominated the Knicks 5634 on the boards.

Australia’s Simmons, whose previous career-high for rebounds was 18, became the youngest 76er ever to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game.

“The numbers are dominant,” coach Brett Brown said of Simmons, who also handed out nine assists. “I thought he was fantastic.” AFP

A7

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Ruthless Nadal thumps rival M

ELBOURNE—A ruthless Rafael Nadal showed no mercy in a clinical first round thumping at the Australian Open Monday with fellow former champions Angelique Kerber and Maria Sharapova also romping through.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner, who cut short his 2018 season to have surgery on a foot injury, cruised into round two of the year’s opening major 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 against Australian wildcard James Duckworth.

“Not easy to come back after a lot of months, especially against a player playing super aggressive on every point,” said the 2009 Australian champion, who showed no sign of any injury worries.

“The energy I feel in this place is fantastic,” he added.

The Spanish second seed is bidding to become the first man in the Open era, and only third in history along with Roy

Emerson and Rod Laver, to win each Grand Slam on two or more occasions.

Fifth seed Kevin Anderson also progressed against Adrian Mannarino, with last year’s Wimbledon finalist a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 winner. NextGen Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas also went through in four sets.

Women’s second seed Angelique Kerber swept past Slovenia’s Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-2, with the Wimbledon champion producing a clinical display to launch her campaign at a tournament she won in 2016.

“We now have 2019 and I try to continue to play how I did last year,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner.

Sharapova, a winner at Melbourne

Park in 2008, signalled her intent with a rare 6-0, 6-0 double bagel demolition of Britain’s Harriet Dart, who ended the match in tears.

Playing in her 15th Australian Open, the three-time finalist said she was pleased to go through so easily as she battles back from injuries.

“It was a good test for my leg, for my shoulder,” she said. “I’m still working through some painful days. But, you know, I felt like I did all the right things today in order to get through that match.”

Fifth seeded Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion who struggled in her warm-up tournaments in Brisbane and Sydney, got back to business with an easy two-set win against fellow American Taylor Townsend.

Eleventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, widely tipped as a potential future champion, also safely negotiated round one on a hot day.

But Germany’s 14th seed Julia Goerg-

es, who won the recent Auckland Classic, crashed out, as did former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Severe pain Britain’s Katie Boulter, meanwhile, created a slice of history by becoming the first woman to win in a third set tiebreak—a new rule introduced to the Open this year.

Instead of playing to the death, third or fifth sets now go to a tie-break when the score reaches 6-6 and it becomes the first to 10.

It seemed Boulter wasn’t told, fistpumping and walking to the net at 7/4 before being reminded of the new rule.

She went on to beat Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6).

Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki open their title defences later in the day, while Andy Murray takes to the court for what could be his farewell match in Melbourne and potentially his last ever. AFP

Mighty Sports stint big help for De Liano, says coach Bo

Spain’s Rafael Nadal serves against Australia’s James Duckworth during their men’s singles match on day one of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

Kuchar pulls away for 4-shot Sony victory LOS ANGELES—US veteran Matt Kuchar shook off a slow start and pulled away for a four-shot victory over Andrew Putnam Sunday in the US PGA Tour Sony Open in Hawaii.

Kuchar birdied six of his last 10 holes in a four-under par 66 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, finishing the week with a 22-under par total of 258.

The 40-year-old four-time Ryder Cup team member—who won a bronze medal for the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics—won for the second time in the 2018-19 season after his victory in the Mayakoba Classic in November.

“Boy, to win two out of three events— it’s crazy to comprehend,” said Kuchar, who missed the Tour Championship last year for the first time in eight years but has now taken his tally of US PGA Tour titles to nine.

He led by two going into the final round, three bogeys in his first five holes saw the usually steady Kuchar, who had just one bogey in the first three rounds, surrender the lead to Putnam.

“It was not at all what I was looking for,” Kuchar said, adding that he just told himself to stay confident. “Some of those bogeys—there was a three-putt and a bad wedge shot. That’s just so uncharacteristic.”

Sure enough he snapped out of it.

A birdie at the ninth saw him make the turn level with Putnam—who had two birdies in his first nine holes.

Kuchar added birdies at 10, 12, 15, 16 and the par-five 18th to seal the win as Putnam, who was tied for the lead after a birdie at 13, bogeyed 14 from a bunker on the way to a two-under 68 for solo second on 262.

“Andrew was tough,” Kuchar said.

“He was battling me, took the lead and it was nice to have that pressure and come through, make some birdies coming in.

“Getting that birdie on 15, getting that birdie on 16—man that made 18 awfully nice to play,” added the American, who is now well on his way to making a fifth US Presidents Cup team.

Australian Marc Leishman had six birdies in a six-under 64 to share third place on 17-under 263 with Canadian Corey Conners and Americans Hudson Swafford and Chez Reavie. AFP

Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates with his sons Cameron and Carson after winning the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. AFP

NFL’s playoff Final 4 set as Saints, Patriots advance WASHINGTON—Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tom Brady each sparkled Sunday in leading the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots into the NFL semi-finals with home playoff triumphs.

Two days before his 40th birthday, Brees overcame a first-pass pickoff to complete 28 of 38 throws for 301 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints went marching into next Sunday’s National Conference final by beating defending champion Philadelphia 20-14.

Brady, a 41-year-old winner of five NFL titles, completed 34 of 44 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown while Sony Michel ran 24 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 for a record eighth consecutive trip to the American Conference final.

The Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams and the Patriots will visit the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday to decide berths in Super Bowl 53 on February 3 at Atlanta.

Brees sparked the greatest playoff comeback in Saints history from a 14-0 deficit.

“Obviously we didn’t start this game the way we wanted to,” Brees said.

“They jumped out to a 14-point lead. We were calm, we were poised, we knew were going to get things going.”

The Patriots, who seek a ninth Super Bowl appearance in 18 campaigns and third title in five seasons, jumped ahead 35-7 at half-time.

“The line played great and I think we just did a good job of keeping them off balance. It was a good win,” Brady said. “It’s that time of year. You’ve got

to play your best.”

The Patriots beat Kansas City 43-40 in an October regular-season contest, but the Chiefs, who haven’t won a title since the 1969 campaign, were the only visitors all season to lead at New England.

“Kansas City has had a hell of a year,” Brady said. “They gave us everything we could handle in October. I’m sure it will be the same. It’s going to be fun to play them in the championship game.”

The Rams and Saints each went an NFL-best 13-3 this season, with New Orleans beating the Rams 45-35 in November.

The Saints won their only Super Bowl in 2010. The Rams own three NFL titles from three different cities—Cleveland in 1945, Los Angeles in 1951 and the 2000 Super Bowl while based in St. Louis.

They moved back to LA in 2016. AFP

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines coach Bo Perasol believes that playmaker Juan Gomez de Liano would become a better player after his stint with the Mighty Sports in the tough Dubai International Basketball Tournament slated Feb. 1 to 9.

“I personally know the strength of the competition there. I am sure that Juan will gain tremendously from that Dubai tournament,” said Perasol of his veteran guard, who made heads turn during the team’s Final Four duel with Adamson in the UAAP. “I am sure that whatever experience Juan will gain from the Dubai tournament he will share to his teammates,” added Perasol.

Together with Paul Desiderio, the UP Maroons beat the twice-to-beat Falcons in the semis to advance to the Finals for the first time in 32 years.

Mighty Sports team owner Alex Wongchuking, however, cautioned the local players of the team backed by Go For Gold, Healthcube and Oriental Group not to be overwhelmed of having former LA Lakers star Lamar Odom and Ginebra resident import Justine Brownlee as teammates.

“They have to remember that we have chosen them because of their talents and we believe they can help the team. Huwag silang magpa starstruck,” said Wongchuking. “It is also our own way of helping prepare Juan for the coming UAAP season.”

Aside from De Liano, other local players of the team with practically no experience playing abroad are La Salle’s Santi Santillan and College of St. Benilde’s Justin Gutang.

Coach Charles Tiu has also tapped former PBA players Joseph Yeo, Gab Banal and Jett Manuel and a pair of Fil-Am players in Jeremiah Gray and Roosevelt Adams to beef up a team that won only one game in its maiden campaign in the annual tournament two years ago.

Aside from the reigning champion Coastal Star of Tunisia, also taking part in the event are three teams which are taking part in a top-tier tournament in Lebanon and the national team of Jordan.

Tiu will have veteran coach Jong Uichico as one of his assistants.

“I am glad that Jong was given the clearance to join me in the team. He will be a huge help because he can provide us with a lot of insights,” said Tiu. “I will meet him soon to start planning.”

Thais...

From A8

Jhonnel Ababa, test the Pradera layout one last time in today’s (Tuesday) pro-am tournament where they will be paired with guests and officials of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. The Mike Singgaran-design course inside the sprawling Pradera complex in Barangay Prado Siongco has been kept at its championship form all-year with its bunkers and water hazards ready to challenge the elite field.

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

A8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

Sports

Perkins leads All-Rookie PBA team

LAST-DITCH STAND. The Philippine Azkals, with coach ven Goran-Eriksson (right) calling the shots, are shown training for what could be a make-or-break game against Kyrgyzstan tomorrow in the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup 2019. After back-to-back losses to South Korea and China, the Azkals now have one chance left to make it to the next stage. Dennis B. Mallari

Altas zero in on volley sweep E

IGHT straight wins and counting.

University of Perpetual Help System Dalta overpowered San Sebastian College, 25-19, 25-20, 2521, on Monday to move on cusp of sweeping its way straight to the finals for the second straight season in the men’s division of the 94th NCAA volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Joebert Almodiel, last year’s rookie Most Valuable Player, came through with another all-around effort and finished with a match-high 18 points, including 13 on kills and four on service aces, while helping the team in defense with 11 receptions as the Altas clinched their eighth straight win.

The Las Pinas-based school thus moved one triumph closer from sweeping the elimination round for the second straight year and barging into the best-of-three finals outright.

UPHSD swept the elims last season, but lost in Game One in the finals to

Arellano University in a series the former eventually won in three games to snare its third straight title and 11th overall.

Now the Altas have a chance of duplicating the feat as they clash with the already-ran Jose Rizal Bombers (2-6) on Thursday.

The Stags fell to their fourth defeat against four triumphs and out of the Final Four race.

UPHSD’s junior team also moved on the verge of a sweep as it claimed its eighth win in row with a merciless 25-15, 25-23, 25-17

Members of the Perpetual Help Volleyball Team

win over SSC earlier.

Power-hitting Noel Michael Kampton went on a spiking spree and unloaded 21 kills to finish with a match-best 23 hits.

The Staglets bowed out of contention with a 3-6 mark.

In women’s play, UPHSD turned

Dennis Abrina

back SSC, 25-19, 25-8, 18-25, 25-17, to stay in the Final Four hunt with a fifth win against three defeats.

It will play JRU on Thursday eyeing nothing less than a win that will book it a return trip to the Final Four alongside AU, San Beda and St. Benilde.

Red-hot Curry fires 48 points to power Dubs LOS ANGELES—Stephen Curry scored 48 points and drained 11 three pointers as the Golden State Warriors stretched their win streak to four straight with a 119-114 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Curry tallied 24 points in the second half and scored the final seven for two-time defending league champion Golden State.

He also made the game-winning shot in a contest that Dallas led by five, 113108, with just under four minutes left in regulation.

“We didn’t panic. We took our time on offense and didn’t have turnovers,” said Curry.

Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Klay Thompson made just two-of-11 three point attempts but still managed to score 16.

Luka Doncic, who is a candidate for rookie of the year, led Dallas with 26 points, making five of 10 from beyond the arc and adding five assists and six rebounds.

Forward Harrison Barnes scored 22 in the loss. Barnes was trying to get off a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds to go, but the ball slipped out of his hands and rolled out of bounds to seal the win for the Warriors.

“We just couldn’t get Curry under control,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He was brilliant tonight.”

Golden State now head to Denver on Tuesday for a showdown with the Nuggets.

Raptors beat Wizards Elsewhere, Serge Ibaka drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 15 seconds left in the second overtime Sunday to lift the Toronto Raptors to a 140-138 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 41 points. That included 10 in overtime as Toronto finally put away the Wizards in a game in which the Raptors led by as many as 23.

Turn to A7

JASON Perkins of Phoenix leads the All-Rookie team to be honored during the 25th Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps Awards Night on Jan. 21 at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

The 26-year-old forward, adjudged as the 2018 Rookie of the Year, will be joined by Jeron Teng, Paul Zamar, Robbie Herndon, and Christian Standhardinger in the exclusive team being named by the group of reporters covering the PBA beat.

