Manila Standard - 2018 February 13 - Tuesday

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CAR SALES STILL INCHING UP

BUSINESS B1

Two justices assert: Sereno unfit for job

By Rio N. Araja

VOL. XXXII • NO. 2 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Aquino et al MARIAN rapped for wants to go indie Dengvaxia SHOWBIZ C4

Heads roll at SSS, MMDA and Customs

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte did not renew the appointments of Social Security System Chairman Amado Valdez and Commissioner Jose Gabriel La Viña, Malacañang said Monday.

In a separate order, Duterte appointed Jose Arturo S. Garcia Jr. as officer-incharge general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority, replacing Thomas Orbos, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

In a press briefing. Roque said both Valdez and La Viña had been serving in a holdover capacity since their terms expired in June 2017.

“There is no reason for extending their terms. It’s a presidential prerogative not to extend their terms,” Roque said.

The SSS had earlier sought President Next page

P580.00-P760.00 LPG/11-kg tank P46.75-P57.77 Unleaded Gasoline

OPRICEIL

TODAY

By Rey E. Requejo

A

N ANTI-CRIME watchdog on Monday files multiple homicide and physical injuries through negligence charges against former President Benigno Aquino III, two former Cabinet secretaries and 17 others in connection with the reported deaths of children inoculated with the anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. also named as respondents former Budget secretary Florencio Abad; former Health secretary Janette Garin; incumbent Health Undersecretaries Carol Tanio, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David and Mario Villaverde; retired undersecretaries Nemesio Gako, Vicente Belizario Jr. and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; assistant secretaries Lyndon Lee Suy and Nestor Santiago; former financial management service director Laureano Cruz; incumbent DoH directors Joyce Ducusin, May Wynn Belo, Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia and Julius Lecciones; and Garin’s former executive assistant Yolanda Oliveros.

The two organizations also accused the respondents of complicity with senior executives of French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the developer and manufacturer of Dengvaxia; and Zuellig Pharma, DoH’s supplier of the vaccine.

Next page

Solon: Arrest Bautista for Senate snub

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

“Since [a] correlation between [the] vaccine and deaths had been established prima facie, respondents Aquino III, Abad, Garin and the other respondents...should stand trial for criminal negligence... The respondents should be charged with multiple homicide and physical injuries through criminal negligence,” VACC lawyer Manuelito Luna and Eligio Mallari of VPCI said in their complaint.

“They should be held to account for the natural and probable consequences of their acts. [He who is the cause of the cause, is the cause of the evil caused.]

Clearly, the deaths and dengue shock or Next page

P36.90-P42.89 Diesel P43.02-P52.76 Kerosene

‘‘

The war against drugs will not stop and it will last until the day I step out,” President Rodrigo Duterte on the ICC’s decision to look into drug warrelated killings

CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno failed to submit a complete Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth when she applied for the top post of the Supreme Court and should have been disqualified, two of her colleagues said Monday.

Testifying before the House committee on justice, Associate Justices Teresita de Castro and Diosdado Peralta said Sereno did not qualify for the top post because she failed to submit her SALN for the last 10 years as required by the Judicial and Bar Council.

“I believe that a grave injustice was done to us, the other applicants, for the position of chief justice,” De Castro told the panel. “All of us complied with this requirement. Also, we executed a waiver of secrecy.. [so that] the JBC [could] compare bank records with the SALN… [H]ow can you compare the bank deposit if there’s no SALN?” she said.

Peralta, who presided over the JBC proceedings for the nominees for the position vacated by impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, said the July 20, 2012 letter of Sereno asking for an exemption to the submission of SALN was not presented to the council en banc.

PH holds Kuwait responsible for OFW exodus

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippine government, which totally banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, will hold the Gulf state responsible under the concept of state responsibility for failure to provide legal redress for Filipino victims.

This followed the discovery of the body of a Filipina household worker tortured and kept inside a freezer for almost a year.

In a press briefing, Roque said Kuwait, under international law, had legal obligation to provide legal redress for victims of crimes in Kuwait.

At the same time, President Rodrigo Duterte had directed the Department of Labor and Employment to totally ban the deployment of Filipinos to Kuwait following that discovery that a

SENATOR Francis Escudero has asked the Senate to issue a warrant of arrest for former Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista, after declaring him in contempt for failing to attend a committee hearing on possible violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. “I have requested the Senate to issue a warrant for Chairman Bautista so he can be arrested anytime when he arrives in the country. The committee is compelled to do this after his obvious defiance of the Senate orders,” said Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies.

He added that the only way Bautista could expunge himself was to issue a waiver on bank secrecy for himself and his siblings, who are his co-depositors.

Escudero said the former poll chief has clearly shown his attempt to stifle the proceedings. His committee issued a subpoena to Bautista on Jan. Next page

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GUNS AND ROSES. Women police officers at the Manila Police District Headquarters on United Nations Avenue receive red roses during the flag ceremony Monday, two days before the celebration of Valentine’s Day. One of the most universal of all symbols, the red rose represents true love. Norman Cruz

Garcia ouster order too late—House

By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from service of Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia for grave misconduct, but House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he would not implement the Ombudsman’s order..

The Ombudsman directed Alvarez Monday to implement the decision, which carries the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility, and forfeiture of retirement benefits, a statement from the Ombudsman’s office said.

Alvarez maintained he would not im-

plement the Office of the Ombudsman’s order, asserting there was no “legal basis” for him to abide by the Ombudsman’s order, citing there was no provision in the 1987 Constitution authorizing him to implement such order.

“In fact, it is not within the power of the Ombudsman to discipline, much more to remove, any member of the House of Representatives,” he pointed out.

“So if I do so, I will be violating the Constitution since the Constitution mandates us that only us [Congress] has the Next page

HONEY, I’M HOME. This man, holding the hand of his daughter, among 315 adults and eight children repatriated from Kuwait, might as well be singing Shania Twain’s song ‘Honey, I’m home and I had a hard day/ Pour me a cold one and oh, by the way/ Rub my feet, gimme something to eat/ Fix me up my favorite treat.’ Thousands are expected to arrive home from the Gulf state after the government launched its repatriation program and total ban on deployment to Kuwait of Filipino workers. Eric Apolonio

News

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Aquino...

From A1

adverse events noted following inoculation of Dengvaxia are correlated or linked. The causal relationship between vaccine and deaths, dengue shock or adverse events, under the circumstances, could hardly be ignored. And the number of counts would be the number of subjects inoculated irrespective of the number of doses administered,” the complainant said.

Dr. Francisco Cruz, who earlier testified in the Senate inquiry on the controversy, also joined the VACC and VPCI as a co-complainant.

Apart from multiple homicide and physical injuries, the complaint also included charges of malversation of public funds and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act. The complainants said Aquino and the other respondents should be liable under these laws after they “anomalously and illegally funded and procured the Dengvaxia vaccine and ill-advisedly, thoughtlessly and imprudently implemented the dengue immunization” project of the DoH. According to the complainants, the purchase of the Dengvaxia vaccine was approved by Aquino and Abad even though the program had no allocation in the 2016 national budget.

They also claimed that the mass vaccination program was part of a political maneuver to prop up the presidential campaign of then Interior Secretary Manel Roxas II and other candidates of Aquino’s then ruling Liberal Party in the May 2016 elections.

When asked why they filed the charges ahead of the investigations of government agencies on the controversy, Luna said they conducted their own fact-finding probe and had independent findings.

“We are not dependent on the findings of the government. The VACC has always been an independent organization,” he said.

The lawyer also said that they have submitted to the DOJ evidence as well as records of the Senate and DoH probes, including the still inconclusive findings of Philippine General Hospital doctors that three of the 14 suspected deaths were caused by Dengvaxia.

Earlier this month, the VACC filed a complaint for violation of election laws before the Commission on Elections against Aquino and the other former officials also in relation to the Dengvaxia controversy.

The DoH suspended the P3.5-billion dengue vaccination program in December 2017 after Sanofi reported that the vaccine posed risks to children who had no history of the disease.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has tapped the National Bureau of Investigation and Public Attorney’s Office to conduct a fact-finding probe to determine possible liabilities of officials behind the project that was approved during the Aquino administration.

Aquino and Garin have both denied any irregularly in the purchase of the vaccine.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, urged the Department of Education to order public schools to identify and monitor students immunized with Dengvaxia. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

3 other markets eyed for chopper supply deal

By Francisco Tuyay

T

HE Philippines will be tapping Russia and China as the new sources of medium-lift helicopters for the military following the impending abrogation of its P12-billion helicopter contract with Bell Helicopter and Canadian Commercial Corp., an official said Monday.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was now preparing the letter canceling the purchase of 16 Bell EPI helicopters worth P12 billion from Canada.

“The formal letter canceling the contract is being prepared and I will sign it this week,” Lorenzana said.

“We are looking at Korea, Russia, China and Turkey and other countries for our the medium-lift helicopters in lieu of the Bell 412.”

Lorenzana admitted that the cancellation would affect the Defense Depart-

ment’s project to acquire medium-lift helicopters as it was now “back to square one.”

The cancellation came in wake of the Canadian government’s move to review the deal after receiving reports that the Philippines was planning to use the helicopters against the communist rebels, a claim denied by the Defense Department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The review prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to order the DND and AFP to cancel the deal with Bell Helicop-

Roque disowns anti-mass action bill PRESIDENTIAL Spokesman Harry Roque on Monday denied authoring a bill punishing rallies without permits while he was a member of the House of Representatives.

Roque, a Kabayan party-list representative before being named President Rodriqo Duterte’s spokesman, said the measure he filed was House Bill 3023, or a proposed act “ensuring the free exercise by the people of their right peaceably to assemble and petition the government.”

He said the bill was filed on Aug. 15, 2016, and was intended to address the “mass or concerted action that is narrowly directed at the household, not the public.”

“Under the 3023, protesters who will be prohibited from conducting rallies are those who “do not seek to disseminate a message to the general public, but to intrude upon the targeted resident, and to do so in an especially offensive way,” Roque said.

He expressed dismay that the bill he authored had turned out to be in an “unrecognizable form.”

“It is unfortunate that the bill I have filed that aims to protect the right of the

people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances has been perverted to an unrecognizable form,” he said.

He said this was the same bill filed by the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago during the Third Regular Session of the 16th Congress.

“As you are all aware, I resigned my post as a member of the House of Representatives last November when I took my oath as a member of the President’s Cabinet,” Roque said.

“The bill in which I am being tagged as the author, HB 6834, was submitted to the Committee on Rules on Dec. 12, 2017―a month after I resigned as a member of Congress―and sponsored by Reps. Maria Valentina Plaza, Carlos Isagani Zarate, Makmod Mending Jr., Maria Vida Bravo and Florida Robes. It was scheduled in the House Order of Business the following day, Dec. 13.

“Had I still been a member of Congress when the bill in its current form was submitted for approval on second reading, I, too, would have also withdrawn as its author.” Vito Barcelo

Heads...

From A1 Duterte’s approval of an executive order to raise the contribution rate from 11 percent to 14 percent, of which the bigger amount equivalent to 8.87 percent will be shouldered by the employer.

Valdez, a former dean of the University of the East, was appointed by the President in October 2016, while La Viña was Duterte’s campaign social media head.

