Manila Standard - 2020 March 3 - Tuesday

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HIGH COURT GETS TOUGH ON TROS, INJUNCTIONS

(Story on A2)

Bato: Drug lords killed BuCor lawyer

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo

TENSION-FILLED SCENARIO. Hostage-taker Archie Paras (inset left) holds a news conference, surrendering a 10-hour hostage saga. Members of a VOL. XXXIIIbefore • NO. 372 • 3 SECTIONSafter 16 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com police SWAT team (right) enter a mall in San Juan City on Monday with guns at the ready after reports that a disgruntled security guard was holding a group of people hostage.

The situation was continuing after sundown at 6.04. AFP

House defers action ABS-CBN Mall guard gives up on after10-hr standoff, holds press conference

By Maricel Cruz, MJ Blancaflor, Rey Requejo

SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano said

BytheJoel E. Zurbano House is likely to delay hearings and Francisco Tuyay until May or on ABS-CBN’s franchise

August, even though President A 10-HOUR hostage drama endedRodriwith a gospeech–virtually Duterte said he wants lawmakers to long an impromptu press discuss the issue before the franchise conference–from former security guard expires on March 30. his grievances in Archie Paray who aired a press ofbriefi ng, Presidential front In of members the media, local govSpokesman Salvador Panelo said the ernment officials, policemen and bystandPresident had nothing to do with the ers outside Virra Mall shopping center delay in Congress or the quo warranto around 8 p.m. yesterday. petitionsurrendered filed by Solicitor General Paray peacefully to Jose San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and laid down his gun and four grenades.

Zamora accompanied Paray outside the administration office where he was permitted to aired his grievances, including allegations of security officials receiving

Calida seeking to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise.

“What is important is, the President said, they should do something about money from stall owners. it. “I’ve Meaning to say, job. since If been having do thistheir problem there is a pending application before December and I told the management Congress, members of Congress about my then issues.

They ignored my comshould deliberate on result,” it and Paray decidesaid plaint, and this is the whether or not to grant or to deny the in Filipino. extension,” Panelo said. with the secu“I also raised complaints There are 11 bills seeking extend rity official who I shot earliertobut he also ABS-CBN’s franchise for 25 ignored my complaints.

Myanother conversations years are pending, but Cayetano said with these officials are in my phone, in the be able caseHouse anyonewould can recover it.” to tackle Next page Paray, who was fired for always being absent without leave, shot and wounded fellow security guard Ronald Velita and then held hostage at least 30 people inside the popular shopping mall in Greenhills, San Juan City on Monday morning.

Next page

12 senators defy VFA abrogation

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor CROSSING party lines, 12 senators have adopted a resolution challenging President Rodrigo Duterte’s unilateral abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States before the Supreme Court.

“I filed the resolution asking the Su-

preme Court to interpret for us, to finally interpret the Constitution on the issue of abrogation...We want clarity and I hope that once and for all the honorable SC could shed light on this purely question of law,” said Senate President Vicente Sotto III. With the vote, the resolution will now be included in the petition to be filed by

DRUG lords at the New Bilibid Prison could be behind the killing of Bureau of Corrections former legal counsel Anthony Fredric Santos, also a witness in the Good Conduct Time Allowance anomaly, said Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa

on Thursday.

Dela Rosa, who served as BuCor director before he ran for senator, came up with this statement based on his own experiences.

“Most likely, those behind the killing, based on my experience, the drug lords jailed in Bilibid ordered the killing of our Next page

Immigration man tags 5 in ’pastillas’ Syndicate behind scheme exposed in Senate probe

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 22 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

F

House divided amid coup plot

ORMER airport officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration are behind the “pastillas” system by which Chinese workers and fugitives enter the country by paying bribes, a whistleblower said Thursday.

In a Senate hearing on human trafficking and prostitution, Immigration officer Next page Allison Chiong said these officials were behind the syndicate that facilitated the smooth entry of Chinese nationals who enter the country to work in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

Chiong said these groups worked with China-based travel agencies, who send them a list of names of people who are about to enter the country.

“The syndicated groups would often

By Maricel V. Cruz compete with each other to gain favor from the Chinese travel agencies,” Chiong MID coup rumors at the House of Representatives, said.

He revealed they gave used bribes rangsupporters of Speaker Alan Peter that Cayetano ing from P50,000 and P200,000 so that their superiority in numbers to seize two critical the Chinese nationals—even those that committee chairmanships.

I DO. Immigration officer 1 Allison Chiong (top left) tells a Senate committee hearing Thursday he is the source of the video showing officers facilitating the immigration process have been blacklisted—can freely enter for Chinese POGO workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Chiong named the current and former immigration officials involved in the bribery scheme as Traffic Control the country, passing through Immigration The Red upheaval came the heels of Cay- counters Davaowithout City Rep. Isidro Ungab Enforcement Unit officers Bien Guevarra, Glenn Comia and Den Binsol. Chiong said these officials were under Ports Operation Division Chief Marc Mariñas.

Ey on Acasio any question.

Next was page etano’s disclosure that Marinduque Rep. removed as chairman of the powerful Lord Allan Velasco is out to remove him Committee on Appropriations, and was as Speaker. replaced by ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap. Under a term-sharing agreement broUngab was earlier endorsed by Davao kered by President Rodrigo Duterte, City Mayor Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Velasco is supposed to assume the speak- Pagbabago (HNP) for the speakership, but tion from the government if he feared for he told Next page ership in October. lostreporters. to Cayetano.

By MJ Blancaflor his life, and assured him that President “If Espenido would want to ask for any PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not let Duterte would not hurt anyone ‘‘outside protective measure from the government, “They have economies scale,” Duque

By Macon Ramos-Araneta embattled Lt. Colonel Jovie Espenido to legal processes. then he can so request just like any other said, adding that this made their vaccines beAddress harmed,(above) the Palace said Thursday “If that is the fear of Colonel Espe- citizen.

HOUSE HITCHED. The joint session ofcheaper.

Congress in 2016, during the State of the Nation of President Rodrigoafter THE Philippines has no budget to develEspenido said the government could go nido, then we cannot stop him from Meanwhile, Espenido welcomed the Duterte.

Monday, the leadership problem in the House of Representatives tookdeveloping a repugnant turn as the supporters of Speaker Alan op its own vaccines, which would need He dismissed reports that Peter Cayetano used their superiority in numbers to seize another critical committee.

Inset above (from left) Cayetano; Rep. Lord Allan after him since he was included in its drug entertaining such apprehension.

But due process granted NaAppearing for the fiby rst Philippine time before a billions and billions of pesos that it can- countries are being sidestepped in the By Macon Ramos-Araneta Velasco; Rep. Isidro Ungab; Rep. Ron Salo; Rep. Eric Yap; Rep. Doy Leachon. Lino Santos watchlist. the President will not allow anyone tional Police Chief Archie Gamboa to the Senate hearing on anomalies surroundnot afford, Health Secretary Francisco distribution of vaccines, saying big comand MJ Blancafl or Presidential Spokesman Salvador Pan- to be hurt outside legal processes or ing policemen on Duterte’s latest drug watch Philippine Offshore Gaming OpDuque III said Thursday. panies are mandated to lead in developelo said Espenido could ask for protec- RESIGNED methods sanctioned by law,Vitaliano Panelo erators list, including him.Tulfo linked Next Justice Secretary page (POGOs), Aguirre In an interview over radio dzMM, ing vaccines for diseases such as the new Aguirre III was the “protector” of the to the scheme by which illegal Chinese Duque said it was more cost-effective coronavirus (COVID-19). bribe-taking “pastillas” scheme at the Bu- workers and fugitives were allowed ento buy vaccines from rich countries that Duque pointed to research in China reau of Immigration, the country’s special try into the country by paying bribes to have the capacity to develop the drugs.

Next coropage THE global death toll from the new A second person died in the northwestern envoy to China Ramon Tulfo told the Sen- Bureau of Immigration officers. navirus (COVID-19) epidemic surpassed US state of Washington as President Don- ate Monday.

Next page 3,000 on Monday after dozens more died ald Trump, who has played down the risk Pundits and critics alike say the Na- ation, he said, had become unprecedented, at its epicenter in China and cases soared of a major outbreak, facedparts) criticism over (First of two tional Capital Region’s trash output is a Filipinos selfishly threw their refuse evaround the world, with a second fatality on his administration’s lack of preparedness. ticking time bomb, indicative of a similar erywhere―mostly into water systems― US soil.

South Korea, the biggest nest of infecproblem experienced across the country, and massive clean-up drives only moved By Jimbo Gulle The virus has now infected more than tions outside China, reported nearly 500 and recent statements by government of- tons of litter from one place to another.

89,000 people and spread to over 60 countries new cases on Monday, raising its total past IF YOU think Metro Manila’s traffic is ficials have only underscored the issue.

In an environmental forum that month, after first emerging in China late last year.

4,000.

Nextwill, pagein a problem, the garbage situation Last December, Environment Secretary Cimatu said the Department of Environmodern social media-speak, tell you to Roy Cimatu said the country was in the ment and Natural Resources would issue, “hold its beer.” middle of a “garbage crisis.” Waste generTurn to A3

Cayetano rivals lose two panel chairmanships amid shakeup

A

Fund lack blocks move to develop Palace offers govt protection to controversial cop vaccines; Duque prefers buy option Ex-DOJ chief tagged in 'pastillas' Virus toll surges; murder raps vs sect

Garbage crisis in Metro: A ticking time bomb

DOH looking for tourist who faked info

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, MJ Blancaflor and Vito Barcelo

SUMMIT AGENDA. The deadly coronavirus is set to dominate the agenda of

the high-level Vientianne summit Thursday, asTHE China’s foreign minister meets with his Department of Health is tracking Southeast Asian counterparts whose countries’ have been City, hard-hit a economies tourist from Daegu theover center of fears of widespread contagion. Inset is a photoSouth taken Korea’s Wednesday showing novel a laboratory ballooning coronatechnician holding samples of virus at a laboratory in Hengyang in China’s central Henan virus (COVID-19) outbreak, who gave province. AFP

false information about his travel details

Virus control efforts working—China

VIENTIANE, Laos―China’s efforts to control the deadly outbreak of a new coronavirus “are working,” Beijing’s top diplomat said Thursday, attributing an easing in new cases to his country’s WOMEN’S MONTH. Tingog “forceful action” against the illness.

Party-List Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Speaking in Laos before talks with as deputy speaker, presides during the peers from 10 at Southeast plenary sessionthe Monday the HouseAsian of (ASEAN) countries, Yi said of the Representatives during Wang the celebration outbreak wasWomen’s “controllable International Month.and curable” despite the global panic it has seeded.

Ver Noveno

“China is not only protecting its own people but also the rest of the world,” he told the summit in Vientiane, referencing a recent sharp drop in new cases of the virus inside China, where it has killed more than 2,100 people.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. thanked China for its “unprecedented domestic measures and quick action”―apparently referring to the Next page

when he arrived in Cebu City on Feb. 25.

Twenty-six foreign tourists from Daegu City in South Korea arrived one day before the Philippines announced a selective travel ban on North Gyeongsang Province, where Daegu is located, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday.

Next page

Louvre closes amid COVID-19

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER. Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II (right) has been tagged as a protector of the so-called “pastillas” bribery scheme that allows the unimpeded entry of Chinese tourists into the country, a Senate inquiry revealed Monday. Columnist and special envoy to China Mon Tulfo (left) said information provided by immigration whistleblower Allison Chiong revealed that a cut of the “pastillas” bribes was delivered via helicopter to Aguirre in Mulanay, Quezon.

Lino Santos

'Super Tuesday' to define US polls

FRANCE’S famed Louvre museum AMERICANS eager to know which Demclosed Sunday as coronavirus cases ocrat will face President Donald Trump mounted across Europe and bein November’s election may have a yond, with the global death toll clearer view after “Super Tuesday” – sure nearing 3,000 and Italy reporting a defining moment in the race.

LAKAS GATHERING. Officers and members of Lakas-Christian Muslim DemocratstoledbebyaHouse Majority Leader Martin near doubling of cases in 48 hours Four of the country’s 50has states Romualdez (center) pose for posterity during the lunch meeting of the party at the House of Representatives.

Romualdez said have the page Next page party will always be a partner of Next the administration to ensure the swift passage of President Duterte’s legislative agenda. Ver Noveno

A2

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Palace: Rody didn't overspend in 2016 election

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte did not overspend in his 2016 election campaign, contrary to the allegations of a poll watchdog group, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said, however, President Duterte was open to any probe.

He made his statement after the group Kontra Daya urged the Commission on Elections to investigate the President’s campaign expenses following the revelation that he spent P182 million alone in commercial ads to ABS-CBN. The group said Duterte declared about P110 million in total campaign ad spending based on his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures that was submitted to the COMELEC. the Duterte camp declared a total presidential election campaign spending of P371 million makes the information shared by ABS-CBN more shocking,” the groups said in a statement.

“Does this mean that Duterte and his supporters four years ago had so much faith in ABS-CBN that it supposedly decided to pay the latter about 47.2 percent of its total election budget?

“Assuming that a 15-second ad spot costs P500,000 and a 30-second ad spot in popular prime time evening program costs P800,000, it is probable that spending P175 million for a single network would already go beyond what is allowed by law.”

Asked if Duterte committed overspending or any election-related violation, Panelo said: “No. If that’s the case, it should have been called out by Comelec.

“When you are running for any position, there are friends and supporters who contribute to pay for your advertisements.”

The matter came up after a Senate hearing revealed that Duterte spent P182 million for commercial slots in ABS-CBN, which was split into P117 million for national ads and P65 million of local ads.

Virus...

From A1

Half of South Korea’s cases are linked to a sect whose leader apologized Monday for the spread of the disease. Seoul’s city government asked prosecutors to press murder charges against him.

With fears of a pandemic on the rise, the World Health Organization urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms of the deadly respiratory disease.

The UN health agency stressed in its latest situation report on COVID-19 that “oxygen therapy is a major treatment intervention for patients with severe COVID-19.”

“All countries should work to optimize the availability of pulse oximeters and medical oxygen systems,” it said.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has raised fears over its impact on the world economy, causing global markets to log their worst losses since the 2008 financial crisis, though Asian markets rebounded on Monday.

China’s economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or measures to restrict travel.

Other countries have started to enact their own drastic containment measures, including banning arrivals from virus-hit countries, locking down towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade fairs.

In a stark example of growing global anxiety, the Louvre—the world’s most visited museum—closed on Sunday after staff refused to work over fears about the virus.

China reported 42 more deaths on Monday—all in central Hubei province.

The virus is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei’s capital, Wuhan.

The death toll in China alone rose to 2,912, but it is also rising abroad, with the second-highest tally in Iran, at 54.

The United States and Australia had their first fatalities from the disease over the weekend.

The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness.

It has a mortality rate ranging between 2 and 5 percent—much higher than seasonal flu, at 0.1 percent, but lower than another coronavirus-linked illness, SARS, which had a 9.5 percent death rate when it killed nearly 800 people in 20022003.

But infections are now rising faster abroad than in China, as the country’s drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off.

After an increase on Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January. There have been more than 80,000 infections in the world’s most populous country.

More players join price cuts Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Seaoil Philippines and PetroGazz issued separate advisories of their price cuts, while the other oil companies were expected to follow suit.

Please see fuel price rollback of Shell effective 6AM, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Gasoline, P1.40 per liter, kerosene, P1.65

per liter and diesel, P1.60 per liter, Shell said in its advisory.

Phoenix Petroleum Philippines implemented the price cut at 6 a.m. Saturday ahead of the competition.

World oil prices slumped last week amid concerns that the coronavirus will af-

fect the global economy. The coronavirus outbreak has already affected air travel, shipping and other businesses worldwide.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Petroleum rolled out another P20 per-liter offering for any of its fuel variants on March 1 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

It was in celebration of Phoenix Petroleum winning the Marketing Company of the Year award at the 40th Agora Awards.

The discounted rate was made available at 10 participating stations around the country.

We have received overwhelming responses and requests from Filipino motorists who wish to avail of our fuels at a very

House...

porter of Velasco, lost the chairmanship of the chamber’s contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal following a spat with Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte over the speakership issue.

In a surprise move in plenary session Monday, Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla—Cayetano’s party-mate in the Nacionalista Party, stood on the floor to announce the changes in the committee chairmanships.

Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo will now head Leachon’s committee. Salo heads the House public information committee.

Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza accused Cayetano of staging a “drama” by floating the coup rumors himself, allegedly with the end goal of declaring all positions in the House vacant and calling for a new vote

on the speakership to void his term-sharing agreement withVelasco.

Velasco, who is set to take over the House speakership in October, dismissed Cayetano’s coup allegation as “baseless.”

“These reports are far from the truth.

The reports were meant to create deep division within the House of Representatives and its members, destroy camaraderie, distract lawmakers from fulfilling their mandate, and more importantly, derail the key legislative agenda of the Duterte administration,” Velasco said.

“Up to this day, I continue to honor the term-sharing agreement brokered by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte when the 18th Congress convened in July 2019.

From the beginning, I never had any intention of reneging on this agreement,” he added.

The rivalry between Cayetano and Velasco has seeped down to their supporters as Villafuerte on Monday cried foul over Leachon’s remarks against him.

On Monday, Villafuerte said he merely echoed the statement of Cayetano that Velasco allegedly promised committee chairmanships and budget allocations to those who would support him, and that Velasco should wait for his turn under the term-sharing agreement.

“I was surprised, Congressman Leachon answered angrily... using umprintable words, he took matters personally. Could he be suffering from high blood pressure?” Villafuerte said in Filipino.

Over the weekend, Leachon, a member of the majority bloc, berated Villafuerte as “a sucking opportunist” who clung to the House leadership to advance his personal interest.

Meanwhile, immigration officials linked to the pastillas scheme denied the accusations hurled against them by Chiong.

Former Immigration Ports Operation Division (POD) chief Marc Red Mariñas denied that he is the leader of the pastillas scheme.

He said a video of an immigration official helping a Chinese national shown during a Senate hearing was “normal procedure” and said there was nothing wrong with it.

“An ordinary, innocent standard procedure in the course of primary inspection of arriving passengers was twisted to suit his intention of passing it to the committee as evidence of corruption,” he said of Chiong.

But newly designated POD chief Grifton Medina contradicted Marinas, saying that front liners are not allowed to use cell phones.

He emphasized there were something wrong in the procedure since they initiated several reforms when he assumed his post.

He said the NBI also conducted a probe into the alleged corruption in the bureau.

Mariñas denied he knew of the easy entry of Chinese nationals arriving in the country to work for POGO in exchange for grease money.

Irked by the denials, Hontiveros said she would recommend a lifestyle check on those being tagged in the pastillas syn-

dicate.

During the hearing, it was learned that Mariñas received P24,000 monthly before resigning from the BI but failed to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Hontiveros also discovered that the net worth of former Immigration security guard Fidel Mendoza was P7.8 million.

He was a former assistant of Mariñas.

It was also revealed in the hearing that when Mariñas was POD head, his father, Maynardo Marinas was head of the Special Operations Communication Unit. His father was appointed by Aguirre.

“Was it not alamring that a father and son were in charge of the review, assessment and preparation ng VUA?” Hontiveros said, referring to the issuance of visas upon arrival for Chinese nationals.

“Our border control was bought off by Chinese money, and [by] no less than our government officials…,” she said.

Hontiveros was also skeptical about Mariñas’s ability to finance a political campaign in 2018-19 when he ran for mayor of Muntinlupa.

“You received P24,000 monthly but you had a net worth of more than P5 million?” she asked the former BI official.

The Palace, meanwhile, said the recent killing of a Chinese online gaming worker by two suspected members of China’s People’s Liberation Army was a cause of concern for government.

DOH...

safety head Fernando Solina, mall security coordinator Salvador Capadocia, Sascor security agency field officer Henry Tuason, Sascor assistant director Frederick Gravador, Sascor general manager Oscar Hernandez, and Sascor operations director Villamor Sebastian–gave in to Paray’s demands and resigned in a bid to de-escalate the tension.

Hernandez said Paray could have been disgruntled with the management’s decision to rotate the security guards to avoid familiarity.

Heavily armed police were in the standoff with the former security guard while workers and customers streamed out of the shopping center after gunshots rang out and armed officers rushed to the scene.

Zamora said the hostage taker entered the establishment around 10 a.m. and tried to talk with security guards on duty.

“Then a shot rang out and we learned that he held hostage at least 30 people inside the admin office of the shopping center,” said Zamora, adding that the hostage victims were mostly stall sales personnel and employees.

“He was terminated and he feels bad about it. He tried to convince his fellow security guards to join him, but no one did,” Zamora said.

Metro Manila police director Debold Sinas rushed to the crime scene and tapped a chief negotiator to talk with the hostage taker. With AFP

Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar will likely have to face a daunting choice Wednesday morning: defy the odds and keep going, or bow out.

Here are a few things to watch for on Super Tuesday: Fourteen battlegrounds The states in play span the nation, from sparsely populated northeasternmost Maine to California, the progressive west coast powerhouse whose population of 40 million is the country’s largest.

The southern state of Texas, with 29 million, is another top prize. Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Colorado also cast ballots. AFP

12...

By Alena Mae S. Flores

M week.

ORE oil firms cut pump prices by as much as P1.65 per liter on Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world market last

From A1

“I believe that the only guide to a man is his conscience, and the truth will always prevail no matter what. I have served my country and people well to the utmost of my ability. I accept my fate and so be it,” Ungab said.

Yap, who used to head the House committee on games and amusement, was replaced by Abra Rep. Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos.

“I have no idea what happened because I’m not actively monitoring the news.

When I arrived earlier, the Speaker talked to me about work, the responsibility, and of course, I’m just a worker. So, whatever I’m told to do, I just do it,” Yap said.

Mindoro Rep. Salvador Leachon, a sup-

Ex-DOJ...

From A1

“He is the protector of the syndicate based on what [whistleblower] Mr. [Allison] Chiong reported to me,” Tulfo told the Senate hearing chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros.