Two other awards, namely the Breakout Player of the Year and the Game of the Season, are also part of the honor roll celebrating the 25th anniversary of the annual affair presented by Cignal TV. Recently retired Rain or Shine guard Chris Tiu ended his pro career with a bang as he will be the recipient of the Breakout Player of the Year, while the triple overtime thriller between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine during the Philippine Cup was the hands-down choice as Game of the Season.

The 33-year-old Tiu thrice broke his career-high last year, scoring a career-best 30 points in a 107-101 win over NLEX in the Governors Cup in what proved to be his final game in the league. He finished the season with averages of 10.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.4 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Kings outlasted the Elasto Painters in three overtime periods, 100-92, to clinch a playoff berth in the All-Filipino conference.

It only marked the 12th overtime game in the 43-year history of the league and saw guard LA Tenorio played 56 minutes and 52 seconds— the fourth most minutes played alltime among locals.

The list of awardees earlier announced include Stanley Pringle of NorthPort as Scoring champion and the trio of San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee of Magnolia, and Vic Manuel of Alaska as recipients of the Order of Merit.

National team coach Yeng Guiao of NLEX leads the All-Interview team that has for members Joe Devance of Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel Beer’s Chris Ross, Mike Digregorio of Blackwater, Standhardinger, and Tiu. As always, the winner of the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Coach of the Year trophy serves as the highlight of the event first held in 1993. Top contenders for the award named after the late legendary mentor are Magnolia’s Chito Victolero, Leo Austria, and Tim Cone.

Another traditional award to be given is the Danny Floro Executive of the Year in honor of the late amiable Crispa team owner, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year and Mr Quality Minutes.

AMA picks 1st in D-League Draft today

Namchok Tantipokhakul

Pasavee Lertvilai

Thais eye PH Golf Tour breakthrough at Pradera A STRONG 11-man crew seeks to record Thailand’s first championship in the PGT Asia, which resumes its 2018-19 season with the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic beginning tomorrow Wednesday (Jan. 16) at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga.

The Thais, the country’s perennial rivals in the men’s and women’s sides in the amateurs, are due for a breakthrough in the region’s newest circuit after Pasavee Lertvilai tied for second to Rene Menor at Splendido in 2017 and Namchok Tantipokhakul finished runner-up to Aussie Damien Jordan in the Aboitiz Invitational at the Orchard last year.

The Thais have contended in other PGTA events but just could put it all together in the end, keeping

them winless in 14 events combined but hopeful heading to the $100,000 championship serving as the eighth leg of the second season of the tour put up by ICTSI. Lertvilai, also a former PGT Asia Qualifying School topnotcher, and Tantipokhakul are back in this week’s event as spearheads of a side that includes veteran campaigner Wisut Artjanawat, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Jaturon Duangpaichoom, Sutijet Kooratanapisan, Tawit Polthai, Puk Pradittan, Nirun Sae-ueng, Thammanoon Sriroj and Piya Swangarunporn.

But the Thais will be as much tested as the rest of the foreign bidders, along with the local aces, for the top $17,500 purse in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

For one, Jordan and Luisita leg winner David Gleeson are going all-out for a second win with fellow Aussies Clayron Bridges, Andrew Campbell, Calum Juniper, Jack Sullivan and Simon Viitakangas also seeking to join the elite circle of winners of the circuit.

Regular campaigner Lexus Keoninh also brims with confidence as he resumes his title hunt along with fellow Americans Sam Gillis, Sydney Chung, Andy Kang, Charles Lee, Teemu Putkonen and Joshua Salah while Koreans Hwang Myung Chal, Lee Sangun, Park Jun Hyeok, Park Jun Sung and Kim Jun Sik likewise eye a strong showing in the blue-ribbon event.

Meanwhile, a select group of pros, led by Filipino top guns Clyde Mondilla, Tony Lascuña, Jay Bayron and Turn to A7

AMA Online Education will have the first crack in the 2019 PBA D-League Draft on Tuesday at the PBA Office in Libis.

The Titans claimed the top pick after finishing in the cellar in the Aspirants’ and Foundation Cups last season, and coach Mark Herrera has his sights set on some of the big names in the pool of 153 aspirants.

ASEAN Basketball League veteran Joshua Munzon, University of the Philippines playmaker Juan Gomez de Liano, Adamson forward Sean Manganti, and La Salle big man Santi Santillan headline the big names in the list, giving AMA a bounty of choices as it seeks to perform better this season.

It will be the third straight time that the Titans will select first in the developmental league draft. They took in Jeron Teng in 2016 and Owen Graham in 2017.

Batangas-Emilio Aguinaldo College owns the second pick, while Centro Escolar University is at third.

A record 20 teams, 15 of them school-based squads, are participating in the 2019 PBA D-League season, set to open on Feb. 14 at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Reigning Foundation Cup champion Go for Gold-CSB is returning and hopes to emerge on top again.

But it will have its hands full against a tough field bannered by collegiate titlists Ateneo of University Athletic Association of the Philippines, San Beda University of National Collegiate Athletic Association, St. Clare of National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities and Diliman College of Universities and Colleges Basketball League.

IN BRIEF Hanjin loans are credit negative—Moody’s GLOBAL debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service said Monday the exposures of five major domestic banks to shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines is credit negative because they will reduce their profits.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier confirmed that BDO Unibank Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Land Bank of the Philippines, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. had loan exposures totaling $412 million to South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin’s Philippine subsidiary, Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines, which filed for corporate rehabilitation last week. “... The exposures are credit negative for the five Philippine banks because they will need to incur additional credit charges related to HHIC-Phil, which will reduce their profit,” Moody’s said.

All five banks enjoy investment grade ratings of Baa2 with stable outlooks from Moody’s.

Moody’s said of the five banks, RCBC could be the one mostly affected because it had the largest exposure to Hanjin at around $140 million. Julito G. Rada

Business

DoE endorses solar bid of Total Power THE Energy Investment Coordinating Council led by the Department of Energy has issued a certificate of energy project of national significance to Total Power, Inc. for the pre-development stage of its 100-megawatt solar project in Sarangani province.

The issuance of the CEPNS is mandated under Executive Order 30, signed

by President Rodrigo Duterte in June last year, which created the EICC to streamline the regulatory procedures affecting energy projects of national importance.

“The EICC, through DOE as the lead agency in the implementation of E.O. 30, is pleased to inform you that your application for the declaration of your project, the 100 MW TPI Sarangani solar power project, has been approved,” EICC head of secretariat and DoE director Patrick Aquino said in his letter to TPI president Jack Tan. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi signed the on December 20. The CEPNS for pre-development phase carries with conditions and rights, such as action on the application within 30 working days and presumption of prior approval.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Govt has enough money for infra projects, says DoF FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said there are enough funds for infrastructure projects under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the Duterte administration after the government sealed concessional funding support last year with Japan, China and South Korea.

“We are fortunate to have the full support from our friends in the region,” Dominguez said in a statement Monday.

“Both Japan and China have committed about $9 billion each in investments and official development assistance, while South Korea has pledged up to $1 billion in ODA under President Rodrigo Duterte’s term. These commitments complement the support we are getting from multilateral development institutions,” he said.

Dominguez said the magnitude of the ODA should be credited to President Duterte’s rebalancing of foreign policy.

He said with BBB projects gathering steam, infrastructure spending in the first 10 months of 2018 hit P665.1 billion, up by 50.3 percent or P222.5 billion compared to the same period last year.

Data showed that as of November 2018, 35 of the 75 infrastructure flagship projects have been approved by the Investment Coordination Committee and confirmed by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority. These projects have a total investment requirement of P1.54 trillion. Julito G. Rada

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

B1

Okada asks PSE to block backdoor listing of gaming unit

By Jenniffer B. Austria

First Gen, EDC among world’s greenest firms TWO Lopez Group companies—First Gen Corp. and Energy Development Corp.—have been included in the latest list of the world’s top 200 biggest and greenest companies, recognizing their efforts as a green company.

The prestigious list, called the Carbon Clean 200, ranks companies according to the size of their revenues from clean energy sources.

“Being the only Philippine companies on the list is a strong recognition of our commitment to not invest in coal and to make RE [renewable energy] more accessible to the Filipinos to help drive a low-carbon economy for the country,” said First Gen and EDC chairman and chief executive officer Federico Lopez in a statement.

First Gen ranked 113rd with estimated clean energy revenues of $632 million in 2017,l while EDC occupied the 139th slot with estimated clean energy revenues of $494.72 million.

The latest ranking covering the third quarter of 2018 marked the third time for EDC, and the first time for First Gen, to make it to the Carbon Clean 200.

Alena Mae S. Flores

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

GOKONGWEI INNOVATION HUB. JG Summit Holdings Inc. and De La Salle University launch the John Gokongwei Jr. Innovation Center at DLSU Laguna Campus in Biñan, Laguna. Named after DLSU MBA alumnus John Gokongwei Jr. (MBA ’77), the world-class facility currently houses the Philippine studio of international gaming giant Ubisoft. At launching ceremony are (from left) DLSU trustee Cesar Purisima, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation general manager Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, GBF trustee Tony Go, GBF president James Go, GBF trustee Elizabeth Gokongwei, GBF chairman John Gokongwei Jr., DLSU chancellor Br. Bernard Oca FSC, GBF secretary Lance Gokongwei and businessman Robert Coyiuto Jr.

Car sales slumped 16% to 357,410 units in 2018 A

By Othel V. Campos

utomotive sales slumped 16 percent in 2018 to 357,410 units from a record 425,673 vehicles sold in 2017, on combination of higher taxes and soaring oil prices that dampened demand, data from two industry groups show.

Total sales of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association in 2018 were also lower than 359,572 units registered in 2016.

The figures excluded sales of other industry groups such as the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. Vehicle sales in December 2018 fell 29.8 percent to 31,945 units from 45,494 units in December 2017, but

Campi and TMA said there were signs of recovery in terms of month-on-month performance.

The two industry groups said combined sales rose 2.2 percent month-onmonth in December from 31,258 units delivered in November.

“The auto industry has been recovering since the second half of 2018. We are confident that the continued monthon-month positive sales growth rate during that period will be sustained in 2019,” said Campi president Rommel Gutierrez.

Passenger car sales increased 1.13 percent in December to 9,301 units from 9,197 units in November while commercial vehicle sales went up 2.6 percent to 22,644 units from 22,061 units.

Sales of light commercial vehicles also posted a slight growth of 2.1 percent to 17,963 units from 17,594 units.

The Asian utility vehicle segment posted a double-digit growth of 12.6 percent to 3,539 units from 3,142 units.

However, sales of light trucks or category 3 vehicles declined 9.6 percent to 681 units from 753 units.

Category 4 recorded the highest decline of 25.6 percent to 316 units from 425 units while category 5 sales were down 1.4 percent to 145 units from 147 units.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the market leader with a 42.8-percent share, followed by Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. with nearly 19 percent.

Nissan Philippines Inc. was third with 9.7-percent share, followed by Ford Motor Company Philippines Inc. and Honda Cars Philippines Inc. with 6.59-percent and 6.52-percent shares, respectively.

The groups said the continuing good performance of Philippine economy would have a lasting positive effect on the local automotive industry.

“With GDP per capita on a high level, more new vehicle models to be introduced and a strong economy, we welcome the new year with great excitement,” Gutierrez said.

Toyota Motor Philippines said earlier it was expecting sales to increase 10 percent in 2019.

MICT’S MODERN GANTRIES.

International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s flagship Manila International Container Terminal receives the first four of 16 new hybrid rubbertired gantries as part of the company’s longterm investment in capacity enhancement and environmental efficiency.

World Bank doubles PH natural disaster risk insurance to $390m

By Julito G. Rada THE World Bank nearly doubled the Philippines’ natural disaster risk insurance in 2017 with a new $390 million in coverage that became effective Dec. 19, 2018 to help the country better respond to losses from climate change and disasters.

The multilateral lender said Monday the renewal would provide 25 provinces in the country with the Philippine peso equivalent of $390 million in insurance against major typhoon and earthquake events.

Under the program, the World Bank would sign an agreement with private reinsurers to provide coverage against disaster and severe weather impacts for national government agencies and 25 participating provinces. Insurance pay-

outs are made when pre-defined parametric triggers are met.

State-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System provides the parametric catastrophe insurance coverage. The insurance policy is designed to provide rapid liquidity in the face of disasters to the government to enable rebuilding and recovery to commence.

The renewed policy almost doubled the coverage under a 2017 policy, facilitated by the World Bank through a catastrophe swap, that provided the Philippine peso equivalent of $206 million in insurance.

The panel of risk takers, selected through a competitive bidding process, also doubled under the renewed policy.

Risk takers were able to participate in the transaction either through a derivative

contract or a retrocession agreement.