In December, Garcia came under fire for joking that journalists who would write negative stories about the agency would become the subject of “tokhang,” a campaign being enforced by the government against suspected drug dealers and dependents.

He also joked about shooting journalists with his .45 pistol.

Garcia later apologized for his “jokes,” saying his “only mistake” was that he was “very comfortable talking with the press.”

Also on Monday, Duterte appointed Kelvin Lester King Lee as chairman of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office-Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Appeals Committee and Marvin Reyes Gatpayat as the organization’s vice chairman.

Also on Monday, Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña relieved several top bureau officials.

“I cannot put at stake another month for another experiment. Let my directive be clear: relieve the section chiefs and deputy collectors of district collections who did not reach the target,” Lapeña said.

At least five Customs port districts did not reach the assigned revenue collection target, the Port of Manila, Manila International Container Port, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Port of Batangas and Port of Zamboanga.

However, Lapeña did not divulge the names of the officials yet.

Garcia...

From A1

[vested] power to discipline and remove any member from the House of Representatives,” he said.

Moreover, the Speaker said, the Ombudsman should have issued a dismissal order while Garcia was then the Cebu governor, and not when she was a member of the House of Representatives.

“I treat that dismissal order as a dismissal when she was a governor, [and] not as a congresswoman. The decision came in late, the order was late. It [Ombudsman] should have issued it when she was the governor,” he added.

ter and Canadian Commercial Corp., which is licensed to manufacture the Bell 412 EPI being ordered by the Philippines.

The Philippines has open alliances with Russia and China and has even signed defense agreements with them after its relations with the United States soured as a result of its criticism of Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

The Canadian firm CCC had insisted that the helicopters would be used as attack choppers to fight the insurgents in the country, which was denied by the Defense Department that said those would be used for humanitarian and disaster response mission.

“We are not asking them for free, we are going to buy them,” Lorenzana said.

“How we used them is none of their [expletive deleted] business. We do not have to justify how we will use those equipment.”

Two...

From A1

“The letter of the Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno dated July 23, 2012 was never presented to the Judicial [and Bar Council] en banc for discussion. I think the minutes will bear that out. Likewise the certificate of clearance attached to the said letter was also not included for deliberation in the JBC en banc when we considered the candidates for voting,” he said.

He said had he known about Sereno’s letter, he should have opposed her selection.

During the application, Sereno sent a letter to the JBC saying she could not submit her SALN while she was an associate professor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law since she “could no longer locate [her] SALN because of [the] lapse of time.”

De Castro, who also applied for the position of chief justice, said this was the first time she knew about the letter.

Peralta also accused Sereno of influencing the JBC to manipulate the selection process for candidates to judicial positons.

Annaliza Capacite, a regular member of the JBC, confirmed to the panel that Sereno had not submitted a complete set of SALN. A spokesperson for Sereno, Jojo Lacanilao, said the fact that she was on the JBC shortlist meant she had complied with its requirements.

Lacanilao also accused Peralta of trying to wash his hands of Sereno’s inclusion in the shortlist, when he was in fact also a member of the JBC. “It is clear to us that Justice Peralta wants to wash his hands clean of how Chief Justice Sereno was included in the JBC shortlist and he knows it,” Lacanilao said.

He said that as acting chairman of the JBC, Peralta signed the endorsement letter to Malacañang containing the list of nominees for the chief justice post, which included the names of Sereno and seven other candidates.

Solon:...

From A1 PAINT MY LOVE. Artist applies the finishing touch on one of several giant Venetian masks at Venice Grand Canal on Mckinley Hill in Taguig City. The masks represent the different types of love, a poignant symbol of the Carnevale de Venezia festival in Venice.

When worn, it is said that each person stands a chance of finding love. The masks will be put on display until March 31, 2018. Manny Palmero

PH...

From A1

Filipina household worker was found tortured and kept inside a freezer for almost a year.

Several Filipino workers have died from abusive employers, prompting the government to make drastic action by banning the deployment of OFWs in the Gulf state.

Duterte repeatedly appealed to Kuwaiti government to provide protection to OFWs, Roque said, adding that “if Kuwait fails in this regard, then it will incur international responsibility for an internationally wrongful act.”

However, Roque said the President was carefully weighing options as far as Kuwait was concerned.

The presidential spokesperson also said around 400 Filipinos from Kuwait had arrived in Manila.

They belong to the first batch of Filipinos who have been allowed to leave after applying for amnesty in Kuwait.

They include Filipinos who have overstayed or escaped from their employers.

In related developments: • Senator Cynthia Villar cited the need to review the country’s whole overseas employment program with the death of the Filipina in Kuwait.

She expressed her support for Duterte’s decision to totally ban the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

“The deployment ban issued by President Rodrigo Duterte to Kuwait signals the need for us to re-examine the social costs of labor migration especially for domestic workers. We need to strengthen our own domestic job market and increase the labor participation of women especially those in rural areas,” Villar said.

“It does seem as though the Ombudsman has singled me out on an act that was done when I was still governor several years ago,” Garcia said during an interview.

“You’d rather wonder whether this was purposely done precisely because as you saw, I am very active in this impeachment hearing against Chief Justice [Maria Lourdes] Sereno,” she added.

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, who filed the impeachment complaint against Sereno, said “the zeal and ardent passion of incisive questioning on the witnesses and resource persons in the Sereno impeachment has led the Ombudsman to come out with an order of dismissal on Rep. Gwen Garcia.”

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said Congress would have to decide on Garcia’s fate, adding the House shall study the matter during a plenary session.

“We have to look at the records, [and] refer to the plenary. We will see if it is valid.

We will first determine if it is valid,” he said.

Garcia, for her part, questioned the timing of the Ombudsman’s order to dismiss her from public service.

“The timing is rather suspect,” she said, adding the Ombudsman had singled her out.

“I’ll leave it to the wisdom, [and] discretion of the leadership of [Speaker Pantaleon] Alvarez as regards the dismissal order,” she said.

23, ordering him to appear on Feb. 12 before the committee otherwise he would be held in contempt and arrested.

In a letter sent to Escudero’s committee, Bautisa said he did not receive any invitation because he had been out of the country since Nov. 21 of last year.

“I understand from news reports that a subpoena has been issued because of my non-appearance in the hearing. In this regard, I respectfully ask that the subpoena be recalled since I never received the invitation” his letter stated.

Bautista also told the committee that he would be pleased to answer in writing any questions the committee might pose.

Bautista said he was out of the country“to explore professional opportunities and, more importantly, seek assistance for certain medical challenges.”

But Escudero said records from the Bureau of Immigration, showed the former poll chief left the country on Oct. 28, 2017 and arrived from Singapore on Nov. 1, 2017.

Escudero also considered Bautista’s letter a “ruse,” insisting that there was no good faith in it.

“He is a former chairman of a constitutional commission; he has no legal and formal address here in the country. That is not normal,” Escudero said.

He said Bautista should have given the committee a forwarding address where they can communicate with him but so far he has not done that.

“That is the very opposite of what he had said in the past that he will squarely face any and all allegations lodged against him in any forum,” Escudero said.

Bautista’s siblings, Susan Afan and Martin Bautista, were also invited by the committee but both failed to show up.

Afan wrote the committee that she could not attend the hearing because of prior commitments and that as a private citizen, she had no knowledge of the Anti-Money Laundering Law and thus begged to be excluded from the committee hearing.

PH, China set consultative meet on SCS

By Vito Barcelo THE government said Monday it will raise the issue of China’s militarization of the disputed South China Sea during the Philippines-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea to be held in Manila today.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the purpose of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was to discuss issues of concern to either side and cooperation in the South China Sea. It was also aimed at identifying mutually acceptable approaches towards addressing the militarization of the area.

President Rodrigo Duterte has adopted a largely non-confrontational approach toward Beijing and their competing claims to the South China Sea. But Roque said the Philippines was not being too soft on China because there were ongoing bilateral talks as far as the contentious South China Sea issues were concerned.

“Let me make a clarification: The current foreign policy with China is… for issues which are non-contentious such as investments and trade to proceed as soon as possible, and for contentious issues such as the South China Sea to proceed on the basis of bilateral negotiations,” Roque said.

He said militarizing reclaimed islands was not new, but “we have always been against the militarization of the area [South China Sea].”

“We have protested not only the building of the islands but also the alleged militarization of the islands and therefore contrary to the claims of critics,” Roque said.

“We have long protested the military use of the artificial islands in the South China Sea. It is certainly not good because it constitutes a further threat to peace and security in the area.”

Roque said the contentious issues concerning the South China Sea had been discussed in what was known as the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea and the second meeting of the Philippine-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea would be held here in Manila today.

The Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was established based on the joint statement issued after Duterte’s landmark visit to China in October 2017, Roque said, adding the principle of the BCM was to discuss issues of concern and to find peaceful ways to address the issue.

He said “there is new protest. Basically we have protested.”

China claims that the construction on the disputed reefs was legal because those were part of its territory, and was intended to aid peace in the region and to boost maritime safety.

Ex-Caloocan mayor faces graft anew THE Office of the Ombudsman has filed another graft case against ex-Caloocan City mayor Enrico Echiverri before the Sandiganbayan over a questionable P1.27-million street lighting project in 2012 to 2013.

Echiverri entered into a contract with P.B. Grey Construction for the “construction and installation of street lightings at Zenia Street (Capt. De Rico Street to Champaca Street), Camarin, Barangay 174, Caloocan City” without authorization from the city council.

He approved the disbursement voucher for P.B. Grey “when there was neither a specific or itemized appropriation ordinance passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Caloocan for said project, nor a prior approval or authorization by said Sanggunian for Echiverri to enter into a contract with Peter B. Grey of P.B. Grey Construction,” the Ombudsman said.

Ex-city accountant Edna Centeno and ex-city budget officer Jesusa Garcia were included in the charge sheet for certifying the project’s allotment and obligation slips and disbursement voucher.

Garcia and Centeno were also charged with falsification of public documents for certifying the documents “when in truth and in fact, both accused very well knew that there was neither a specific or itemized appropriation for said project in said amount nor a prior approval or authorization from the Sangguniang Panlungsod.”

The Ombudsman recommended a P30,000 bail for each of the accused for graft, while Garcia and Centeno must post a P12,000 bail for falsification.

Rio N. Araja

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

United Stand of STL Operators Prompted by the unceasing slander of a known gambling lord and his cohorts against our integrity as legal Authorized Agent Corporations (AACs) of Small Town Lottery (STL), here is our statement: WE CONDEMN ALL PLANNED AND SYSTEMATIC DEFAMATION AGAINST US BY A NOTORIOUS GAMBLING LORD, TEN OF HIS ALLIES IN POLITICS, AND OTHER PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS! We are saddened by how this gambling lord takes advantage of some officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to pursue their mutual personal interest. We need not memorize their motive as they go against us STL operators.

The 2019 elections is drawing near, and we, STL operators, uphold that we will not be exploited by anyone. Even more so, we will not be manipulated by anyone whose aim is to regain his jueteng operations and manipulate the STL to revert to its old ways.

STL IS THE ONLY LEGAL NUMBERS GAME IN THE COUNTRY! We divulge to the public that the plan to destroy us STL operators has begun.