Hontiveros said Aguirre would be invited to the next hearing.

“His name was mentioned in the hearing… of all things, [as the] protector of this syndicate in the BI that violated the rights of women and children,” Hontiveros said in an interview after the hearing.

She added that he would be invited “as a matter of basic fairness so he can explain his side on this serious allegation.”

In a statement, Aguirre accused Tulfo of lying.

“The charges of Ramon Tulfo are absolute lies and a complete fabrication... I was told that he was the only one saying that in the Senate. That even his so-called whistleblower did not say what he was accusing me of. I filed numerous libel and cyber libel cases against Tulfo because of this same defamatory accusations, and all these complaints filed almost two years ago are now pending before the RTCs of Manila,” Aguirre said.

The BI is under the Department of Justice.

Mall guard...

From A1

The hostage taker, according to the Virra Mall Shopping Center management, was a former employee of Safeguard Armor Security Corporation.

Paray’s 7-month pregnant wife was brought from Nueva Ecija to the Greenhills Shopping Center compound Monday evening hours before he surrendered.

Paray demanded the immediate resignation of his superiors from Sascor Armor Security Agency and and for them to apologize for firing him.

Six security officials–mall corporate

'Super...

From A1

already voted, but March 3 is the biggest day of the entire presidential primary process, with tens of millions of Americans eligible to cast ballots.

It could be a turning point when frontrunner Bernie Sanders secures an insurmountable lead—or former vice president Joe Biden secures a dramatic comeback.

Success on Super Tuesday requires a tremendous ground game, top-notch fundraising and serious momentum.

Louvre...

From A1

The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, was shuttered Sunday after staff refused to open the museum over coronavirus fears.

Some tourists turning up Sunday afternoon complained they had booked their tickets that same morning with no warning of the closure.

France, which has 130 confirmed

cases and two deaths from COVID-19, said it would ban gatherings of 5,000 people or more, closing schools and canceling religious services in some of the hardest-hit zones. Sunday’s half-marathon in Paris was canceled.

Two confirmed cases in France on Sunday were children, aged one and five, and their 27-year-old mother in the eastern city of Strasbourg. No children under 10 years old are reported to have died from the virus. AFP

From A1

former and incumbent senators “most probably [today (Tuesday)],” Sotto said, on whether or not Senate concurrence is required to terminate treaties.

Senate Resolution No. 337 said the issue on Senate concurrence “presents a constitutional issue that seriously affects the country’s legal system as well as the country’s relations with the international community.”

“Considering the urgency of the determination of the purely legal question of whether or not the concurrence of the Senate is necessary in the abrogation of a treaty previously concurred in by the Senate, now is the opportune time for this august body to obtain from the Supreme Court its declaration on this legal question,” read the resolution.

Aside from Sotto, senators who voted to adopt the resolution include Panfilo Lacson, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Franklin Drilon, Richard Gordon, Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Joel Villanueva, Juan Edgardo Angara, Nancy Binay, Ralph Recto and Lito Lapid.

low price after we implemented our first P20 per liter promo, thus, we are offering a second round―this time at other locations to reach other communities and on a weekend to give opportunities for those who were unable to gas up during the weekday run, Phoenix Petroleum chief operating officer Henry Albert Fadullon said.

This special treat is meant to celebrate how we rose to be a credible alternative brand over the years because of the support of our loyal customers, and consequently, show them how committed we are to continue to be their indispensable partner in their journey.”

From A1

Of that number, 15 have already left for South Korea, while two others were set to leave the country Monday. One person has left Cebu City, while seven are undergoing strict monitoring in their hotels.

Vergeire said one South Korean remains untraceable after he put erroneous information on his travel arrival card. He never checked in at the hotel he listed on his card.

Vergeire said the man is not considered a patient under investigation but said he should be placed under strict monitoring because he traveled from a high-risk area.

Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all travelers coming from North Gyeonsang Province in view of the “confusion” on the part of the national government agencies whether a travel ban is already in effect or not. The Bureau of Immigration also on Feb. 28 said it was enforcing the ban that day—two days after it was announced—because it had to address some implementation issues.

Daegu is where the most of South Korea’s COVID-19 cases are concentrated.

The Bureau of Immigration on Monday admitted that the agency is having a difficult time enforcing the travel ban on South Korea because the ban does not cover the entire country, and restrictions were imposed only on some provinces.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the South Korean government has promised to help the Philippines identify travelers from its regions affected by COVID-19.

Sandoval said Immigration officials are checking the South Korean tourists’ national IDs to determine whether they are residents of the regions covered by the travel ban.

Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration reported that some Filipino workers in Macau were on “forced leave” due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Senators Manny Pacquiao and Pia Cayetano came in late and their votes were not counted. Pacquiao, however, put it on record that he supports the resolution.

Those who abstained were senators Cynthia Villar, Aquilino Pimentel III, Imee Marcos, Christopher Go, Ramon Revilla Jr., Francis Tolentino and Ronald dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa, who earlier vowed to “sink and swim” with the Duterte, appeared bewildered that those opposed to the resolution could not get a majority vote, considering that majority of the senators are allies of the President.

Zubiri, for his part, expressed hope that their vote will not result in hurt feelings with Malacañang.

“This is a conscience vote. I hope we will not have ill feelings toward each other, because for us, this is for the Senate as an institution,” he said.

“My vote is not against the President but to protect our institution on future questions that may arise,” Zubiri added.

Lacson echoed the same sentiment in response to Bato’s lamentation: “I just would like to disabuse the mind of my former comrade-in-arms in the Philippine National Police. I voted not against the

News

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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WARM EMBRACE.

SC bans use of single-use plastics in its offices

PUV drivers with repeat violations to face penalty

THE Supreme Court on Monday started implementing the ban on single-use plastics in its offices as part of its program to transform the judiciary into a more environmentfriendly government branch.

The SC, through its Office of Administrative Services, disseminated the memorandum mandating the outright ban of unnecessary use of single-use plastics in its offices.

SC spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka said that while there was no mention of sanctions imposed on those who would not abide by the memorandum, it is believed that taking care of the environment should be everyone’s concern.

“There is no sanction as per the memo… I guess when it comes to the environment it is a given that we should help and protect it,” Hosaka said.

In a memo dated Feb. 28, SC Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Administrative Officer Maria Carina Cunanan said, “the Court is adopting the solid waste avoidance and waste management strategy of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, which is under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The NSWMC Resolution No. 1363, series of 2020 considers the following items as unnecessary single-use plastics: “plastic cups (lower than 0.2 mm in thickness), plastic drinking straws, plastic coffee stirrers, plastic spoons, plastic forks, plastic knives, and plastic labo and thin-filmed sando bags [lower than 15 microns].”

Cunanan said the directive is consistent with the SC’s efforts towards sustainability.

On Oct. 22, 2019, the Court presented to the public the project for the construction of the Manila Hall of Justice, which is certified as the first green courthouse in the Philippines. It is scheduled to be completed by 2022.

The MHOJ would feature three interconnected buildings that are environment-friendly and green certified. Rey E. Requejo

An OFW-mother gives her daughter a warm embrace upon her arrival from Kuwait at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday, March 2, 2020 for a vacation in Isabela province. Both wore face masks as precaution against COVID-19.

Boy Josue

By Joel E. Zurbano THE government will start penalizing public utility drivers who committed numerous traffic violations in Metro Manila.

After submitting to the Land Transportation Office the names of a total of 12,000 PUV drivers with various traffic offenses, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority now want them off the road in the metropolis.

MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said that erring motorists with alarming number of traffic violations should be banned from driving as they pose safety risks for their passengers.

“We want the riding public to be out of danger and prohibiting habitual traffic offenders is one step to avoid road accidents,” he said.

Garcia also said that the MMDA will wait for the guidelines from LTO for the apprehension of these PUV drivers.

Half of the 2,500 drivers answered the show cause orders issued to them by the LTO. While waiting for the apprehension guidelines from the LTO, Garcia appealed to the operators to not allow those delinquent drivers to ply national roads in Metro Manila.

IBP allots Security Fund for lawyers THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines will set a P25-million Security and Justice Fund to provide reward and support witnesses in the prosecution of the killers of lawyers in the country.

The proposal was conceived following the killing of lawyer Bayani Dalangin, who was shot to death at his Talavera, Nueva Ecija office by a still unidentified assailant last week.

In a statement, IBP National President and Chairman of the Board of Governors Domingo Egon Cayosa said they would sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Lawyer Security with the Philippine National Police on Monday.

“IBP goes beyond condemning attacks against its members. Families of slain lawyers, regardless of their status or stature, can avail of IBP free legal aid. We personally and directly comfort the bereaved families,” Cayosa said.

The IBP condoled with the family of Dalangin, 73, a retired Public Attorney’s Office lawyer and law professor at the Araullo University.

“His death dramatizes the risks that workers in the justice sector face and the tragic trend of violence and impunity in our country,” Cayosa said.

“While we urge lawyers to courageously do their job and act within the ethical norms of the legal profession, we ask that our government will its work: identify the criminals, relentlessly pursue and hold them accountable sooner than later,” the IBP official said. Rey E. Requejo

Cam, son face DOJ probe on vice mayor killing

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Department of Justice has subpoenaed Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Board Member Sandra Cam to appear before a preliminary investigation, in connection with the killing of Batuan, Masbate Vice Mayor Charlie Yuson III and the wounding of two of his companions in Sampaloc, Manila on October 10, 2019 which allegedly arose from a dispute over the town’s mayoralty post.

In a single-page subpoena dated February 28, the DOJ also required Cam’s son, Marco Martin and Batuan acting mayor Nelson Cambaya to also attend the hearing.

Also enjoined to attend the preliminary investigation are suspected gunmen Junel Gomez,

Bradford Solis, Juanito De Luna and Rigor dela Cruz.

Gomez, Solis, De Luna and dela Cruz were arrested a day after the crime.

“Under and by virtue of the authority vested in us by law, you are hereby summoned to appear at 3rd Floor

Conference Room, New Building, Department of Justice, Padre Faura, Ermita Manila on March 9, 2020 and March 16,2020 at 2p.m., in connection with the preliminary hearing of the above-entitled case and to submit your counter affidavit and those of your witnesses and other supporting documents, if any, in your defense,” said the order signed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, Assistant State Prosecutor Josie Christina Dugay and Associate Prosecution Attorney Eugene Yusi.

According to the DOJ, failure on the part of Cam and the other respondents to attend and answer the cases filed by the National Bureau of Investigation shall be considered as a waiver on their part to present their defense and the panel shall resolve the case based on the complainants’ evidence alone.

Bacoor reclamation likened to Denmark project DILG to extend services to 822 remote villages DENMARK’S ambitious project to create a floating “Silicon Valley” off the coast of Copenhagen which is expected to attract as many as 380 companies in the biotech, pharmaceutical and life sciences sector and create as many as 12,000 new jobs for the Danish people, has a counterpart here in the Philippines.

Announced last year, the Holmene project involves massive landreclamation that would see the creation of nine new islands 10 kilometers south of Copenhagen, adding 3.1 million square meters of new land and 17 kilometers of new coastline in the area.

Bacoor City leaders view their

proposed reclamation project as the local version of Denmark’s program, citing many similarities in terms of economic benefits and green features between Holmene and their own development plan.

Bacoor is seeking to reposition itself as a new growth center, comparable to the existing central business districts in the National Capital Region.

“The City of Bacoor is known to be the gateway and a bedroom community of Metro Manila. This proposed project aims to create a unique identity for Bacoor with well-planned, integrated and mixed-use development

characteristics,” Bacoor said in its documents.

“It will also address some of the city’s need for extra residential and commercial land, as well as provide much needed community, high quality landscape and public open space to the people of Bacoor,” they added.

They noted that almost 73 percent of Bacoor’s total land area, estimated at 4,511 hectares, is already devoted to residential use. On the other hand, the city’s agri-fishery area has shrunk to only 6.1 percent of Bacoor’s total land area amid creeping urbanization and development of new subdivisions.

WOMEN’S FIGHT. Lila Pilipina, an organization of Filipino victims of Japanese wartime military sexual slavery, celebrated Women’s Month by expressing their support for the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement and called for a similar termination of the RP-Japan Defense Memorandum signed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense and Philippine Department of National Defense in 2015. Lino Santos

Lawmaker assails ban of tricycles on nat’l highways

By Maricel V. Cruz and Willie Casas A CONGRESSMAN from the Bicol region on Monday assailed the prohibition on the operation of for-hire tricycles on national highways saying that the ban “fails every test of socioeconomic justice,” and branded it “both pro-rich and anti-poor.”

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier issued Memorandum Circular 2020-036 that

bans tricycles from national highways due to safety issues.

Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente Salceda urged the department to withdraw the resolution saying: “The ban is extremely unjust and it fails every test of reason, data-driven logic, socioeconomic justice, and local autonomy.”

Salceda, chairman of the House committee on ways and means, predicted: “Like all regulations that do not take into account actual human experience, it will fail massively.”

In a House resolution that calls for

the withdrawal of the Memorandum Circular and urges the Committee on Transportation to conduct hearings to come up with better alternatives, Salceda called tricycles “the only source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Filipino families.”

“These 4.5 million tricycles pay road users tax at almost P1.2 billion every year and pay excise tax and VAT on fuel amounting to around P52 billion per year which partly funds the enormous budget of the DPWH at P650 billion,” the resolution said.

THE government’s alleged neglect of the farmers which the communist has been using as an excuse to further their cause in the countryside will now be diffused as 822 remote villages across the country will be afforded the needed developmental projects and services to poor residents.

Under the Retooled Community Support Program formulated by the Department of Interior and Local Government, the government will make sure that services to 822 remote barangays reaches the hinterlands and islands in the country.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said that RCSP is a priority program of the DILG together with other government agencies that aims to address identified issues of the community by closing the governance and development gaps through the provision of needed government interventions to promote sustained peace.

“The communist terrorists utilize alleged government neglect to hoodwink unsuspecting farmers and indigenous peoples to join their lost cause.

Bringing government services closer to the communities is a massive step to counter further communist recruitments in these remote barangays,” Ano said.

“Mahalaga na maramdaman ng ating mga kababayan, maging sa mga pinakamalayong dako ng bansa, na handa silang suportahan at tulungan ng pamahalaan. With this 822 barangays, we are underscoring the government’s resolve to end local armed conflicts, but above all, ito ay pagtupad sa mandato ng pamahalaan na maglingkod sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

Año said that Regions 11, 13 and 10 have the most number of communities that will benefit from the priority implementation of the RCSP with 213, 178, 118 barangays, respectively.

Meanwhile, Region 6 has 74 target barangays; Region 12 with 62; 45 from Region 5; Region 9 with 32; CALABARZON with 31; Region 2 with 28; MIMAROPA with 24; and 10, six and one for CAR, and Regions 8 and 3, respectively.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

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An alarming development SANTA Banana, if you are not alarmed with what thousands of mainland Chinese are doing to our country, either in the guise of being workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, committing crimes like kidnapping, torture and extortion against their fellow Chinese, I am!

In a recent killing incident at a hotpot restaurant, the police found a People’s Liberation Army ID in the possession of the suspects. That only shows that many of the Chinese who come to the Philippines as tourists also belong to the PLA. In fact, many POGO workers are noted to be of the same age of PLA recruits, between the ages of 20 and 30.

I’m concerned. Aren’t you?

My gulay gulay,, coupled with this alarming development are reports of the entry to the Philippines of criminals whose passports have been canceled by the Chinese government together with criminal syndicates said to be behind all crimes committed by the Chinese on their fellow nationals.

There are also reports of millions of dollars entering the country by the Chinese for laundering purposes. This means that the Chinese who have been allowed by the Bureau of Immigration to enter the country are engaged in international crimes.

I am alarmed with what Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that he found it difficult to know who are behind it all because Chinese crime syndicates are involved.

The questions to ask are many. Will the Duterte government still continue with its policy in attracting Chinese tourists to come in through the visa upon arrival scheme? Will President Duterte continue to allow the POGOs in the wake of all the crimes being committed? And

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

first and foremost, what’s Duterte doing to stop Chinese criminals and syndicates from making the Philippines their playground?

In connection with the discovery of PLA IDs in the possession of the Chinese suspects, I am reminded of the many Japanese halo-halo vendors who came to the Philippines before the invasion of Japan.

In fact, they were actually intelligence officers. My gulay, is this what the PLA members are doing here?

Some senators want to assess the impact of the POGOs, legal and illegal, on our country. What should be done with them in the wake of all that is happening?

They may be contributing billions of pesos to the economy, but is it worth it?

It’s even worse when we consider reports that criminal syndicates and cartels from China are now behind the entry of illegal drugs—and the corruption of Customs officials.

Lest I am misunderstood, I am not promoting Sinophobia. But as a Filipino who loves his country, I am concerned about what the Chinese are doing here. *** Can President Duterte abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement on his own?

This question should be answered by the resolution filed by both Senate Pres President Vicente Sotto III and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.

I am not a foreign affairs expert, but logic dictates that if the VFA was ratified by the Senate, the Senate should also have a say on its abrogation. It takes effect 180 days from the day the Department of Foreign Affairs sent the letter to Washington.

The problem with Duterte’s abrogation of the VFA is that if he can do it alone, what is stopping him from also abrogating the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US? I have written much about what can happen to the Philippines in the wake of the abrogation of the VFA. Duterte may claim that we should not depend on the US in the event of invasion or disasters, but the fact is that we cannot do it alone!

The biggest beneficiary of all this is China. *** In connection with the COVID-19

T

The real hoax

HE United States heads for a presidential election later this year, but the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak drives home the importance of this race, not just to America, but also to the rest of the world.

At a political rally last week, Trump called the outbreak of COVID-19—which has killed almost 3,000 people and infected more than 87,000 people in 59 countries—a hoax.

“The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,” Trump said. “They’re politicizing it. One of my people came up to me and said: ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That did not work out too well. They could not do it. They tried the impeachment hoax...

This is their new hoax.”

Before a White House press conference on Saturday—just as the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the US was reported— Trump repeatedly played down the threat, and echoed his allies in the conservative media who accused his political opponents and the media of overstating the threat to make him look bad. One of these Trump allies even had the temerity to dismiss COVID-19 as “the common cold.”

Trump then praised what he

called “the most aggressive action in modern history to confront this disease,” and asked the media and politicians not to do “anything to incite panic.”

His son, Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, accused the Democrats of hoping that COVID would hit the United States “and kill millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning” and said this represented “a new level of sickness.”

US Vice President Mike Pence, put in charge of the belated US response to the global threat, even defended Trump Jr.’s remarks, saying they were “understandable,” given the level of criticism that his father has received.

Still, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has caught the Trump administration flatfooted.

While other countries had already tested tens of thousands of people for COVID-19 by early February, Pence said on March 1 that 15,000 test kits were on the

way, and 55,000 more were on order.

We can only attribute this inaction to a President who is in denial, his general disregard for facts and science, and his lack of foresight.

Before COVID-19, the Trump administration eliminated an office in the White House to deal with future outbreaks of pandemic diseases, which he said was set up during the Ebola crisis in West Africa from 2014 to 2016. The top White House official in charge of responding to pandemic diseases left the Trump administration in 2018 and his team was disbanded in a shake-up of the National Security Council.

Pence, who once wrote that “smoking doesn’t kill,” is now in charge of the American response to a growing, global pandemic. This is hardly a cause for optimism.

Given the high stakes involved, we can only hope that a majority of Americans have the good sense to elect a more competent, facts-based leader in November, instead of the dangerous demagogue who now occupies the White House and lies about a public health emergency simply so he can look good. Now that’s the real hoax.

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Anti-Human Security Act I CONTINUE my series on the weaponization of the law against human rights and democracy.

For all its proven utility, law has not always been crafted to be moral, fair, just or equitable. Ideally, law is designed to achieve noble and sublime objectives to benefit the common good as understood by most philosophers.

However, this is not always the case.

History is replete with instances where the rule of law is wielded to persecute, oppress, repress or suppress. It may be used against a particular individual, race, ethnic group, religion, gender or directed at a particular segment of society. Often, this phenomenon arises when there is too much concentration of power, political or economic, in a single individual or group of individuals, predominance in number, or overwhelming disparity in power between two opposing forces.

Abuse of law often thrives in a dictatorship, autocracy, a democratic state with weak institutions, multiracial/ multi-religion states and similar conditions of flawed/weak/socio-economic and political structures.

Unfortunately, this is what we are today: a democratic state only in name because of weak institutions.

Recently, the Senate passed Senate Bill No. 1083, which aims to repeal Republic Act No. 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007, replacing it with an amended version dubbed the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. The bill was approved with only two senators—Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros—dissenting. Meanwhile, a counterpart bill is pending in the House with hearings scheduled this week with the intent of passing such version soon.

It would be a tragedy if Congress enacts a final version of these bills that is near the Senate version. If that hap-

pens and President Duterte signs it into a law, what we would have is an Anti-Human Security Act. I make mine the critique of SB No. 1083 of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), which has pointed out that, once it becomes law, this socalled Anti-Terrorism Act will become a most potent weapon the government can wield to suppress dissent. According to NUPL, such a law will provide the legal framework for a crackdown on progressive organizations, civil society groups, activists, members of the media, and individuals labelled as dissidents or “enemies of the state.”

Unfortunately, this is what we are today.

NUPL points out that under such a law, military personnel and other law-enforcement agents would be permitted to carry out warrantless arrests and detain suspected terrorists for an initial period of up to 14 days, extendable for another 10 days—a significant increase from the three-day maximum period for detention permitted under the Human Security Act. Apart from the dangerously-broad powers given to the police, the military, and other government agencies under S.B. 1083, an Anti-Terrorism Act would expand what is an already-vague definition for “terrorism” under the current law with no clear parameters that could limit its application.