Mara Warwick, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, said the initiative demonstrated the Philippines’ strong commitment to continue investing in innovative financial solutions that will mitigate the impacts of major earthquakes and extreme climate and weather-related events.

“The program complements the country’s overall strategy and efforts in ensuring resilience against natural disasters and climate change impacts,” Warwick said in a statement.

The World Bank is also supporting the Philippines in preparing a sovereign catastrophe bond to complement the existing insurance program by providing cover for more extreme events.

JAPANESE casino mogul Kazuo Okada asked the Philippine Stock Exchange to block the planned backdoor listing of his gaming unit allegedly to protect the investing public from the ownership dispute within the company.

Lawyers Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. and Kathleen Mativo who represent Okada said in an urgent letter to PSE dated Jan. 11 that Tiger Resort Asia Ltd. had no authority to list Okada Manila via Asiabest Group International Inc. “The exchange should disapprove the application for the block sale and disallow the backdoor listing because there exists, at bare minimum, a serious issue as to whether Fujimoto et. al. are legitimate director/ officers of Tiger, and the rest of the Okada companies, that can act for and on behalf of said companies,” Okada’s counsel said.

Okada’s lawyers said the supposed authority of the current directors/officers of the Okada companies was anchored on the validity of the casino magnate’s removal as sole director of Okada Holdings Inc. which they claimed was patently void.

“Mr. Okada is the beneficial owner of 67.6 percent of TRAL’s capital stock, and he was the sole director of TRAL unit [when] he was illegally removed in June 2017. The backdoor listing and block sale are unauthorized and without approval of Mr. Okada.

TRAL, under the control of illegitimate directors, is not suitable to be in control of a listed company such as ABG in accordance with the suitability rile of the exchange,” Okada’s lawyers said.

TRAL, the operator of Okada Manila, signed a deal in September 2018 to purchase 200 million shares in ABG which was equivalent to two-thirds of the company.

PayPal set to hire over 1,000 Filipinos for Alabang facility GLOBAL payments leader PayPal said Monday it is hiring over 1,000 Filipino employees in the next two years for its new global customer operations center in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The center will be the largest and first consolidated operations site for PayPal in the Philippines and will primarily serve PayPal’s English-speaking customers when it opens later this year, the online payment platform said.

“The level of service and hires in the Philippines has always been exceptional – with high English proficiency and a strong pool of experienced customer service professionals. These are exactly the type of people we are looking for to join PayPal, as we expand our customer service offerings, providing multichannel and higher quality support for PayPal customers worldwide,” PayPal senior director for global customer services and country site lead John Nicholls.

The new site will cater to several regions including North America, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Having previously served customers through outsourcing partners, the new PayPal global operations center in Alabang centralizes customer service, along with business, recruitment and training support functions.

PayPal employees will be exposed to robust product, language and cultural training that will equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to better understand PayPal customers and the intricacies of the many international markets they will serve, the company said.

PayPal said it was committed to helping employees realize their full potential as professionals. Apart from core competency development, opportunities for growth will be available at all levels in an international company like PayPal. Othel V. Campos

B2

Business

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks up; index rises above 8,000 T HE stock market rallied Monday, with the benchmark index surging past 8,000 points as investors continued to buy blue chip issues.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 120.05 points, or 1.5 percent, to 8,024.14 on a value turnover of P6.8 billion. Gainers beat losers, 125 to 80, with 42 issues unchanged.

Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, advanced 3.7 percent to P141.40, while parent JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei gained 2.8 percent to P66.30.

Megaworld Corp., the largest lessor of office spaces, climbed 3 percent to P5.15, while Manila Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, rose 2.8

percent to P398.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, led a sell-off across Asian markets Monday as profittakers moved in following a six-day rally, while dealers were also spooked by another disappointing batch of weak economic data out of China.

With few catalysts to drive buying, equities were ripe for selling after last week’s healthy gains, with the US government shutdown—now in its fourth week and showing no sign of ending soon—instilling a sense of unease.

Also on the agenda is Tuesday’s key Brexit vote, with British Prime Minister Theresa May making an 11th hour appeal to MPs to pass her agreement with the EU, which is expected to be voted down by a wide margin.

In afternoon trade, Hong Kong shed 1.6 percent after chalking up gains of more than six percent over the previous

six trading days, while Shanghai ended down 0.7 percent and Singapore lost 0.5 percent.

Taipei was 0.5 percent lower, Mumbai lost 0.8 percent and Jakarta shed 0.9 percent.

Sydney was marginally lower but Wellington rose, while Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

The losses follow a negative lead from Wall Street, where all three main indexes fell Friday, ending a healthy week that had been boosted by optimism that China and the US are edging towards a trade deal, while the Federal Reserve indicated it could pause its interest rate hikes.

Trifecta Consultants analyst Sukrit Vijayakar said the “optimism surrounding the US-China trade talks faded,” noting that statements from both sides were positive but vague and “lacked concrete details.”

Data Monday showed China’s imports and exports fell last month, signaling that the US tariffs are beginning to bite in the world’s number two economy. The Customs bureau also said China’s trade surplus with the US—a major source of anger for President Donald Trump—widened 17.2 percent last year.

“China’s weaker-than-expected 2018 trade data has seen the China equity market dive lower. Then sentiment went deeper into the tank on the release of China December trade data, which missed the mark badly,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. There are growing concerns that the partial government shutdown of the US government, which has seen hundreds of thousands of federal workers go unpaid, could also impact the world’s number one economy. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.5 23,110 91.9 1,839,110 2.25 17,000 131.6 2,075,610 1.47 35,000 28 126,300 16.1 1,400 12.32 1,375,900 4.65 49,000 7.46 1,500 0.69 7,000 1.42 9,000 800 30 0.49 340,000 80 6,638,520 1 1,135,000 12.08 18,500 45 1,007,600 180 1,320 59.1 1,890 27.15 296,600 179 645,030 1,801 65 64.5 6,620 1.16 1,000

1,367,614.50 166,686,170.50 38,090 272,532,922 51,070 3,531,415 22,560 16,995,580 228,570 11,190 4,830 12,830 24,000 162,150 522,574,071.50 1,129,250 228,984 45,298,330 237,600 111,526.50 8,013,140 114,541,071 117,020 427,362.50 1,160

1,294,470 -24,160,407.50 -7,848,597 -982,195 1,620 -8,679,514 690 -118,750 -142,299,253 -24,081,535 18,000 2,755,250 31,285,840 -304,759.00 -

35.75 16.28 1.14 1.38 0.247 90 1.94 15.8 135 30.85 16 41 1.75 6.34 6.5 11.5 15.04 8.15 7.31 20.5 70.8 25.95 2.04 6 12.04 1.86 312 3.19 10 26.55 11.1 18 387 0.184 5.7 1.41 3.72 7.78 5.61 1.34 10.9 47.85 5.86 4.7 1.8 1.48 13.12 84 6.22 0.124 0.89 134 2.45 2.03 1.55

INDUSTRIAL 37 2,227,400 16.46 1,486,600 1.17 2,543,000 1.41 2,648,000 0.25 4,310,000 90 650 1.98 20,527,000 15.96 567,100 140 810 31.3 77,100 16.3 14,100 41.15 1,000 1.79 100,000 6.43 138,900 6.64 12,900 11.8 5,067,600 15.3 46,700 8.17 149,200 7.49 7,100 20.5 2,431,600 72.3 91,000 25.95 2,500 2.1 2,787,000 6.06 119,900 12.12 554,800 1.86 227,000 324 940,570 3.19 3,000 11 13,600 27.35 299,400 11.18 118,100 18.18 249,300 398 420,560 0.184 20,000 5.7 218,500 1.44 6,630,000 3.78 153,000 7.79 1,600,700 5.64 158,700 1.37 13,572,000 10.96 182,500 47.85 877,000 5.86 3,000 4.78 4,000 1.83 1,581,000 1.54 58,000 13.2 811,300 84 628,430 6.25 113,100 0.128 280,000 0.93 126,000 141.4 1,274,740 2.45 1,000 2.12 10,868,000 1.58 2,863,000

82,123,510 24,497,200 2,926,560 3,704,690 1,071,500 58,500 40,608,940 8,989,856 113,051 2,398,685 228,550 41,075 176,480 882,286 84,702 59,633,982 708,142 1,217,924 52,719 50,056,370 6,496,453 64,975 5,819,100 728,364 6,727,006 424,690 300,713,858 9,570 147,536 8,145,400 1,324,906 4,518,340 166,105,642 3,680 1,258,641 9,505,770 576,080 12,521,114 895,356 18,387,120 2,005,628 42,192,200 17,580 18,880 2,888,170 87,950 10,729,780 52,855,904 706,949 35,390 116,060 176,776,700 2,450 22,580,010 4,533,360

28,139,140 56,052 -135,860 50.0001 -994,000 -10,038,830.00 -494,534 -795,650 20,575 130,720 39,275,042 150,600 -284,253 -6,639 6,877,655 -624,713.50 37,580.00 3,252,136 86,259,910 -911,385 -243,634 -2,051,416 108,934,374 262,440 75,800 -1,345,304 -3,702,560 -1,633,152 -16,667,825 1,261,192 9,168,337 -290,213 1,240 -930 90,881,684.00 -860,790 -104,880

0.73 64.4 13.12 0.8 29.5 1.48 1.48 982 7.16 12.86 12.92 5.28 5.2 0.225 1,004 5.9 66.3 5.57 0.6 5.04 15.56 0.61 5.02 0.039 1.22 2.57 151.5 992 1.44 500 249.6 0.26

0.71 59.1 12.54 0.8 28.7 1.45 1.43 955 7.1 12.68 12.68 5.28 5.19 0.203 972.5 5.9 62.5 5.41 0.58 4.73 15.3 0.6 4.99 0.038 1.17 2.5 149.5 966.5 1.38 500 249.6 0.249

HOLDING FIRMS 0.73 14,239,000 64.4 1,561,530 13.06 9,712,000 0.8 1,000 29.25 90,900 1.47 7,954,000 1.47 1,099,000 975 206,500 7.13 237,400 12.8 3,430,900 12.8 359,000 5.28 3,000 5.19 3,000 0.225 550,000 1,004 133,370 5.9 500 66.3 3,420,430 5.41 25,200 0.59 43,000 5.01 7,943,000 15.42 2,699,800 0.6 219,000 5.02 29,380,000 0.038 3,800,000 1.18 200,000 2.57 400,000 149.5 561,140 992 309,730 1.42 110,000 500 10 249.6 175,010 0.255 1,000,000

10,321,980 97,878,356 125,805,552 800 2,652,145 11,675,720 1,601,300 201,376,910 1,694,037 43,969,012 4,597,614 15,840 15,590 113,950 132,227,125 2,950 222,509,090.50 138,570 25,080 39,483,300 41,582,452 132,850 147,077,240 145,400 235,170 1,016,920 84,358,054 304,354,565 154,290 5,000 43,682,496 250,410

86,000 66,332,892.50 71,496,854 -14,700 74,380 5,348,740 610,225 13,796,284 64,300 -10,400 -29,816,595 2,950 86,761,188 -3,573,960 -11,905,898 32,400 96,891,390 -51,200 5,304,306 47,957,595 -

8.73 0.86 11 1.7 0.99 44.55 2.4 4.33 6.48 0.44 0.84 0.92 0.25 0.415 8.64 21.5 0.52 0.116 1.48 1.2 5.15 0.47 0.485 2.28 0.44 3.7

8.62 0.84 10.8 1.69 0.91 42.7 2.37 4.2 6.45 0.43 0.84 0.85 0.238 0.38 8.15 20.5 0.51 0.11 1.44 1.18 4.98 0.46 0.47 2.21 0.425 3.62

7,550,795 1,432,280 621,726 108,750 6,134,970 544,028,475 2,030,930 1,328,200 324,052 702,800 62,160 255,530 662,390 415,100 28,644,099 14,758,945 361,760 321,140 16,907,360 1,041,100 171,604,114 7,765,250 37,950 6,649,850 454,000 10,006,580

13,889 613,920 -36,395,420 -948,910 -409,150 321,467 -12,900 12,400 858 462,715 -246,800 -7,157,420 82,395,698 9,550 73,240

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59.5 89.95 2.21 128.3 1.48 28 16.2 12.54 4.6 7.46 0.69 1.43 800 0.47 77.9 1.01 12.38 44.6 180 58.75 26.8 175.5 1,801 64.6 1.16

59.5 92.3 2.27 132 1.48 28.2 16.2 12.56 4.73 7.46 0.69 1.43 800 0.49 80 1.01 12.38 45.4 180 59.2 27.2 180.5 1,801 65.85 1.16