WHATEVER YOUR PLAN AGAINST US WILL NOT SUCCEED! WE WILL FIGHT YOU! With the support of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, we will fortify the campaign to fulfill his Executive Order No. 13 declaring an all-out war vs. illegal gambling.

The accusation that STL is a jueteng front has no basis. If one of us may be violating the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of STL, we will not tolerate them.

We admit that some of us operators were former illegal numbers game operators but when President Duterte made the call for us to go legal, we heeded that call. We migrated into the PCSO’s STL to help the government produce revenues to fund free medicines and hospitalization for the Filipino people, especially the indigents.

We hold immense support and confidence toward the current leadership of PCSO for we know that they rightfully work to ensure the growth of earnings from lottery games such as Lotto, Keno, Sweepstakes, and STL where we belong to.

The P15.7 billion earnings of the Duterte administration in 2017, compared to only P4.7 billion annually under the past two administrations, is the product of our employees’ hard work.

It is not true that earnings from STL every month should have been greater. This is a false claim because 2017 served as a “test-run” for STL and many of the patrons still have yet to grasp the system of the numbers game.

This 2018, in our second year of operations, we vow to the government of President Duterte and to the Filipino people that we will surpass the P60 billion target of PCSO so that charity funds will grow and we can provide a bigger contribution for the procurement of free medicine and the hospitalization of the sick, especially our poor countrymen.

Again, we assure those who seek to tarnish our name, YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED! WE ARE LEGAL! WE WILL FIGHT THIS SCAM! Currently, our 81 STL operators have created a total of 280,772 jobs – at least 12,097 organic employees; 19,874 kabos; and 248,000 kubradores.

We appeal to the public to strengthen its support for STL because: EVERY BET IS FOR CHARITY! SERBISYO. TRABAHO. LARO! PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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Opinion

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Iraq girl’s weightlifters boost family finances

By Khalil Jalil THE weightlifters on Iraq’s national women’s team train hard every day, both to bring home the medals and to help ease the financial burden of running a home.

Jerking weights heavier than themselves at a rundown gym in Baghdad’s conservative Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, the young women and girls come together for three hours every day.

The girls are focused as they work out between the small gym’s peeling pale mint walls, one of which is adorned with a giant painted Iraqi flag.

With their dark hair in high buns and dressed in team green tracksuit tops, black shorts and leggings, they raise an arm and turn from side to side to warm up.

Then they work out hanging from a pull-up bar, before moving to different mats to get down to the business of lifting weights.

“To those who say weightlifting is not for girls, I say we can do everything men do,” says Huda Salim al-Saedi, 20, patting chalk powder from her hands.

“I challenge men to lift weights and I’m proud of it,” says the weightlifter, her eyebrows trimmed neatly and a black bandana keeping her hair from falling in her face.

Huda was one of the first to be recruited when coach Abbas Ahmed in 2011 set out to create Iraq’s first national female weightlifting team.

At first, it was an uphill battle.

Trouble in paradise

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OMETIMES, tough talk is what we need to jolt us into action.

This certainly seems to be the case in Boracay, the island paradise in Aklan province that drew two-million tourists in 2017, about half of them from overseas. Business has been so good, in fact, that the Malay Municiapl Tourism Office says it is targeting 2.2-million visitor arrivals this year.

But all is not well on the white sand beaches of Boracay, as the island copes with he price of its own success: overcrowding, garbage, water pollution and even flooding.

These problems were pushed to the forefront last week when President Rodrigo Dutere threatened to close the popular beach destination if its environmental problems are not fixed in six months.

The President minced no words in highlighting what was wrong after the Department of Tourism had found human waste in the water.

“During days when I was there, the waste was just 20 meters away from the beach,” he said. “When you get into the water, it’s smelly. [It] smell[s]

Society’s rejection “It was very, very hard,” says the former men’s coach, who is now 54.

“Society rejected the idea,” with conservatives considering the sport inappropriate for women and girls.

There was also no state funding for the project.

So Ahmed first approached families whose members were already fans of the sport.

Huda seemed like an ideal candidate.

She had practiced Taekwondo since the age of eight and had long been a fan of weightlifting on television.

Today, she’s a cornerstone of the Iraqi women’s team and its most promising member.

Huda helped to train her sister Hadeel, who just turned 17, and last year both of them competed in Asian championships.

The 20-year-old won bronze in the “snatch” discipline in her category at the Asian Championships in Turkmenistan, lifting 90 kilos in one swift motion above her head. She finished first overall at the Asian Junior Championship in Nepal.

Her younger sister Hadeel also competed there taking 10th place lifting 68 kilos in the “snatch,” while in another competition in Kathmandu, the Asian Youth Championships, she came in fourth overall.

But beyond making their relatives proud, Huda and Hadeel’s accomplishments have also provided their family with some financial security.

“Thanks to weightlifting, I have a salary and money to cover my family’s needs every month,” Huda says, with her sister’s pay cheque also helping make ends meet.

‘Welcomed as heroes’ The women’s team is sponsored by the police club, which pays each of its eight members a monthly salary of $400 to $800—a considerable sum for some families.

If Huda and Hadeel did not receive support from the club, their family could not pay their monthly rent of some $330, their father Salim Noma says.

Over time, he says, support has grown for the girls in the conservative neighbourhood.

“Everybody has ended up supporting them. They’re welcomed as heroes every time they return from a competition,” says Noma as he watches his daughters train.

Female weightlifting has provided Turn to A5

of what? S---,” he said.

He said those going to Boracay were destroying the environment and warned that a disaster was coming.

There will be a time, he added, when foreigners would stop going to the beach resorts of Boracay.

The urgency in the President’s words is unmistakeable, and rightly so.

As early as 2015, Japanese and Filipino scientists working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency had warned of “imminent loss” if the current situation in Boracay prevails.

A study on Boracay conducted from 2010 to 2015 showed that Boracay’s coral reef ecosystem had been seriously degraded by tourismrelated activities.

Satellite images showed that coral cover in Boracay declined by about 70.5 percent for the past 23 years (1988-2011). The highest decrease in coral cover recorded over the 23-year period was between 2008 and 2011 as tourist arrivals rose by 38.4 percent.

Unmonitored snorkeling and diving in coral-rich areas have contributed to damage sustained by corals, the study said.

At the same time, the water quality in the eastern part of Boracay beach was described as alarming, making it unsafe for swimming and other hu-

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

man activities. Direct discharge of untreated waste water near the shore brings about poor water quality level that results in frequent algal blooms and coral reef deterioration, the scientists said.

“It’s very crucial that the sustainability of Boracay’s environment will not be exchanged for short-term economic gains,” said Ariel Blanco, a Filipino scientist working on Jica’s Coastal Ecosystem Conservation and Adaptive Management project.

“Tourism is an important economic driver in the Philippines,” said Jica senior representative Takahiro Morita. “By protecting marine resources, we are also helping sustain the tourism industry, and jobs creation in the country.”

This is a sound approach to developing the tourism industry that must be incorporated in strict environmental regulations moving forward.

Jurisdictional disagreements must be resolved in favor of preserving and protecting the environment at all times. Clearly, the time for laissez-faire development and free-forall competition is over. It is time to bring some order and sanity—let’s call it planned development—back to the island before it chokes on its own “success.”

Whose fault is it?

MANILA Standard marked its 31st anniversary this week. That I have been with this newspaper for just as long is something I treasure. I co-founded it with the late Rod Reyes, who was press secretary to two presidents—Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph Estrada.

I am proud of being the longest-staying opinion writer of this newspaper.

When the first issue of the Standard came out 31 years ago, it was in tabloid form, then under Manda Elizalde. I was then also chairman of the editorial board, which explains the fact that the masthead shows me as chairman emeritus of the editorial board.

Sometime in January 1987, I got a call from my good friend Reyes, who invited me to lunch. He said he got a call from Elizalde saying he wanted to put up a newspaper upon his return.

Manda was then in Miami, about to end his self-exile during the Marcos regime.

(Actually he went on exile in Costa Rica because his former Harvard classmate became president of that country.)

The first office was on the fourth floor of the Tanduay Building along Ayala Avenue – now a finance center of the Ayalas.

The Standard has its story to tell, competing with other national broadsheets in mainstream print media.

I have had the opportunity to write for other publications, but I choose to remain with the Standard until I write “30.” I like the vision and goals of this newspaper and I am comfortable with the publisher and his staff. I would not have it any other way.

The contamination of the beaches is nothing new, but I imagine it’s so much worse now.

A defective Constitution (Part 3)

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA THIS essay is the third in a series of four which point out the numerous defects of the 1987 Constitution. Far from being the “best constitution in the world” as touted by one of its surviving drafters, the 1987 Constitution drafted by the 1986 Constitutional Commission is a defective charter.

In the last installment, it was pointed out that the charter has weak points in its provisions on citizenship, the

electoral tribunals, autonomous regions, and multi-party elections for president and vice president. This installment will take up other defects of the charter.

The 1987 Constitution should not have allowed the president and the vice president to come from different political parties. When the president and the vice president do not belong to the same party, they are bound to distrust and oppose each other.

Thus, the president will always suspect that the vice president (from a different political party) is plotting to succeed him at the soonest possible

opportunity, a desire shared by the political party of the vice president.

Thus, every project of the president, no matter how well-meaning, will always be discredited by the political opposition, in the hope that popular sentiment will force the president to resign from office, or help in the election of the vice president to the presidency in the next elections.

In a situation where the president and the vice president are from the same political party, there will be harmony in the executive department because the president will not be reluctant to have Turn to A5

*** President Duterte has given all business establishments in Boracay to prevent the island paradise from being a cesspool.

The contamination of the beaches is nothing new. As far back as 20 years ago, there have been numerous complaints of establishments not having adequate drainage and sewage systems.

But these complaints fell on deaf ears.

The last time my wife and I were in Boracay, I wanted to take a dip but I hesitated because of the green algae that I saw on the beach. There was also a foul smell. My wife said that was because of human excrement. Yuck! I never returned to Boracay.

Actually, this should be the responsibility of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Tourism. The local government of Aklan has failed in its job.

The lack of garbage and sewage system is not the only problem. Santa Banana, there are too many people, hotels, restaurants and business establishments.

All I can say—“sayang.” *** The President should not play down the impact of the move of the International Criminal Court on the image of the Philippines and of his administration. The ICC will look into the killings in connection with the bloody war on illegal drugs.

For one thing, the Philippines is a signatory to the Rome Statute that gave rise to the ICC to look into allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. A seat at the ICC was first offered to the late Senator Miriam Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

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Opinion From A4

his vice president become his political successor.

Under the Constitution of the United States (US), the president and vice president have to run under the same political party.

Section 2, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution allows the trial of the president by the Senate, after he is impeached by the House of Representatives. If the president is removed by the Senate, he is succeeded by the vice president.

If the president and the vice president belong to the same political party, then the senators trying the president can resolve the case judiciously, because if the president is removed from office, the presidency will still remain with the same political party.