Equally loathsome in SB No. 1083 is the removal of human rights safeguards that are in the current Human Security Act, such as the monetary award, in the amount of P500,000 for each day of detention, which the law mandates be granted to persons acquitted of charges for terrorism. Other provisions imposing penalties on law-enforcers responsible for abuses in the implementation Turn to A5

Press freedom is the issue I’M GLAD that last week’s Senate hearing on the renewal of the franchise of media conglomerate ABS-CBN clarified many issues.

The hearing, presided by Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Committee on Public Services, allowed key ABS-CBN officers, including chairman Manolo Lopez, president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, and COO Ma. Socorro Vidanes, to directly respond to allegations raised against the network.

The three ABS-CBN executives explained why the network was not able to air Duterte’s campaign ads, and clarified that it had refunded the amount of P4 million for unused ads. A subsequent P2.7 million refund was refused by the Duterte camp.

Katigbak also apologized to the President, saying it was not the network’s intention to offend him. Duterte later accepted the apology, but asked the House to decide on the matter of the franchise renewal.

Now we know what kind of official the solicitor general is.

Officials from the Department of Jus JusSecutice, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Secu rities and Exchange Commission and the National Telecommunications Commission were one in saying that ABS-CBN had committed no violation whatsoever.

The hearing revealed that ABS-CBN did not violate the terms of its franchise, and that it fully complied with the constitutional provision on full Filipino own-

ership of media. It also brought out the fact that it had dutifully paid its taxes to the BIR. Even more revealing, the entire controversy was based solely on President Duterte’s resentment over what he felt was the network’s refusal to air his campaign ads in 2016 despite having paid for them.

Given this, we can conclude that this is essentially a press freedom issue.

Duterte’s former aide, now Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, said that the President’s feelings were hurt.

“Nababoy ang Presidente,” he said. Go denied that the President was vindic vindictive, and only harbored a grudge against ABS-CBN for airing “black propagan propaganda” against him.

The explanations given by the ABSCBN executives and the testimonies by several government officials that ABSCBN did not violate any law convinced even diehard Duterte ally, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, to say that he was “one Turn to A5

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Opinion Bayanihan and a little prayer LET’S just hope it’s not too late to contain the deadly coronavirus which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is on the brink of turning into a full-blown global pandemic, affecting at least 60 countries including the Philippines.

In the country, the Department of Health (DOH) has so far done a commendable job isolating the three confirmed cases of COVID, all involving Chinese travelers from Wuhan. There is no confirmed case of person-to-person transmitted infection in the country just yet as of this writing.

The DOH is doing a Herculean job attending to 445 repatriated Filipinos from the ill-fated cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan currently under quarantine at the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City, Tarlac. At least 13 reportedly showed symptoms of COVID-19 but 10 tested negative while the three are awaiting laboratory results.

We cannot afford to be complacent in view of the fast-increasing cases overseas, particularly in China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran and Singapore.

Thanks to DOH Secretary Francisco Duque for reminding some of us who

apparently needed a reality check in the face of this global health crisis. Duque reiterated that the public of should avoid, as much as possible, attending large gatherings unnecessarily where there may be “increased risk” of coronavirus infection.

We cannot afford to be complacent.

For example, concerned government officials and business entities must have come to their senses and cancelled on the last minute a month-long nationwide shopping mall sale designed to make the country a shopping mecca. The overzealous business partnerships would have made a killing with the supposed sale to attract hordes of foreign and domestic tourists but what if that would expose our unsuspecting people from the contagious disease.

Unfortunately, Health authorities now have to track down and monitor the whereabouts of 26 Koreans who traveled to the country from Daegu City, the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. Immigration officials said they had not received the official travel ban order on Korea announced by Malacañang on the same day the group arrived.

Clearly, there was lack of coordination between the member agencies in the government task force on coronavirus. Filipino tourists were barred from heading for Korea and yet Koreans apparently fleeing Daegu and other COVID-19-stricken localities were admitted in the country outright.

Why is the travel ban not coordinated with airline companies, who canceled several flights to and Korea on this weekend? We must guard our borders and international ports against entry of possible COVID-19 carriers.

Concerned government agencies and local government units (LGUs) must seriously and very closely work with the DOH in containing the coronavirus before it’s too late.

In fact, it’s about time for the Congress, which has been fixated with the ABS-CBN franchise issue, to help formulate measures and organize concerted efforts to prepare for the imminently devastating health catastrophe in the same bayanihan spirit with which we confronted the calamity brought by an unpredictable Taal Volcano.

Perhaps, we could also join in prayer this eight-year-old girl, Dastine Danielle, who begs God for Divine Intervention in helping us find a cure for the coronavirus and vaccine to stop its further spread.

Check this out: https://youtu.be/ VvVrYEf _Hw0

Conflict of interest A JUST-CONCLUDED House hearing on the financial viability of stateowned Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Corporation (PSALM) may have uncovered conflicts of interest between certain congressmen charged with oversight over the energy industry, and powerful interests within that industry.

The inquiry was conducted by the Good Government Committee headed by Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, jointly with the Committee on Public Accounts headed by the redoubtable Rep. Michael T. Defensor of the Anakalusugan party-list. The two committees wanted to determine if PSALM could remain viable given the huge amount of foreign loans it needs to secure yearly just to pay the interest on its loans, even as it continues to carry almost P100 billion of receivables from certain power companies, tantamount to 25 percent of its total foreign obligations.

It may be recalled that PSALM took over all the assets and debts of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) when Congress passed the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) or Republic Act No. 9136. As of last year, PSALM had succeeded in bringing down to P424.8 billion its financial obligations from a peak of P1.2 trillion in 2003. But a price had to be paid for this: Last year alone the GOCC had to borrow $1.1 billion from foreign lenders so it could service its dollar and yen-denominated loans.

Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez has already complained that the money spent by PSALM annually for interest payments—P2.6 billion as of 2019—is money wasted that could have been spent on other important projects, like more school rooms for the country’s growing population of primary education students. In light of our high school students’ recent dismal performance in international tests of reading,

An alarming...

From A4

scare, the President should take a lesson from China itself. China ordered the lockdown of some 60 million in the hardest-hit provinces.

The lockdown meant that the shutdown of public transport, closing of entertainment places. The streets became empty.

We have not yet reached that stage, but we must be prepared to act drastically.

This is why I have been calling for a

Press...

From A4

step closer” to giving his support to ABSCBN’s franchise renewal.

Observers believe that the House of Representatives may have deliberately refused to touch the 11 bills urging the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise because they do not want to antagonize Duterte, who had repeatedly criticized the network in public. The legislators claim that they shouldn’t prioritize the franchise renewal as they have to tack-

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

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Logic tells us Senate must approve treaty abrogation CLAIMING that the President of the Philippines is the sole architect of this country’s foreign policy and can abrogate treaties without the concurrence of the Senate, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, upon instruction of President Rodrigo Duterte, has served notice on the US government of the Philippines’ desire to abrogate the VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement) signed by the Philippines and the US in 1999. When a group of Senators led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III files its opposition with the Supreme Court in the coming days, there will be—to use judicial parlance—a joinder of issues.

There is no question that the Philippines cannot sign treaties with other countries without the convenience of two-thirds of the 24-member Senate; that is stated clearly in the Constitution.

What is at issue is whether the role of the Senate with regard to treaty-covered Philippine external relations ends with its concurrence to a treaty. President Duterte, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and their advisers think it does; Senate President Sotto and his colleagues beg to disagree.

Before addressing the core issue that is involved here—whether the President of the Philippines is the sole architect of foreign policy—one needs to examine the process by which the Senate arrives at a decision to grant or withhold its concurrence to a treaty. It is a lengthy process.

The process begins with the submission to the Senate by the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) of the text of the proposed treaty and a request for Senate concurrence. The president of the Senate then refers the proposed treaty and the supporting material to the chairman of the committee on foreign relations, whose staff then schedules public hearings on the matter.

During the course of the hearings, whose duration will depend on the complexity and sensitivity of the proposed treaty, the representatives of the Executive Department and the Senate will be fully heard. All the Senators—not just the members of the committee on foreign relations—will direct searching questions at the representatives of Malacañang and DFA in an effort to arrive at a judgment on whether the treaty will be good for and fair to the Philippines; the latter will do their best to satisfy any concerns and assuage any doubts that the Senators may have.

Thus, the process by which the Constitutional mandate of Senate concurrence is obtained is by no means an abbreviated,

math and science comprehension, you certainly can’t argue with that.

So Dominguez, in his capacity as chair of PSALM’s board of directors has instructed the company to make sure it collects the P100 billion that private power generation companies and electric cooperatives owe the company—never mind the possible fallout from powerful supporters of the Duterte administration. *** San Miguel’s South Premiere Power Corporation (SPPC) is one of those powerful companies with outstanding payables to PSALM. In fairness, the company disputes PSALM’s claim that it owes the government an unpaid obligation of P23.94 billion. This dispute arose even before Duterte became President, when the company’s contract to manage the IPPbuilt Ilijan Power Plant in Batangas was terminated by the Aquino administration over its allegedly unpaid obligations.

This led to a legal battle that continues to this day. San Miguel’s Ramon Ang (RSA) insists that his company has actually already paid a lot more than the cost of putting up the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan plant, which uses natural gas from Malampaya. He says he’s already paid the government P314 billion as of December 2019, or ten times the cost of putting up the power plant at $700 million.

The outcome of this dispute remains unsettled. But so long as the case is still in court, it’s only appropriate that all officials who supervise the industry should maintain a seemly and impartial distance from the proceedings. *** Even the appearance of indiscretion ought to be avoided, as Caesar’s wife was famously advised. Which brings us to the appearance of conflict of interest involving the current chair of the powerful House Committee on Energy since 2016, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, who’s also the next House Speaker-in-waiting under a term-sharing deal with the current Speaker, Alan Cayetano.

Congressman Velasco’s committee exercises oversight powers over PSALM and the entire power genera-

tion industry. But his background reveals a noteworthy depth of involvement with Mr. Ang of San Miguel.

The congressman’s ties with Mr. Ang are personal. His wife Wen Velasco served as RSA’s man Friday. The tycoon stood as the couple’s wedding sponsor or ninong. Velasco’s give-aways or holiday gifts to his fellow House members and staff and well-wishers, as well as those of his wife Wen for her own network of friends and supporters, are invariably San Miguel and Petron products. San Miguel Foundation and Petron Foundation, RSA’s charity arms, are also the main funders and benefactors of her charity projects.

Corporate records show that Velasco was among the top 100 stockholders of San Miguel Corp. and Petron Corp. in March 2017, when he was already chair of the House energy committee. This, despite the legal requirement that a public official must not hold any office that has jurisdiction over an industry or private business within a year of his or her disposing of prior ownership or control in a company within that industry.

It may also be recalled that the congressman’s father, former Supreme Court associate justice Presbitero Velasco, was the ponente for the SC ruling that allowed the conversion of over 750 million sequestered shares in San Miguel under the name of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) holding companies, into preferred shares. It was those same shares that eventually facilitated the takeover by RSA of control and majority ownership of San Miguel.

Congressman Velasco reportedly may have already divested himself of his shares in San Miguel and Petron. If true, it is certainly a step for him in the right direction, but not yet enough. In his future dealings—especially if he comes to assume the top House position—he’ll be expected to exercise more caution and circumspection in his personal and business relationships with personalities and companies over which his oversight mandate from the public ought to come first and foremost.

massive information campaign. *** The views expressed by former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban in the case of the quo warranto petition of Solicitor-General Jose Calida insofar as ABSCBN is concerned is interesting.

According to Panganiban, quo warranto can only be effective if the violation attributed to the Lopez-owned network were committed prior to the grant of the franchise. He cites the Sereno case, where former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno failed to submit her

Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth before her appointment as Chief Justice.

In ABS-CBN’s case the alleged violations were committed after the grant of its franchise.

What happens now, I wonder.

The first president and CEO, Gabby Lopez, was an American citizen and then became a dual citizens afterward.

That’s a violation of the Constitution, which states clearly that television networks must be 100-percent owned and managed by Filipinos.

of the Human Security Act have also been removed.

NUPL points out that this legislation would have grave consequences for due process “not only because it fails to give notice as to the actions that would constitute an offense under the said law, but also because it gives undue discretion to the military, law-enforcers, prosecutors, and judges in determining which acts may qualify as terrorism’”. Indeed, the approved Senate Bill would criminalize acts which have, traditionally, been considered legitimate exercises of free speech, freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.

Thus: “S.B. 1083 would impose a penalty of 12 years’ imprisonment for those who—by their speeches and writings—shall ‘incite’ others to commit terrorism, even though the speaker or writer takes no direct part in any terrorist act, and without regard for the context under which the speech is being delivered. The same penalty would befall a person for mere membership in an organization considered to be a terrorist group. On the other hand, the person who encourages others to join such an organization becomes liable as a ‘recruiter’, subject to an even harsher

le more important measures. While it is true that the country faces problems on numerous fronts, and that the House should address these problems promptly, it can discuss ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal even in one session. So what’s holding them back from discussing the franchise renewal issue and getting it done and over with, since Congress will adjourn on March 11 and won’t convene again until May? They owe it to the citizenry to act promptly and fairly on this vital issue of press freedom.

The Senate hearing effectively debunked Solicitor General Jose Calida’s allegations

in his quo warranto petition before the Supreme Court that ABS-CBN violated its legislative franchise when it operated a payper-view channel through free-to-air signals, and when it sold ownership shares to foreign investors via Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs).

Calida’s petition against ABS-CBN appears to be yet another instance of weaponizing the law to silence those critical of the administration. Not too long ago, he used the same legal tactic to drive out of office Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for alleged failure to submit her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net

Worth (SALNs).

By asking the Supreme Court to revoke the network’s franchise, the Solicitor General wants to usurp the power of Congress. The Court and the House belong to two separate branches of government that are independent of each other. Only one of them has the job of evaluating and renewing franchises. Why is Calida, who is supposed to be the government’s top lawyer, even meddling in this one?

What we know about Calida, apart from his role in Sereno’s removal as Chief Justice, is that his family owns a security agency that has cornered deals with

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

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Anti-Human...

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pro forma affair. The Senators take their treaty-concurring function seriously and can be very exhaustive in their approach to the matter of concurrence in, or rejection of, a proposed treaty. The classic instance of this is, of course, the Senate’s 1991 rejection of the Cory Aquino administration’s proposed treaty for the extension of the Military Bases Agreement with the US.

It makes no sense to hold that the Executive Department subsequently can act unilaterally on something that started out as a bilateral matter.

After the hearings, the chairman of the committee on foreign relations calls for a vote on the proposed treaty, and the members then vote for or against it.

The committee’s decision is transmitted to the Senate president, who orders its being calendared for a vote by the entire Senate membership. The proposed treaty either obtains the Constitutionally mandated concurrence or it is rejected by the Senate.

Given the importance and care that they attach to their treaty-concurring function, Senators Soto and Franklin Drilon and their colleagues find unacceptable the Duterte administration’s position that the President of the Philippines is the sole architect of Philippine foreign policy and, as such, can abrogate a treaty without Senate involvement in that process.

The Senate is of the firm belief that it must be involved in the treaty-making process throughout and that it cannot be consulted at the evaluation phase and unconsulted at the abrogation phase. That, in the Senate’s view, is both illogical and unfair.

I agree entirely. Although the Constitution is silent on whether Senate approval is needed for the Executive Department’s abrogation of a treaty, it makes no sense to hold that the Executive Department subsequently can act unilaterally on something that started out as a bilateral matter.

If there is to be no role for the Senate in the abrogation of a treaty—if, in other words, the Executive Department may unilaterally abrogate a treaty—the Constitutional provision on the need for Senate concurrence might as well be scrapped altogether.

Got this. Got it. Got this, thanks! penalty: life imprisonment.”

I agree with NUPL that the enactment of S.B. 1083 or any similar or equivalent law—which, by its very letter, punishes people not for their actions, but for their words and ideas—would be a regression, signifying nothing less than an attack on the liberal values we, as a nation, claim to uphold.”

Finally, the NUPL is correct in pointing out that the most dangerous thing in this legislative measure is the mechanism that allows for the immediate declaration of an organization as a terrorist or outlawed group. The government will be authorized to do this without prior notice whatsoever to the subject organization, no opportunity for it to respond, and no hearing. Indeed, “this proposed mechanism—included in the bills filed before both the Senate and the House of Representatives—is a legal tool that could be used for the mass incarceration of members of targeted organizations, all without the hassle of filing cases, securing warrants, or presenting evidence to prove the suspects’ culpability.”

A law that would enact these provisions will not be effective against terrorism. It is anathema to human rights, democracy, and yes our individual and collective human security.

Facebook: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs several government offices, such as the Department of Justice, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, National Electrification Administration, House of Representatives, National Anti-Poverty Commission, and the National Parks Development Committee. All together, his security agency has signed more than P350 million worth of contracts with these offices since 2016. Isn’t this a clear case of conflict of interest that the Constitution explicitly prohibits? Now we know what kind of public official he really is. ernhil@yahoo.com

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News

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MOBILE LIBRARY.

Manila Police District deputy district director for administration Col Narciso Domingo hands over 500 assorted books and four boxes of school supplies to the representatives of the Philippine Army’s 68th Infantry Battalion. The books will be donated to the Basilan Mobile Library Program.

Norman Cruz

DENR vows to restore 2 rivers in Marinduque THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday promised to take all interventions to restore two Marinduque rivers hit by “one of the worst mining and environment disasters in the Philippine history.”

“We made a plan to restore all the rivers in the Philippines, including the Boac and Mogpog rivers. We will clean them up and we have a way of doing that using non-government resources,” he said.

He said it was high time the government spearheaded a massive clean-up and rehabilitation of the Boac and Mogpog rivers for the benefit of the people of Marinduque who continued to suffer from the effects of the catastrophic tailings spills from the site of Marcopper Mining Corp. in 1993 and 1996.

“The environmental damages and unresolved issues brought about by the Marcopper mining operation in Marinduque for several decades now, must be put to an end,”he lamented.

According to the DENR chief, he has approved an initial P5-million funding for the construction of the 90-meter-wide Gabion dam across the Mogpog River, particularly the downstream portion of Maguila-guila Creek, to prevent further siltation in its basin.

The planned river rehabilitation would include the dredging of the two rivers by a private contractor at no cost to the government, he added.

The private contractor would foot the bill of the dredging operation in exchange for whatever minerals that he may recover provided he would pay the corresponding 4 percent excise tax.

On March 24, 1996, a fracture in the drainage tunnel of Marcopper’s Taipan pit spilled more than 1.6 million cubic meters of toxic mine tailings, flooding villages and poisoning the Boac River.

Three years before that, the firm’s Maguila-guila siltation dam also burst, flooding the town of Mogpog, where two children drowned in the mine waste.

The incident “practically killed the Mogpog River with its toxic mine tailings,” the DENR said.

Cimatu said he would immediately issue a department administrative order as soon as the Marinduque provincial government submits a formal request to place the Boac and Mogpog rivers under rehabilitation. Rio N. Araja

PCUP hits LGUs for failure to help victims of evictions

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE Presidential Commission on Urban Poor on Monday hit local government units for their failure to extend assistance to those affected by demolitions or evictions.

Alvin Feliciano, PCUP chairman and “We are filing appropriate charges chief executive officer, lamented that several against erring local officials,” he said but local officials were stubborn and would not stopped short of saying when they would provide assistance to those in need under the file the charges.

Urban Development and Housing Act. “It is high time that we make local

government culpable,” he added.

He said he would file administrative charges against local officials who would fail to provide victims of demolitions or evictions with relocation, and financial and livelihood assistance.

He said he would not allow any demolition of eviction without proper relocation.

He said he is determined to hold erring officials culpable.

“The commission will do everything to ensure the welfare of every Filipino,” he noted.

BI intercepts 8 Filipinos leaving for Bangkok, Brunei

By Vito Barcelo IMMIGRATION officers intercepted eight overseas Filipino workers who tried to leave for Bangkok, Thailand and Brunei at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

BI-Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., said the eight Filipino passengers, all female, believe to be victims of a trafficking syndicate were intercepted on separate occasions at the NAIA 1 and NAIA 3 The four initially pretended to be tourists traveling together for a vacation at the NAIA 1.

However, it was found out that they were in possession of United Arab Emirates visas, and all eventually admitted to be bound for Dubai to work as household service workers.

“Upon interview, they alleged that their documents were processed by a fixer they only knew as Mark,” he said.

The other OFWs were intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 3 who attempted to fly to Brunei.

“System checks revealed that the overseas employment certificates [OECs] that they presented were falsified, and were found to belong to someone else,” he said.

All eight were referred to the InterAgency Council Against Trafficking for assistance in filing criminal cases against their recruiters.

Meanwhile, BI agents arrested five Koreans and two Vietnamese who were caught working without permit in a construction site in Clark Sharp Hills, Angeles City, Pampanga.

The aliens were caught in the act of working as laborers in a construction site in the area.

“We received reports that aliens were working in the site without the proper visas. We conduced a case buildup, and upon confirmation, the Commissioner issued a mission order to implement the arrest. Upon inspection, the seven were found to be undocumented, hence they were arrested and will be subjected to deportation proceedings,” he added.

The foreigners will be deported for violating the conditions of their stay by working without the appropriate permits, in violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

They are temporarily detained at the BI Detention Center in Bicutan, Taguig pending deportation proceedings.

Gatchalian objects to tax repeal

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Win Gatchalian on Monday objected to the proposed repeal of the 2-percent special tax rate for microfinance non-government organizations under the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, the fourth tranche of the Department of Finance’s comprehensive tax reform program.

Gatchalian said microfinance NGOs have been instrumental in providing low-interest, no collateral loans to poor vendors and other micro businesses and warns that to ensure their sustainability, any additional tax burden might be passed on to poor families and they may resort back to the “five-six” lending of loan sharks.

Currently, he said the savings from the 2-percent preferential tax rate allow

microfinance NGOs to continue to provide financial and community services to their clients or program members.

“My fear is that if we impose a higher tax on this group, this is in effect a pass on cost and this will affect 6.5 million micro entrepreneurs across the country,” the senator said in the previous Senate committee hearings.