58.15 89.3 2.21 128.3 1.45 27.8 16.1 12.08 4.6 7.46 0.69 1.42 800 0.47 76.65 0.97 12.08 44.5 180 58.75 26.8 174.1 1,800 64.4 1.16

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION 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 MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PH RESORTS GRP PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

35.8 16.4 1.16 1.43 0.247 90 2.05 15.96 135 31.3 16.5 41 1.79 6.34 6.64 11.5 15.04 8.16 7.31 20.6 71 26 2.04 6 12.22 1.88 316.6 3.19 10.2 27.3 11.28 18.18 389.8 0.184 5.7 1.47 3.76 7.89 5.61 1.37 11 48.5 5.86 4.7 1.9 1.55 13.2 84.5 6.28 0.124 0.89 136.4 2.45 2.08 1.6

37.1 16.64 1.17 1.43 0.25 90 2.05 15.96 140 31.35 16.5 41.15 1.79 6.43 6.64 11.82 15.36 8.18 7.49 20.95 72.4 26 2.11 6.21 12.26 1.88 324 3.19 11.2 27.5 11.3 18.3 398 0.184 5.77 1.47 3.79 7.91 5.66 1.37 11 48.6 5.86 4.78 1.9 1.55 13.4 84.5 6.28 0.128 0.94 141.4 2.45 2.12 1.61

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

0.72 60.7 12.76 0.8 29.4 1.47 1.47 972 7.16 12.8 12.92 5.28 5.2 0.205 993.5 5.9 64.5 5.57 0.6 4.73 15.3 0.61 4.99 0.039 1.22 2.56 149.8 985 1.44 500 249.6 0.249

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

8.62 0.85 10.84 1.7 0.99 44 2.38 4.27 6.45 0.435 0.84 0.88 0.249 0.415 8.15 20.8 0.52 0.113 1.46 1.18 5 0.46 0.485 2.28 0.44 3.63

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

22.3 2 3.12 38.8 1.36 5.95 0.74 5.85

23.2 2.04 3.12 39.6 1.36 6.05 0.74 5.98

21.85 1.98 3.12 38.4 1.31 5.71 0.73 5.8

23.2 2.04 3.12 39.6 1.34 6.02 0.73 5.98

3,189,700 248,000 938,000 9,941,100 2,709,000 249,700 124,000 1,830,000

72,449,180 502,230 2,926,560 391,584,540 3,605,250 1,483,118 91,360 10,809,072

41,224,025 6,240 235,913,530.00 -2,720 1,680,969

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY CEBU AIR 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 MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

14.5 21.5 1.4 0.42 0.04 3.39 10.68 80 6.79 7.39 2.1 17.02 890 2,016 5.73 328 3.22 2 101.3 11.22 7.4 0.14 6.34 3.12 14.78 3.75 0.84 18 0.345 5.02 2.61 2.26 18 3.95 9.6 8.35 3.5 121 3.55 1,228 0.91 0.325 48.5 87 7.64 2.38 0.79 0.43 5.54 0.76 14

14.9 21.5 1.45 0.42 0.045 3.39 10.84 80.5 6.83 7.74 2.1 17.28 890 2,100 5.79 330 3.29 2 105.5 11.22 7.4 0.144 6.41 3.13 14.78 3.8 0.88 18.56 0.355 5.19 2.75 2.38 18 4.19 9.6 8.9 3.59 121 3.55 1,229 0.92 0.34 49.3 88.5 7.64 2.4 0.81 0.445 5.55 0.77 14

14.08 21.4 1.4 0.415 0.04 3.31 10.32 79 6.76 7.36 2.1 16.32 890 1,990 5.72 320.4 3.22 1.88 101.3 11.2 7.4 0.137 6.31 3.12 14.78 3.43 0.84 17.7 0.345 5.01 2.6 2.16 18 3.88 9.6 8.35 3.45 116 3.26 1,187 0.9 0.32 48.1 86.05 7.62 2.3 0.78 0.43 5.46 0.75 13.78

SERVICES 14.3 21.4 1.45 0.42 0.045 3.36 10.8 79.7 6.78 7.36 2.1 16.8 890 2,060 5.78 330 3.22 1.88 105 11.2 7.4 0.137 6.35 3.13 14.78 3.48 0.88 18.5 0.355 5.01 2.69 2.3 18 3.98 9.6 8.7 3.59 116 3.29 1,199 0.9 0.335 48.65 87.35 7.62 2.32 0.79 0.445 5.5 0.77 13.78

179,900 52,900 17,000 1,490,000 119,400,000 715,000 11,487,900 298,060 658,800 78,200 3,000 221,200 250 88,165 220,900 2,940 1,346,000 17,000 1,229,880 3,900 1,100 6,830,000 3,293,200 8,000 22,100 3,456,000 32,000 2,153,300 80,000 50,500 3,275,000 1,386,000 300 19,069,000 13,000 10,300 156,000 2,410 6,245,000 168,465 5,407,000 1,260,000 1,751,500 547,810 8,700 5,788,000 13,975,000 4,600,000 300,000 2,561,000 3,219,500

2,589,672 1,135,345 23,850 623,150 5,090,900 2,390,610 122,875,458 23,793,619 4,474,792 581,231 6,300 3,706,192 222,500 181,643,920 1,272,109 967,320 4,364,830 32,810 129,105,459 43,692 8,140 955,770 20,939,409 25,010 326,638 12,313,530 27,360 39,448,574 28,300 253,427 8,825,010 3,140,880 5,400 75,674,430 124,800 88,648 559,670 279,960 21,036,180 201,612,060 4,916,640 408,500 84,938,705 47,916,345.50 66,384 13,450,800 11,035,590 2,011,600 1,646,847 1,953,130 44,414,008

-212,460 26,680 5,807,338 1,976,265 27,200 131,652,060 9,820 -323,260 31,370,253 -388,731 -344,770 -7,177,160 16,717,250 844.9999 -256,760 -3,225,220 -15,313,475 202,980 39,339,885 14,622,117.50 1,734,330 -2,757,310 -135,650 -17,185,470

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

0.0022 1.65 2.69 15.7 1.39 2.09 0.29 7.61 1.68 0.21 0.118 1.21 2.38 1.08 0.96 0.013 0.013 0.013 3.7 3.99 15.56 24.3 0.0074

0.0022 1.65 2.69 15.7 1.39 2.09 0.29 7.63 1.68 0.213 0.12 1.24 2.47 1.08 0.96 0.013 0.013 0.013 3.8 4.1 15.84 24.7 0.0075

0.0021 1.63 2.63 15.7 1.36 2.05 0.29 7.61 1.66 0.209 0.118 1.21 2.37 1.05 0.95 0.013 0.013 0.012 3.7 3.98 15.5 23.8 0.0074

MINING & OIL 0.0022 320,000,000 1.65 450,000 2.63 96,000 15.7 100 1.36 9,000 2.05 527,000 0.29 250,000 7.63 300 1.67 4,108,000 0.213 530,000 0.12 720,000 1.22 15,000 2.46 5,901,000 1.05 7,000 0.96 431,000 0.013 24,100,000 0.013 193,200,000 0.013 3,300,000 3.78 69,000 4.02 2,992,000 15.6 674,400 24.1 1,105,300 0.0075 6,000,000

672,600 740,180 253,100 1,570 12,390 1,083,660 72,500 2,285 6,879,710 111,640 86,200 18,490 14,423,490 7,380 410,760 313,300 2,511,600 40,800 260,110 12,112,080 10,535,660 26,615,235 44,700

1,650 -2,531,700 -5,837,010 27,550 150,780.00 -925,436 -4,790,930 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2I

19.2 473 96.5 480 5.5 918 900 96 1 100.5 980 1,002 100.5 108 75.4 76.8 72.6 73 74.5 73.45

19.42 473 97 480 5.6 918 900 96 1 100.5 980 1,002 100.5 108 75.45 76.8 73.5 73 74.5 73.45

19.2 471.8 96.5 480 5.5 918 900 96 1 100.5 980 1,002 100.5 103.1 74.8 76.05 72.5 71.85 74.5 73.45

PREFERRED 19.4 317,200 471.8 30 96.5 1,510 480 120 5.6 196,000 918 20 900 450 96 190 1 11,000 100.5 500 980 1,050 1,002 370 100.5 10 103.1 320 75.45 5,520 76.2 3,430 73.5 1,050 71.85 1,200 74.5 530 73.45 9,830

6,150,780 14,170 146,360 57,600 1,093,530 18,360 405,000 18,240 11,000 50,250 1,029,000 370,740 1,005 34,168 413,135 261,727 76,185 86,442 39,485 722,013.50

1,241,560 3,800 -

LR WARRANT

2.15

2.3

2.01

WARRANTS 2.05 1,308,000

2,824,360

-

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

5.09 2.62 1.6

5.11 2.64 1.69

5.02 2.62 1.55

5.04 2.62 1.67

2,782,984 18,380 19,734,620

-1,806,030

FIRST METRO ETF

117.4

118.9

115.7

1,374,771

-

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.4 10.18

10.4 10.18

10.4 10.18

1,040 14,862.80

-

NAME

MS

8.72 0.86 11 1.7 0.92 44.55 2.37 4.26 6.45 0.44 0.84 0.92 0.245 0.41 8.58 21.4 0.51 0.116 1.47 1.19 5.15 0.47 0.48 2.22 0.43 3.68

867,500 1,678,000 56,800 64,000 6,547,000 12,455,600 855,000 311,000 50,100 1,620,000 74,000 296,000 2,740,000 1,080,000 3,386,700 695,900 700,000 2,910,000 11,525,000 878,000 33,693,600 16,670,000 80,000 2,980,000 1,060,000 2,730,000

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

17,556,374

INDUSTRIAL

90,220,462

HOLDING FIRMS

97,683,231

PROPERTY

125,874,776

SERVICES

225,397,264

MINING & OIL

563,351,493

GRAND TOTAL

1,134,696,203

SME

550,600 7,000 12,042,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118.9 11,720 DDS 10.4 10.18

100 1,460

VALUE 1,797.06 (up) 24.74 1,387,937,928.13 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,732.67 (up) 245.99 1,141,869,252.142 HOLDING FIRMS 8,011.47 (up) 127.90 1,711,454,827.67 PROPERTY 3,994.77 (up) 50.65 SERVICES 1,544.63 (up) 2.48 1,334,053,925.795 MINING & OIL 8,752.21 (up) 10.03 1,119,746,281.17 PSEI 8,024.14 (up) 120.05 77,236,852.742 All Shares Index 4,786.60 (up) 56.45 6,796,212,578.37 Gainers: 125; Losers: 80; Unchanged: 42; Total: 247

ICTSI acquires initial four new hybrid gantries to hike output

By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. acquired the first four of 16 new hybrid rubber-tired gantries as part of a long-term investment in capacity enhancement and environmental efficiency.

“As we continuously drive economic growth in our home operations, ICTSI will always be at the forefront of innovation with ports equipment and adaptive technology that ensures increasing productivity while reducing carbon footprint,” said ICTSI Global Corporate head Christian Gonzalez.

A first in the country and manufactured

by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. of Japan, the Mitsui Li-ion Hybrid RTG is equipped with a 200kVA Li-ion battery and a smaller diesel engine that dramatically improves the carbon footprint of the terminal.

Once fully commissioned, the hybrid RTGs are expected to further boost MICT’s container yard productivity, and allow the country’s largest, bestequipped and most technologicallyadvanced container terminal to fully match demand in terms of operational performance.

The new port equipment also underscore ICTSI’s Group-wide commitment towards ensuring an environmentfriendly supply chain—among which, includes expanding the use of next generation energy-efficient cargo handling equipment and vehicle fleets.

Seen to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent and noise levels at the container yard, and up to 60 percent better fuel economy—the hybrids reaffirm the company’s efforts in minimizing the impact of port operations at its Manila flagship.

Two super post-Panamax quay cranes and twelve more hybrid RTGs are arriving before the end of the first half of 2019.

Three QCs delivered in 2018, including the first pair of neo-Panamax cranes in the country, are already operational.

Cebu Landmasters posted record sales of P8.54b in 2018

By Jenniffer B. Austria CEBU Landmasters Inc. said reservation sales hit a record P8.54 billion in 2018, surpassing the P7-billion target set for the year, on the strong sales take-up of newly launched projects.

CLI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that the P7.54 billion in 2018 reservations sales were 68 percent higher than the previous year’s P4.58 billion.

“The year ended even stronger than what we expected,” said CLI president and chief executive Jose Soberano III said.

“The year 2018 was a year of expansion to other key areas of VisMin fortifying CLI’s leadership in property development of the region,” he added.

CLI said 57 percent of the booked sales came from several Cebu projects.