On the other hand, if the president and the vice president belong to opposing political parties, then the senators participating in the trial will resolve the case on the basis of political expediency. This means the senators who belong to the political party of the president can be expected to vote for the acquittal of the president (and in the process keep the presidency for their party), while the senators from the opposing political party can be expected to vote for the president’s conviction (and in the process, seize the presidency for their party). Under this arrangement, politics will be the main consideration, and the guilt or innocence of the president becomes secondary. Such an arrangement will make a mockery of the public accountability of government officials.

The bicameral Congress created by the 1987 Constitution was copied from the US Constitution by the 1986 Constitutional Commission without understanding why the American model is bicameral.

At first, the drafters of the US Constitution wanted a unicameral legislature where the individual states will have as many representatives proportionate to their population. This idea sat well with the heavily populated states of New York and Pennsylvania, but it was frowned upon by the smaller states of Delaware and Rhode Island, which would have limited representation in the legislature on account of their small state populations.

To address this inequity, the drafters decided upon a bicameral legislature —Congress, composed of a Senate, where each state will be entitled to two senators regardless of their respective populations, and a House of Representatives, where each state will be entitled to as many representatives in proportion to their state population.

Since the legislative districts throughout the Philippines are, more or less, equitably distributed, there is no need for a bicameral legislature in the country. Having a senate is impractical because it unduly protracts the legislative process, especially where both the Senate and the House come up with irreconcilable versions of a law. It is also expensive because more legislators mean additional expenses for the people. Moreover, a senatorial campaign in the Philippines is more expensive than one for a seat in the House.

The Congress of the Philippines has no titular leader. It is jointly headed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House. They often bicker with each other to show to the public who is the real head of Congress.

In the US, the vice president is the presiding officer of the US Senate. That makes the Speaker of the House of Representatives the recognized head of America’s legislature.

Surprisingly, the Philippines is the only country in the free world with a legislative chamber elected on a national constituency. Because senators are elected nationwide like the president, all senators believe that they deserve to become president, too. Thus, senators engage in more politics than actual legislative work—a good reason for the abolition of the Senate.

The 1987 Constitution’s experiment with party-list representatives is a nightmare. Although it was envisioned as a means of allowing marginalized sectors to organize themselves for purposes of legislative representation, the system ended up with rich and powerful personalities supposedly representing marginalized sectors. There was a time when the son of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sat in the House as a party-list representative of security guards. He was the subject of intense criticism for that.

Likewise, the 1987 Constitution has too many unnecessary provisions, many of which tend to confuse or dilute the meaning of the more important provisions. For instance, Section 10, Article XVI which calls for a “policy environment for the full development of Filipino capability” and “the emergence of communication structures” for the “balanced flow of information,” is vague and empty rhetoric. If it is a state policy, it belongs to Article II, not Article XVI. (CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)

Whose...

From A4

*** I had a good laugh when I heard retired Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide tell the Senate hearing on the 1987 Constitution that he was against any change because it was the best charter ever framed and amending it would be a step to hell.

I laughed because I knew the charter

is so full of infirmities.

I cannot blame Davide for his opinion. He was one of its framers. But for a former Chief Justice to say it’s one of the best? It only reflects his bias.

How could any of the framers of the Constitution justify that provision on party-list groups? Look at them now, They are fronts for the Communist Party. And then we have some groups whose representatives are multi-billionaires. A voice for the marginalized? You’ve got to be kidding me! *** If the President is thinking of banning the deployment of overseas workers in Singapore and Hong Kong, because of that OFW in Kuwait who was found in a freezer, them he may as well ban sending out OFWs worldwide.

Workers in the Middle East know this, but they still go for the promise of high wages. Abusive employers are an exception.

As such, we can only give protection to them who take this risk.

A trip to Kuwait would be good for the President. It would send a good message.

At times, even our embassies are negligent. I have heard such horror stories!

Iraq...

From A4

an unexpected source of pride—and safety net—for some families in the working-class neighborhood.

Loujain Hazem, 15, gave up her studies to focus on the sport, winning a silver medal at the West Asia championships in Jordan last year.

“Our coach has taught us determination and perseverence,” she says.

“I’m sure our efforts will pay off, in terms of both weightlifting and money.”

The younger generation is also

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day

A defective...

Defensor-Santiago and then later on occupied by former UP Law Dean Raul Pangalangan.

The treaty was incorporated under domestic law and ratified during the incumbency of President Benigno Aquino III. Thus, it cannot be said that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

The Palace should not minimize the impact of ICC move. It is not a source of pride for us to be investigated for crimes against humanity.

Frankly, I do not know if the ICC prosecutor can pin down the Duterte administration since the extra-judicial killings first made by the socalled Davao Death Squad was not state sanctioned. There is no proof of this.

Nonetheless, it is not a good distinction.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

dreaming big.

Every day after school, the father of 12-year-old Roqaya picks her up and they weave through the traffic jams of Baghdad on his moped to the gym in Sadr City.

With her hair tied in a pink bow, she lifts two large red weights above her head.

“I hope one day to take part in the Olympics,” says Roqaya, already aiming high. AFP

THIS year’s celebration of Ash Wednesday is remarkable because it coincides with Valentine’s Day. One is to commemorate the approach of Christ’s passion and death and the other is the day of romance named after St. Valentines, a Christian martyr, dating back to the fifth century.

Originally, both celebrations have profound spiritual underpinnings. Ash Wednesday is an important feast in the Christian calendar because it marks the first day of fasting, repentance, prayer and self-control that will be the main theme of Lent. It is a stark reminder of man’s mortality; that everything is fleeting and transient. At the end of the day power, fame, education and wealth are inconsequential before the throne of the Supreme Judge. Everyone will be judged in accordance to how well he live the Gospel or if one is a nonbeliever, how well he abided by his own conscience and his innate understanding of natural laws. It opens up the Lenten Season which culminates in the resurrection of Christ known as the Easter Sunday. On Ash Wednesday ashes are blessed during Mass, after the homily and then “imposed” on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and reminder of human fragility and mortality.

On the other hand, Valentine’s Day commemorates (at least during the early days of its celebration) the martyrdom of the Christian martyr St. Valentinus. While originally heavily laden with spiritual overtones, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a purely secular celebration, now mainly focusing on the exchanging flowers, chocolates, dating and other romantic expressions.

Yet for all the differences in how we celebrate these two feasts, they are in essence complementary as they both

share a common thread—love. In this sense, the two celebrations are closely related. Archbishop Soc Villegas reflects that Ash Wednesday falling on Valentine’s Day gives us a good occasion to dig more deeply into the meaning of love as much as to correct kindly our wrong notions of love. Christ remains the central figure in these two celebrations. Shorn of its secular trappings, Valentine’s Day is as much a day for love as Ash Wednesday. As Archbishop Villegas said, the real symbol of love is not Cupid with shooting arrow but Christ hanging on the cross declaring in that action at Calvary that “There is not greater love than to die for your beloved. The real day of love is Good Friday when evil attempted to kill Goodness Himself but instead received the vengeance of forgiveness and mercy. The vengeance of God is mercy. The law is no longer retaliation but compassion.”

Even acts of suffering and self-denial that we are required to undertake during Ash Wednesday are not empty symbols but are acts of love in themselves.

Archbishop Soc explains: “The food we do not eat or the meat we abstain from must be given to those who practically fast everyday due to extreme poverty, enduring inhuman hunger. Fasting and abstinence are not exercises of will power. We eat less so the hungry can have more. We enjoy less so those who suffer may receive some comfort.”

Love is best expressed through suffering with your loved one or suffering instead of your loved one just as what Christ did on the cross—the supreme expression of love. To illustrate: St. Maximillian Kolbe was imprisoned in Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. Towards the last days of his life, men were chosen to face death by starvation to warn against escapes.

St. Kolbe was not chosen but he volunteered to take the place of a man with a family. As a result of his selfless act, St. Kolbe was subjected to extreme forms of torture, starvation and finally

injected with poison which caused his immediate death. By offering his life, he had shown that self-denial and suffering can also be expressions of love.

The world teaches us to repudiate suffering and self-denial at every opportunity; to avoid the cross whenever we are presented with one. Yet, there can be no salvation without the cross. It is in continuously loving our family and neighbors even when they prove to be difficult to go along with, in accepting our difficult situations that we best express our love for God, our neighbor and ourselves.

The ancient Greek had diverse notions of love, and two of which are eros and agape. Eros means “love, mostly of the sexual passion” while agape denotes the “love of God for man and of man for God or love for everyone. Sadly, nowadays there is overemphasis on sexual love and concupiscence so that even the meaning of Valentine’s Day is distorted and is now mainly associated with sexual passion. But the ancient Greeks found this form of love dangerous, fiery, and irrational form of love. The other form of love is agape which loosely translates love of everyone or selfless love.

In Latin, it is translated as caritas or “charity.” In today’s secularized societies people have become less caring and empathetic. During his ministry, Jesus commanded his followers to love one another in the sacrificial way he loved them. This command was new to them, a radical concept in the context of his disciples’ cultural setting. Jesus’ followers were different from the others because of their mutual love, or agape.

Perhaps, it is time to revive and reintroduce the concept of agape and unconditional love to our families and our communities —and this is only possible if we center our life on Jesus Christ.

Happy Valentine’s and a holy Ash Wednesday everyone!

Facebook page: Professor Tony La Viña (deantonylavs) Twitter: tonylavs

Back to basics: Taiwan’s industrial chic

By Amber Wang WITH watches made from cement, furniture fashioned from factory pipes, and accessories created from motorbike leather, Taiwanese designers are winning new fans at home and abroad with their own brand of industrial chic.

The style reflects the island’s sprawling cities and aims to breathe new life into mundane materials more often found on building sites or in workshops.

Jewellery and watchmaker Sean Yu uses concrete for his products, starting out by making rings from the material.

After experimenting with different types of concrete, he now uses a mix similar to the formula used to construct buildings.

His latest top-selling item is a mechanical watch with a concrete surface in the shape of a spiral staircase. It launched last year and set a sales record on crowd-funding website Zeczec, raising over Tw$12 million ($400,000) in pre-orders.

Yu says his style is inspired by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando, known for his masterly use of concrete.

“I design for myself and for like-minded people who are avant-garde and rebellious, and who like novel things,” Yu told AFP. “What attracts me most about concrete is that when you treat an ordinary material well, you can deliver new values.”

His products are also on sale in Britain, Japan and the United States.

Plumber-turned-interior designer Daniel Cheng uses iron piping to create everything from lights to shelves and sofa frames.

Cheng branched out into furniture design when he was seeking to expand his business and also uses steel bars, tyres, truck wheel rims and car seats for his creations.

“My inspirations are simple. I was a plumber and it’s something I worked with everyday,” he said.

“I want to use my imagination to make something interesting and meaningful.”

Cheng says most of his clients order custom-made products, with local celebrities among his fans, as well as businesses that have hired him to decorate restaurants, cafes and clothes shops.

Ginger Chang of the Taiwan Design

Centre, which promotes local designers and brands, said the industrial look featuring cement, brass, aluminum and granite is increasingly popular as an interior design trend on the island.

“The public like fresh things and they are looking for something special in terms of materials. They like the one-ofa-kind feel,” Chang told AFP. Consumers are also drawn by a green element to some of the industrial chic products.

Balance Wu says he wants to prevent motorcycle seat-pads and scrap leather from ending up as garbage, so uses them to create wallets, bags and accessories.