“I can see a disenfranchisement of these micro-entrepreneurs. More so, they will be pushed to the informal sector, which is the “five-six” lending methodology. Some of them will just go to loan sharks,” he said.

We don’t want this to happen. What we want is to promote entrepreneurship all the way down to the grassroots level, provide legitimate financing for them and help these micro-entrepreneurs to somehow grow into medium size,” he explained.

Sharing the Valenzuela experience, Gatchalian explains that the city provides funds to microfinance organizations which, in turn, lend money to small entrepreneurs. He said the payment rate is around 95 to 98 percent if borrowers take loans from microfinance operators instead of the borrowers getting it directly from the government.

Data from the Department of Trade and Industry show that there are a total of 1,003,111 business enterprises operating in the country as of 2018.

Of these, 998,342 (99.52 percent) are MSMEs and 4,769 (0.48 percent) are large enterprises. Micro enterprises constitute 88.45 percent (887,272) of total MSME establishments, followed by small enterprises at 10.58 percent (106,175) and medium enterprises at 0.49 percent (4,895).

PNP acquires almost P3b worth of new equipment THE Philippine National Police has acquired more helicopters and other equipment worth some P2.88 billion to further boost its firepower and mobility assets.

During the presentation of the newlyprocured assets at the PNP Grandstand in Camp Crame on Monday, PNP chief, Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa said the acquisition is part of the modernization of the country’s police force.

Topping the list of the new assets are two single-engine turbine helicopters worth P225 million.

The police force now has a total of seven helicopters, two of which will be sent to the Visayas and Mindanao, and the remaining will be used at the national headquarters.

Gamboa said he is eyeing for the purchase of three more helicopters before his term ends.

“We have seven as of now. Hopefully, before I retire, the last three will be coming up so we will leave the PNP with 10 [helicopters],” he said in an interview with reporters.

Other newly-acquired assets include 37 units of medium troop carriers—worth P3.1 million each—and 12 pickups worth P1.6 million each.

The trucks would be utilized by the Special Action Force, Gamboa said.

Also procured were 501 units of combat helmets worth P32 million; firearms such as light machine gun, basic assault rifle, pistol, and magazines; and bomb equipment such as explosive ordnance division robot, undershirt vest, night vision goggles, ballistic eyewear, handheld radio, among others.

Gamboa said all equipment went under strict testing to see if all the parameters were complied with.

He also assured that all equipment underwent “open competitive bidding” as well as “rigorous testing.”

CBCP opposes China-funded Kaliwa project THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has joined widening calls to stop the construction of Kaliwa Dam in Quezon which will be funded by loans from China.

“The Church is not against development as long as it does not sacrifice the ‘common good’ in the name of progress,” said Bishop Romulo Valles of Davao.

“The ongoing Kaliwa Dam project of the government, in the guise of providing water to Metro Manila, is to our mind against inclusive development,” added Valles.

He stressed that bishops were against the project as it would destroy the biodiversity at Sierra Madre Mountains, which is the home of the DumagatRemontados tribe.

According to CBCP, it is better to look for an appropriate solution to the worsening water shortage in Meyro Manika based on experts’ suggestion.

“We, therefore, call on the government agencies concerned and other proponents of the Kaliwa Dam project to stop its implementation,” the bishops’ statement said.

“For the sake of the common good, we strongly recommend that ecologically sustainable alternatives be carefully considered,” the CBCP added.

Earlier, Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon warned of the dangers posed by the dam to indigenous communities of the Dumagay-Remontados tribe in the mountains of Sierra Madre.

He said that 300 forest hectares in Sierra Madre might be submerged in water, endangering 126 wildlife in the area.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System claims that Kaliwa Dam will provide additional 34 million liters of water daily to Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Nestlé reports 15% hike in nutrition knowledge NESTLÉ Philippines reported a 15-percent increase in nutrition knowledge among students in 13,000 schools nationwide following the SY 2018-2019 implementation of the Nestle Wellness Campus program, a continuing joint initiative with the Department of Education.

Now on its seventh year, the program so far has reached over 200,000 teachers, 7.8 million students and 4.7 million parents nationwide. Nestle Wellness Campus is a nutrition education activity in Philippine public schools which is embedded in

DepEd’s Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health curriculum.

Currently widely implemented in the National Capital Region, CALABARZON, Bicol and Central Visayas regions, the program imparts to grades 1 to 10 public school students and their parents the importance of choosing healthier food and drink options as well as engaging in physical activities and family mealtimes to promote healthy habits among students.

Apart from nutrition education for students, custom dance exercises became

part of the school routine. Expanded nutrition modules were cascaded to parents in the larger school community to ensure that what is being taught to children is also applied at home. Schools are also encouraged to implement their own individual projects through the interschool, inter-region competition.

Some notable examples include providing more nutritious options in their cafeterias, starting up school gardens, and providing clean drinking water for their student population, Nestlé said in a statement.

AWARDS RITES. Students of Pagkakaisa Elementary School gather Monday

in their school basketball court for the awarding ceremony of the Nestlé Wellness Campus competition as the Division of Biñan City’s National Champion, Best Implementing School under the Grade School Category

Sports De Liaños to play for Nueva Ecija Vanguards BROTHERS Juan and Javi Gomez de Liaño, will no longer play for the University of the Philippines this coming University Athletic Association of the Philippines season as the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards acquired the two to play in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguard coach Charles Tiu said the hiring of the Gomez De Liano brothers is just the beginning of a series of acquisitions in line with the team‘s commitment to Novo Ecijano fans to form a title contender or a championship basketball team for the next MPBL Season.

Chemistry will also not be an issue as coach Tiu also handled Juan and Javi, who played and won the championship for the Mighty Sports Philippines team in the recently concluded 2020 Dubai International Basketball Championship.

Apart from the Gomez de Liaño siblings, the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards also acquired a Novo Ecijano and former PBA player Renz Palma, who recently played for Alaska team. A high leaper, Palma has proven to be one of the best 2-3 players during his stint in the UAAP and the PBA. Tiu said, with Juan GDL and veteran Jai Reyes, the Vanguards will surely have one of the best point guard tandems in the next MPBL season.

Javi, on the other hand, brings additional offense for the Rice Vanguards. Javier GDL has proven to be one of the best shooting guards in the UAAP. He also brings additional athleticism and defensive prowress to the Nueva Ecija team.

Earlier, Mayor Rianne Cuevas of Palayan City has announced the construction of a new sports arena in Palayan City that will serve as the home court of the Rice Vanguards.

“It’s about time that Nueva Ecija had its own arena to host tournaments like the MPBL and at the same time showcase the beauty of our province to cities and provinces who will play in our sports Areana. At the same time, our thousand of basketball fans will not have to travel five hours to watch games of our home team the Rice Vanguards,” Mayor Cuevas said.

Clark Marathon reset to May 10 THE TCS Clark Animo International Marathon, a major international fitness event at Clark Global City, has moved its start date to May 10.

Originally set for March 8, the race was reset by its organizers and stakeholders as a precautionary measure in view of the health and safety concerns surrounding the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

As the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon is a global sports tourism event, the need to undertake such steps to help protect the well-being of race participants from the health threat is more crucial than ever.

Organized annually by the De La Salle Alumni Association Pampanga chapter along with Clark Global City, the marathon, which has its courses certified by the International Association of Athletic Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (IAAFAIMS), will be sponsored by leading technology company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the fifth year in a row. TCS has sponsored other prestigious global running events such as the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS Amsterdam Marathon, and Tata Mumbai Marathon.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Gymnast leads MILO Jr Athletes of Year

O

NE of the most inspiring stories in the last Southeast Asian Games gets to be recognized with a special honor in the SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel this weekend.

Gymnastics gold medal winner Daniela dela Pisa joins tennis phenom Alex Eala, future grandmaster Daniel Quizon, and ace swimmer Miguel Barreto as the MILO Junior Athletes of the Year in the March 6 gala night organized and presented by the country’s oldest media organization led by president Tito S. Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin.

Dela Pisa, 16, stepped out of the shadow of illustrious teammate and world champion Carlos Yulo to bag a gold in the hoop final of the women’s rhythmic gymnastics competition of the recent

biennial meet. It was the only gold produced by Filipino gymnasts outside of the two won by Yulo (artistic all-around and floor).

The young Cebuana native did the feat after overcoming ovarian cancer at the tender age of four. Through chemotherapy and the love and all-out support of her family, she continued her passion for the sport through the guidance of her mother Darlene, a former gymnast herself, to become the bemedalled athlete that she is today.

Dela Pisa also won a pair of bronze

medals in the rhythmic ball and clubs, respectively.

Eala, Quizon, and Barreto are not to be outdone, proof that great things start from small beginnings through hard work and discipline.

The 14-year-old Eala continues her meteoric rise in the world rankings, finishing 2019 rated at no. 9 after making her junior Grand Slam debut in the US Open.

Eala incidentally, also leads the list of Tony Siddayao Awardees who will be recognized in the event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, MILO, Cignal TV, Philippine Basketball Association, AirAsia, and Rain or Shine.

Quizon, also 14, has an International Master title as he captured the gold in the U16 standard competition of the Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championships in Bangkok. He was likewise the bestplaced Filipino in the blitz side event of

the Asian Continental Chess Championship in China, where he toppled three Grandmasters in Wan Yunquo and Liu Yan of China, along with Venkataraman Karthik of India.

Currently, Quizon is the youngest in the top 20 Filipino chess players in the country today.

For his part, Barreto distinguished himself as the most bemedalled athlete in last year’s Palarong Pambansa by winning a total of seven gold medals in anchoring the National Capital Region’s dominance over at the pool. The 16-year-old pride of Malolos, Bulacan highlighted the feat by shattering the record in the boys’ 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly.

By the end of the year, Barreto was part of the Philippine swimming team that competed in the 30th SEA Games, advancing in the men’s 400-meter freestyle.

Palayan edges San Juan five, nears CBA title

By Arman Armero

JAMES POWERS LAKERS. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers signals to his teammate during the game against the New

Orleans Pelicans’ rookie Zion Williamson at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. James James had a triple-double of 34 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114. James carried the team on his back as the Lakers overcame the absence of forward Anthony Davis, who missed out on facing his former team because of a sore knee.

UST captures 4 straight judo boys’ title th

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas annexed a fourth straight boys crown, while University of the East kept the title for a third consecutive season, as UAAP High School Judo Championships, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Junior Golden Judokas won two golds on the final day courtesy of half-heavyweight Joshua Quizon and heavyweight Rael Abujos, to finish with 24 points.

La Salle-Zobel, which led on opening day, settled for second place with 21 points. Meanwhile, Far Eastern University-Diliman, courtesy of Knoxville Lining’s half-middleweight gold, was able to reach the podium with 18 points.

Yvan Ayalin won the middleweight gold, but his efforts were not enough for Ateneo to achieve a top three finish.

Instead, the blue-and-white settled for fourth with 16 points.

On the other hand, the Junior Lady Warriors successfully defended the girls’ title, as featherweight Mary Joy Baldos, extra lightweight Joemari-heart Rafael, and half-lightweight Denise Mae Pidlaoan emerged victorious in the final day.

UE finished with 37 points, 11 ahead of UST which settled for runner-up honors. Cathlyn Vergara was the Junior Tigresses’ biggest hope after she broke through the final, but Pidlaoan stopped her in the gold medal match and had to take the silver.

Zoey Itliong’s lightweight gold propelled La Salle-Zobel to third place with 17 points.

Members of the Santo Tomas judo team annexed a fourth straight boys crown.

THE Palayan Capitals survived a late run by the San Juan Knights to prevail, 79-74, and clinch Game 1 of the Community Basketball Association Pilipinas Executive Cup finals held at the San Juan Gym over the weekend.

By taking Game 1, the Capitals can wrap up its first CBA title with a victory in Game 2 of the best-of-3 title series on Sunday right before their own homecrowd in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.

Palayan, which was in cruise control from start to finish, led by as many as 14 points, but a huge counter-run, led by San Juan’s Noah Lugo put the Knights to within four, 66-70, heading into the final two minutes.

But the Capitals’ swarming defense, capped by a monster block by Deniel Aguirre on Knights’ Arvin Gamboa in the dying seconds, preserved the victory, to the delight of a huge pro-Palayan supporters, who came all the way from Palayan City on board 30 vans.

Team owner Vicente “Bong” Cuevas, Palayan City Mayor Adrienne Mae Cuevas and team manager Ryan Ripalda were all in attendance to witness the rousing win.

“Hindi na namin bibitawan ito.

Nasa amin na lahat ng pagkakataon,” said Capitals coach Alvin Grey.

“At kung naging pisikal sila ngayon, kami naman magiging pisikal pagdating sa court namin,” added Grey, who was Pido Jarencio’s assistant coach at Northport in the PBA. Renz Alcoriza led all scorers with 19 points, while Aguirre, Levi dela Cruz and Marvin Maroga finished with 10 points apiece for the Capitals, who took the half, 35-28.

Lugo led the Knights with 18 points, while big man Ato Ular finished with a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds.

F2, Cherry Tiggo launch Superliga title bids Games Today (Bacoor Strike Gym) 3 p.m. -- Cignal vs Generika-Ayala 5 p.m. -- F2 Logistics vs PLDT 7 p.m. -- Marinerang Pilipina vs Chery Tiggo BACOOR CITY—Heavyweights F2 Logistics and Chery Tiggo launch their respective title quest when they tackle separate foes in an explosive triple-header of the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix Tuesday at the Bacoor Strike Gym here.

After falling short of winning the title the past couple of years, the Cargo

Movers start their quest when they face dangerous PLDT Home Fibs at 5 p.m. while the Crossovers battle a retooled Marinerang Pilipina squad in the 7 p.m nightcap of this prestigious women’s club league bankrolled by Cocolife, Sogo, Eurotel, Sweet and Fit Stevia, UCPB Gen, Team Rebel Sports and Bizooku.

Prior to that, Generika-Ayala hunts its first win as it collides with Cignal in the 3 p.m. opener of this tourney that also has Gerflor, Senoh, Asics, Mikasa and Mueller Sports as technical partners.

F2 Logistics, a team that ruled this import-laced conference in 2017, as sud-

denly relegated into a bridesmaid after Petron, behind the prowess of Katherine Bell and its star-studded local crew, dominated the past two editions of the Grand Prix.

But a lot of things in the off-season as Petron lost its core of Mika Reyes, Denden Lazaro, Rhea Dimaculangan and Chloe Cortez while F2 Logistics confirmed the return of import Lindsay Stalzer and Filipino-American spiker Kalei Mau as well as the services of Aby Maraño, Kianna Dy, Kim Fajardo, Dawn Macandili and newly-crowned PSL ambassadress Majoy Baron.

Thailand MotoGP postponed as virus wrecks season’s start BANGKOK—Thailand’s MotoGP was postponed over the new coronavirus on Monday as motorcycling’s premier championship took its second hit in two days from the deadly outbreak.

A day after the season-opening Qatar MotoGP was axed, Thailand organisers postponed the March 20-22 race in Buriram without setting a new date.

“I don’t say it’s cancelled, I just say it is postponed until time allows us to do (the event),” Anutin Charnvirakul, chairman of the Thailand MotoGP organising committee, told AFP. “It’s because of the coronavirus,” added Anutin, who is also Thailand’s deputy prime minister and health minister.

“We need to postpone it today until further notice.”

The move means both of the season’s first two races have been shelved. The next race on the schedule is in Austin, Texas on April 5.

It could also put renewed focus on Formula One, whose season starts with the Australian Grand Prix on March 15.

The Chinese F1 Grand Prix has already been postponed, and Vietnam is due to host its inaugural race in Hanoi on April 5.

However, Hanoi’s mayor said last week that the city was “ready to cancel it in case of the epidemic’s progression”.

The virus originating from China,

which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide, has had a heavy impact on sports events, forcing a long list of postponements and cancellations.

“The committee decided to postpone the race due to the widespread of COVID-19 around the world,” Anutin said in an organising committee statement.

“People who attend, racers and teams could come from at-risk countries. Thailand has to postpone for the safety of Thai people until the situation is better.”

- ‘Best interests of the nation’ Even last week Thai MotoGP organisers were upbeat, pledging extra health measures like temperature checks, facemasks and hand sanitisers.

Anutin himself had vowed “no cancellation” on Friday.

But on Sunday, Thailand’s health ministry said a 35-year-old Thai man passed away due to complications caused by the coronavirus.

“Things change every day and it has become pandemic,” Anutin told AFP on Monday.

“We have to go along with the circumstances worldwide and it (postponement) is in the best interests of the nation as well as the participants.”

As the coronavirus has spread, Italy has become the hardest-hit European country with 34 deaths and more than 1,600 confirmed cases. AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

sports@manilastandard.net

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

PBA healthy financially, says Vargas

By Lito Cinco “THE PBA is healthy.”

With that short sentence, Philippine Basketball Association Chairman Ricky Vargas established the financial position of the league amidst reports that live gate attendance continues to decline.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, who has just been rewarded by the PBA Board with a three-year extension of his contract to take care of the league’s day to day operations, shared that there was indeed a 4% decline in gate attendance in 2019.

But Vargas was quick to add that despite this, the PBA’s gate revenues still increased, such as its revenue streams, including the payment by TV 5 for the rights to air PBA games -- the biggest contributor in the increase.

“But what we saw was the 20% to 25% increase in online viewers via live streaming, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other online portals.

The potential for revenues on this side has been recognized as being bigger,” said Marcial.

The PBA opens its 45th season on March 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Marcial also cited the record 3.5 million online viewers during Game 2 of the Ginebra San Miguel-Meralco finals, and the 3.2 million viewers in an earlier triple overtime game that bolstered the opportunity to expand the league’s revenues through on line advertising “We recognize that the present generation will always be using their cellphones that even if they are watching live, they will still be connected online to the outside world.

Presently, we are in talks with Facebook and YouTube to explore possible tie-up opportunities,” added Marcial.

Vargas also expressed his confidence that “2020 will be a turnaround year for us, not with gate receipts, but in other areas.”

Go For Gold’s Daniel Ven Cariño raises his hand as he crosses the finish ahead of the Ronda Pilipinas pack.

Oconer stays ahead; Cariño wins

By Peter Atencio

B

AGUIO City—This time, Daniel Ven Cariño of Go For Gold proved to his older brother that he can hold his own in the steep mountainous climb towards the Burnham finish here.

The 21-year-old Daniel, the younger brother of Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance rider El Joshua Cariño, stuck it out with the Navymen as they assaulted the last 64-kilometer of uphill roads heading into Baguio City.

Cariño’s efforts paid off as he earned Stage 8 honors of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race of this 170.6 km ride from Palayan, Nueva Ecija.

As Cariño celebrated his best finish since he first join the Ronda bikefest last year, Navyman George Oconer stayed on top of overall individual classification for a fourth straight day and is poised to claim the general classification plum, with still two stages left.

The Mangaldan, Pangasinan-born Cariño finally took charge in the final kilometer and led a 10-man breakaway group that reached the Burnham Park road final stop in four hours, 30 minutes and four seconds.

“Sunud-sunod lang kami sa Navy. Dinadala nila kasi. Pino-protektahan nila iyung overall,” said Cariño. “Dito na ako sa last kilometer humataw,” added Carino.

Philippine Army Bicycology’s Marvin Tapic and Go For Gold’s Jonel Carcueva were in second and third spot in a group 10 riders that crossed the finish.

Another Go For Gold rider, Ismael Grospe, emerged fourth.

The Navymen, led by Junrey Navarra, Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, El Joshua Cariño and Oconer, stayed together and finished from sixth to 10th places.

Overall leader Oconer will just have to protect his lead in the last two stages of this race presented by LBC and backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.

“Sa samahan namin para kaming magkakapatid. Alam na namin iyon. Kaya sa tulong na rin ng mga ka-team ko, nagpapasalamat ako,” said Oconer, who was

second and third overall in previous competitions of the Ronda bikefest.

The final two stages will be the 176.4km Pugo, La Union massed start, while Stage 10 is a criterium race. Both will formalize Oconer’s claim to the overall crown.

The elder Cariño, on the other hand, took the King of the Mountain honors in the 162.6-km mark in Pugo, Benguet, before he let the younger Daniel Ven take the lead.

Oconer kept his 75-second advantage over his teammate Oranza intact in the overall standings, with Lomotos, Camingao, Navarra and and Cariño from third to sixth places.

The Navymen’s dominant stand led to some changes in the seventh to 10th places, with former leader Mark Julius Bordeos of Bicycology and Rustom Lim of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines slipping down the standings.

Carcueva moved from ninth to seventh in 27:39:59, while Daniel Ven Cariñ o climbed from 12th to eighth in 27:40:21, Grospe jumped from 10th to ninth in 27:40:23 and Tapic barged into No. 10 from 20th in 27:42:55.

The Navymen are now poised to claim the team crown for the sixth straight time with their good showing in Stage 8.

Cebu Country Club seeks PAL Interclub history

PAL REGULAR INTERCLUB GETS UNDERWAY. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio

Leonardia (4th from right) kicks off the 73rd PAL Regular Interclub during ceremonial tee off at Negros Occidental Golf & Country Club. Play starts March 4 with Cebu Country Club defending its title in the Championship Division. PAL officials in photo are, from left, Rene Aviles, Chris Biscocho, Bong Velasquez, Russel Jao, Pinky Custodio, Donna Casimiro and Joy Carpentero. (Photo by Andy Alvarez)

BACOLOD—Cebu Country Club eyes history when it shoots for the centerpiece Men’s title in the Philippine Airlines Interclub starting Wednesday here.

Relegated to the Founders Division with three of its top players last year begging off for personal reasons, Cebu CC will be trying to duplicate what only one other squad has done in the past, and that is to win the Championship diadem coming from a lower division.

Only Aguinaldo in the late 1980s was able to pull off that trick before Cebu CC duplicated it last year with masterful performances at its home course and the tricky Mactan layout in Cebu.

“We came here very prepared,” playing skipper Bayani Garcia said.

“Whether we play in the Championship or Founders, we will be ready to defend our title.”