Projects in other Visayas and Mindanao cities such as Cagayan de Oro contributed 16 percent, while the Bacolod and Dumaguete properties accounted for 15 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

CLI said 36 percent of sales in 2018 were from its high-end Premier series.

The mid-market Garden series and economic brand Casa Mira accounted for 34 percent and 30 percent, respectively, as the company aims to provide homes across economic segments.

“Our strategy is proving effective and, given the strength of the property market, we will continue bringing our developments to even more Filipinos in the Visayas-Mindanao region,” said Soberano.

“This 2019, we will expand further out of our Cebu home base to Iloilo, Bohol, Ormoc, Gensan and Davao. And to further diversify our portfolio expanding to townships and hotels.”

CLI has 52 projects at various stages of development across eight cities in Visayas and Mindanao.

The groupalso plans to develop 200 hectares of land across Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Mactan and Mandaue.

CLI in November broke ground on a 22-hectare central business district in Matina, Davao City. The project’s first phase, valued at around P10 billion, is expected to generate 10,000 jobs in the construction sector.

World

B3

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Dead fish east of Australia cause environmental stink

BALL. Participants dance during the Big New Year Ball at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater in Minsk late on January 13, 2019.

AFP

SYDNEY―As many as a million fish are believed to have died along the banks of a major river system in drought-battered eastern Australia, and the authorities warned Monday of more deaths to come.

The banks of the Murray-Darling Rivers are thick with rotten fish, with officials putting the number of dead at hundreds of thousands and saying the toll is likely closer to one million.

Further high temperatures forecast for this week could make the situation worse, the New South Wales government has warned.

Low water conditions and the heat may also have encouraged an algae bloom that starves the fish of oxygen and produce toxins.

“We do expect to see more fish kills across parts of the far west and Northern Tablelands this week,” said state minister Niall Blair.

The deaths have become a national issue, sparking angry allegations about the cause and who is responsible.

“It’s a devastating ecological event,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, pointing to apocalyptic

scenes. “The sheer visual image of this is just terribly upsetting,” he said.

Morrison’s government has blamed the fish deaths on drought, and defended policies which some locals say has caused the systemic depletion and pollution of the river system.

“There’s a drought and this is one of the consequences of drought. There are many, and my focus on drought has not shifted one inch,” Morrison said.

But for years scientists have been warning of people extracting vast amounts of water without check for irrigation or other uses, undercutting billions of dollars of investment.

“Dead fish and dying rivers are not because of the drought, it’s because we are extracting too much water from our river,” said John Williams, an expert in water economics at the Australian National University.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten called on the government to set up an “emergency task force” to address the issue.

“You can’t ignore a million dead fish, that’s a shocking development,” said Shorten. AFP

Pompeo in Saudi talks over Khashoggi

R

IYADH―US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faces a tough balancing act on Monday as he presses Saudi Arabia’s crown prince over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder while shoring up strategic ties with Riyadh.

The top US diplomat, on an extensive Middle East tour, is set to hold talks with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who faces international opprobrium over the journalist’s murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Pompeo walks a diplomatic tightrope on his second politically sensitive visit

to Saudi Arabia since the killing, amid pressure from American lawmakers for a tough response.

“We will continue to have a conversation with the crown prince and the Saudis about ensuring the accountability is full and complete with respect to the unacceptable murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” Pompeo told reporters ahead of his arrival in the Saudi capital.

After landing in Riyadh on Sunday evening, Pompeo pushed for Saudi Arabia to continue its investigation into the murder, in talks with Adel al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs, and the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Prince Khalid bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered on October 2 in what Saudi Arabia called a “rogue”

operation, tipping the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises and subsequently straining ties between Riyadh and Washington.

Pompeo’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will be hosted by Prince Mohammed, is part of an extensive eight-day trip to Amman, Cairo, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, and finally Kuwait City.

US President Donald Trump has brushed aside international outrage to stand by Prince Mohammed over the murder of Khashoggi, whose corpse was dismembered at the consulate.

His support has come despite the US Central Intelligence Agency’s reported conclusion that Prince Mohammed very likely ordered the murder. A bipartisan resolution approved by the US Senate last month also held the crown prince

responsible for the killing.

Riyadh prosecutors have announced indictments against 11 people and are seeking the death penalty against five of them. But they have exonerated Prince Mohammed, whose right-hand aides were allegedly involved in the murder.

Khashoggi’s murder has cast a renewed spotlight on the Saudi military campaign in Yemen, gripped by what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, but it was not clear whether the subject would be discussed during Monday’s meeting.

On a previous visit to Riyadh at the height of the Khashoggi affair, Pompeo’s broad smiles with the crown prince outraged some Americans.

However, Trump has said Washington wants to preserve the alliance with

Canadian risks harshers verdict at his drug trial in Dalian, China

IN BRIEF

Thailand to deploy rain-making planes BANGKOK―Thailand is set to deploy rainmaking planes to seed clouds in an effort to tackle the pall of pollution that has shrouded the capital in recent weeks.

The weather modification technique involves dispersing chemicals into the air to aid cloud condensation, which should in theory result in rain.

“The Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation... expects the rainmaking to be done tomorrow [Tuesday] but it depends on wind and humidity levels,” Pralong Dumrongthai, director-general of Thailand’s Pollution Control Department, told reporters.

As Thais woke up Monday morning to another day of murky air blanketing its bustling construction-filled capital, environment group Greenpeace said Bangkok was currently the 10th most polluted in the world, rivaling some cities in China.

Reasons for the persistent smog include combustion exhaust from Bangkok’s traffic-strewn roads, the burning of fields from farmers outside the city, and pollutants from factories.

Public discontent has surfaced on Thai social media and television, with pollution-related hashtags trending and TV hosts advising viewers on the types of face masks they should wear. AFP

AFP reporter wins Kate Webb Prize

ISLAMABAD―Freelance reporter Asad Hashim was named as winner of the 2018 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on Monday for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan.

The award, named after one of AFP’s finest correspondents, recognises journalism by locally-hired reporters in Asia operating in risky or difficult conditions.

Hashim, 33, was honored for a series of articles on ethnic Pashtuns and other minority groups caught in the crossfire of Pakistan’s fight against militants.

These included an investigative report into enforced disappearances allegedly conducted by the country’s powerful military and a reporting mission to the South Waziristan tribal region—birthplace of Pakistan’s Taliban—to look into the civilian toll from land mines.

Pakistan has battled homegrown militancy for nearly 15 years, with tens of thousands of people killed, and insurgents retain the ability to carry out devastating attacks despite recent improvements in security.

“These are challenging times for journalists in Pakistan, and Asad Hashim’s work stands out for the kind of courageous, independent reporting the Kate Webb Prize was created to recognise,” said AFP Asia-Pacific regional director Philippe Massonnet. AFP

the oil-rich kingdom, which he sees as a bulwark against common foe Iran and a lucrative buyer of US arms.

Rights groups have called on Pompeo to also press Prince Mohammed over the jailing of women activists in the kingdom, amid claims that some of them faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation.

“I am struck by what is not included in Pompeo’s itinerary: the brave women activists of Saudi Arabia, who are being held in the kingdom’s prisons for seeking rights and dignity,” Alia alHathloul wrote in The New York Times Sunday.

Hathloul’s sister, Loujain, is among more than a dozen activists arrested last May—just before the historic lifting of Saudi Arabia’s decades-long ban on women drivers. AFP

PLAY TIME. A female one-year-old panda cub plays with her mother Liang Liang during her first birthday party at Malaysia’s national zoo in Kuala Lumpur on January 14, 2019. The second panda was born at the national zoo on January 14, 2018 from parents Liang Liang and Xing Xing, a pair loaned from China. AFP

40 years ago, passions ran high as last shah fled Iran TEHRAN―For months before the last shah fled Iran ending 2,500 years of royal rule, shopkeeper Ahmad SheikhMehdi witnessed the fervour sweeping his country, heralding the arrival of the Islamic revolution.

Forty years ago, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had dubbed himself the “King of Kings”, flew out of Iran on January 16, 1979 after mass uprisings across the country.

His departure paved the way for the triumphant return on February 1, 1979 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from exile in France, and was ultimately to usher in the Islamic Republic.

“Everyone was transformed by the revolution. We felt hopeful,” said Sheikh-Mehdi, who at the time was a shopkeeper’s assistant in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.

The bazaar was one of the hotbeds of support for the revolutionaries, a bastion of tradition closely allied to the clerics who opposed what they saw as the shah’s Westernising and secularising project.

Sheikh-Mehdi remembers that

time vividly, but what sticks most in his mind is the dervish -- an Islamic mystic -- who strode the bazaar’s long corridors in the months before the shah fled, repeatedly chanting what amounted to a prophecy.

“Nothing will be good until we are good. Before long, the tables will turn on this age,” Sheikh-Mehdi, now 76, recited.

“And the tables did turn,” he added.

The shah and his wife flew to Egypt, beginning 18 months of wanderings which led them as far as the United States and Mexico before Pahlavi wound up back in Cairo where he died from cancer on July 27, 1980 at the age of 60.

The shah’s power had begun to crumble before he left the country, when in January 1978 Etelat daily newspaper was ordered to publish an article seen as insulting to Khomeini.

Demonstrations by theology students were violently crushed and the funerals of the victims sparked a cycle of fresh protests and repression.

Unrest mounted through 1978 and the

bazaar frequently shut down in support of the protesters.

“A young man would run into the bazaar, let out a sharp whistle and shout ‘They’re here!’, and we’d all close shop and go join the protests,” remembered 77-year old Ebrahim Almasi, who still runs a suit stall.

He misses that burning revolutionary spirit, inspired by Khomeini’s charisma.

“People had passion back then. Blood was flowing,” he said.

Sheikh-Mehdi recalled how he would buy eggs for striking workers, part of the widespread solidarity felt at the time.

“People would come and ask if we were short and give us money... We helped people as much as we could,” he said.

Educated in Switzerland, Pahlavi ascended the throne on September 16, 1941 at the tender age of 21.

The insecure young king did not gain real authority until 1953 when a CIAbacked coup removed his highly popular prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, who was trying to nationalise the country’s oil. AFP

DALIAN―A Canadian man accused of drug smuggling in China appeared at a new trial Monday after an upper court called for a harsher sentence in a case that could further strain ties between Beijing and Ottawa.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, was brought in handcuffs to a hearing in the northeast city of Dalian where he could potentially face the death penalty, weeks after his appeal of a 15-year prison sentence backfired.

Canadian embassy officials and three foreign journalists, including from AFP, were given rare access to his retrial, which comes against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s anger over the arrest in Canada of a top executive from telecom giant Huawei last month.

Chinese authorities have since detained two Canadian nationals -- a former diplomat and a business consultant -- on suspicion of endangering national security, a move seen as an act of retaliation over the Huawei executive’s arrest.

Schellenberg, who was reportedly detained in northeast Liaoning province in 2014, is accused of playing an important role in drug smuggling and of potential involvement in international organised crime.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a 150,000 yuan ($22,000) forfeiture in November. But following an appeal a high court in Liaoning ruled in December that the sentence was too lenient given the severity of his crimes.

In an opening statement, Schellenberg said he had come to China after travelling through Southeast Asia, including Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

He said a friend recommended him a man named Xu Qing as a translator and he was swept up in what has turned out to be an international drug trafficking syndicate.

“This is a case about Xu Qing, he is an international drug smuggler and a liar,” Schellenberg told the court.

The crux of the retrial hinges on how much Schellenberg knows about the drug deal, which he claims was masterminded

by Khamla Wong, a Canadian who was in 2016 arrested on drug charges. AFP

LGUs

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

B4

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

This recent photo of ground zero of Marawi City—which is composed of 24 barangays—taken by the author (inset) shows houses crumbling, dilapidated, and filled with bullet holes. Mayor Majul Gandamra said the city government is doing all its best to help the internally displaced persons.

Rising from Marawi’s rubble FIRST OF TWO PARTS

By Ayunan G. Gunting

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OLLOWING the battle between government troops and extremist groups in 2017, Marawi City could only dream of getting its former status back. It was once distinguished as the economic hub of Lanao del Sur and the center of Islam in the country. Today, the business district and the surrounding barangays have been reduced to rubble.

Homes of well-to-do families, including Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra’s, were demolished by blasts or damaged by artillery. It’s the equivalent of the Makati Central Business District and its surrounding elite villages being bombed out.

In spite of the spoils of war, some cultural icons have remained, such as the scenic Mindanao State University and the “torogans,” the traditional Maranao homes with intricate carvings.

On a personal initiative, Gandamra, his family and friends donated 46 hec-

tares of land for settlements, consisting of temporary shelters built by the National Housing Authority and the municipality. Many poor families who were displaced during the war have returned to Marawi and have moved into these homes.