There’s no shortage of material—Taiwan’s cities are clogged with mopeds— and Wu’s creations are now sold in design shops from Taipei to New York.

“Motorcycle leather is a humble and durable material that has to withhold wind, rain and sun every day,” says Wu, who co-designs the products with his wife Chin Yang.

“We are turning this durable material into products that can be used for a long time.” AFP

A night at the Ritz: Riyadh 'five-star prisons' back in business

By Anuj Chopra LEAPING bronze stallions adorn the lobby, Western consultants hobnob over tea and scones and a sumptuous buffet is laid out— Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton appears exactly as it was before it became a gilded prison.

Guests trickled in after the palatial 500room hotel reopened on Sunday to find few signs of the three-month incarceration of princes, ministers and business moguls in an unprecedented anti-corruption purge.

"The only difference is that the front gates are open," a smiling hotel employee told guests checking in.

"The guest list is also quite different I imagine," quipped a Western diplomat, sipping a cardamom latte in the ornate lobby as a traditional oud musician performed in the background.

Many of the 381 suspects, including flamboyant billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal—dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia—have been released in recent weeks in exchange for what officials call financial settlements.

Other high-profile detainees included former National Guard chief Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, construction magnate Bakr bin Laden and media mogul Waleed bin Ibrahim.

Each detainee was given his own room— with room service and television, but no internet or telephone access to prevent contact with the outside world, according to multiple business associates interviewed by AFP. Sharp objects such as glass items and curtain chords were also removed to prevent suicide attempts, they said.

All those services and items were available in an eighth-floor deluxe room that an AFP reporter checked into on Sunday.

It was impossible to know whether a detainee had stayed there or the room had been refurbished.

Many of the high-profile detainees are believed to have been kept in apartment-like royal suites, which comprise bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room and a living room, according to the hotel website.

As service resumed at the hotel, staff appeared to have been instructed not to talk to journalists about the purge, launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

'Too sensitive' One staff member said he was away on holiday for the last three months. Another said he was present throughout the Kafkaesque ordeal, but declined to say anymore under the watchful gaze of his superiors.

When asked how the crackdown had affected the brand of the hotel—widely labelled a "luxury prison"—a public relations manager declined to comment, calling the matter "too sensitive".

Hotel authorities did not permit AFP to film inside the hotel.

But the public relations manager gave AFP a tour of the hotel's bowling alley and extravagant indoor pool with a sky-blue ceiling painted with clouds.

He also showed off the hotel's Italian, Chinese and Oriental restaurant, boasting a lavish seafood bar with poached mussels, shrimp and calamari. All the sites were largely empty.

But the cafe in the lobby saw a handful of Saudi families, enjoying the novelty of taking selfies at the famous hotel.

The hotel staff were also tight-lipped about occupancy. There were only a trickle of guests but the front manager apologised

profusely for being unable to offer some guests a front-facing "fountain view" room.

They included foreign businessmen who had been forced to decamp to other hotels on the night of November 4 when the detentions started.

"We were suddenly told 'we have an event, you have to move,'" said a Western consultant, who like many people interviewed at the hotel were unwilling to be named.

"It's good to be back."

Fear bigger than resentment The hotel's reopening appeared to be as shrouded in secrecy as the crackdown itself.

The government has not revealed all the names of the 381 suspects or the charges and nature of settlements, prompting alarm among international investors at the apparent lack of due process, observers say.

"As the Ritz re-opens with a lavish food buffet and an upgrade of services, it will take more than a fresh coat of paint to convince investors that Prince Mohammed's kingdom is completely safe to check-in to," Andrew Bowen, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told AFP. "Ironically, by quickly re-opening the rather ostentatious hotel, the new glitz of the old Ritz illustrates how the sins of the past are still very present in the kingdom."

But proponents of the crackdown say it reached its objective of prompting "behavioural change" among the once-untouchable elite—seen widely as a living embodiment of corruption.

"The crackdown has also succeeded in telling people to fall in line" with Prince Mohammed's so-called Vision 2030 program of reforms for a post-oil era, said the Western diplomat. AFP

News

A6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DoJ prosecutor files criminal case vs alleged Spanish terrorist

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has filed a criminal complaint before a regional trial court in Mindanao against a suspected Spanish terrorist who was arrested in Basilan last month for illegal possession of explosives.

The DoJ has charged Abdelhakim Labidi Adib, a 20-year-old Spanish national of Tunisian descent, with violation of Presidential Decree No. 1866 as amended by Republic Act 9516, which penalizes illegal possession of firearms and explosives, before the Isabela City, Basilan Regional Trial Court.

In an eight-page resolution released on Monday, the DoJ has found probable cause in the complaint filed by the 14th Special Forces Company of the Philippine Army against the foreign national who had alleged reported links to Islamic State-inspired Maute terror group.

“The hand grenade and rifle grenade recovered from the possession of respondent are ‘explosives’ since they are capable of producing destructive effect on contiguous objects or causing injury to death to any person,” stated the resolution adopted by the investigating panel led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong. “The mere possession of the above articles constitutes prima facie evidence that respondent had knowledge of the existence and the explosive of incendiary character of the articles,” the prosecutors ruled.

The DoJ turned down the defense of the respondent that he went to Mindanao as a tourist looking to find a woman to love, saying such it is “unbelievable, especially so that Basilan is internationally known to be a turf of the Abu Sayyaf Group.”

In its complaint, the Philippine Army said Adib was arrested last Jan. 22 at a military checkpoint in Basilan. He was supposedly accompanied by an Abu Sayyaf member who was one of the targets of the military but was able to escape by jumping off a cliff.

Seized from him were a hand grenade, rifle grenade, detonating devices and blasting caps.

Records showed that he arrived in Manila on Oct. 10 last year and went straight to Davao where he visited several attractions before proceeding to Cagayan de Oro. In CDO, he said he met a certain Abuzaid who claimed to be part of the Yakan tribe. He said he offered to take him to his tribe and introduce him to its culture.

LTFRB hikes number of TNVS units

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has raised the number of transport network vehicle service units to serve the rising demand of ride sharing services in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Pampanga.

In its Memorandum Circular 2018005 released Feb. 12, the LTFRB increased the number of TNVS to 66,750 units from 47,500 units in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Pampanga.

Of the total, the number of TNVS units in Metro Manila were raised to 65,000 from 45,000; Metro Cebu, 1,500 units from 500 TNVS units and Pampanga, 250 units from 200 TNVS units.

The LTFRB said it amended the common supply base of TNVS due to unserved demand, color coding and churning peculiar to TNVS operation.

At present, there are 59,020 active TNVS units out of the 119,283 TNVS accredited units.

The LTFRB also allowed accredited hatchback units subject to transition period of three years in order for the owners to recoup their investment.

“Hatchback units shall only be allowed to operate within Metro Manila. Hatchback units are prohibited from operating in the provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal and Cavite,” LTFRB said, adding that hatchback units shall charge lower fare rate to be approved by the agency.

“TNVS applicants shall likewise be allowed to replace or drop and substitute their accredited vehicles with year models from 2012 and earlier within 90 days from effectivity of this circular,” LTFRB added.

The circular shall take effect 15 calendar days reckoned from its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Task force set to study proposed P500 subsidy

By Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of a small task group to study the P500 subsidy proposed by a labor group as the buying power of daily minimum wage workers fell by 30 percent following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said the P500 monthly cash voucher government subsidy would at least help minimum-wage earners cope with the rising cost of living, particularly for the rising electricity bills.

“During a dialogue with labor groups, the President ordered the creation of a small working group composed of four representatives from his Cabinet and four representatives from the ALU-TUCP to discuss how to operationalize the subsidy and the proposed measures in bringing down the cost of power,” ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

The government task group is made

up of secretaries from the Department of Finance, Department of Energy, Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Budget and Management.

They are slated to meet with ALU-TUCP representatives on March 15, 2018.

The labor group said the workers’ daily minimum wage fell by 30 percent due to the inflation caused by the usual demand and supply hikes and by the implementation of TRAIN excise taxes on fuel and sweetened beverages.

Tanjusay said that as of Feb. 10, 2018, the purchasing power of daily minimum wage of P512 in Metro Manila region fell to P360.31 a day—a remarkable erosion of P151.69 a day.

“In sum, workers lose a total of P3,943.94 a month to inflation. With this amount, a family can buy additional food needed for them to stay healthy in our society and remain productive citizen in nation-building. But it looks like there is no immediate relief in sight coming from the Duterte government to extend government assistance to those who are immersed in poverty and no safety nets for those who are about to fall into poverty,” Tanjusay said.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the proposed P500 subsidy would be given to minimum wage earners who are regular employees and are regularly paying their Social Security System dues.

While the DoLE would work to fasttrack the process, Bello said the proposal was yet to be approved by the Department of Budget and Management and by President Duterte himself.

He said that the subsidy program could help ease the blow of possible price increases on goods for low-income workers amid the implementation of the TRAIN.

IN BRIEF Oil firms cut prices by as much as P1.30/l OIL players cut pump prices by as much as P1.30 per liter, the first rollback after six consecutive price increases this year.

The oil firms cut the price of diesel by P1.30 per liter, gasoline by P1 per liter and kerosene

by P0.85 per liter effective Tuesday.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Phoenix Philippines, Eastern Petroleum and Seaoil Philippines cut prices to reflect the movement of world oil prices. Other oil firms are expected to follow suit.

“Please see fuel price rollback of Shell effective 6 a.m. Feb. 13, gasoline rollback of P1 per liter, kerosene rollback of P0.85 per liter and rollback of P1.30 per liter diesel,” it said.

Latest monitoring from the Energy Department showed that oil prices dipped on soaring North American oil production.

Pr ices were affected followi ng the release of a report from US Energy Department that the country’s crude inventory rose for the first time in nearly three months.

This was counterbalanced by strong demand for gasoline and distillate products and news that Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries maintained heavy supply cuts in January.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Du30 stands up for PCSO manager

HOT TOPICS. Media personalities and government officials, led by (from left) Jullie Yap Daza, feng shui advocate Ollay Aninio; Blas F. Ople Center executive director Jerome Alcantara and OWWA deputy administrator lawyer Brigid Dulay, were present during the Media Forum at the Samahang Plaridel Kapihan sa Manila Hotel where they discussed feng shui relative to the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, as well as the situation of OFWs in Kuwait. Lino Santos

‘2.5-m tons of rice lost yearly DENR ready due to poor facilities, practices’ to address

By Macon Ramos-Araneta ABOUT 2.5 million tons of rice enough to feed 14 million Filipinos is lost due to poor post-harvest facilities and practices yearly, Senator Ralph Recto said on Monday.

Recto said that this represents about 17 percent of palay harvest lost enough to meet the annual rice needs of Metro Manila.

“The theory is that if we are able to save even one-third of palay post-harvest losses, there will be no need to import rice,” he said.

Rice lost to poor palay harvesting, threshing, drying and milling could feed more than 14 million Filipinos annually, Recto said, using last year’s harvest data and the 107.8 kilos yearly per capita consumption of rice.

A 2010 government study said 4.3 percent of palay harvest is wasted during harvest, and 5.5 percent during milling.