Interclub rules allow for teams coming from whatever division to win the Championship crown, which Manila Southwoods is expected to dominate with a roster that is armed to the teeth.

That was the same scenario last year when the Carmona-based squad was shooting to win a team record fifth straight title. But Cebu CC spoiled the

party as it played under everyone’s radar on the first day to take the lead it never relinquished.

Southwoods, Del Monte and Luisita, squads that have solid young programs, are the only teams campaigning in the Championship division.

Yuto Katsuragawa, the pro-bound Japanese, will lead Southwoods’ charge together with the reactivated Vince Lauron, the former pro who has stayed in great game shape despite attending to numerous businesses.

Hosted by the Philippine Airlines, the international event was backed by platinum sponsors Asian Air Safari, Vanguard Radio Network, Fox Networks Group, Radio Mindanao Network, Inc., Asian Journal Publications Philippines, Inc., Auto Nation Group, Inc. (Mercedes Benz), and SMDC. Major sponsors include The Boeing Company, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Avolon Aerospace Singapore Pte Ltd, Manila Broadcasting Company, Primax Broadcasting, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd, CIGNAL TV Inc., Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. (Resorts World), and Airbus.

PH Golf Tour unveils new season at The Country Club THE country’s touring pros both in the men’s and ladies ranks set out for another busy season as the Philippine Golf Tour lined up a full calendar of multi-million peso tournaments at the country’s top golf courses.

What makes this year’s edition different from the past is that the men and ladies tour will now be held on the same playdates starting with the ICTSI Summit Point Challenge at Summit Point in Lipa City, Batangas on March 23-28.

“This is done in other tours abroad,” said PGTI general manager Colo Ventosa, referring to the new setup wherein the ladies tournament will be held first then the men’s on the same course.

“But we will still have standalone ladies tournaments co-sanctioned by the TLPGA (LPGA of Taiwan),” added Ventosa, while reiterating their commitment to put up more international tournaments for the ladies.

For the first time, the ladies will hold a national pro-am tournament side by side with the men’s on May 14-16 at Splendido Taal Golf Club before the circuit moves to Royal Northwoods in San Rafael, Bulacan for the ICTSI Royal Northwoods Challenge on May 24-29.

The rest of the schedule with be unveiled today.

The new season, which comes on the heels of a successful decade-long men’s pro circuit put up by ICTSI in 2009, will be launched in brief rites today (Tuesday, March 3) at The Country Club coinciding with the pro-am tournament of the TCC Invitational, the centerpiece tournament of each PGT circuit.

The top 30 players in last year’s PGT Order of Merit ranking make up the cast with a total prize fund of P5 million, the richest outside of the Philippine Open, up for grabs.

DENR Warriors clobber injury-hit Cavs in UNTV Cup finals’ Game 1 DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources struck early and clobbered injury-hit defending champion Armed Forces of the Philippines, 90-73, in Game 1 of their best-of-three title series in the 8th UNTV Cup held over the weekend at Paco Arena, Manila.

Without top players Wilfredo Casulla and Jeffrey Quiambao and veteran playmaker Eugene Tan playing in pain, the AFP Cavaliers proved to be an easy prey as the DENR Warriors used the occasion to score almost at will in getting back at their elimination-round encounter.

More than that, the Warriors moved on the cusp of winning the title on their first try in the event organized by UNTV President and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon for public servants where the charity of the winning team gets a tax-free P4 million prize.

The Warriors can make their chosen charity very happy if they can complete a series sweep on Monday where the matches, including the newly-introduced 3x3, will be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Cavaliers, however, can’t use the injuries to key players as an excuse for their defeat—only their second in 12 games.

DENR defended tightly and rotated the ball so well that it posted an impressive 50 percent shooting from the field, making 31 of 62 tries with five players finishing in double digits.

Meantime, National Housing Authority, getting big game from Alvin Vitug, clinched third place by beating Judiciary, 74-67, a victory that made its own charity P1 million richer.

Advancing to the semis in the 3x3 event are

PhilHealth, SSS Kabalikat, Ombudsman and PITC. Ralph Lansang once again led DENR’s well balanced attack with 20 points apart from grabbing 9 boards while Ryan Abanes was a big revelation with 14 points.

Ed Rivera, a hot candidate for the MVP plum, added 15 points aside from providing the intangibles while Desederio Ayson and Melvin Bangal contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The scores: DENR 90 – Lansang 20, Rivera 15, Abanes 14, Ayson 14, Bangal 13, Atablanco 4, Gamboa 4, Parreño 3, Garcia 3, Mamac 0, Calungcagin 0.

AFP 73 – Almerol 19, Lumongsod 10, Cordero 13, Rosopa 9, Tan 8, Bautista 7, Sergio 5, Pascual 4, Zuniga 0, Araneta 0.

Quarters: 28-17, 43-34, 65-54, 90-73.

Ryan Abanes was a revelation in DENR’s 90-73 win over defending champion AFP in Game 1 of their 8th UNTV Cup Finals on Sunday at Paco Arena.

IN BRIEF Robinsons Land hikes profit by 6% to P8.69b ROBINSONS Land Corp. of the Gokongwei Group said Monday net income climbed six percent in 2019 to P8.69 billion from P8.22 billion in 2018.

Consolidated revenues rose 3.4 percent to P30.58 billion from P29.56 billion last year, mainly driven by its booming recurring rental businesses.

Robinsons Land reported that it deferred the revenue recognition of the company’s China project amounting to P8.84 billion in order to adopt the accounting standard practiced in China.

“The company’s external auditors concluded in February 2020 that the revenue recognition of the China project should be deferred to the time at which the residential units have been turned-over to its buyers, adopting the China accounting standards.

RLC will try to accomplish such turnover by late this year,” the property firm said.

Consolidated mall revenues increased 11 percent to P13.25 billion from P11.94 billion on the back of a 7-percent growth from same malls.

Robinsons Land operated 52 malls with a total gross leasable space of 1.57 million square meters as of end December 2019. Jenniffer B. Austria

Govt outstanding debt in January up slightly THE outstanding debt of the national government as of end-January 2020 rose 0.4 percent or P32.06 billion to P7.763 trillion from the end-December 2019 level due mainly to net availment of foreign financing, the Bureau of the Treasury said Monday.

The Treasury said in a statement 34 percent of the total debt stock was secured externally while 66 percent was domestic debt.

Domestic debt amounted to P5.123 trillion, P3.83 billion or 0.1 percent lower compared to the end-December 2019 level.

“For January, the reduction in domestic debt was mainly due to the net redemption of government securities amounting to P3.86 billion which more than offset the P0.03 billion effect of peso depreciation on onshore dollar bonds,” the Treasury said.

The external debt of P2.639 trillion,meanwhile, was P35.89 billion or 1.4 percent higher from the previous month.

“The increase in external debt was caused by the net availment of foreign loans amounting to P33.51 billion and the P2.72-billion effect of local currency depreciation on dollar-denominated debt. On the other hand, third-currency revaluation trimmed P0.34 billion,” Treasury said. Julito G. Rada

Business Grab prepares entry into motorcycle taxi business

By Darwin G Amojelar

G

RAB Philippines is preparing for its entry into the motorcycle taxi business ahead of the legalization of two-wheeled taxis in the country.

“We are preparing our facilities and training our own drivers. Its up to the TWG (technical working group) when they will allow us to enter,” said Grab president Brian Cu Monday.

Cu said the company was investing P15 million on a one-hectare facility in Marikina.

“We are investing in safety, training and world class trainers and infrastructure,” he added.

“We do see that there’s a demand. In the supply side, there are a lot of Grab food drivers, who are interested in doing motor taxis,” Cu said.

Grab used to operate GrabBike in the Philippines until mid-2016 when the service was discontinued in compliance with government regulations.

GrabBike is Southeast Asia’s largest bike-riding hailing provider, offering a faster and more reliable way of getting

around in traffic-congested cities.

It recorded 2.55 billion bike rides, with 1.49 million bike driver partners all over Southeast Asia in 2019.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board allowed Angkas, Joyride and Move It to participate in the pilot test for motorcycle taxis in Metro Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. The government imposed a cap of 63,000 bikers for the three players—45,000 bikers in Metro Manila, 9,000 in Cebu and another 9,000 in Cagayan de Oro. Angkas has 23,164 bikers in Metro Manila, 4,500 in Metro Cebu and 925 in Cagayan De Oro, while Joyride has 15,000 in Metro Manila, 4,488 in Metro Cebu and 198 in Cagayan de Orp. Move It, meanwhile,, has 6,836 in Metro Manila with no operations in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.

The pilot run is expected to end March 23, this year.

Grab last week asked the LTFRB to maximize the 65,000 transportation network vehicle service slots following the sharp decline in the number of active drivers.

“Our main goal of urging the LTFRB to maximize the current supply cap is for us to be able to service the ride-hailing passengers more effectively, and to hopefully avoid the December 2019 situation from happening again, where commuters are unable to get a car for hours or worse left stranded during the holidays,” Cu earlier said.

He said the additional supply would replace the thousands of drivers who churned out and serve the estimated 5.2 million ride-hailing passenger bookings forecasted to happen starting this month.

Cu said his request to maximize the current supply cap aimed to proactively address a looming commuter pain point similar to that experienced in December, when there were around three million booking requests served by a scarce supply of 35,000 TNVS drivers.

SMC power unit says court has jurisdiction SOUTH Premiere Power Corp., a unit of San Miguel Corp., on Monday said the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court has jurisdiction over its pending case with staterun Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.

SPPC said in a statement the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals ruled that the Mandaluyong RTC had jurisdiction over the dispute between the parties regarding the computation of generation charges under the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power contract.

“As indicated in the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) and the EPIRA-(implementing rules and regulations), the issue between SPPC and PSALM is outside of the powers, function and responsibilities of the ERC,” SPCC said.

The company said the ERC had no participation in the privatization of the independent power producer administrator agreement between the owner of the Ilijan power plant and National Power Corp. or in the IPPA agreement between SPPC and PSALM. Alena Mae S. Flores

AIRASIA IN THE BLACK. Air Asia Inc. chief executive officer Ricky Isla (center) flashes the thumbs-up sign after Air Asia Inc., operator of Philippines Air Asia, registered profits in 2019. He is joined by (from left) acting deputy chief operating officer Arnold Gonzales of the Tourism Promotions Board, acting DCOO for marketing Anthonette Velasco-Alones, AirAsia COO Gilbert Simpao, and Tourism Congress of the Philippines president Jojo Clemente during the press briefing held at Best Western Hotel in Angeles City Friday. Jess Malabanan

PNB: Economy can still grow above 6% on limited virus outbreak THE economy still has the potential to grow above 6 percent this year provided the import delays and tourism losses due to the coronavirus disease outbreak do not extend to the first half, Philippine National Bank said Monday.

The PNB Macro Alert report said GDP growth this year could settle within the 6.2-percent to 6.4-percent range, although a bit slower compared to its earlier forecast of 6.6 percent made before the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 that originated in Wuhan, China.

“With reports of local businesses raising likelihood of production/in-

vestment delays due to import delays from China [ranging from solar panels, telecoms equipment, etc.], the COVID-19 supply shock expanded its coverage from tourism and servicesrelated industries, to the industrial sector,” PNB said.

It said non-oil imports from China that fed industries catering to global or local demand comprised the transmission channel of the supply shock. About 23 percent of the country’s imports (25.9 percent share of non-oil imports) were sourced from China in 2019.

Using production data from the

Asian Development Bank’s input-output tables (2017), PNB estimates a potential, annual production (not value added) loss of $12.2 billion (2 percent of 2017 production) “assuming we miss out on 100 percent of China imports (non-oil) and limited substitutes are found.”

PNB said the opportunity loss estimate was modest and could be made up in succeeding quarters post-COVID. The bank said unlike a negative shock due to natural disasters, recovery from COVID-19 downside risks would not require infrastructure repair nor capac-

ity restoration.

“Assuming the import delays and tourism losses are isolated in the first quarter of 2020 and do not extend to first half of 2020, the full year 2020 GDP growth can still probe 6.2 percent-6.4 percent in our view,” it said.

PNB said the large share of non-oil imports to intermediate consumption and the hefty contribution of intermediate consumption to output were identified as key production parameters that could potentially handicap a sector’s production when subject to abrupt import constraints. Julito G. Rada

BSP remits P21.5b worth of dividends THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has remitted P21.48 billion worth of dividends to the government in 2018, the largest it declared since its establishment in 1993 when it replaced the old central bank.

The BSP said Monday it handed over P4 billion in partial dividends to the government on Feb. 20 last year, and recently remitted P17.48 billion to complete the turnover to the government.

“The central bank is glad to contribute to government resources which are essential to fostering inclusive economic growth and enhancing the quality of life of Filipinos,” said BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno in a statement.

“The amount of dividends that the BSP turned over to the government for 2018 is the largest it has declared since its establishment in 1993,” he said.

The BSP has transmitted over P26.96 billion in dividends to the government under the current administration.

The BSP has been incurring losses since 2010. The biggest net loss was recorded in 2012 at P95.38 billion. But prudent management trimmed that loss to P17.51 billion in 2013, P9.86 billion in 2014 and P4.42 billion in 2015.

The BSP in 2016 posted a net income of P17.81 billion and P22.845 billion in 2017.

If exchange rate improves and strengthens, which means the economy is improving, the BSP incurs losses. But if the peso depreciates, the BSP profits.

President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2019 signed into law the new BSP Charter that embodied a package of reforms to further align its operations with global best practices, improve the BSP’s corporate viability and enhance its capacity for crafting proactive policies amid rising interlinkages in the financial markets and the broader economy. Julito G. Rada

WESTERN UNION PARTNER. Western Union, a leader in cross-border, crosscurrency money movement and payments, strengthens its 21-year relationship with PETNET, known for its retail network PERA HUB. PERA HUB is a leading cash transaction center with a nationwide retail footprint that offers a one-stop place to access a suite of convenient financial services. Western Union regional director for the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indochina Jeffrey Navarro (left) shakes hands with PETNET chief executive officer Adrian Ocampo to renew their partnership.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

B1

DOF probing arrival of huge sums of foreign money into PH

By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has ordered the Bureau of Customs to work closely with the Anti-Money Laundering Council in investigating attempts by suspected syndicates to bring in large sums of foreign currency into the country.

Dominguez issued the directive after receiving a written report from Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero about several attempts by individuals and groups to sneak in large amounts of US dollars and other foreign currency into the country using travelers arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Guerrero said an estimated $370 million or around P18.74 billion were brought into the country by two groups last year, identified in his report as the “Rodriguez” and the “Chinese” groups.

The BOC chief recommended to Dominguez the creation of an interagency body to keep tabs on the inflow of foreign currency into the country through the country’s ports of entry, and to recommend measures to deter the use of these funds for illegal activities.

Through backtracking and the intensified monitoring activities of the BOC’s Intelligence Group, Guerrero said the bureau learned that foreign currencies brought in by the Rodriguez Group through the NAIA amounted to about $200.24 million or around P10.18 billion; while the Chinese group sneaked in $167.97 million, equivalent to about P8.54 billion.

Guerrero said the BOC also informed members of the Congress about the concern “as possible basis of policy changes on the protocol to be observed regarding hand-carried foreign currencies passing through our airports.”

The AMLC and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency were also apprised by the BOC of this unusual influx of foreign currencies, he said.

DPWH to spend P250m on spur road to Sangley THE Department of Public Works and Highways said Thursday it will spend up to P250 million to build a spur road going to Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite province this year.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the construction of a spur road going to Sangley airport was expected to start by second quarter of the year.

“We have to complete it in a year,” Villar said.

The spur road would improve the connectivity of Sangley Point where an international airport would be built as an alternative to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The provincial government of Cavite earlier awarded he development and implementation of an international airport in Sangley Point to the consortium of China Communications Construction Company Ltd. and MacroAsia Corp. of tycoon Lucio Tan. The estimated total project cost of Phase 1 is about P208.5 billion.

The 1,500-hectare master-planned international airport will be fitted with four runways, airside and landside facilities with an annual capacity of up to 130 million passengers.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. also submitted a proposal to the Toll Regulatory Board to build an expressway from Manila-Cavite Expressway to Sangley Point.

Under the proposal, MPTC plans to construct Segment 5 of Cavitex―a 22-kilometer road that will link Kawit to Noveleta to Sangley and then to Tanza also in Cavite.

It expects to start the construction of the first phase of the project―the expressway going to Sangley―by early 2021. Cavitex is a 14-kilometer expressway linking Manila and Cavite province. Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks fall slightly; Ayala Land up T HE stock market fell slightly Monday as nervous investors retreated to the sidelines at the close of trading to erase early gains in the session.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index declined 38.63 points, or 0.6 percent, to 6,749.28 on a value turnover of P6.52 billion. Losers beat gainers, 129 to 69, with 46 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, dropped 5 percent to P132.10, while Manila Electric Co., the largest retailer of electricity, slumped 4.7 percent to P257.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc., however, rallied 2 percent to P39.80, while Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution, hospitals and in-

frastructure, rose 4.2 percent to P3.20.

Most Asian markets, meanwhile, rose Monday as bargain-buyers moved in following last week’s global rout and central banks including the Federal Reserve flagged support measures such as interest rate cuts.

But after equities suffered their worst week since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, investors continue to fret over the economic fallout from the new coronavirus as the worldwide death toll rises.

And analysts warned of further turmoil on trading floors as governments struggle to contain the disease, which has now killed more than 3,000 people and infected almost 90,000.

“Markets face significant uncertainty in the short term and remain at high risk of more downside given the unknowns around COVID-19,” Shane Oliver, a global investment strategist at AMP Capital Investors, said.

Traders remain worried the disease “will disrupt economic activity more deeply and for longer than had been expected a week or so ago”.

Shanghai led gainers, rising 3.2 percent after dropping more than five percent last week, while Hong Kong was up 0.6 percent after a loss of around four percent.

The gains came on hopes for government stimulus after an index of Chinese manufacturing activity fell to its lowest level on record in February as factories around the country were shuttered.

Tokyo was up one percent, while Seoul added 0.8 percent, Mumbai climbed 1.6 percent and Singapore put on 0.3 percent.

But Sydney fell 0.8 percent after Australia recorded its first death from the virus, while Wellington gave up 1.4 percent. There were also losses in Taipei and Bangkok. Jakarta reversed early losses to sit more than one percent lower

after Indonesia reported its first COVID-19 case.

AxiCorp analyst Stephen Innes warned that fear was playing a major role in driving markets.

“With the headline bombardment through social media outlets, any sense of rational thinking appears to have gone missing,” he said in a note.

“Near-term, the markets will be driven by how far the fear of the coronavirus spreads, probably not how the data plays out.”

He added that “since global growth has rested on consumer spending over the last year, if consumers are afraid (whether rational or not), the markets will collapse.”