In Barangay Sagonsongan, families have occupied 1,050 temporary shelters.

An additional 300 houses are being put up.

Of the 1,500 temporary shelters in Barangay Boganga, 600 have been turned over to other residents.

Meanwhile, a thousand homes in Barangay Dulay are on the rise.

The temporary shelters are just the start of Marawi’s urban renewal, which officials said could probably take more than a decade.

The five-month Marawi siege was said to be the country’s longest urban war. Fighters of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and the local radical Islamic groups of the Maute and Abu Sayaff tried to conquer the city, including the capitol building.

When the siege began in May 2017, Gandamra, his immediate family, and his staffers were holed up at the city hall.

“It was the target of the ISIL and the Maute so that they could conquer [the city] and install their flag. They were well equipped and tried to kill us, but we stood our ground,” the mayor said.

“The City Hall is the symbol of our sovereignty. Our retaliation was calibrated. After four days, the military strengthened our forces. We were then able to extricate ourselves from the city hall,” said Gandamra.

The mayor and his family have since been staying in their other residence in

Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, which is 38 kilometers or an hour’s drive from Marawi.

Unable to sack city hall, the extremist groups took over Marawi’s central business district instead.

“There was least resistance there,” said Gandamra.

While government forces bombed several areas, 95 percent of Marawi’s residents fled to their relatives away from the city or lived in evacuation centers. The battle ended in October 2017.

Gandamra said out of Marawi’s 96 barangays, 72 have tried to return to normalcy. Over 800 households are still staying in evacuation centers outside of Marawi.

Task Force Bangon Marawi, comprised of various government agencies, is slowly working on the rehabilitation of Ground Zero or Marawi’s devastated city center.

As part of the cleanup, it has to get permission from homeowners to demolish the ruins of their homes that are deemed unsafe. There are plans to build roads and install underground cables. (to be continued)

Taguig restarts BOSS program, lasts till Jan. 20

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government of Taguig has relaunched its Business One-Stop Shop program where entrepreneurs and business establishment owners can process registration and renewing licenses.

Without a weekend break, BOSS is held simultaneously at the Taguig City Hall Auditorium and at the 9th floor of the City Hall Satellite Office in SM Aura, from Jan. 3 to 20, 2019 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

BOSS is one way Taguig showcases its business-friendly culture. While the program already allows faster processing of business permits and licenses, the city further intends to make the process comfortable and memorable for business representatives who are treated to candies, biscuits and refreshments during the wait.

“Taxes are the lifeblood of the city’s programs and social services,” Business Permit and Licensing Office officer-in-charge Atty. Fanella Joy PangaCruz explained.

She also highlighted that taxes translate to social services that include the door-to-door delivery of medicines and scholarship assistance, among others.

“The more taxes we collect from the business community, the more we can provide services to Taguigeños,” she said.

Because of its efficient services and compliance to Republic Act No. 11032, also known as the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018,” Taguig City collected P2 billion through its BOSS in 2018.

Belmonte calls for peaceful QC polls

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday appealed for a peaceful and honest election in the city as the election period formally kicked off last Sunday.

As one of three mayoral candidates, Belmonte called on her fellow candidates to observe a non-violent election.

“I am hoping for a peaceful election because an election is just a political exercise. As a candidate, no matter who your opponents are, you should respect the wishes of your people,” she said.

The vice mayor also lamented the killings of Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, who was running for mayor in the mid-term polls this May, and Bukidnon Mayor Joelito Talaid, in recent weeks.

“We hope Quezon City will not be that violent,” she said.

Former Interior secretary decries ‘cold-blooded’ murder of bowler FORMER Interior Secretary Rafael M. Alunan III has denounced the murder of bowling star Angelo Nathaniel Constantino in a bowling center in Greenhills, San Juan last Friday.

Alunan decried the murder as “coldblooded” as he pointed out it was “the latest in the spate of brazen killings that continue to grip the nation.”

Constantino was a bowling coach and a former gold medalist in the 1992 World Youth Championship. He was kiled at the second floor of the E-Lanes Bowling Center in Barangay Greenhills at around 5 p.m. on Jan. 11 by a lone gunman wearing a face mask, San Juan police said.

“Public order and safety are breaking down. Criminals do not fear the law and justice system. A culture of impunity has gripped society. Our laws are either obsolete, weak or toothless. Justice is either delayed or denied,” Alunan said.

“Up to now, the justice system is infiltrated by criminals,” added the former

Cabinet secretary. “During my time [at the Department of the Interior and Local Government], we began the process of cleaning up the criminal justice system. It should have been continued by succeeding administrations as a matter of vital public policy and in the national interest.”

According to Alunan, the current administration has what it takes to “kick out the criminals amongst the police, prosecutors, judges and jailers.”

“The campaign against crime, drugs, terror and corruption cannot be won with the enemies of the people still embedded in the system,” he said.

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council should formulate the package of actions that would address this long-standing problem, said Alunan, who was also Tourism Secretary under President Corazon Aquino.

He cited examples that would align Philippine laws and the local justice system with leading nations of the world.

BAY CLEANUP. Environment Secretary Roy

Cimatu (second from right) stands with Manila Yacht Club Commodore Robert Lim Joseph (center) and former MYC Commodore Francisco Garcia in viewing the MYC’s designated site for the proposed Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) beside the outfall (inset). With them are (from left) DENR Usec. Sherwin Rigor, Peter Tay of Skal International Makati, and Ralph Joseph of MYC.

Central Luzon police shuffle posts ahead of elections

By Romeo Dizon

NEW PARK. The Navotas City Government has inaugurated the extension of Centennial

Park in celebration of its 113th founding anniversary. Mayor John Rey Tiangco and Rep. Toby Tiangco (center) led the inauguration of the 9,000 square meters expansion of the Navotas Centennial Park located at Brgy. Bagumbayan North. The expansion, which measured 9,131.86 sq m, will boost Navotas Centennial Park’s previous land area of 3,486.65 sq m. Tagged as Festival Grounds, it will serve as the official venue for the city’s events, fairs and other celebrations. Andrew Rabulan

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—Police authorities in Central Luzon have adopted three measures to assure the holding of honest, orderly, peaceful elections on May 15.

The three measures include the revamp of police officers, establishment of 251 checkpoints, and holding covenants of government agencies with stakeholders.

Police Chief Supt. Joel Napoleon M. Coronel, regional director of the Police Regional Office 3, said those affected by the reshuffle are two provincial directors

and 17 chiefs of police in the region.

Affected by the revamp are the provincial director of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Angeles City, and 12 municipalities of Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Bulacan, and Bataan.

Coronel said the reshuffle of police officers is a routine practice in the Philippines National Police to give well-rounded knowledge of the situation in the new assignment.

In Pampanga, Senior Supt. Jean Fajardo replaced Senior Supt. Nicolas Salvador as new provincial director, while Senior Supt. Jesus A. Rebua was designated as the provincial director of Tarlac

vice Senior Supt. Richie Podadas.

Rebua was formerly the operations chief of PRO 3 before he assumed his new position.

Senior Supt. Narvin N. Mangune, a member of the Philippine National Police Academy “Tagabuklod” class of 1989, is the new chief of police of Angeles City.

He replaced Senior Supt. Enrico H. Vargas, who was promoted.

Coronel said the establishment of 151 checkpoints in the strategic areas of the region is very effective in curbing criminality, including illegal drugs, in preparation for the midterm elections.

Life Cleansing

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

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

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alderma Philippines, the distributor of gentle cleanser Cetaphil, recently launched its body wash variant to complete its range of products for the whole family.

The Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash is made with an effective yet gentle formula clinically proven to strengthen and protect even the most sensitive skin.

“Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash has low pH, fragrance-free, panthenol, aloe vera, and gentle surfactants.

These are the five factors you should look for in a body wash,” said Galderma Philippines consumer business unit head Jade Silva-Netto Ponoc.

According to Galderma, the “Big 5” essential factors are crucial in keeping skin healthy, supple, and moisturized. They also address the problems related to dry and sensitive skin, such as itching and redness.

The skin’s pH is acidic and many of the biochemical reactions occurring in the skin only work within a narrow

Cetaphil brand ambassador Sarah Lahbati

sensitive skin

C1

FAMILY’S COMPLETE. Galderma

Philippines completes Cetaphil’s range of products for the whole family with the recent launch of Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash (top).

Galderma general manager Raghavendra Sadashiva

Galderma brand manager Cheska Sy

pH range. Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash has a pH of 5 thus it helps the skin repair itself.

The cleanser has done away with fragrance to avoid the possibility of irritation or allergies to fragrance mix.

City of Dreams

strengthens commitment to long-term sustainability LUXURY integrated resort and casino City of Dreams Manila is taking bold steps toward its commitment to undertake long-term sustainable programs by establishing eco-efficient operations on property such as vermicomposting and plant propagation at its own herb garden and greenhouse nursery.

City of Dreams Manila started the greenhouse nursery and the ornamental plant propagation in early 2016. It set up the vermicomposting facility in the first quarter of 2017.

Vermicomposting involves the use of worms in converting organic wastes to produce a potent vermicast, which can be used as compost, and is far more superior than chemically manufactured fertilizers as it provides more nutrients to the plants, and is more potent compared to normal garden soil.

The practice of vermicomposting enables City of Dreams Manila to be selfsufficient in providing organic compost to the ornamental plants used in the resort’s landscape and in the propagation of the existing plants.

Vermicomposting within the property also helps in the resort’s waste management by drastically lessening the organic wastage from vegetable trimmings, fruit peelings, egg shell remains, and used coffee grounds, which are collected and used to feed the worms at the vermicomposting chambers.

With both the vermicomposting practice and the ornamental plant propagation within the property, City of Dreams

@MStandardLIFE TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

Galderma business unit head Jade Silva-Netto Ponoc

Cetaphil said fragrance in products can irritate skin, hence individuals with dry and/or sensitive skin are advised to look for cleansers like Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash, which is fragrancefree and hypoallergenic.

ness of providing unique experiences within the luxury integrated resort, as we are also making a mark as a socially and environmentally-responsible business,” said City of Dreams Manila chief operating officer Kevin Benning.

Benning continued, “Together with the proactive participation and spirit of volunteerism of our employees, we are taking bold and forward-looking initiatives to be agents of change for the people within our organization, the communities we partner with, and for the environment as a whole.”

COD Manila grows various herbs at its rooftop garden.

About 54 kilos of used coffee grounds, 20 kilos of fruit and vegetable peelings, and 2.5 kilos of egg shell remains are being gathered daily and brought to City of Dreams Manila’s vermicomposting area.

Manila is able to considerably reduce expenses on fertilizers and ornamental plants. This sustainable undertaking is able to garner a total of P573,374 monthly savings on the integrated luxury resort’s expenses on fertilizers and indoor plant rental and maintenance for the overall landscape features of the property, said Paul Bruce, the property’s director of engineering.

“We are not only known in the busi-

Agriculturist and City of Dreams Manila’s landscape manager Cirilo Alerta, who initiated vermicomposting on property, said on an everyday basis, about 54 kilos of used coffee grounds, 20 kilos of fruit and vegetable peelings, and 2.5 kilos of egg shell remains are being gathered from the different kitchens and outlets of the property, and are then brought to the vermicomposting area located at the rooftop of the parking building.

Further, the gentle body wash is formulated with panthenol, a provitamin of vitamin B5, which helps increase skin hydration and improves the barrier of the skin.

Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash helps improve skin’s moisture levels thanks to aloe vera, a humectant.

Cleansers with moisturizing ingredients help prevent the skin from being stripped of essential factors.

Finally, the body wash uses a mixture of surfactants (sodium laureth sulfate, in combination with cocamidopropyl betaine, among others). Research showed that mixture of surfactants, compared to a single surfactant, make for gentle cleansers.

Galderma Philippines’ launch was attended by Galderma executives, Cetaphil brand ambassador Sarah Lahbati, and other celebrities and personalities.

Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash is available at leading drugstores and department stores.

To date, City of Dreams Manila’s vermicomposting area is composed of six chambers with a total of 9 cubic meters of capacity that are able to produce about 346 kilos of vermicast and about 433 liters of vermitea a month.

Additional four vermicomposting chambers with 12 cubic meters of capacity are in the pipeline. This expansion aims to increase the production of vermicast and vermitea, which City of

Dreams Manila targets to share with local farmers as part of its corporate social responsibility program.

Vermitea, another by-product of vermicomposting, is also being used as liquid fertilizers for the different plants across the property.

In a bid to be self-sustaining as well as promote gardening amid a busy urban city, City of Dreams Manila started its own herb garden. Also located at the parking building’s rooftop, the garden is set to grow herbs such as spearmint, peppermint, coriander, sawtooth herbs, betel leaf, kaffir lime, Thai basil, holy basil, Vietnamese mint, and curry tree; which when harvested, can support the properties’ kitchen supply needs. Also in the pipeline is the growing of plants through hydroponics, which when adapted, is seen to further reinforce this self-sustaining initiative.