Other causes are drying (5.9 percent), and storage (0.8 percent).

“If this ratio still exists, then about 3.8 million metric tons of palay were spoiled during the processing chain of harvest to storage,” Recto added.

Government reported that national palay yield reached 19.28 million metric tons in 2017, up by 9.4 percent from the previous year.

Paddy harvest is measured in terms of unhusked palay. When milled, a kilo of palay yields about 650 grams of rice.

Recto said it is the government’s duty to see to it that the produce of rice farmers, who labor in one of the hardest professions, is not wasted.

“I think Secretary Manny Piñol and the whole Department of Agriculture should be given a higher budget for post-harvest facilities and programs,” Recto said.

“Agriculture, which is where millions of poor are, should be included in the government's infrastructure drive. Our farmers can only plant, plant, plant if we build, build, build more farm facilities like irrigation,” Recto said.

The 2018 budget of Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization is a mere P344 million, of which P125 million is for capital outlays, which, Recto said “is like one grain of palay in a whole sack of government spending.”

FINAL CLEANUP. Following a successful cleanup of the Rizal Monument last December, workers from KARCHRE and National Historical Commission of the Philippines conduct a final cleaning activity at the Edsa People Power Monument along Edsa in Quezon City in preparation for the ‘Edsa People Power Revolution Anniversary’ which takes place Feb. 25. Manny Palmero

Boracay crisis

By Rio N. Araja ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy Cimatu on Monday said they have already mobilized their resources to address the environmental problems besetting the worldfamous Boracay Island to comply with the six-month deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte.

He said he will bring in all bureaus and attached agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resourcers, including the Environmental Management Bureau and the Forest Management Bureau, in fixing Boracay’s serious garbage and wastewater woes.

During yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony at the agency’s central office in Quezon City, Cimatu said he would count on the support and cooperation of all officials and employees to meet the deadline.

“This is a challenge again for the department. I will be asking you to cooperate and support our efforts to implement this directive,” he said.

“All concerned agencies and stakeholders will be mobilized to join in the effort to rehabilitate Boracay Island,” he added.

The President threatened to close down Boracay if environmental issues remained unaddressed in six months’ time.

According to Cimatu, plans will be laid out to avert a Boracay shutdown.

Cimatu’s spokesperson, DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Relations Jonas Leones said the environment chief has been closely monitoring the environmental issues in Boracay even before the President’s directive came out.

“From the start of his term, Secretary Cimatu’s priorities have already included Boracay Island. He has been in the island a number of times,” he said.

Cimatu earlier ordered the local government of Malay, Aklan to stop the dumping of residual waste at the materials recovery facility in Barangay Manoc-Manoc amid complaints of foul odor from the residents.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday brushed aside allegations against Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan on accusations that the PCSO GM and other officials threw a lavish party for its employees.

The accusation came from his colleague and PCSO board member Sandra Cam. “It’s nothing. As long as the money goes to the [purchase of] canned goods and clothes. You will have to consume them. You will have to eat and wear them anyway,” Duterte said in a mix of Filipino and Cebuano during a speech on the launching of the Malasakit Programs for Visayas in Cebu City.

Balutan, along with other PCSO officials, have joined Du30 in the unveiling of the “Malasakit Center,” a one-stop shop located inside Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where patients can avail of faster and effective processing of their financial/medical needs.

“We are happy to be part of this noteworthy endeavor. PCSO has increased the daily financial assistance allocations for all PCSO offices, which process Individual Medical Assistance Program [IMAP] to provide more health and medical assistance nationwide,” said Balutan.

CEB to hold direct flights to Batanes THE Cebu Pacific Air will start operating direct commercial flights to and from Batanes on March 25 in time for the summer travel season, airline officials said on Monday.

CEB, through its sister airline CebGo, will operate the direct flight service once daily between Manila and Basco, Batanes beginning March 25 until Oct. 27, 2018.

The flight, according to CEB spokesperson Charo Lagamon, departs from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 4 in Manila at 6:20 a.m., with the return trip from Basco, Batanes departing at 9:15 a.m.

Lagamon said CebGo will utilize its ATR aircraft for the Batanes route.

Batanes emerged as the most requested destination in a crowdsourcing campaign CEB launched last year—the first of its kind in Philippine aviation.

Lagamon said the CEB will hold an introductory all-in seat sale for flights from Manila to Basco from Feb. 12 to 13, 2018, or until seats last. Joel E. Zurbano

Sports

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Canada wins figure-skating gold; Russians capture silver GANGNEUNG, South Korea—Ice dance stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir inspired Canada to the figure skating team title to secure the Winter Games heavyweights’ first gold at Pyeongchang 2018 on Monday.

The Russians, with their teenage ice starlets Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, took their first silver of the Games. The USA team was third.

The Canadian team, also featuring dual 2014 silver medallist Patrick Chan, fulfilled their promise as favourites to beat Olympic Athletes from Russia, after comming second to Russia four years ago in Sochi.

They took command on Friday, despite Chan tumbling in his men’s short programme.

Competing in their third Olympics, Virtue and Moir earned a maximum 10 points for their short programme, and matched that in the concluding free with an exhilarating four-and-a-half minute performance to the music of Moulin Rouge.

Canada finished on 73 points, with OAR on 66 and the USA a further four points behind.

Italy came in fourth with Japan last of the five that went through to the final five segments of the competition which was held over three days.

While Japan had to make do without defending men’s Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, Canada went into battle with all their stars present.

And they didn’t let them down at the Gangneung Ice Arena.

For defending champions Russia, competing in South Korea as OAR after Russia’s state-sponsored doping ban, it was always going to be a struggle to recover from Mikhail Kolyada’s flop in the men’s short programme.

But they gave it a great shot, with their teenaged starlets Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova dominant in both ladies’ sections.

Medvedeva conjured up a world record score in Sunday’s short programme, with Zagitova producing a personal best in her free dance to Don Quixote.

The pair are heading for a mouthwatering showdown for the women’s title next week.

As for the men, US quad boy wonder Nathan Chen, rated one of the Japanese skating icon’s main dangers, will be working overtime in training after making mistakes in his short routine.

Hanyu sat out the team competition as he gave his body every chance of being at its best for the defence of his crown after ankle ligament damage threatened to scuttle his Olympic dream last November.

He is due to train for the first time since arriving in Pyeongchang later Monday. AFP

Suzuki backs Asean football championship

The Philippine Azkals were pitted against other Group A teams- Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia- during the group stage games.

Que seeks to snap slump at TCC golf

A

NGELO Que hopes to shake off an opening season struggle abroad with a big local feat this week as he firms up the cast in the rich The Country Club Invitational unfolding tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 14) at the TCC layout in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The power-hitting Que missed the cut in Singapore, Myanmar and Malaysia in the last four weeks but the former threetime Asian Tour leg winner remains upbeat of his chances in the P5 million event he ruled three times in its 13-year staging.

He actually stood just one shot behind fellow three-time winner Juvic Pagunsan heading to the final round last year but bombed out with a closing 81 and wound up fourth.

Miguel Tabuena rallied from five down to edge Pagunsan by one with a 72, snaring the crown with a high 13over 301 aggregate at the exacting Tom Weiskoph-designed layout that underwent a major facelift in 2015-16.

Que sees not only another four-day battle of shotmaking, iron play and put-

ting but also of wits given the length of the course and the wind condition in the next four days.

But the Japan PGA Tour-based campaigner looks forward to a successful campaign the way he did in 2007 before dominating the elite field with back-to-back victories in 2010-11 in the event put up by ICTSI president/chairman Ricky Razon in 2003 to honor the memory of his father and ICTSI founder Don Pocholo.

Meanwhile, this year’s Philippine Golf Tour, the Ladies PGT and the second PGT Asia will be formally launched in elaborate rites after the TCC Invitational pro-am tournament today (Tuesday). More than 35 tournaments have been lined up for the three circuits to be highlighted by the staging of the Centennial Solaire Philippine Open on Feb. 28-March 3, also at the TCC. The SPO will also serve as the final leg of the inaugural eight-leg PGT Asia.

With Pagunsan also out for a payback and a record fourth title, Tabuena going for back-to-back feat and former champions Tony Lascuña (2004) and Frankie Minoza (2013) also trying to nail another victory, expect the unexpected in the 72-hole championship or-

ganized and conducted by the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Also tipped to contend for the top P1.5 million purse are reigning PGT Order of Merit winner Clyde Mondilla and Jhonnel Ababa, who swept the last two PGT Asia legs at Eagle Ridge and Pradera Verde last month.

3-way fight looms in Superliga GP

RENEWED PARTNERSHIP. PhilSteel Holdings Corp., makers of Galvalume 55, has joined the Philippine Basketball Association on its 43rd season as the official steel roofing of Asia’s first play for pay league. Present during the sponsorship contract signing are (from left to right) Lawrence Cementina (PBA marketing), PBA Commissioner Willie O. Marcial, Paul Oraa (PhilSteel Holdings Corp.

Group Marketing Director), Edward Navarrete (PhilSteel Holdings Corp.

PR Manager) and Richard Brila (PhilSteel Holdings CorpAd & Promo Manager).

Mix of new, old faces win at Cebuana tennis IT WAS a mix of some old faces and a lot of new names that emerged winners in the first Luzon leg of the 2018 Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series at the Zambales Sports Complex.

Visiting veteran campaigners Rainier Angelo Selmar from Cavite, Gabby Zoleta from Lucena and Olongapo City bet Althea fay-Ong dominated their respective divisions, with Selmar capturing both the boys’ 14- and 16-under titles against he same opponent.

Zoleta took home the girls’ 16-under singles’ title plus a share of the girls’ 18-under doubles’ crown, while Ong matched Zoleta as she won the girls’ 18-under crown and partnered with Zoleta to share the doubles’ title.

“We are pleased that we are seeing a good mix of winners in different legs, the previous winners are getting better

Que

through the years, while new champions are getting the opportunities to show their potentials. This is our objective for this 12-year-old grassroots tennis program,” said Jean Henri Lhuilier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group.

The series is also backed by Dunlop Sports Philippines-Dunlop Fort as the official ball.

Selmar was extended to three sets by Manolo Angara from Metro Manila before winning, 6-0, 2-6, 11-9 for the boys’ 14-under, but had an easier time against Angara in the 16-under, sweeping his opponent 6-2, 6-2.

Zoleta posted a 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 comefrom-behind victory over Ong in the girls’ 16-under finals, but teamed up with Ong to share the girls’ 18-under doubles’ crown, beating Julia Ignacio and Chenly Mae Parong, 8-3, in the championship match.

Ong retired Zoleta, 1-0, in the finals of the girls’ 18-under for her singles’ title.

The rest of the winners were unfamiliar names like boys’ 18-under titlist Steve Perido from Subic as he defeated Roy John Mendones in the finals, 6-2, 6-4; Julia Ignacio from Lucena who took home the girls’ 14-under crown, beating local bet Ashley Ajito, 6-1, 6-0, in the championship match; Ajto, who emerged champion in the girls’ 12- under, where she swept Marry Love de Guzman, 6-0, 6-1, in the deciding match, while Olongapo City player Darwin Cosca Jr., who matched Ajito’s feat by taking the boys’ 12-under crown, following an easy 6-0, 6-0 blanking of Lance Kimi Lesaca from Botolan in the finals.