Investors are betting on a Fed rate cut at its March 17-18 policy meeting after governor Jerome Powell made a rare unscheduled statement on the outbreak, which he said “poses evolving risks to economic activity.” With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review Monday, March 2, 2020

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

FINANCIALS 50 33,970 75.5 3,773,810 132.1 4,384,350 0.8 102,000 24.85 65,700 18.3 2,100 11.02 513,000 1.02 5,000 0.4 250,000 55.1 2,556,140 0.75 1,000 12 14,700 28.25 192,800 167.3 1,030 50 1,770 19.68 819,500 158.8 474,010 57.35 13,940 1.15 24,000

1,698,275 284,762,537.50 592,639,803 82,800 1,635,330 37,720 5,691,026 5,100 98,200 143,493,882 750 176,400 5,456,370 175,457 87,920 16,143,444 75,247,489 801,079 27,900

750,000 -62,426,476.50 -254,679,735 -116,160 -26,730 -3,210,808 -78,517,433 -929,805 37,678 -19,684 -28,361,003 12,650

26.2 1.98 6.89 0.61 1.1 2.34 0.206 1.26 14.12 224.8 6.27 15 30 58.85 1.98 4.8 4 7.3 10.3 7.9 8 3.45 17.4 60.05 1.6 1.25 13 4.53 1.12 165 4.8 3.3 6.5 11.54 8.6 12.14 257 0.151 1.77 3.35 9.8 10.12 26.1 4.7 5 1.54 1 8.02 69.3 8.7 0.82 138.3 1.09 0.91

INDUSTRIAL 26.2 2,562,500 2.05 4,353,000 7.1 2,743,400 0.62 919,000 1.1 406,000 2.42 8,220,000 0.213 150,000 1.27 13,082,000 14.24 146,600 224.8 10 6.82 990,200 15.88 1,300 30 600 58.85 200 2.02 180,000 5.26 5,000 4 36,000 7.42 2,412,300 10.5 58,100 7.9 47,500 8.02 1,063,300 3.77 21,284,000 17.66 2,917,700 60.6 51,000 1.68 24,996,000 1.28 997,000 13.2 1,199,600 4.69 588,000 1.14 118,000 167.1 990,990 4.8 242,000 3.44 44,000 6.5 2,100 12 3,481,900 8.6 166,400 12.28 2,030,900 257 558,750 0.151 500,000 1.85 2,658,000 3.38 1,290,000 9.8 1,000 10.24 259,900 26.2 299,000 4.7 1,108,000 5 9,200 1.59 110,000 1.04 1,230,000 8.1 127,100 71.9 109,750 8.95 55,600 0.84 28,000 138.6 1,401,080 1.11 2,282,000 0.94 724,000

69,133,885 8,800,720 19,296,554 568,680 446,600 20,157,720 31,010 16,868,900 2,090,956 2,248 6,492,502 19,940 18,450 11,775.50 360,260 24,930 146,070 17,919,564 609,932 376,390 8,513,148 82,488,370 51,441,412 3,075,008.50 41,484,120 1,272,280 15,827,232 2,794,650 135,900 166,602,985 1,204,635 152,500 13,652 41,849,426 1,444,766 25,061,448 145,822,894 75,500 4,895,220 4,343,540 9,800 2,660,684 7,853,630 5,208,540 46,000 171,220 1,246,800 1,034,484 7,880,869.50 492,293 23,070 195,224,128 2,516,530 670,840

-42,714,365 -1,002,070.00 -589,239 -3,702,040 -2,686,740 227,140 -709 -25,080 10,076,471 101,876 3,983,124 196,510 -37,176,388 -1,876,479.50 922,240 36,890 -5,184,636 -356,860 -28,436,985 24,180.00 -10,290 -5,612,702 -787,533 -9,177,750 -91,968,078 1,853,830 1,672,200 -70,622 -3,983,985 110,000 -472,254 -773,050 3,580.00 -79,387,101 662,150 -6,510

0.67 41 9.91 0.65 6.1 9.7 0.86 642 1.95 6.15 5.1 12 0.218 705 4.59 66 5.52 0.46 3.7 8.8 0.58 3.09 4 1.01 2.62 124.6 950 0.82 0.9 150 150 0.219 0.173

HOLDING FIRMS 0.68 6,002,000 43.05 1,679,100 9.92 10,854,000 0.65 78,000 6.1 25,000 9.7 2,100 470,000 0.89 649.5 988,510 2 3,926,000 6.2 927,500 5.31 12,730,900 12.64 8,200 0.219 30,000 721.5 98,180 4.59 4,000 66.5 2,999,900 5.52 200 0.46 180,000 3.71 372,000 9.25 1,818,700 0.58 127,000 3.2 40,596,000 4.1 2,000 1.01 92,000 2.62 30,000 128 187,800 960 511,230 0.86 1,368,000 0.9 77,000 165 130 150 2,080 0.22 360,000 0.182 360,000

4,092,890 72,040,280 107,741,970 50,700 152,500 20,479 412,280 647,461,655 7,961,960 5,762,059 66,965,040 99,372 6,560 70,760,840 18,360 200,511,060.50 1,104 83,900 1,381,490 16,684,575 73,660 129,651,080 8,100 92,950 78,600 23,953,890 494,618,985 1,188,640 76,720 19,820 313,320 79,190 62,570

34,500 -37,745,805 -1,512,321 122,000 -129,524,540 -327,900 1,781,133 -23,946,032 -8,402 3,354,800 -18,360 -55,766,546.50 -920,150 -2,360,958 -25,144,050 20,200 11,364,464 -192,006,370 -4,600 -193,280 32,870

24,691,310 224,000 2,646 29,850 457,500 434,633,975 3,640,870 352,100 3,200 605,500 1,540 53,020 312,230 333,300 368,986 5,917,144 59,200 11,209,650 28,580 126,650 103,088,290 993,530 182,000 1,204,720 475,600 1,400,380 63,960,730 145,230 247,680 476,052,830 925,190

-1,769,386 23,520 -123,083,040 -1,210,600 9,400 46,670 108,800 -44,546 -77,908 -6,548,390 -4,850 15,027,740 71,100 -257,645 -34,026,570 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

49.5 75.5 138 0.84 25 17.82 11 1.02 0.4 56.1 0.75 12 28.65 172 50 19.68 154.6 57.05 1.19

50 76.25 138.4 0.84 25 18.4 11.2 1.02 0.4 57.45 0.75 12 28.65 172 51 19.7 160.7 58.4 1.19

49.5 74.1 132.1 0.8 24.75 17.82 10.9 1.02 0.385 55.1 0.75 12 27.9 167.1 49 19.68 154 57.05 1.15

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

27.5 2.06 7.23 0.63 1.1 2.65 0.208 1.37 14.5 224.8 6.7 15 31.5 58.9 2 4.8 4.06 7.5 10.5 7.95 8.05 4.09 18.34 61 1.64 1.29 13.2 4.92 1.18 169.9 5 3.46 6.52 11.54 8.77 12.5 265 0.151 1.85 3.35 9.8 10.42 26.75 4.73 5 1.54 1.08 8.5 69.3 8.7 0.82 141.4 1.12 0.93

28.4 2.06 7.23 0.63 1.1 2.65 0.213 1.37 14.5 224.8 6.9 15.88 31.5 58.9 2.02 5.27 4.2 7.5 10.52 8 8.05 4.2 18.34 61 1.73 1.33 13.36 4.96 1.18 172 5.3 3.54 6.52 12.2 8.85 12.5 266 0.151 1.85 3.39 9.8 10.42 26.75 4.73 5 1.6 1.08 8.58 72.95 9.2 0.85 141.4 1.12 0.95

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

0.7 42.45 9.93 0.65 6.1 9.99 0.88 662.5 2.01 6.24 5.28 12 0.218 711 4.59 66.4 5.52 0.47 3.7 8.8 0.58 3.09 4 1.03 2.62 126.2 965 0.83 1 151 151 0.219 0.174

0.7 43.45 9.98 0.65 6.1 9.99 0.9 678 2.07 6.24 5.36 12.7 0.219 740 4.59 68.5 5.52 0.47 3.84 9.33 0.58 3.29 4.1 1.03 2.62 128 989.5 0.92 1.01 165 151 0.221 0.182

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 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE KEPPEL PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND

14 0.56 8.9 1.5 0.75 38.9 1.54 4.5 6.4 0.475 0.77 0.77 0.164 0.325 8.95 17.1 0.37 1.23 1.02 3.66 3.4 0.182 0.41 0.96 0.285 2.09 21.6 1.92 3.02 38.1 2.3

14.2 0.56 8.9 1.69 0.75 40.1 1.57 4.55 6.4 0.485 0.77 0.78 0.164 0.325 8.95 17.1 0.37 1.24 1.02 3.66 3.62 0.184 0.435 0.96 0.285 2.09 22.75 1.92 3.04 39.4 2.36

14 0.55 8.78 1.5 0.75 38.5 1.5 4.49 6.4 0.47 0.77 0.77 0.16 0.32 8.7 16.6 0.37 1.21 0.97 3.6 3.4 0.18 0.41 0.9 0.265 2.04 21.5 1.91 3.02 38 2.29

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

1.56 6.2 4.95

1.56 6.58 4.95

1.51 6.01 4.9

1.53 6.58 4.95

2,383,000 1,931,300 24,000

3,640,220 12,336,608 118,180

-5,058,734 -

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL ALLHOME APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE ISLAND INFO ISM COMM LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PH RESORTS GRP PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

7.38 22.55 1.33 9.3 0.4 0.043 17.5 2.49 8.1 0.038 73 3.55 3.97 1.94 6.52 1,780 5.27 404.2 13.46 1.02 1.53 104.5 7.9 0.096 1.6 12.6 1.9 8.4 0.485 2.93 1.58 1.8 1.87 1.91 1.88 6.9 4 8.94 155 2.38 980 0.52 0.27 36 66.6 8.9 1.99 0.55 0.211 0.53 18.1

7.4 24.15 1.43 9.93 0.4 0.045 17.5 2.5 8.1 0.038 76.45 3.55 4.09 1.94 6.6 1,829 5.29 429.6 13.46 1.02 1.53 108.9 8.48 0.096 1.63 12.6 1.95 8.4 0.52 2.93 1.78 2.48 2.5 1.98 1.96 6.9 4.7 8.94 155 2.44 1,009 0.53 0.27 37.2 66.6 8.9 1.99 0.55 0.22 0.54 18.4

7.32 20.65 1.33 9.21 0.37 0.042 17.5 2.48 7.91 0.036 72.65 3.25 3.66 1.79 6.34 1,742 5.21 403.2 13.46 0.95 1.53 104.4 7.5 0.096 1.51 12.6 1.9 7.96 0.45 2.93 1.58 1.79 1.87 1.91 1.87 6.5 3.9 8 152 2.3 976 0.51 0.26 35.6 63.3 8.65 1.86 0.53 0.21 0.52 18.08

SERVICES 7.32 23.5 1.43 9.93 0.395 0.045 17.5 2.5 8.02 0.037 73.2 3.39 3.99 1.94 6.34 1,800 5.26 410 13.46 1 1.53 106 8.39 0.096 1.54 12.6 1.92 8.3 0.46 2.93 1.65 2.13 2.13 1.92 1.96 6.6 4.7 8 155 2.36 982.5 0.52 0.27 36.6 65 8.65 1.88 0.54 0.211 0.53 18.1

19,400 2,240,400 3,000 1,487,900 4,990,000 6,500,000 215,800 192,000 2,003,300 15,100,000 137,960 653,000 235,000 3,000 33,300 83,045 439,300 78,020 100 1,822,000 1,000 1,843,960 27,600 10,000 19,043,000 100 68,000 3,728,300 6,440,000 2,000 1,062,000 55,423,000 2,074,000 765,000 42,000 39,900 90,000 918,600 716,310 1,234,000 84,890 47,564,000 1,830,000 296,500 248,380 12,200 1,634,000 430,000 960,000 1,075,000 1,646,600

142,910 51,192,475 4,190 14,318,729 1,926,150 281,700 3,776,500 478,340 16,070,351 552,700 10,214,146 2,190,580 931,020 5,670 214,325 148,527,710 2,310,616 32,494,186 1,346 1,785,820 1,530 195,666,637 209,547 960 29,865,950 1,260 130,690 30,408,242 2,991,950 5,860 1,709,270 122,761,370 4,671,820 1,482,290 80,490 260,382 393,810 7,349,082 108,926,970 2,906,550 84,009,405 24,666,780 489,100 10,839,460 16,048,915 105,570 3,087,780 231,380 204,050 569,710 29,849,902

-4,139,133 1,232,000 -5,555,928 -690,465.50 -52,918,815 -212,000 -57,752,479 842,840 -6,259,483 -315,540 -155,780 -11,760 -19,010 149,800 401,030 -15,882,130 -826,040 -10,600 -4,179,610 -2,211,535.50 -972,050 16,727,098

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

0.001 6.5 0.99 2.3 11.48 1.15 2.76 0.27 6.44 0.98 0.196 0.092 0.094 0.67 2.18 0.92 0.59 0.009 0.011 0.01 2.8 6.36 19.5

0.001 6.5 1 2.3 11.48 1.15 2.76 0.27 6.58 1.04 0.2 0.092 0.094 0.67 2.21 0.93 0.62 0.009 0.011 0.011 2.85 6.36 19.6

0.001 6.27 0.95 2.3 11.48 1.15 2.69 0.27 6.38 0.9 0.196 0.092 0.094 0.64 2.06 0.9 0.59 0.009 0.009 0.010 2.78 5.8 18.9

MINING & OIL 0.001 189,000,000 6.27 85,700 0.98 3,452,000 2.3 20,000 11.48 200 1.15 29,000 2.69 1,958,000 0.27 150,000 6.5 3,900 0.94 17,532,000 0.198 90,000 0.092 10,000 0.094 10,000 0.66 66,000 2.18 19,140,000 0.93 525,000 0.62 60,000 0.009 4,000,000 0.009 600,000 0.010 215,600,000 2.8 867,000 6.15 1,279,300 19.14 3,172,700

230,800 541,220 3,342,830 46,000 2,296 33,350 5,348,360 40,500 25,319 17,014,780 17,730 920 940 42,550 40,640,840 477,070 35,920 37,300 5,910 2,159,500 2,434,280 7,644,155 60,820,592

-60,459 41,250 -10,424,170 -21,884,880 10,000 8,400 -212,284 -15,208,280

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2R ALCO PREF C CPG PREF A DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 4 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19.12 501 503 107.9 101.2 101 107 502 5.1 998 982 99 100 1,060 100.1 1,030 77.6 75.1 75.3 76.85 76 76 76.2

19.12 501 503 107.9 101.3 102 107 502 5.1 998 982 99.1 100 1,060 101.5 1,030 77.7 75.1 75.3 77.2 76 76 76.2

18.38 500 502 107.9 101.2 101 107 502 5.1 997 982 99 100 1,060 100.1 1,030 77.5 75.05 75.3 76.5 76 76 75

PREFERRED 18.6 1,158,600 500 6,000 502 510 107.9 20 101.3 1,000 101 50,690 107 20 502 250 5.1 14,000 997 580 982 110 99.1 7,670 100 34,970 1,060 100 101.5 410 1,030 100 77.5 7,310 75.05 36,670 75.3 1,420 76.5 59,890 76 25,700 76 2,000 76.2 138,410

21,538,056 3,001,205 256,030 2,158 101,250 5,139,260 2,140 125,500 71,400 578,460 108,020 759,380 3,497,000 106,000 41,601 103,000 566,722.50 2,752,208.50 106,926 4,606,238 1,953,200 152,000 10,424,947

-15,798,242 15,150 -71,400 92,700 15,500 -

LR WARRANT

1.04

1.04

1.04

WARRANTS 1.04 32,000

33,280

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

2.5 8.35 0.75

2.55 8.35 0.77

2.35 8 0.75

2.5 8.01 0.76

FIRST METRO ETF

103.1

103.9

102.3

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.2 10.28

10.28 10.28

10.2 10.28

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 14.16 0.56 8.78 1.69 0.75 39.8 1.56 4.49 6.4 0.485 0.77 0.78 0.161 0.32 8.7 16.94 0.37 1.24 1 3.6 3.5 0.18 0.41 0.94 0.27 2.05 21.75 1.91 3.02 38.7 2.34

1,740,500 402,000 300 18,000 610,000 10,917,800 2,352,000 78,000 500 1,270,000 2,000 68,000 1,920,000 1,040,000 41,700 350,600 160,000 9,100,000 29,000 35,000 29,400,000 5,490,000 440,000 1,293,000 1,750,000 684,000 2,902,800 76,000 82,000 12,293,900 401,000

Trading Summary

SHARES

FINANCIAL

13,229,173

INDUSTRIAL

109,541,756

HOLDING FIRMS

87,334,894

PROPERTY

89,972,331

SERVICES

187,267,321

MINING & OIL

458,194,575

GRAND TOTAL

946,270,421

SME

335,000 110,200 246,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 103 35,130 DDS 10.28 10.28

22,430 13,500

-

817,900 886,610 187,320

-

3,622,957

10,276

230,489.60 138,780

-

-

VALUE 1,581.49 (down) 24.5 1,128,278,060.17 FINANCIAL 8,159.94 (down) 191.54 INDUSTRIAL 1,040,749,958.312 6,576.5 (down) 50.58 HOLDING FIRMS 1,980,900,662.63 PROPERTY 3,688.82 (up) 55.64 1,345.86 (down) 5.52 SERVICES 1,176,848,611.15 6,343.15 (down) 108.29 MINING & OIL 1,044,537,740.735 6,749.28 (down) 38.63 PSEI 140,950,256.8791 All Shares Index 4,043.69 (down) 20.63 6,517,789,771.38 Gainers: 69; Losers: 129; Unchanged: 46; Total: 244

BPI begins sale of new peso bonds worth P5b

By Julito G. Rada BANK of the Philippine Islands, the thirdlargest lender in terms of assets, started on Monday its second peso fixed-rate bond offering this year in the aggregate principal amount of up to P5 billion.

BPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday the bonds would have a tenor of one and a half years and an interest rate of 4.05 percent yearly to be paid quarterly. The minimum investment amount is set at P1 million and in additional increments of P100,000.

The bank set the offering period from March 2 to 17, 2020, and the issue and listing date on March 27, 2020.

BPI said aside from having an option to upsize the amount of offering, it might also adjust the timing of the sale.

“This offering is aligned with our strategy to grow and diversify our funding sources,” it said.

“We will continue to explore similar opportunities to further increase our capacity to deliver relevant financial services to more Filipinos,” the bank said.

BPI Capital Corp. and ING Bank N.V., Manila branch are the joint lead arrangers of the offer. BPI Capital is the sole selling agent, while ING is a participating selling agent.

The bank, owned by conglomerate Ayala Corp., remains one of the biggest lenders in the industry in terms of assets, loans, deposits and branch network.

BPI’s net income in 2019 jumped 25 percent to P28.80 billion from P23.08 billion a year ago, driven mainly by the strength of its core businesses.

Net interest margin increased to 3.35 percent from 3.11 percent a year earlier.

Higher fee-based income and securities trading gains boosted non-interest income by 25 percent to P28.39 billion.

Operating expenses reached P50.08 billion, up 14.8 percent from the previous year’s figure, while cost-to-income ratio fell to 53 percent from the year-ago’s 55.5 percent.

Loans extended to consumers, corporates and small and medium enterprises helped total loans reach P1.48 trillion, an increase of 8.9 percent from a year ago.

Meanwhile, total deposits rose 6.9 percent year on year to P1.70 trillion.

Total assets grew 5.7 percent to P2.21 trillion with return on assets at 1.38 percent.

Semirara’s profit declined by 20% to P9.6b in 2019

By Alena Mae S. Flores SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. said Monday consolidated total comprehensive income declined 20 percent to P9.6 billion in 2019 from P12.1 billion in 2018.

SMPC disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange unit Sem-Calaca Power Corp. posted a loss last year while the coal business suffered a decline in income.

SMPC’s coal business reported a 23-percent decline in core profit to P7.4 billion last year from P9.7 billion in 2018.

SCPC registered s loss of P758 million from a profit of P1.2 billion in 2018.

Meanwhile, Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. recorded a core profit of P2.8 billion, up 182 percent from P1 billion in 2018.

“Net of eliminations, coal, SCPC and SLPGC contributed P6.2 billion, P58.9 million and P3.5 billion, respectively, in 2019,” SMPC said.

SMPC’s coal production reached 15.2 million metric tons last year, 17 percent up against 12.9 million MT from the previous year.

“The record high production is a combination of higher capacities and good weather condition in the current year,” the company said.

SMPC’s coal sales reached 15.6 million MT, up 35 percent from 11.6 million MT a year ago.

The company sold 34 percent of the coal volume in the domestic market and 66 percent to the foreign markets.

“The decline in domestic sales was primarily triggered by the low off-take of own power units (Unit 1 and 2 of SemCalaca Power Corporation) because of the life extension program,” SMPC said.

SMPC added depressed coal prices brought down the average selling price per MT by 22 percent but the negative impact of the decline in coal prices was mitigated by the record high shipment.

Gross coal revenue increased five percent to P32.3 billion from P30.7 billion a year ago.

SMPC’s coal segment reported a 23-percent decline in core profits at P7.4 billion last year from P9.7 billion in 2018.

Manila

Standard

TODAY

IN BRIEF Bin Laden doctor in hunger strike ISLAMABAD―The Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track and kill Osama bin Laden has launched a hunger strike from his prison cell, his lawyer and family said Monday.

Shakeel Afridi has been languishing behind bars for years since his fake vaccination program helped US agents track and kill the Al Qaeda leader in 2011.

“It is to protest the injustices and inhumane attitudes being committed against him and his family,” his brother Jamil Afridi told AFP after meeting with Afridi in a prison in central Punjab province.

His attorney Qamar Nadeem also confirmed the hunger strike.

Afridi was jailed for 33 years in May 2012 after he was convicted of having ties to militants, a charge he has always denied.

His sentence was later reduced by 10 years.

Some US lawmakers have branded the case as revenge for his help in the search for the Al Qaeda chief.

The 2011 killing of Bin Laden caused massive embarrassment for Pakistan and particularly its powerful military.

For years Afridi has had no access to his lawyer, while his appeal against his prison sentence has stalled with scheduled court appearances repeatedly delayed.

His family has also complained of being targeted and harassed by authorities over the years. AFP

World

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

China threatens to remove visas B Buttigieg quits EIJING―The Chinese government is threatening to remove visas from journalists as a weapon to intimidate foreign media “like never before”, a press group said Monday, following the expulsion of three reporters last month.

In its annual report, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China said it also feared Beijing was preparing to kick out more reporters, with two journalists this year given working visas of only a single month.

At least 12 correspondents received press credentials valid for six months or less―more than double the number given short-term visas the previous year, in what the FCCC called a record.

Resident journalist visas, which are mandatory for all foreign media based in mainland China, are typically issued for one year.

“Chinese authorities are using visas as weapons against the foreign press

like never before,” the report warned, flagging a “continued decline in reporting conditions”.

Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas, the FCCC said.

The report also found a majority of journalists surveyed―82 percent―said they had experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting in China over the past year.

Nearly double the correspondents surveyed this year faced difficulty renewing their credentials, and almost all of them believed this was related

to their reporting.

In late February, Beijing ordered three reporters from The Wall Street Journal to leave the country over what it deemed a racist headline in an opinion piece they were not involved in writing.

Deputy bureau chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both US nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, were given five days to leave.

The reporters had reported on Xinjiang, covering forced labor, surveillance and re-education camps.

Last August, China refused to renew the press credentials of Wall Street Journal correspondent Chun Han Wong after he and Wen wrote an article on one of Xi’s cousins.

The group warned that “hostility toward foreign press is now so pervasive that the most basic elements of journalism are often frustrated in China”.

The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AFP

North Korea fires two projectiles SEOUL―North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South’s military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over.

The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

“The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness,” the statement added.

The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles.

It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December.

At a party meeting at the end of that month, leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a “new strategic weapon” soon.

The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired. AFP

Democrats battle for Latino vote HOUSTON―In Elizabeth Warren’s Houston campaign office, one early morning in February, volunteers bustled around arranging chairs in a circle and tacking Spanish-language posters to the walls.

They were soon joined by a dozen Latino voters, come to discuss the Democratic White House race -- with days to go until “Super Tuesday” on March 3, when Texas and 13 other states vote to pick a challenger to President Donald Trump.

For an hour and a half, people of all ages—seniors, young adults, families with children—talked about immigration, health care and their experiences as Latinos living in a state where they make up a third of the electorate.

“A lot of the time, we are kind of ignored as a community,” said novelist Ariane Navarro, joined for the event by her husband and their two children.

“I’m surrounded by educated Latinos, and we all believe that we do have a voice and we can make a change in Texas,” the former teacher told AFP. Most of all, Navarro is keen to help her younger family members register to vote, in line with a broader effort to boost turnout among the state’s Hispanic community. AFP

B3

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

campaign for US presidency

WASHINGTON―Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay US presidential candidate from a major party, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee in the November election against Donald Trump.