Other sustainable initiatives within the property are the implementation of EcoBins for the proper waste segregation of food waste, plastic, paper, tin cans, bottles, and coffee grounds; the use of biodegradable and compostable utensils; and minimization, if not removal, of the use of plastic straws.

Further creating positive impact on nearby communities, City of Dreams Manila regularly initiates coastal cleanup drives along Manila bay as well as mangrove and tree planting activities in Laguna and Cavite as part of its CSR programs.

Life

C2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Partnership focuses on pawikan conservation THE Aboitiz Group, through its social development arm Aboitiz Foundation and AboitizPower business unit Davao Light and Power Company, renewed its commitment to intensify conservation efforts for the marine turtle or pawikan, particularly the critically endangered hawksbill turtle in Davao City.

Aboitiz recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Davao City local government to establish a Pawikan Center—a rescue and hatchery facility at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park.

The center has a temporary shelter, clinic, laboratory, observation deck, boardwalks, and other facilities for the rescue, rehabilitation, conservation, protection, and care of marine turtles in Punta Dumalag.

This supports the multi-sectoral effort of “pursuing sustainable development within the context of a balanced ecology.”

“Davao is truly blessed to be a nesting site of marine turtles, which is a keystone specie in maintaining the balance in our ecosystem. It is clear that the government and the private sector must work together to protect these endangered animals before it becomes too late,” said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“We commend the Aboitiz Group, Davao Light and Power Co., and the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park,” she added, noting that over 3,000 pawikan hatchlings have been released from Cleanergy Park.

With the signing, the Davao City government reiterated its commit-

ment to the protection of various pawikan species.

“We look forward to the creation of the Pawikan Rescue Center in Punta Dumalag, which will aim to protect the plant and animal life thriving in the marine eco park,” said DuterteCarpio.

“Thank you to Aboitiz. DENR is very blessed to have you. Truly,

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu will be grateful,” said Ruth Tawantawan, DENR assistant secretary for Eastern Mindanao.

As part of this project, Aboitiz will also continue to plant endemic trees to maintain biodiversity in the area.

“Today, after more than 13,000 mangrove seedlings planted and more than 3,000 hatchlings released, we re-

new our commitment,” said AboitizPower executive vice president and chief operating officer for distribution group Jim Aboitiz who led the conglomerate’s delegation to the MOA signing.

Aboitiz added, “All over the country, the Aboitiz Group’s response to the DENR’s lead in environmental preservation demonstrates our sus-

AboitizPower executive vice president Jim Aboitiz (center, kneeling) leads the release of a hawksbill turtle on the grounds of the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park.

tainability mindset. Through the projects we implement together, we ensure that we head full-speed towards our promise of advancing business and communities.”

Apart from protecting the nesting areas at the park, the Pawikan Center aims to identify, document, and address threats to marine turtles and their habitats in Punta Dumalag; promote research, monitoring, and information exchange; enhance public awareness on the conservation initiatives in the area; and fortify the collaboration between the public and private sectors for the long-term recovery of pawikan population in the area.

The DENR will provide technical assistance, facilitate information and education campaign on marine turtle conservation, and establish Punta Dumalag as critical habitat for marine turtles, among others.

Meanwhile, the Davao LGU, through local ordinance, will strengthen the enforcement of existing laws relevant to the conservation efforts, assist the DENR in the establishment of Punta Dumalag as a critical habitat for the marine turtles, provide manpower support for the project, and furnish DENR with monitoring reports.

In 2007, the Sangguniang Panglungsod of Davao City declared the shoreline extending 300 meters seaward in Punta Dumalag as a Marine Protected Area. In 2015, Aboitiz inaugurated the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park to serve as an example of an urbanbased habitat conservation initiative in the area.

Santé opens one-stop fitness lab

PREMIER organic health and wellness products and services brand Santé recently launched the Santé Fitness Lab at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.

The Santé Fitness Lab is a premier onestop fitness center, which serves as a gym as well as a fitness hub that offers comprehensive training programs from professional and everyday athletes.

Santé chief executive officer Joey Marcelo, Santé Fitness Lab general manager Clarize Lucindo, and Imus City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi were present during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The Santé Fitness Lab is a step towards the fulfilment of our vision of being a global leader in providing holistic and innovative fitness programs and sports rehabilitation for the achievement and maintenance of optimal human performance,” said Marcelo.

The fitness center will be offering

Sports Development programs for all ages starting with a swim and triathlon school, as well as MMA classes. It also has a Recovery and Sports Rehab center dedicated to ensuring injuries are kept at bay so athletes can successfully return to play at an even better condition.

Santé Fitness Lab also has Performance Testing services, which are geared toward measuring and analyzing specific performance factors. In addition, it sets to open its Multi-Sports Café soon, in partnership with Seafood Island group and a Multisports Shop.

The athletes, who will lead the program and service offerings of Santé Fitness Lab, are well distinguished in their field of sport such as Mico Cabungan, expert strength and condition coach, who currently leads the conditioning of the Cignal HD spikers; Edward Bacason, expert strength and conditioning coach and

head of physiotherapist of the San Miguel Beermen; Louie Sangalang, a URCC champion; Don Velasco, a multi-sport performance coach; Mervin Santiago, an elite triathlete and top coach; and Junrox Roque, top triathlete.

“Our goal is not only to develop topnotch athletes who can represent the Philippines in different competitions outside the country but we also want to encourage people from all walks of life to be active in sports, especially the young ones, to prepare them for in the future,” said Marcelo.

Staying true to its tagline, the “New home of Champions,” the Santé Fitness Lab will also serve as the Official Recovery Services Provider for the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association for their competitions locally and internationally.

Visit www.santefitnesslab.com for more information.

Doug and Chesca Kramer make toothbrushing a fun time for children Kendra, Scarlett, and Gavin.

How to make brush time a happy time for kids PROPER brushing of teeth is an important habit parents must teach their kids.

Some kids, though, find that brushing is unnecessary, tiring, and unenjoyable.

To help parents make every brush time a happy time for their kids, here are some creative tips from Hapee Kiddie, one of the leading toothpaste brands for children.

Add music to the mix To make it more fun, parents are advised to sing their children’s favorite tune while cleaning their small teeth.

They can also play their favorite music and invite them to dance to the beat or have them watch their favorite video, while brushing their teeth. When the song or video stops after two minutes, they should be done.

Play dentist with your child There are kids who think that brushing aggressively for 10 seconds, instead of the standard two minutes, is enough. This happens when they were not taught how to properly brush their teeth. A creative solution to this is to grab their favorite toy, preferably one with visible plastic teeth. Grab a clean toothbrush and then pretend to bring this toy to the dentist for the first time.

Mommies and daddies can pretend to brush its teeth, which they can later give the role of dentist to their child.

This will allow them to use that same method for themselves.

From left: Santé International chief executive Joey Marcelo, Santé Fitness Lab general manager Clarize Lucindo, and Imus City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi led the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the opening of the wellness products brand’s fitness hub.

Introduce a reward system For parents who are struggling to get their kids motivated to brush their teeth, they can introduce a simple reward system. Every time they brush their teeth well for two minutes, give them a sticker or a star. Parents can get creative with the rewards, such as rewarding them to ice cream if they get five stars or give them a toy they’ve always wanted after getting 20 stars.

Have them pick their toothbrush and toothpaste As they grow older, kids want to become more independent such as wanting to feed, bathe, and dress themselves.

Use this eagerness for independence by having them pick their own toothbrush, whether it has their favorite characters, their favorite color, or even appealing features such as those that play music or flash lights. Just make sure that the toothbrush they pick has soft bristles.

Preschoolers, with their love for sweet flavors and cartoon characters, can now choose Hapee Kiddie which is perfect for kids two to five years old. They can choose from seven kid-citing flavors and two different packaging that feature their favorite characters from Disney’s Mickey and Friends and Frozen.

Make it a family activity Just like how eating meals together as a family is a must, brushing together can be another ritual the whole family should do together. By brushing together, it shows the message that brushing is something that mommy and daddy do too.

Chesca and Doug Kramer, oral healthcare advocates of Hapee Kiddie, practice this with their three kids Kendra, Scarlett, and Gavin.

Have the right toothpaste Children’s toothpaste must not only have the safe fluoride content for the child at their current age, it must also have something that would engage them. For children from four to 24 months, choose Hapee Baby with its baby-friendly formula that protects baby’s milk teeth from cavity. Hapee Kiddie toothpaste is formulated with the 1,000 PPM fluoride level recommended by dentists at this age. For kids ages 6 to 12, their fluoride and mint level get a boost while maintaining that same fruity kiwi flavor with Hapee Buddy toothpaste.

Entertainment

Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino celebrates Philippine cinema’s centennial

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

MayWard attributes success to being natural Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber, otherwise known as MayWard

FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño

F

ILM Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has announced that the third edition of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) will be held from Sept.

11 to 17, which will mark the official celebration of the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema.

A flagship program of FDCP, PPP is a week-long celebration that exclusively screens quality Filipino films of different genres in all theaters nationwide. These are films which have compelling narratives and elevated storytelling that are appealing and can engage the most diverse of audiences.

“We are excited to involve the entire nation in the celebration of our One Hundred Years [of PH Cinema] and what better way to do it than to engage our audience to support our quality genre films especially made for them,” said FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño in a statement.

What we are looking for are films which have original narrative and

unique storytelling but accessible to a wide audience and we cannot wait to showcase another amazing lineup this September,” Diño added.

The One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema was recognized through the Presidential Proclamation 622 Series signed last November and assigning FDCP as lead agency for the celebra-

tion. This historic milestone was declared in honor of Dalagang Bukid by Jose Nepomuceno that was released on Sept. 12, 1919, which is considered the first Filipino-produced and directed feature film.

Details on the mechanics and further information about the call for entries will be announced soon.

Alex, Yassi and Cristine movies to premiere on KBO this month ONE premiere after another of fresh 2018 movies starring Alex Gonzaga, Yassi Pressman, and Cristine Reyes will make KBO viewing on ABS-CBN TVplus this January extra special.

Cristine Reyes, Nathalie Hart, Meg Imperial, and Roxanne Barcelo serve up laughs this weekend with Abay Babes, the story of five women who have been best friends since high school and are reunited for the wedding of the character played

by Roxanne.

Viewers nursing broken hearts will surely be able to relate to the story of Para sa Brokenhearted airing this Jan. 19 to 20.

Headlined by Yassi, Louise delos Reyes, Sam Concepcion, Marco Gumabo, and Shy Carlos, the movie offers lessons from the three break-up stories: acceptance, moving on, and the courage to fall in love again.

Watch the first movie team-up of Vin Abrenica and Alex Gonzaga in Nakalimutan Ko Nang Kalimutan Ka this Jan. 26 to 27. The film revolves around Jaz (Alex), a girl torn between finding a new love and waiting for her ex-boyfriend played by Vin to fall for her once more.

The movie also marks the directorial debut of Alex’s former co-PBB housemate, Fifth Solomon.

Aside from the new KBO movies, ABS-CBN TVplus also has another good news for its viewers as it extends the trial of its new channels.

Simply register using any prepaid or postpaid SIM. For prepaid, just load up (Globe, TM, Smart, Sun, TNT) with P30; press the green / INFO button on your TVplus box remote to get your box ID; then text KBO30 (date) <TVplus box ID> to 2366.

Vin Abrenica and Alex Gonzaga in "Nakalimutan Ko Nang Kalimutan Ka"

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

66 Assail 69 Loose garment 70 Very, informally 71 In plain sight 72 Musical ensemble 73 Playpen occupants 74 Hobby knife (hyph.)

75 Solar deity DOWN 1 Quote from 2 River in Russia 3 Make weary 4 Is, to Pedro 5 Archer’s missile 6 Terra firma 7 Spy org.

8 Add- — (extras) 9 More irritable 10 So long! (hyph.)

11 Timber wolf 12 Hound’s trail 13 Loud noise 21 Bumps 23 Candied goody 25 JAMA readers 27 Kind of beaver 28 “Ninotchka” name 29 Hopeless case 30 Flight dir.

32 Gleeful cry 33 Rodeo gear 34 Plato’s garment 35 Place in a pile

40 Boob tube (2 wds.)

41 Institute legal proceedings 43 Dramatist Henrik — 44 Phaser blast 47 Banned bug spray 50 Adds up to 51 Cat hair 55 Torpid 56 Number-matching game 57 Tentlike dwell-

friends who know the real her. As I’ve said, this is perhaps the reason why people watching me and Maymay as they can relate to our craziness.”