Lesaca was the 10-under unsex champion as he beat Yuan Markus Dorig 4-3,4-0 for the crown.

A THREE-CORNERED battle looms among favorites Cocolife, Petron and F2 Logistics in the Chooks to GoPhilippine Superliga Grand Prix, which fires off this Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

After barging into the semifinals for the first time last year, the Asset Managers stacked up their roster with quality talents, making them a solid force in this tourney bankrolled by Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh, Brand Sport and UCPB Gen. The Asset Managers acquired import Sara Klisura from Foton, setter ShawnaLei Santos and Danika Gendrauli from F2 Logistics and spiker Honey Royse Tubino from Cignal to join the veteranladen crew of Tina Salak, Denden Lazaro, Joanne Bunag, Nerissa Bautista and Mary Jean Balse with American Taylor Milton as the other reinforcement.

For good measure, Cocolife also tapped noted Serbian mentor Moro Branislav to replace Kungfu Reyes, who slid down to assistant coach to shift his focus on University of Santo Tomas in the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

“All teams have upgraded their respective lineups so this is going to be a tough road for us. We have to prepare hard and be ready. This is going to be a war,” said Branislav, beaming optimism over their chances in this battle that also has ESPN5 as official broadcast partner and Island Rose and LGR as official suppliers.

Not to be outdone, Petron also made some key additions to fortify its intact core.

SUZUKI Motor Corporation will be the title sponsor of the Asean Football Federation Championship once again, paving the way for another exciting edition of the region’s biggest and mostpassionately supported football tournament in 2018.

This will mark the sixth successive occasion Suzuki Motor Corporation has backed the AFF’s flagship competition – the AFF Suzuki Cup – since 2008. First played in 1996, the biennial tournament is contested by the national teams of Southeast Asia and boasts record TV ratings and sold-out stadia.

“We began our sponsorship as the title sponsor in 2008 with the passion to bring thrill and excitement to the ASEAN region,” said Kinji Saito, Managing Officer from Suzuki Motor Corporation.

“Since then, together with fans and championship staff, the AFF SUZUKI CUP has created sensational moments and unforgettable memories, which embody Suzuki’s corporate slogan “Way of Life!” The 2018 championship will mark the 10th year anniversary of our sponsorship, and with new changes to the tournament format, it will surely be as remarkable and exciting as ever, and will mark a new chapter in the history of the AFF SUZUKI CUP.” During the 2016 games, when Myanmar and the Philippines hosted the Group Stages for the first time, Thailand triumphed for a record fifth.

“This year will be the 12th time we have staged the AFF Football Championship and we are truly grateful to Suzuki Motor Corporation for embracing the region’s top footballing tournament as the title sponsor once again,” said Lt Gen Dato’ Sri Azzuddin Ahmad (Retired), General Secretary of AFF. “It is incredible how quickly time has flown since the inaugural tournament was staged in Singapore in 1996.

Not only has the tournament grown from strength to strength, it has created opportunities to groom football talent in the region and is today the most important regional stage for local teams to take the next step up.”

Canlubang seniors eye redemption NINE-TIME champion Canlubang is looking for redemption when it renews its storied rivalry with Luisita in the 32nd Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team championships next month in Bacolod, Negros Occidental.

Denied a third straight championship by Luisita in Davao last year, the Sugar Barons are extra motivated to return the favor.

“We are going to do this for Mike,” said veteran Rolly Viray, referring to Spanish champion Mike Preysler who passed away last December.

Preysler, who took the spot of Tommy Manotoc in the lineup, had a disappointing showing last year in Davao where Canlubang slumped to its worst start ever.

The Sugar Barons struggled with just 124 points at Apo Golf and Country Club and found themselves trailing their rivals by 21 points.

Still down by 22 going into the final round, Canlubang managed to trim the deficit to 11 at the close of the four-toplay, three-to-count event.

This year, Viray said they hope to lift the trophy again, noting that Marapara (now known as Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club) and Binitin (Bacolod Golf Club) do not give long hitters much advantage.

For the second straight year, Manotoc is not playing, but Canlubang has tapped the services of a United States-based player who just turned 55 years old.

“Pem is coming to play for us,” said Viray, referring to Abe Rosal’s younger brother. “Sabi ni Abe, mas magaling daw kesa sa kanya.”

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Sports

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

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) posts up Boston Celtics defender Terry Rozier in the second half during a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP

SEA Games winners share turn at spotlight A

NLEX Road Warriors rookie Kiefer Ravena (15) looks around for a teammate to pass to while being defended by a pair of Meralco Bolts. PBA

Ravena cited

by PBA writers ROOKIE Kiefer Ravena capped the past week with another phenomenal effort to become the first player to win two PBA Press Corps Player of Week citations this season.

The 24-year-old NLEX freshman averaged all-around numbers of 16.5 points, 7 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 29 minutes as the Road Warriors beat the Meralco Bolts and the Alaska Aces, respectively last week.

Showing the maturity of a veteran, Ravena helped NLEX overhaul an early 18-point deficit by nailing the gamewinning basket on the way to fashioning out an 87-85 win over Meralco.

Nicknamed the “Phenom”, the second overall pick in last year’s PBA Rookie Draft finished with 21 points, going 7-of-12 from the floor, while snaring seven rebounds, issuing four assists and a steal off the bench against the fast fading Bolts.

Two nights later, Ravena recorded a near triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and six assists as NLEX held off Alaska’s furious fourth-quarter rally, 96-89.

Ravena sank two pressure-packed foul shots with eight seconds left to play to practically seal NLEX’s fifth win in nine starts and third straight win, galvanizing the team’s playoff hopes in the process.

The youthful Ravena beat out teammates Kevin Alas and Larry Fonacier, Ginebra’s LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter, Phoenix stalwarts Jeff Chan and Matthew Wright, Blackwater’s JP Erram and Mike DiGregorio as well as Rain or Shine slotman Raymond Almazan for the weekly PBA Press Corps award.

NLEX is currently tied for fifth to sixth spots in the standings with Ginebra and will take a weeklong respite, before returning to action this coming Sunday at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan where it faces dangerous Blackwater.

“Sometimes the overwhelming odds we face are opportunities for God to display His power a n d might.”

LL gold medal winners in both the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) and ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia get a share of the spotlight during the SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Awards Night at the Maynila Hall of the Manila Hotel on Feb. 27.

The gold medalists will be recipients of a citation from the country’s oldest media organization headed by president Dodo Catacutan of SPIN.ph during the formal affair presented by MILO and Cignal TV. Sprint King Trenten Anthony Beram leads the SEA Games awardees, while the Para Games winners are bannered by tracksters Cielo Honasan and Cendy Asusano, and chess player Sander Severino.

All four emerged with multiple gold medals from the two biennial meets held one after the other in the Malaysia capital last August.

Beram won back-to-back golds in the 200m and 400m run, while Honasan, Asusano, and Severino completed a treble in their respective events.

The Filipinos finished sixth overall in the SEA Games with a total of 23 gold medals while the para athletes bagged 20 gold medals to finish fifth in the Para Games.

Apart from the gold winners, there will be other citations to be handed out during the program which counts the Philippine Sports Commission as major sponsor and is backed by Mighty Sports, the Philippine Basketball Association, Globalport, Rain or Shine, Tapa King, and Chooks To Go. Beram will be joined on stage by fellow tracksters Aries Toledo, Eric Shauwn Cray, and Mary

Joy Tabal, along with Nikko Huelgas, Kim Mangrobang, Eumir Felix Marcial, John Marvin, Brennan Louie, Reyland Capellan, Kaitlin de Guzman, Agatha Wong, Carlo Biado, Chezka Centeno, Kiyomi Watanabe, and Mariya Takahashi.

Completing the SEA Games honorees are Dines Dumaan, Samuel Morrison, the men’s poomsae team, the lawn bowls men’s fours, ice hockey team, and the men’s basketball team.

Meanwhile, aside from Honasan, Asusano, and Severino, the rest of the Para Games gold winners are Prudencia Panaliga, Rosalie Torrefiel, Roger Lopez, Gary Bejino, Ernie Gawilan, Arthus Bucay, Christopher Yue, Josephine Medina, Adeline Ancheta, the men’s chess team standard B2/B3, and the chess team standard/rapid P1.

Other than the citation he’ll be receiving, Biado will likewise be honored with the PSA-Tapa King Athlete of the Year award following his rousing triumph in the World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar.

The country’s new pool star shares the prestigious award with fellow world champions Jerwin Ancajas and Krizziah Lyn Tabora.

SYMPHONY IN MOTION. Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Canada’s Scott Moir compete in the figure skating team event free dance during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on Feb. 12, 2018. AFP

Red Warriors dominate UAAP fencing UNIVERSITY of the East captured a sixth straight men’s championship and achieved an unprecedented 11-peat in the women’s side Sunday in the UAAP Season 80 fencing tournament at the PSC Fencing Hall inside the Philsports Complex.

The Red Warriors continued their domination of the sport.

With season MVP Sammuel Tranquilan leading the charge, UE collected four golds, three silvers and a bronze to beat University of Santo Tomas, which ended up second for the fifth consecutive season after a 2-3-2 medal haul.

The Lady Warriors were also a class of their own.

Tournament MVP Wilhelmina Lozada led UE in scooping five golds and two silvers, as the Recto-based squad nearly swept the tournament if not for a lastgasp women’s sabre team gold for University of the Philippines in the final day.

The Lady Maroons also won a silver and a couple of bronze medals to settle for the runner-up honors.

De La Salle finished third in men’s with four bronzes, and three silvers and two bronzes in the distaff side.

The Junior Warriors also stamped their class, as the boys’ team nailed an 8-peat, while the girls’ squad emerged triumphant for the seventh successive season.

For the second straight year, Prince John Francis Felipe and Samantha Catantan won the boys and girls division MVP, respectively.

Acknowledging the enormous pressure to maintain the remarkable winning streak, UE coach Rodolfo Canlas said that the t e a m ’s exposure and participation in various fencing competitions give the fencers the needed experience.

New-look Cavaliers trounce Celtics LOS ANGELES—The Boston crowd came out to celebrate Paul Pierce on Sunday, Feb. 11—but LeBron James and his new Cleveland supporting cast had other ideas as the Cavaliers routed the Celtics 121-99.

James shook off a first quarter leg injury to finish with 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers who were one of the busiest teams at the NBA trading deadline.

Cleveland acquired four players and dealt away six others as they attempt to make a push for their fourth straight NBA finals.

“We got some players that are pretty smart and they picked it up like they had been here all year,” said James, who played just 28 minutes.

Despite the home team’s loss, the night belonged to Pierce and his family as they got to hear tribute videos from Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson and see his number 34 raised to the rafters of the Boston Garden arena.

“It definitely gave me chills, especially with LeBron out there,” Pierce said afterwards. “I wanted to be out there.”

Pierce, who retired at the end of last season, watched the game from his sideline seat, waiting for the postgame ceremony. But when the Cavaliers raced to a 27-point lead halfway through the final quarter the crowd couldn’t hold back chanting “We want Paul Pierce.”