The 38-year-old had risen rapidly from being a virtual unknown to becoming a national political figure, but he scored poorly in the latest primary in South Carolina, coming fourth with just eight percent.

He was scheduled to address supporters later Sunday in South Bend, Indiana, where he was previously the mayor.

His aides told US media that the former military veteran who served in Afghanistan would officially suspend his campaign.

Buttigieg emerged as the surprise major player in the contest when securing a narrow victory in the Iowa caucuses, earning widespread attention for his unflustered and professional approach in an often bitter Democratic nomination battle.

But his showing in South Carolina on Saturday confirmed polls suggesting that he struggled to attract support among black voters -- a key demographic.

Joe Biden’s resounding victory in South Carolina has thrust him back into the race just days before voters go to the polls in 14 states on “Super Tuesday.”

With 48 percent of the vote in South Carolina, Biden more than doubled the 20 percent won by national front runner Bernie Sanders—positioning him as the leftist senator’s main rival. AFP Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Quezon City, Metro Manila BRANCH LXXVIII (78) IN RE: PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF THE MINOR SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA, WITH APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF NAME TO “SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA”, SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-QZN-19-18629-SP For: Adoption and Change of Name MARIA CECILIA PALOMARES ARGANA Petitioner. x------------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified petition for Adoption and Change of Name was filed by the petitioner, Maria Cecilia Palomares Argana, through counsel, praying that after notice, publication and hearing, judgment be rendered and that the minor adoptee, SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA, be declared for all legal intents and purposes, the adoptive child of herein petitioner; that the name of the minor adoptee SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA be changed to SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA.

TOP VIEW. Aerial view of the Demerara river in Georgetown, Guyana, on March 1, 2020. AFP

Leading brands accused of using forced Chinese labor SYDNEY―China is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply some of the world’s leading brands, an Australian think tank said Monday.

Top global brands such as Apple, BMW and Sony have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labor, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the Chinese government has transferred 80,000 or more Uighurs out of camps in Xinjiang and into factories across the country.

“Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors,” the think tank said.

“Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labor under a statesponsored labor transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain.”

The brands, it added, included “Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen”.

“Companies using forced Uighur labor in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor or mandate disclosure of forced labor supply chain risks,” the report said.

“The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labor in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections.” AFP

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT Notice is hereby given that the intestate of the late Romulo B. Mangahas, who died intestate and without any will or testament and without any outstanding debts in favor of any person or entity has been settled by way of self-adjudication by heir Bienvenida V. Mangahas, of legal age as per Doc. No. 423 page No. 86, Book No. V. Series of 2020, before Notary Public at Quezon City.

(Sgd) Atty. Rogelio J. Bolivar

For fast ad results, please call Advertising Department 8832-5547

(MS-FEB. 18 / 25 & MAR. 3, 2020)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 229, QUEZON CITY VIRGINIA HERNANDEZ DAYOAN For herself and on behalf of her minor son ELIJAH JUSTICE HERNANDEZ DAYOAN, Petitioners, Case No. R-QZN-19-14020-CV

-versus-

MICHELLE OCAMPO DAYOAN, Respondent. x---------------------------------------x

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

A verified petition for Support was filed on September 17, 2019

by Petitioners through counsel and prayed to this Honorable Court that: 1. Pendente Lite, Respondent Michelle be ordered to pay the Petitioners Virginia and Elijah the sum of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) a month to be given every end of the month; and 2. And after due hearing on the principal cause of this suit, the Respondent be ordered to pay the petitioners by way of regular support and maintenance FIFTY PERCENT (50%) of his monthly salary, income and/or bonuses, to be given every end of the month, which may be increased depending on his needs, and to be paid upon demand of the same.

Other reliefs and remedies, just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

Upon petitioner’s motion, service of summons upon respondent was allowed by the Court to be served by publication.

PREMIERE.

Janina Gavankar attends the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures’ ‘The Way Back’ at Regal LA Live on March 01, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

NOW THEREFORE, respondent MICHELL OCAMPO DAYOAN whose last known address is at 6824 Moselle Drive, San Jose, California 95119, is hereby summon and required to file with Branch 229 of the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Judicial Region, Hall of Justice Building, Quezon City, his Answer to the Petition for Support within sixty (60) days from the date of the last issue of publication.

Let this summons be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation selected by raffle pursuant to PD 1079 at the expense of petitioner.

Likewise, let copy of the summons as well as copy of the petition be deposited in the post office, postage pre-paid, and to be sent by registered mail to the respondent at her last known address, also at the expense of petitioner.

Petitioner is directed to submit proof of compliance therewith.

WITNESS, my hand under the seal of the Court, this 16th day of January 2020, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

Petitioner is fifty-three (53) years old, Filipino, single, and residing at Unit 9C10 Victoria Towers, Barangay Paligsahan, Timog Avenue corner Panay Avenue, Quezon City. That for purposes of this petition, she may be served with pleadings and other court processes through her counsel.

Petitioner is also in possession of full civil capacity and legal rights, and of good moral character. She has not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude and is emotionally and psychologically capable of caring for children. She was married to George F. Almazan on January 3, 1986 in Cainta, Rizal and on April 1, 1989 at Santisimo Rosarion Parish (U.S.T.) in Manila.

From their union bore two (2) children, Alex Joseph Argana (20 years old) and Martin Rafael Argana (18 years old) who have both expressed their consent to the adoption. Petitioner’s previous marriage with Geeorge F. Almazan was declared null and void on the ground of the latter’s psychological incapacity.

Petitioner in this case desires to adopt the minor SAMANTHA KENDALL ATIENZA who was born on June 12, 2013 and was already declared legally available for adoption by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) by virtue of the Certification Declaring a Child legally Available for Adoption with Petition Number FO NCR-2016-1074 issued on December 12, 2018. Petition is in a good position to support and care for the minor Samantha and her two 92) legitimate children, in keeping with the means of the family as she has regular income that is more than sufficient to support her needs and those of the minor child. Likewise, petitioner who has been fostering and providing moral, emotional and financial support to the minor adoptee since January 2014, has been treating and caring for the minor adoptee as her own daughter. Since she has come to love the child as her own, and in order for the minor to enjoy the rights and privileges of a legitimate child, petitioner has decided to formally adopt Samantha.

Petitioner is also physically, emotionally and mentally able to care for the minor adoptee, as evidenced by a copy of her Medical Certificate attached hereof.

Finally, considering also that as a consequence of the adoption, a change of name in the adoptee’s Certificate of Live Birth is necessary, petitioner moves that the child’s name be changed from “Samantha Kendall Atienza” to “SAMANTHA KENDALL ARGANA”.

IN VIEW THEREOF, and finding the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is given due course.

Accordingly, let the instant Petition be set for hearing on July 8, 2020 (Wednesday) at exactly 8:30 o’clock in the morning at Rooms B13-B14, Basement, Hall of Justice Building, Quezon City. Notice is hereby given that anyone who has any objection to the Petition should file his/her opposition hereto within (15) days from the last date of the publication of this Order or appear in Court on the above-scheduled date of hearing and show cause, if any, why the Petition should not be granted.

Let this Order be published, at the expense of petitioner, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of National circulation in the Philippines, to be chosen by raffle under the supervision of the Executive Judge, RTC, this city pursuant to P.D. 1079. The Court Social Worker is hereby directed to conduct a case study on the petitioner and the minor subject of the adoption and to submit her report on or before the scheduled hearing.

Petitioner is hereby directed to coordinate with the Court Social Worker to facilitate the preparation of the case study report.

Petitioner is further required to furnish a copy of the Petition together with its annexes, the Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City, the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Local Civil Registrar of the City of Manila, the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR), and to submit compliance therewith before the Scheduled hearing.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, December 27, 2019.

SO ORDERED.

(Sgd.) FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR. Presiding Judge

January 16, 2020, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

(Sgd.) CLETO R. VILLACORTA, III Presiding Judge Cc: Atty. Justin Christopher C. Mendoza – No. 17 Binga Street, NAPOCOR Village, Brgy.Pasong Tamo, QC Virginia Hernandez Dayoan- 9 Montgomery St., Serra Monte Villas, Filinvest II, Batasan Hills, QC Office of the Solicitor General – Makati City SACP Mariesther B. Vedaña – Office of the City Prosecutor, QC (MStandard-Mar. 3, 10 & 17, 2020)

Copy Furnished: Maria Cecilia Palomares Argana Atty. Resida Rose T. Rosario Atty. Ma. Eloise R. Castillo Pres. Conrado C. Rosario Office of the Solicitor General Office of the Solicitor General Office of the Civil Registry – Manila Office of the Civil Registry – Q.C. D.S.W.D. NCR Philippine Statistics Authority (NSO) (MStandard - Feb. 25, Mar. 3 & 10, 2020) Social Worker Ms. Coriage

LGUs

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

B4

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

Manila backs Clean Air Asia ‘Blue Skies’ tack THE Manila City Government has expressed support to an environment organization’s plan for clean air in the city of Manila.

Representatives who attended the activity last Feb. 27 at the Division of City Schools, Manila were from the city’s Department of Public Services, Department of Engineering and Public Works, Manila Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office, Manila Public Information Office and representatives from the City Council.

During the seminar, several concerns relating to the city’s air quality and the effects of air pollution were discussed.

Activities were also held to further analyze the capital’s current air quality situation and draft a Clean Air Action Plan.

The city government partnered with Clean Air Asia to utilize costeffective strategies to control and reduce emissions in a specified area thus protecting human health and the environment, said a statement from the Manila Public Information Office.

Clean Air Asia is an international nongovernmental organization that leads the regional mission for better air quality and healthier, more livable cities in Asia.

“We aim to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in 1000+ cities in Asia through policies and programs that cover air quality, transport and industrial emissions and energy use,” said Clean Air Asia in a statement.

Willie Casas

Nieto goes on ’13 in 13’ for Cainta projects THE municipality of Cainta has started the year with numerous projects to provide for the needs of its residents.

Mayor Kit Nieto initiated projects such as “Kainta-yo” at Westbank Floodway, a feeding program which promises to fully support selected residents until the end of his term.

He also made the project “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita,” giving residents the opportunity to purchase affordable products and helping local farmers generate income.

Cainta also provided help to the victims of Taal Volcano’s eruption. They also rescued the evacuees from Sampa Sta. Rita and Talisay, Batangas.

Nieto has consistently conducted a series of inaugurals dubbed as “13 Inaugurals in 13 hours.”

There have also been requested projects, which were granted for the service and leisure of the residents of Cainta such as the Parola Terminal, the Crematorium, the covered courts, parks and skate park.

Structures like One Arena and One Cainta Market were also built, with upcoming projects such as Corinthians Housing Project, Parola Multipurpose Hall, and disaster office within the municipality.

Meanwhile, Nieto urged Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go to launch a “Malasakit Center” in Cainta for its residents to afford health services since it is funded by the national government and some financial assistance can be covered by it, especially those that local government units cannot provide.

He also said no matter from what town or city people come from, once they need help, Cainta is always ready to help.

“Whoever comes here in need should get what he deserves, that’s what the government should do,” Nieto said.

The mayor is looking forward to the agreement with Sen. Go on the Malasakit Center in Cainta.

ORTIGAS ARTFEST. Renato Habulan, social realist painter and curator of Ortigas Art Festival 2020, explains a painting to officials before joining them (inset, third from left) for the ribbon cutting ceremony to formally open the event. Also cutting the ribbon at Estancia Ortigas are (inset from left) Mike Abundo III, VP and head of Corporate Resources; architect Renée Bacani, vice president of Ortigas Malls; Jimmy Ysmael, president and CEO of Ortigas Land; Teguh Wiweko, Minister Counselor for Social and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia; and Helen Mirasol, co-organizer of Ortigas Art Festival 2020. Norman Cruz

Isko: Manila to put up P49-m Muslim cemetery

By Willie Casas

M

ANILA City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso has signed an ordinance establishing a new cemetery for deceased Muslim residents of the nation’s capital at the Manila South Cemetery and appropriating funds for it.

Domagoso on Monday signed Ordinance No. 8608, which sets aside P49.3 million for the development of the new cemetery.

Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Majority Floor Leader Joel Chua, Second District Councilor Darwin “Awi” Sia and members of the Manila City Council joined the mayor in signing the bill.

The new cemetery also includes the construction of a Cultural Hall and the

creation of plantilla items for the hiring of personnel under the new Muslim Cemetery Division.

The Manila Muslim Cemetery will cover about 2,400 square meters to serve as an exclusive ground for the interment and transfer of the remains of Manila’s deceased Muslim residents.

“It is hereby declared the policy of the City Government of Manila to confer recognition to the Muslim

community in Manila with their inherent cultural attributes and customary traditions, especially in terms of caring for the remains of their departed, by defining a burial ground in the South Cemetery and a special body intended to manage it,” the ordinance read.

Its operation will be controlled and supervised by the Manila Health Department.

Domagoso said the ordinance was signed to recognize the cultural attributes and customary traditions of Manila’s Muslim community.

“This marks our respect for the history of our beloved city, that before was ruled over by our Muslim brothers, their rajahs and sultans,” the mayor said.

“Even in this manner, we can show how the city of Manila started, before the Spaniards arrived,” he added.

Electrification program powers Caloocan village

By Jun David THE city government of Caloocan and the Manila Electric Co. held a Switching Ceremony for the MERALCO’s Community Electrification Program in Barangay 178 before the weekend.

Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan attended the event with Rep. Along Malapitan, City Administrator Oliver

Hernandez and top Meralco officials at the Agape Court.

The Meralco Electrification Program supports the Department of Energy’s 2016-2030 strategic direction to intensify its electrification access by 100% to Meralco’s franchise areas.

According to Meralco, the MEP project started on September 12, 2019 after a joint survey between the Meralco and the

Mayor Kit Nieto has launched 13 programs in 13 hours for Cainta, including the ‘Kainta-yo’ feeding program at Westbank Floodway, which aims to fully support selected residents until the end of his term.

informal settlers or poor beneficiaries for the design of the circuit.

Groundbreaking was held last Dec. 19, 2019 and was completed on Dec. 30, ready to provide electrification to the residents in Bahay-Bukid.

At least 34 electric poles were installed, including three distribution transformers, and more than 800 meters of power lines.

Westchester takes over GA Xevera housing

By Jess Malabanan MABALACAT CITY— Westchester Realty Corp. has started its rehabilitation of three controversial low-cost housing communities in Pampanga after acquiring them from the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund for P2.2 billion.

The sprawling properties are Xevera in Mabalacat and Bacolor and Sameera in Angeles City.

“Another P1 billion will be infused for two years development and P1 billion for repair and rehabilitation with a total investment of P4.2 billion,” said Rod G. Valencia, Westchester chairman and former Mindoro congressman.

Valencia, touted as one of the top community builders in the country, said they would rehabilitate the physical structures within the Xevera housing complexes to bring back the glory “of being model communities.”

He said Pag-IBIG Fund found Westchester as “best qualified” for the bulk purchase of the housing units situated in three former Globe Asiatique (GA) projects in Pampanga. The sale was formalized with the signing of Deed of Conditional Sale, he added.

The controversy involving owners of houses in Xevera [Mabalacat] and Globe Asiatique ended in a lawsuit that sent GA top executive Delfin Lee to jail after the PagIBIG Fund filed a criminal case against him for syndicated estafa worth P7 billion.

Lee was incarcerated at the Pampanga provincial jail for 10 years but was released and cleared of charges last year.

“The positive development has given me more than what I hoped for the past many years, for the rights of legitimate homeowners are kept in place,” said Lee in a statement.

“And for my dream for ordinary masses to acquire affordable houses they can call their own and live in a model community that would uplift their morale and dignity as well,” he added.

Lee said the Duterte administration has made it a priority to legitimize and properly document the ownership and titles of these housing units, and that is the mandate being followed by the Pag-IBIG Fund.

“My company GA Realty Holdings Corp. has agreed in principle to lift these ‘Lis Pendens’ (pending legal action) cases with a written commitment from Westchester to honor the rights of existing homeowners, including those that are fully paid,” Lee added.

“I am entrusting the Xevera projects to Westchester, rest assured that GARHC will continue to monitor all developments to ensure the rights and security of all legitimate homeowners are kept in place,” he pointed out.

Valencia said Westchester found that “all is not lost” in the housing projects intended to provide decent communities for thousands of Pampanguenos.

“Homeownership is not a privilege but a right by any qualified home borrower or buyer,” said Valencia.

Mabalacat City Mayor Cris Garbo, who graced the turnover ceremony, welcomed the development, saying the takeover would enliven the spirits and boost the morale of the villagers.

SM blood drives make a difference IT’S ALREADY 2020. But Margie Reyes, Compensation and Benefits Manager of SM Investments, can still vividly recall her nephew’s death due to leukemia.

With teary eyes, she shared that this became part of her personal advocacy on why she’s been a regular blood donor of SM Foundation for three years now. “I am honored and proud that through SM Foundation, I’m able to pursue my advocacy in a way that would also benefit other people,” Margie said.

“I want to help as many people as I can by participating in SMFI’s bloodletting

activities,” mentioned Walter Frederick Yu, vice president for Information Technology of SM Investments.

Walter also believes that regular blood donation can help him maintain his health and wellness—since the procedure can help in minimizing the risk of strokes and heart attack. He has been donating blood even before he became part of SM and as an SM employee, he already donated blood five times.

Margie and Walter are some of the many SM employees who regularly donate blood through SMFI, which is also a vehicle of SM in engaging their

employees in doing social good.

Through SMFI’s blood donation drive, employees and mall goers are given a chance to volunteer in donating blood at camps held across SM malls in the country.

For 2019, more than 800 SM employees and external stakeholders were able to donate blood to the PBC through the efforts of SMFI. “Because of these volunteers, we were able to save almost 2,500 lives,” according to Jerick Laxamana, Blood Donor Recruitment Officer of the Department of Health—PBC.

Employee-volunteers join SM Foundation’s 2019 blood donation drive.

Life

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

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

C1

Green groups urge gov’t to address PH air quality

By Steph Llarena

O

UR country’s polluted air will only worsen if not addressed immediately, according to environmental groups.

Environmental, science, and health groups last week raised the alarm following recent reports on the poor air quality in the Philippines; calling on the government to address the problem before it gets worse.

The 2019 Air Visual Report revealed that air quality in the Philippines contains PM 2.5 (particulate matter is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) pollution levels, which “significantly exceed” the safety limits prescribed by the World Health Organization.

The said pollutant can come from various sources, especially combustion of fuels. Because of its small size, it can impair lung function and is known to cause respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and premature death.

In addition, the report places us in the 58th spot out of 98 countries with locations from where air quality data were collected.

Greenpeace Philippines, Clean Air Asia, Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED), Health Care Without Harm, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines emphasize that while available Air Visual data did not place the Philippines as among the countries with the worst air quality, the data nevertheless show that the country still has very polluted air.

Year-on-year data show that the country’s air quality is getting worse. Average PM2.5 pollution levels in Air Visual sites increased from 14.6 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) in 2018 to 17.6 μg/m3 in 2019. The safety limit set by WHO is 10 μg/m3.

While useful, the groups noted that the report only looks at PM2.5 pollution, and does not include other pollutants such as sulfur oxide, nitrous oxide, ozone, and other contaminants that carry harmful health risks.

“This report is helpful in as much as it reveals the levels of one dangerous air pollutant, PM2.5, in the country.

POLLUTION IN THE AIR. Environmental, science, and health groups cite the need for efficient air monitoring system in the Philippines to determine the real status of the air quality in the country.

The groups assert the government should monitor places close to main sources of air pollution such as coal-fired power plants and high traffic areas.

PM2.5 is a very dangerous air pollutant, but so are others like PM10, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, etc., that are not covered by the report,” explained Paeng Lopez, health energy initiative campaigner at Health Care Without Harm.

Lopez added the report underscores the need to upgrade “our obsolete air qual-

ity standards, as well as the fundamental duty of the government to make information on air pollution available and easily accessible to the general public.”

“It fails to present a whole-of-nation situation on the air quality of the country,” seconded Ian Rivera, national coordinator of PMCJ. Rivera continued, “This might be

misleading for a country that the report puts in a relatively high rank compared to others, but the instrumentation and methodology do not really indicate the real situation of what is happening on the ground, particularly in areas around coal-fired power plants.”

The groups are calling for improved monitoring, transparency, and analysis.

In the case of the 2019 Air Visual report, the quantity and placement of air monitors from which data were collected provide only a small snapshot of the threat of PM 2.5 air pollution.

In a disclaimer published on its website, Air Visual said air quality data were collected from consumer-grade air quality sensors, however, “while readings have been validated against high-grade air quality monitoring stations in multiple locations, reliance on consumergrade sensors entails a higher degree of measurement error.”

“Greenpeace understands the limitation that the rankings are subject to measurement error and so they are indicative, not absolute,” it added.

To be effective, the groups assert the government should monitor places close to main sources of air pollution such as coal-fired power plants and high traffic areas of motorized vehicles.

“The Philippine government should see the data as an impetus to overhaul air quality monitoring systems in the country, as well as to transition away from highly polluting facilities such as coal plants,” said Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Khevin Yu. The groups have also called on the government to implement measures that will address the impacts of air pollution, such as declaring air pollution as a national issue as well as enhance transparency and expedite the review and update of the air pollution standards under the Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999.

“With the Philippine Clean Air Act and the standards contained therein being more than 20 years old, reports such as that of Air Visual should instead bolster the urgent need to improve our air quality monitoring systems, update our air quality standards, and ensure that these are properly implemented,” said Gia Ibay, climate and energy program head of WWF Philippines.

Other measures that will help address the issue, according to the environmental groups, include making air pollution monitoring devices mandatory in all cities, particularly in heavy pollution industries; allocating more funds and manpower to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and implementing a transition plan away from the use of coal energy and fossil fuels in the transport sector; among others.

Students transform plastic bottles into doors, hammocks PLASTIC bottles, which would have otherwise gone to waste, have been transformed into useful items.

Through the Bote Challenge of bottled water manufacturer Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc., secondary students in Cebu tried their hands at solving the plastic waste problem by creating hammocks, eco bricks, house doors, and water pipelines using PET bottles.