Maymay points out that it’s her being “masa” which makes her click with the general public.

“I believe so! They can relate to me.

When you think that your idol is a star, it’s hard to reach out to her, you just can’t talk to her. This is the reason why I’m doing my best to get to know my fans better. As much as possible, I allot time for them, I communicate with them. I show them who I really am. I let them feel that I’m not that hard to reach,” she ends. *** Kiray Celis is happy and grateful that she’s starting 2019 in new grounds.

Everybody knows that the comedienne recently inked a talent management contract with the GMA Artist Center.

For the longest time, she was with ABSCBN’s Star Magic.

In her Instagram post, the 23-year-old lass said, “New Year. New Chapter. New Workplace. Thank you so much GMA Artist Center for warmly welcoming me to your fold. Now I’m really excited with this new phase in my career.”

In the next days, she will be seen in three of the Kapuso network’s prime weekend series namely, Maynila, Dear Uge and Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko. “I will also be a mainstay in the forthcoming prime time soap opera Luv U 2 headlined by Gabby Concepcion and Jennylyn Mercado. It’s simply exciting!”

The young comedienne vows to give her best now that she’s a certified Kapuso.

“I’m really thankful to GMA for taking me in. It’s a huge thing for me to be given the opportunity to show my talent and entertain the viewing public. I still have lots to offer which they haven’t seen yet. My only wish is to work and make people laugh through my antics.

As I’ve said, I thank GMA for the chance,” Kiray states.

Kid...

Festivalgoers can hang out at the Smart Music Live Zone, which features Instagram-worthy installations that show top YouTube content you can enjoy with Smart’s Video Every Day promo. As a big treat, subscribers who can also claim free Instagram printouts at the Smart Zone using the official hashtags #SmartPlus63 and #SmartMusicLive.

Smart customers can also get updates and get a chance to win tickets by following Smart’s official accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SmartCommunications), Twitter and Instagram (@LiveSmart).

For ticket information, check out the Plus63 Festival official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/plus63festival and official website at www.plus63festival.com.

From C4

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Pleasingly pretty 5 Wide cravat 10 Indistinct shape 14 Pupil’s place 15 Dry white wine 16 The Force was with him 17 Dainty pastry 18 Cook 19 Poet’s black 20 Henry II’s wife 22 Mechanically enhanced human 24 Had bills 26 Cow chow 27 Urged on 31 Clothing 36 Issued from 37 Hen or mare 38 Not at home 39 Beginning 42 Painted Desert locale 45 Riviera summer 46 Total failure 48 Rudimentary 49 Lofty or elevated 52 Mote 53 “— vadis?”

54 Ceramic piece 57 Dairy-case buy 60 Kind of flight 65 Forearm bone

U N D O U B T E D L Y, the screen tandem of Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber is one of the hottest these days.

They have gone a long way since their stint in Pinoy Big Brother Lucky 7 where Maymay emerged as the grand winner.

Launched in the romantic comedy Loving in Tandem, they were also part of the highly successful 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Fantastica top-billed by Vice Ganda.

Asked as to what their success formula is, Maymay says: “Well, I think a lot of people can relate to what I’ve been through in life. In spite of your huge accomplishments in life, there is no reason for you to change. You should always remain humble, be appreciative and grateful of your blessings and learn how to share them,” the young star said in Tagalog.

“I have no pretensions whatsoever.

For me, what you see is what you get. It’s so light and easy when you know people like you because of who you really are.

When you’ve nothing to hide, you’re free to move around. That’s why when I become the target of bashers, I just keep quiet. I don’t want to react because I know the truth,” she continued.

In turn, Edward agreed that it’s more worth it if you’re true to yourself.

“We’re perfectly aware that some people find us somewhat weird and it’s just okay because that’s what we really are in reality. We’re comfortable being such. I feel like many people these days, particularly the millennials can relate to our weirdness considering that they’re more or less our age.”

The lad is aware of the fact though that not everybody can express their weirdness in the open.

“Unfortunately, there are some who are forced to hide it. Like one of my mom’s friends. Basically, she’s loud and funny just like Maymay. One time, she went to a concert together with her bosses. She had to behave and hide her funny side. She had to be quiet unlike when she’s in the company of her

ing 58 Bogus butter 59 Pesky bug 61 Sp. miss 62 Civil offense 63 Drama award 64 Unskilled worker 67 “— Luna” (Allende book) 68 Jiffy

World-class music powered by country’s fastest LTE The Plus63 Music & Arts Festival is just the beginning of a yet another starstudded and jampacked year for Smart Music Live as it sets out to bring more globally renowned music acts closer to Filipino fans.

All set for the festival? Get into the groove by streaming the music and videos of Kid Ink and Dada Life using Smart’s data-packed promos powered

by Smart LTE, the country’s fastest LTE network as recognized by UKbased firm OpenSignal and certified

by Internet testing and analysis leader Ookla.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

Entertainment

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

‘It’s nice to be back’

—BONG REVILLA

Kid Ink, Dada Life headline Plus63 Music & Arts Festival in Cebu

Korean actress and "Banana Sundae" mainstay Shine Kuk

SHINE KUK shares her secret Olle Cornéer and Stefan Engblom are a Swedish DJ duo from Stockholm, known by the collective name Dada Life.

From left: Lani Mercado, Bong Revilla, Mother Lily Monteverde, and Gianna Revilla

Former Senator Bong Revilla with wife Lani Mercado joined by (from left) Roselle Monteverde, their daughter Gianna, Ethel Ramos and Tirso Cruz III in a "welcome lunch" organized by (seated from right) Mother Lily Monteverde and Marichu ‘Manay Ichu’ Maceda.

PEOPLE

By Nickie Wang

“W

E ARE all friends welcoming back in our arms somebody who was not with us for reasons beyond our control or explanation. And we are not here to make a stand except for one important statement— Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., you are a dear friend, and we are happy that you are back.”

This was Regal Matriarch Lily Monteverde’s statement when she addressed the members of the entertainment press who graced the “welcome back” lunch she organized with the help of Marichu “Manay Ichu” Maceda at Gloria Maris in Greenhills last week.

The event was also attended by some of the former senator’s close friends, namely Roselle Monteverde, Eric Quizon, Tirso Cruz III and wife Lyn Ynchausti, and Annabelle Rama, as well as Bong’s sister Andeng Ynares and his daughter Gianna.

“To all my friends in the film and TV industry, my first love, it’s nice to be back,” Bong’s said in his opening statement upon greeting the people at the venue.

It was his first get-together with the showbiz press a month after his release from the Detention Center of Camp Crame, where he was in-

Bong Revilla was also joined by Annabelle Rama (rightmost)

carcerated for more than four years.

“I used to be surrounded by 100 to 200 policemen, that’s why up until now I still feel nervous every time I see some members of the police force,” he said alluding to his “getting used to the outside world” phase.

After the 2013 elections, he was accused of being involved in the pork barrel scam, along with then Senate Pres. Juan Ponce Enrile, and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, contributing to entrepreneur Janet Lim-Napoles’ alleged bogus foundations.

“I guess that’s what happens when you express your intention of seeking for higher position in the government. But I’m putting everything behind me now. I asked my father what to do with the people who tarnished my reputation, he said, ‘Just forgive them, son.’ I cried when he said that,” the actor-politician stated in Tagalog.

Now that he’s off to a fresh start, so to speak, the former senator said that his experience while in detention made him a better person, a better father and husband, and “a better leader.”

“Na-realize ko kung gaano ako kamahal ng asawa. I’m so proud

of the way she managed being both the mother and father to our children and to the city of Bacoor. I salute her for doing an outstanding job,” he said with his eyes fixed on the table where Lani Mercado was seated.

As an actor, Bong assured his fans that he’d be doing films again.

In fact, he’s excited to join the next edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival where his films used to be one of the staples.

“I will continue the projects that I had planned before Crame, and I will definitely do a movie for the 2019 MMFF,” he shared.

“My life is very colorful, you can even turn it into a film, but this time I’m doing Alyas Pogi,” he continued.

Alyas Pogi 2019,, the fourth Alyas Pogi movie franchise will be produced by their familyowned film company, Imus Productions Inc.. The first installment was Alyas Pogi: Birador ng Nueva Ecija (1990) followed by Alyas Pogi 2 in 1992 and Alyas Pogi: Ang Pagbabalik in 1999. The latest installment will be directed by Rico Gutierrez.

SMART is kick-starting another year of dominating the music scene with Plus63 Music & Arts Festival, a powerhouse event headlined by hit American rapper and producer Kid Ink and Swedish act Dada Life set at Cebu Business Park on Saturday, Jan. 19.

Coinciding this year with the highly anticipated Sinulog Festival week, Plus63 Music & Arts Festival is an annual event that aims to support local talents and musicians by giving them the opportunity to perform alongside the world’s top performers. Plus63 refers to the Philippines’ country code and numerical global identifier.

Previous headliners include Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello in 2016, Steve Aoki in 2017 and last year, Showtek, who performed before over 10,000 fans.

House meets hip hop This year, hip hop meets house as hit American rapper and producer Kid Ink and show-stealing Swedish act Dada Life is sharing the stage with the country’s top beatmakers Ace Ramos, MC Pao, DJ Short, Victor Jao, MC Benson, DJ Rich Rubillar, and MC Mak G. Kid Ink is known for his chart-topping singles, multi-platinum albums, and collaborations with artists like Chris Brown, Steve Aoki, Little Mix and Fifth Harmony. His first studio album Up & Away landed on the US Billboard 200, while his second album debuted at No.3 on the Billboard 200 with hits like “Me” featuring Brown and “U Down” featuring Tyga. Kid Ink dropped his last studio album in 2015, and has since released a mixtape and an extended play record.

On the other hand, Olle Cornéer and Stefan Engblom formed Dada Life in 2006, and rose to popularity with their humorous stage antics and happy-go-lucky approach to music.

Dada Life has released three studio albums with their second Gold-selling album, The Rules of Dada, reaching the Billboard 200. They also hold a Guinness World Record for the Largest Pillow Fight ever. Continued on C3

BANANA Sundae mainstay and 2018 Miss Korea Philippines Shine Kuk shares some skin care secrets, with a little help from a friend she calls Oracle Korean Aesthetic Clinic.

Shine uses the right sunscreen (at least 50SPF), removes her make-up as soon as she gets home, and applies moisturizer religiously. She also eats fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C, D and fatty acid. Twice weekly, Shine applies a 15-20 minute mud mask; after which she washes her face with three to four green teabags, brewed and mixed with 500ml of water.

She then washes her face 26 times, “Because it has to be equivalent to your age!” the 26-year old South Korean actress quipped. She finishes everything off with a moisturizing face mask. She likewise takes Vitamin C both for her health and her skin.

Shine has a fair and smooth complexion but because she is always under the klieg lights and wears make up all the time, she says she gets white pores on her forehead and nose. She has learned the importance of going the extra mile for one’s skin, like consulting a professional Skin Care Clinic. In her case, it has always been Oracle Korean Aesthetic Clinic.

Shine has tried most of Oracle’s services: hair removal laser, Cinderella injection, Revlite for some body scars, and the popular Korean Facial treatment. In fact, part of her preparation for the 2018 Miss Korea Universe included visiting Oracle once or twice weekly for Revlite, Korean Facial treatment, and 3-LipoMax body contouring (TriLipo).

Shine confessed that Revlite has greatly improved her skin since it reacts really fast against heat and pollen. Revlite allows her to freely wear a bikini without worrying if the scars show, she said. She also loves Oracle’s signature Korean Facial Treatment that uses products, services, and technology from South Korea, touted as Asia’s beauty capital.

Just like Shine, everyone should consider having healthy, shining, lit-fromwithin skin as #skingoals2019. This should begin with basic home practices such as cleansing, washing off, and applying sunblock, living a healthy lifestyle, drinking enough water, maintaining a balanced diet, and avoiding stress.

Oracle Korean Aesthetic Clinic is the first franchised clinic in the country from Oracle Skinland, South Korea, the largest networked dermatology, plastic surgery and obesity clinic in the Asia Pacific. It uses the latest state-of-the-art US FDA-approved technology and equipment to give Filipinos an affordable and sustainable alternative to beautification and “youthification”, or the journey towards becoming young again.

Oracle Korean Aesthetic Clinic is open from Monday to Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. The clinic is at the Republic Glass Building, 196 Salcedo Street corner Soria Street, Legaspi Village, Makati.

To know more about Oracle, set an appointment by checking their website: http://oracleaesthetic.com.ph or follow them on Facebook & Instagram: /oracle. aesthetic or call (02) 801-4131 / 0916-2238821; 0977-8555768 for reservation, in-house promos and discounts.