The challenge sought to actively involve the youth, women, communitybased organizations, local governments, and other mission-aligned partners in developing lasting solutions to plastic waste management and fostering a culture of upcycling/recycling within communities.

For its pilot year, 78 communitybased schools in Cebu province participated. Ten were proclaimed as winners.

The 1st place award went to Dalaguete National High School in Dalaguete, Cebu, for its plastic strips raw material used for weaving crafts and bags; in 2nd place was Ramon M. Durano Sr. Foundation Science and Technology Center in Guinsay, Danao City, for its house and cabinet doors with fingerprint sensors; the 3rd place was bagged by General Climaco

Ramon M. Durano Sr. Foundation Science and Technology Center’s customized doors with fingerprint sensors.

National High School in Toledo City for its multipurpose eco bricks.

The grand champion received P750,000. The second and third place awardees received P400,000 and P200,000, respectively.

Compostela National High School in Poblacion, Compostela took home the 4th place for its hammock (duyan); while 5th place went to Roberto E. Sato Memorial National High School in Calidngan, Carcar City for its concrete eco pots.

Rounding up the list of winners are Gelacio Babao Sr. Memorial High School in Valladolid, Carcar City (floor tiles); Toledo City Science National High School in Ilihan Heights, Toledo City (water pipeline); Jovencio N. Masong National High School in Nailon, Bogo City (lounge chair); Sabang National High School in Sabang, Danao City (currency for barter system); and Anong Sur Tabaco Frasco National High School in Anonang Sur, Bogo City (dextrose gardening).

The rest of the winners each received P80,000.

The winners were adjudged based on impact (30 percent), sustainability of innovation (30 percent), profitability or market potential (30 percent); and developmental limitations and opportunities (10 percent). Seventy percent of the final scores were from the panel of judges and 30 percent from public votes.

Hope on a boat

The yellow boats, named Bagong Pag-asa, ferry children from Maluso in Basilan to and from their school.

ALL aboard the Yellow Boat of Hope!

Children in Maluso, Basilan, who had to swim to school, can now attend their first subject with dry clothes and books as The Body Shop Philippines recently donated cash to fund boats that will ferry them to school.

The donation came from the net proceeds of every purchase of Moringa Shower Gel for a month. It was turned over to the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, an organization founded in 2010 to initially help Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation co-founder Dr. Anton Lim and grants and partnerships officer Ella Rodriguez receive the funds raised

by The Body Shop team.

Roberto E. Sato Memorial National High School’s concrete eco bricks.

Compostela National High School’s hammock.

General Climaco National High School’s multipurpose eco bricks.

children in Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City who had to swim to school.

As a 100 percent volunteer driven foundation, the Yellow Boat of Hope works to improve children’s access to education and make it easier for them to go to and stay in school.

The foundation provides children in need with yellow school boats and other modes of transport and structures such as bridges and dormitories to ease their journey to and from school.

Life

C2

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Matteo Guidicelli lives for more Matteo Guidicelli (middle) with Santé International chief financial officer Eric Maranan and chief executive officer Joey Marcelo.

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CTOR, triathlete, and now husband of Sarah Geronimo, Matteo Guidicelli kicks off his married life by staying healthier.

After his private but controversial wedding, Guidicelli expressed excitement over the developments in his personal life and career during his official launch as the new brand ambassador of wellness brand Santé.

“Ever since I started joining triathlons, I have seen and raced along with

the Santé Barley TriTeam, Kuya Kim (Atienza), and Sir Joey (Marcelo). I also have always dreamed of being part of the Santé family,” said Guidicelli.

“Santé, as a brand, also talks about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle. It is very positive. And

so, I am excited and honored to represent the brand,” he added.

Santé chief executive officer Joey Marcelo led the introduction of their newest ambassador, whom he believes embodies healthy living.

“As a company, this is what we at Santé are passionate about. We hope that he will serve as a true ‘fitspiration’ for everyone,” enthused Marcelo.

Long-time Santé ambassador Atienza, on the other hand, is also ecstatic

about Guidicelli joining him. “I personally know Matteo and his family. When he gets into something, he’s really into it. He lives a healthy lifestyle and is a good person,” he shared.

Atienza has been its ambassador for 10 years. He said that he started taking Santé Barley, the company’s flagship product, a few years ago, after learning about the health benefits of organic barley grass.

He credits Santé Barley as instrumental in how he has bounced back from

sickness and how he has maintained his health that has allowed him to stay healthy, be more active, and live more.

According to the company, Santé Barley is made from organic pure barley grass, an effective antioxidant, rich with vitamins and minerals that detoxifies the body and aids in digestive health. This product is also certified by BioGro, New Zealand’s leading organic certification agency.

Aside from barley products, the company also offers other products and services.

Medical outpatient clinic MD+ opens another branch in Bonifacio Global City, offering individuals residing and working in the district access to quality medical services. The clinic’s (clockwise) dental room, reception area, X-ray room, and 2D Echo room.

New outpatient clinic opens in BGC

IN A bid to make medical outpatient care readily available for and closer to more people, MD+ has recently opened its newest clinic in one of Metro Manila busiest districts.

Located in Park West, Bonifacio Global City, MD+ is equipped with latest technology and machines such as a fully automated laboratory capable of carrying out blood chemistry, clinical microscopy, hematology, and more. Patients can also take a Treadmill Stress Test, 2D Echocardiogram, 12-Lead ECG, Ambulatory BP Monitoring, and other specialized diagnostic services.

Imaging studies such as comprehensive X-ray services, general ultrasound studies, OB ultrasound, and vascular studies are also offered by the clinic. Other services available include dental services, industrial medicine services, and other specialized list of treatments like vaccination and immunization, specialized consultation, home medical service, and medical on-call service.

“We want to champion our patients’ healthcare journey. That includes prioritizing their well-being and giving them convenience and assurance with our prime location, quality services, and professional doctors,” Dr. Therese Pangilinan-Ikeda, MD+ medical director, said about their location which is accessible to those residing and working in BGC. MD+’s services go beyond providing comfort and accessibility.

“We believe that working hand-in-hand with patients is instrumental in one’s healthcare journey,” shared Dr. Pangilinan-Ikeda.

“We encourage them to be more open about their health concerns, to gain more understanding on what they really need. We want to give them that confidence and peace of mind when they walk out of our clinic, that they experienced the care they truly deserve,” she added.

Co-founders Dr. Therese Pangilinan-Ikeda and Dr. Ken Ikeda.

The clinic is located at 202B 1F Park West 36th St. Cor. 7th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Call (02) 8868-1111 or 0917625-4807 for more information.

iPhoto

Insurer launches digital innovation GENERALI Life Assurance Philippines, Inc. (GLAPI) launches its global strategy and new innovation in a bid to improve clients’ access to various benefits and services.

Held at Shangri-La at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City, the launch focused on the company’s Lifetime Partner strategy by offering new and improved digital platforms namely, GenConnect (mobile app), GenPortal (web platform for HR partners and health providers), and GenNetwork (web platform that assists medical providers in processing documents, among others). Likewise, a 24/7 Call-A-Doc feature is added to its current health and wellness programs.

Generali regional officer for Asia Rob Leonardi (fourth from left) led the toast together with his fellow executives (from left) Neil Gardner, regional chief customer officer for Asia; Dr. Hak Hong Soo, regional head of health for Asia; Reynaldo Centeno, GLAPI president and chief executive; John Spence, regional head of M&A and strategy for Asia; and Dipak Sahoo, regional head of technology for Asia.

Entertainment

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Julia Barretto

takes more risks as solo artist

Julia Barretto

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OUNG star Julia Barretto states that as of now, she prefers not to be part of a love team.

As everyone knows, she was half of the famous JoshLia tandem opposite formersaid. riend Joshua Garcia. During this period, they made the hit potboilers Vince and Kath and James, Love You to the Stars and Back, Unexpectedly Yours and I Love You Hater including the top-rating TV series Ngayon at Kailanman.

But now, after their controversial split-up, it is clear that their love team has already disbanded and they’re now trekking different career paths.

For Julia, it’s no big deal if she doesn’t have a steady screen partner at the miment.

“I guess, I’ve already graduated from that phase in my career. I take it as a positive development since I can presently explore more as an actress,” she avers.

“I’m simply thankful to be entrusted with projects now which are far different from the usual stuff I do. It’s like I’m more free to do some scenes and roles that take more risks. In short, I can now take roles fearlessly. I can be the actress that I’ve always wanted to be,” she adds.

The young actress makes it clear though that she’s not closing her doors on doing rom-com material.

“Please don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful and blessed to have experienced what it’s like to be in a love team. But as I’ve said, I’m already past that stage.

I can still appear in ‘kilig’ projects, why not? But this time around, I want to try it in romance dramas or classic love stories. Actually, I still enjoy doing romcoms but I want my roles to be edgier.”

What can she say about her former screen tandem and steady Joshua?

“Well, I respect whatever choice he has for his career. I can see that he’s now more associated with Janella (Salvador). Their JoshNella has also gained following after they starred in The Killer Bride. That’s nice,” she comments.

Julia explains that she respects Joshua’s choice to still be tied into a love team. But as for her, she’d rather experiment with projects now.

“I’m so happy to be in a phase of my career in which I get to do more mature portrayals and collaborate with other actors, which is vital for my growth as an artist. At least now, I don’t feel that I’m boxed. I can try various genres and experience working with other leading men and directors,” she explains.

Just like in her currently iWant project titled, I Am U, where she is paired for the first time with Tony Labrusca, she is being exposed to a fresh combination.

The series is a psycho-thriller where her character has a doppelganger.

“It’s also the first time that I get to do some daring scenes. The role is quite edgy and challenging. It’s a good material for me and Tony who incidentally I’ll be doing a soap opera with in the coming days.”

Does this mean there’s no possibility that she’ll do a project again with Joshua?

“I don’t say that. It’s still possible but definitely, not now! That’s for the future to know because as of now, I’m working on Julia both as an individual and actress,” ends Julia. *** Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4 grand winner Myrtle Sarrosa is now a Kapuso. Yes, the former Star Magic artist recently inked a contract with rival station GMA. Rumor has it that she will be part of the much anticipated live action remake of Voltes V. “I admit that I auditioned for the show but I don’t know if I’ll be included in the official roster of cast members,” she says.

The young actress and popular cosplayer is a self-confessed Voltes V fan.

“It would be a dream-come-true if ever I will be given the opportunity to be part of the cast. I know that this is one of GMA’s most ambitious projects so I’m excited!”

How confident is she with her audition?

“As far as I’m concerned, I did my best! I know that there are lots of other stars who auditioned for Voltes V so I don’t want to expect. Let’s just wait and see who will the management pick,” states Myrtle.

Myrtle Sarroza

Albie Casino, Vance Larena in erotic drama anthology INDULGE in secrets and desires insensual teamup in Sunday Night Fever and new episodes of the erotic drama Hush as they are now streaming on iWant.

Hush beefs up its lineup of stories about self-discovery and intimacy with new, exciting episodes.

Its “Xcammer” episode, starring Albie Casino and Bagman actress Thamara Alexandria, follows an online scammer trying to get out of the syndicate she works for by fooling perverts on the internet. Her plans are hindered, however, when she meets her match—a mysterious, seductive gentleman—and falls in love.

Story Of My Life star Vance Larena and former PBB Otso housemate Abi Kassem also star in the series’ “Engkanto” episode, where a reserved young woman’s fear of not keeping up with her husband’s sexual appetite leads her to having an encounter with an ‘engkanto.’ Her sexual needs suddenly grow grotesquely, but her relationship with her husband suffers.

Meanwhile, in Sunday Night Fever, Diether Ocampo plays Mikey, a

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL

Accepting the award on behalf of dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof - currently banned from leaving Iran - producer Farzad Pak thanked the cast and crew who ‘put their lives in danger to be on this film.’

Iranian dissident, teen abortion drama take top prizes at Berlin film fest DISSIDENT Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof on Saturday won the top prize at the Berlin film festival for There Is No Evil, a searingly critical work about the death penalty in his country.

Rasoulof, 48, is currently banned from leaving Iran and was unable to accept the Golden Bear in person.

Accepting the award on his behalf, producer Farzad Pak thanked “the amazing cast and crew who, put their lives in danger to be on this film.”

The film tells four loosely related individual stories about the death penalty in Iran, from the executioner

Sinag...

From C4 Vance Larena and Abi Kassem in a steamy scene in ‘Engkanto.’

rising chef with an eccentric sexual fantasies, who chances upon the alluring Kim (Nathalie Hart) in the next building. The two engage in an illicit, weekend affair until their desires turn into a true, uncontrollable love.

However, the pair’s love and lustfilled rendezvous takes a violent turn when Nathalie’s possessive beau (Ricky Davao) finds out about their se-

cret Sunday meetings.

Live your fantasies through Hush, streaming from 11 pm to 6 am and catch Sunday Night Fever for free on the iWant app (iOs and Android) or iwant.ph. For updates, like www.facebook.com/iWant, and follow @iwant on Twitter and @iwantofficial on Instagram, and subscribe to www.youtube. com/iWantPH.

Sinag Maynila 2020 will also feature a Film Appreciation Workshop Featuring the 44th Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture Mindanao by Director Brillante Mendoza on Saturday, March 21 (1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at SM Megamall.

The festival will also focus on promoting filmmaking collaborations between the Philippines and other countries. This year’s partnership with the Asian Film Festival (AFF) based in Rome, Italy, will feature

to the families of the victims.

Industry magazine Variety called it Rasoulof’s “most openly critical statement yet.”

Rasoulof was sentenced to a year in prison last year for «attacking the security of the state», and banned from making films for life.

Speaking to a news conference via mobile phone, the director said his latest film was about «taking responsibility» under despotism.

“You can try to put aside your own responsibility and pass the buck to the government... but (people) can say no,” he said. AFP an exchange of feature films from the two festivals. AFF’s La paranza dei bambini by Claudio Giovannesi is the festival’s closing film; while Dafne by Federico Bondi will be screening at the UP-Film Institute’s run of Sinag Maynila.

Then, beginning March 25, AFF unveils in Rome and will be opening with Brillante Mendoza’s Mindanao.

It will also be showing some of Sinag Maynila’s notable films as well as some Solar Pictures’ released films.

Sinag Maynila 2020 is one of the many exciting events at The Podium Hall, the state of the art events place at the seventh level of the Mall.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

Entertainment Sinag Maynila continues to shine in 2020

‘Aswang Country’ is a film about an imagined world full of shape-shifting evil spirits.

Blending cinematic and culture works through multimedia venture

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INUNO Media, a partnership between film director Jason Paul Laxamana and Viva Entertainment, is delving into various fields of entertainment including film, series, graphic novels, comic books, theater, concert, and music. Above all these, the outfit aims to seek out and produce content that is rooted in the Filipino identity.

As a former culture worker in his hometown of Pampanga, Laxamana’s vision is to create entertainment that merges modern sensibilities with Filipino culture and heritage.

After making a name as a filmmaker, he has now come full circle, blending cinematic and culture works.

Ninuno aims to create distinctly Fili-

Matteo Guidicelli as Pedro Penduko

Filmmaker Jason Paul Laxamana

pino content that has the potential to appeal both to consumers of pop culture and to those who fancy themselves as sophisticated and academic.

“I chose Ninuno as the name of this partnership with Viva because we kind of dedicate it to our ancestors. We are trying to revive the culture, identity, and heritage of our ancestors through this venture,” Laxamana said of Ninuno Media’s inspiration.

In the pipeline are the reboot of Francisco V. Coching’s beloved folk hero, Pedro Penduko starring Matteo Guidicelli; Anitu, a comic book series that explores the precolonial spirituality of Filipinos; Aswang Country, a film that imagines a world dominated by aswangs; and a sequel to the hit romance movie, 100 Tula Para Kay Stella.

Viva Communications has been in the entertainment industry for close to four decades. Viva has been churning out award winning and box office, local and international hits and has launched several artists to stardom through the years.

Currently, Viva has been producing a minimum of three to four film projects a month. Distribution channels now include national theaters, Netflix, HOOQ, and iflix, among others.

Through the combined talent and expertise of Laxamana and Viva, watch out for upcoming projects of Ninuno, as it looks inward to create entertainment that not only Filipinos can proudly call their own, but also entertainment that we can showcase to the world.

“We are doing all forms of entertainment, even online series,” Laxamana concluded.

INDEPENDENT film festival Sinag Maynila continues to shine brighter on its 6th year with its “Sine Lokal, Pang-International” selections in select cinemas from March 17 to 24.

A joint project of Solar Entertainment, Centerstage Productions, and SM, the festival seeks to inspire, educate, and enlighten the viewing public. In its sixth year of providing independent filmmakers a brandnew platform to showcase their stories, Sinag Maynila will feature three competition sections, noteworthy international exhibition films and a variety of cinema-related activities.

The roster of finalists, which were presented during the recent press conference at new The Podium Hall, were handpicked by Sinag Maynila CEO and Founder Wilson Tieng and Festival Director Brillante Ma Mendoza. These include full-length feature films: He Who is Without Sin by Jason Paul Laxamana; The Highest Peak by Arnel Barbarona; Kintsugi (Broken) by Lawrence Fajardo; and Latay (Battered Husband) by Ralston Jover.

Documentary category finalists include A Remembering of Disremembering by Cris Bringas, Agos by Jerel Travezonda, Coal Story,

Bro by RA Rivera, Kung Saan Ka Happy: An A.D.N. Story by Kimberly Ilaya, Mga Bayaning Ayta by Donnie Sacueza, and Vahay: A Documentary on The Ivatan House by Rica Arevalo.

Competing in the short film category are Ang Kaibigan ni Imaginary F. by Joey Paras, Dasal by Angela Andres, Leave Notes by Yssa Valdes, Nilalang (Of Being and Deceit) by Juan Carlos Tarobal, Pabasa kan Pasyon by Hubert Tibi, Silang Mga Nakatago sa Dilim by Diana Manguiat and Angelica Nitura, Supot by Philip Giordano, Tahanan by Mick Quito, Tarang (Life’s Pedal) by Arvin Belarmino and Patsy Ferrer, and Together by Blasgil Tranquilut.

Winners of the competition will be announced at the Gabi ng Parangal to be held on Sunday, March 22 at The Conrad Hotel Manila.

True to its mission of bringing “Sine Lokal, Pang-International,” Sinag Maynila has become an important pathway for Filipino Films artists to communicate their stories, and an irresistible opportunity for enthusiasts to watch unique and exciting films.

Continued on C3

Sinag Maynila Documentary Finalists Cris Bringas, Jerel Travezonda, Rica Arevalo, Kimberly Ilaya, and Donnie Sacueza with Sinag Maynila Founder and CEO Wilson Tieng(4th from left) and Festival Director Brillante Mendoza(6th from left) with SM Senior VP for Marketing Millie Dizon(5th from Left).

* * * * *

Sanicare builds public school classrooms in Cotabato IN GENERAL Santos, Cotabato, the teachers and students of Lagao 2nd Bo. Elementary School received a precious gift that will be treasured by many generations to come.

Sanitary Care Products Asia, Inc. (SCPA), makers of Sanicare, Femme, Cheers, Tisyu and many more, partnered with The Hope Foundation and the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide two new classrooms that was turned over to the school last December, 2019.

For the longest time, the teachers and students there were just making the most out of the makeshift classrooms which are not conducive for learning. “Tuwing umuulan, tumutulo ang (tubig sa) buSanicare has built classrooms for the underprivileged school children of Cotabato

bong,” Jillian says, a grade 2 student.

“Nahihirapan din kaming makinig sa teacher. Hindi kami makapag-aral ng mabuti dahil mainit,” shares another student named Alimar.

The teachers were having a hard time as well because of how close the socalled “classrooms” were to the highway. “Nahihirapan kaming turuan ang mga estudyante dahil sa ingay mula sa sasakyan na dumadaan, at hindi kami nagkakarinigan,” Ms. Amor Pagoda, a grade 1 adviser, explains.

With these two new classrooms, an air of optimism has filled the campus of Lagao 2nd Bo. Elementary School. “Tuwang-tuwa po kami dahil magkakaroon

na kami ng bagong classroom. Hindi lang po ito para sa amin, para sa mga estudyante din namin ito.” says Ms. Janet Nunez, a grade 2 teacher.

The young learners can now listen easily to their instructors and participate in class activities because of the comfort that the new space gives.

“SCPA have always been committed to improving the quality of life of every Filipino whether in the hygiene products we offer them or in the programs we support,” expresses Lea Sio Pacis, SCPA Marketing Director.

To learn more about Sanicare, SCPA and their products, you may visit their website at scpa.com.ph.

FLOWER CROWNS. Pre-pageant activity winners (from left) Meiji Cruz (Valenzuela City), Hazel Joy Ortiz (Pasig City), Hannah Arnold (Masbate), and Alexandra Faith Garcia (Olongapo City).

Binibining Pilipinas candidates bloom at plant care workshop BINIBINING Pilipinas tapped on the green thumb of this year’s candidates through a plant care workshop and flower crown making activity on Feb. 28 at the Farmers Garden, Araneta City.

The ladies were given a quick course on plant care by master gardener Lisa Matilla, who has been in gardening business at the Farmers Garden since 2012. The session taught the ladies about plant cultivation, maintenance, and sustenance.

After the session, the Binibini candidates had a flower crown making activity. Tenants from Farmers Garden assisted the candidates in making a «green» crown out of the

flowers, leaves, and other materials provided to them.

The candidates were divided into 4 groups of ten, with one selected per group as the best in flower crown making. The winners were Binibini #8 Meiji Cruz (Valenzuela City), Binibini #14 Hazel Joy Ortiz (Pasig City), Binibini #21 Hannah Arnold (Masbate), and Binibini #33 Alexandra Faith Garcia (Olongapo City).

The workshop and activity were designed to teach the girls the essence of envisioning a dream and of making it happen.

Binibining Pilipinas 2020 will crown its new queens on April 26.