Meanwhile, in Charlotte, DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 25 points and CJ Miles came off the bench to score 24 points as the Raptors notched their fifth straight victory with a 123103 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Head coach Dwane Casey became the first coach in franchise history to record 300 wins.

James scored 13 of his 24 points in the second quarter. He chipped in eight during a 13-2 burst that turned a onepoint deficit into a double-digit lead.

The Celtics made it 64-55 on the first basket of the third quarter but never even got close for the rest of the game.

James collided with Aron Baynes with about five minutes left in the first quarter and hobbled to the sidelines. After receiving treatment on his right leg he returned with nine minutes left in the half and immediately picked up where he left off.

In their first appearances since being acquired at the trade deadline, Jordan Clarkson scored 17 points, Rodney Hood had 15, George Hill had 12 and Larry Nance scored five points. The foursome practised with Cleveland for the first time on Saturday.

Cansino leads MVP candidates

By Peter Atencio WHILE University of Santo Tomas standout CJ Cansino emerged as the season’s top most valuable player candidate, two Ateneo standouts are also in the race for the best players of the season.

Cansino is fast becoming the hands down candidate for the MVP after the second round of Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Junior Basketball tournament.

He piled up 88.42 statistical points.

And things are expected to get even more interesting after the UST Tiger Cubs reached the playoff for the last semifinals slot with the Adamson Baby Falcons on Wednesday after their 64-62 win over the defending champion Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws.

Cansino led the Tiger Cubs with 26 points in that game. But it was John Lina’s defense on Daniel Celso that kept the Baby Tams from going for a last shot as time expired that allowed UST to escaped and finish the second round with their seventh win in 14 games.

They share the same 7-7 slate with the Baby Falcons, who turned back La Salle Zobel, 75-51, last Sunday, and UST and Adamson will go into a 10 a.m. playoff on Wednesday for the fourth stepladders semifinals slot.

Seven foot one Kai Sotto and Sam Belangel are at no. 2 and 3 positions on the MVP stats race. One of them could be the finals MVP after the Blue Eaglets pulled off 78-68 triumph over the Nazareth School-National University Bullpups at the Eagle gym in Quezon City.

It was Belangel’s all around game in the last three minutes that bailed out the Ateneo Blue Eaglets out of trouble.

His inside game and outside shooting helped propel the Blue Eaglets to 7868 triumph over the Nazareth SchoolNational University Bullpups on a late Sunday afternoon at the Blue Eagle gym in Quezon City.

IN BRIEF Initial Metro Subway loan eyed in 1st quarter MACTAN, Cebu—The Philippine plans to sign the first tranche of a loan from the Japanese government to finance the first phase of the Metro Manila Subway Project before the end of first quarter this year, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Monday.

The announcement came after top officials of the Philippines and Japan agreed to “steadily implement” for the next five years their joint commitments on major fields of bilateral cooperation, especially the implementation of the Duterte administration’s big-ticket infrastructure projects that Tokyo has pledged to support through funding and technology assistance.

Both sides agreed “to work towards the partial operability by 2022 of, and are looking forward to the signing of the first tranche of the loan for, the Metro Manila Subway Project (Phase I) by March 2018.”

The inter-agency National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee approved the P355.6-billion Metro Manila Subway Project late last year. Julito G. Rada

Business

PLDT and unit Voyager tie up with Go Negosyo PLDT Inc. and digital innovations arm Voyager Innovations teamed up with Go Negosyo to help the country’s micro, small and medium entrepreneurs engage in e-commerce through an end-to-end enablement program that covers all aspects needed to participate in the digital marketplace.

The partnership also aims to support the program of the Department of Trade and Industry to equip over 100,000 MSMEs with digital solutions by 2020.

“We are committed to help SMEs thrive and become more globally competitive through digital services and solutions,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.

“We are confident that this partnership with Go Negosyo will positively contribute to government’s programs to improve the lives of our people by promoting digital entrepreneurship,” he added.

Darwin G. Amojelar

FDIs jumped 20% to $8.7b in 11 months

By Julito G. Rada NET inflows of foreign direct investments reached a record $8.7 billion in the first 11 months of 2017, up 20.1 percent from $7.26 billion a year ago, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The 11-month FDI figure also surpassed the whole-year target of $8 billion.

“The sustained FDI inflows reflected investor confidence given the Philippine economy’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals and growth prospects,” the Bangko Sentral said in a statement.

Data showed that net placements in debt instruments rose 9 percent in January to November to $5.2 billion. Net investments in equity capital reached $2.8 billion, up from $1.8 billion in the comparable period in 2016.

Net inflows in November alone amounted to $869 million, up 16.9 percent from $744 million a year earlier.

“This was due mainly to the 13.1-percent expansion in non-residents’ net placements in debt instruments issued by local affiliates ([intercompany borrowings] to reach $604 million,” it said in a statement.

Net equity capital inflows grew 38.7 percent to $210 million, as equity capital placements of $228 million more than offset the $18-million withdrawals. The bulk of gross equity capital investments came from Singapore, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, China and the United States.

These were channeled mainly to manufacturing; real estate; electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; construction; and wholesale and retail trade activities.

Meanwhile, reinvestment of earnings amounted to $56 million in November.

Earlier, the Bangko Sentral said the country could sustain the FDI inflows to put it at par with the large levels of FDIs seen in neighboring Asian countries.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

B

January car sales rose 4% amid tax law

By Othel V. Campos

UCPB registered record profit of P4.08b in 2017 UCPB posted record earnings in 2017 as the bank aggressively expanded its loan portfolio and deposit base during the year.

Unaudited results showed UCPB’s net income rose 22 percent to P4.08 billion from 2016.

Loans totaled P171.7 billion at the end of 2017, P15.7 billion higher than the level in the previous year, as both consumer and corporate loans recorded double-digit growths. Deposits increased P13.9 billion to P279.5 billion during the same period.

Robust loan growth bolstered the bank’s interest income, which grew by 7 percent to P14.2 billion. Non-interest income also increased by 5.2 percent to P2.7 billion on hefty trading and securities gains and revenues from a newly launched bancassurance business.

UCPB president and chief executive Higinio Macadaeg Jr. said the bank plans “to sustain the double-digit core earnings growth this year, anchored on the continued expansion of our consumer and middle market lending operations and a greater push to increase non-interest revenues from our other fee-based services like bancassurance.

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

TOYOTA LOGISTICS HUB. As it celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2018, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. starts the year by solidifying its logistics operation with the inauguration of its Vehicle Logistics Center within the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa, Laguna. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) TMP manufacturing and production control and logistics executive vice president Tomohiro Iwamoto, TMP senior executive vice president David Go, TMP vice chairman Alfred Ty, TMP president Satoru Suzuki, TMP vehicle logistics and marketing executive vice president Kei Mizuguchi and TMP vehicle logistics and purchasing senior vice president Leodivigis Gilbuena.

ERC commissioners ready to resume work

By Alena Mae S. Flores

T

HE Energy Regulatory Commission said Monday it will act on pending petitions and applications with urgency, after the Court of Appeals issued a 60-day temporary restraining order stopping the suspension of four commissioners.

“With the TRO issued by the Court of Appeals, the ERC can now resume with the regular performance of our duties and functions and act on petitions with urgency,” ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered a one-year suspension of all four commissioners of the ERC―Josefina Patricia Asirit, Alfredo Non, Geronimo Sta. Ana and Gloria Yap-Taruc in December―for allegedly giving Manila Electric Co. an undue advantage when it extended the submission of its PSA applications.

“I’m glad that the CA gave weight on the impact of the vacuum of leadership caused by the Ombudsman’s suspension of the ERC commissioners and consid-

ered the welfare of the electric power industry stakeholders, most especially the consuming public who will eventually suffer the consequences of the ERC’s inability to perform its mandate,” she said.

She said there were processes that the applications and petitions must go through, including the pending power supply agreement applications of Manila Electric Co. “What we can do right now is the promulgation of the 61 cases that we would have done during the time they were suspended,” Devanadera said.

“We’re not talking of timeframe, but we’re talking of propriety, reasonableness of the petition... the usual standards, benchmarks that our technical people ap-

ply in their study of applications of PSAs,” she said.

Devanadera said the commission would also act on expiring and expired certificates of compliance so that these companies could continue to trade in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

Devanadera received the CA resolution, penned by Associate Justice Mariflor Punzalan Castillo, stopping the suspension of the ERC Commissioners ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman in December 2017.

“The Office of the Ombudsman’s suspension basically jeopardized the ERC per se, and the industry that the ERC regulates which is the electric power industry and the consuming public,” Devanadera said.

She said the ERC commissioners were suspended for re-stating the effectivity of its resolution on the CSP “but the CSP is still pending with the Supreme Court and the ERC commissioners must be accorded with substantial due process.”

“By substantive due process, it means that the suspension should be based on a just or authorized cause,” said Devanadera, a former Justice secretary.

PSE raises public float requirement for index firms to 15%

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange said Monday it raised the minimum public float requirement for listed companies to qualify for inclusion in the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index to 15 percent from 12 percent.

Public float or free float represents the portion of shares in a listed corporation that are in the hands of public investors.

PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said the adjustment was made in anticipation of the plan of the Securities and Exchange Commission to increase the minimum public ownership for publicly-listed companies.

The 15-percent public float requirement is not only a requirement for companies to qualify for PSEi inclusion but also for membership in sectoral indices.

The PSE said aside from raising the public float requirement, it also implemented other revisions on managing the PSEi index to ensure that the local bourse’s indices remained at par with global standards and responsive to the needs of the market.

Other salient revisions on the policy on index management include the schedule and the effectivity date of the recomposition. From the March and September schedules, the recomposition will now be in February and August.

The effectivity date will be at least five trading days after the announcement was made compared with the two-week lead time as observed in the past.

The PSE also reported that the PSEi would remain unchanged based on the review covering the January to December 2017 period. All sectoral indices, however, will see changes in their composition.

The financials index will remove

Medco Holdings Inc. while the industrial index will add two new members― Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. and SFA Semicon Philippines Corp. but will lose six members including Crown Asia Chemicals Corp., Energy Development Corp., Holcim Philippines Inc., Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc., Pryce Corp. and RFM Corp.

The holding firms will see the removal of Lodestar Investment Holdings Corp., Pacifica Inc. and Top Frontier Investment Holdings Inc. The Property Sector will see the addition of Philippine Realty and Holdings Corp. and the exclusion of Araneta Properties Inc., Cyber Bay Corp. and MRC

Allied Inc. MacroAsia Corp., PhilWeb Corp. and Waterfront Philippines Inc will be part of the services index while 2Go Group Inc., Apollo Global Capital Inc., Island Information & Technology Inc., Premiere Horizon Alliance Corp., Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. and SBS Philippines Corp. will be removed from the index.

The mining and oil sector will add Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. and Century Peak Metals Holdings Corp. and remove Marcventures Holdings Inc. The recomposition of indices will take effect on Feb. 19, 2018.

ICTSI’S CONTRIBUTION. Contecon Guayaquil SA, a subsidiary of global operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. at the Port of Guayaquil in Ecuador, recently received President Lenín Moreno, who lauded CGSA’s contributions to the growth of Ecuador. Ut marked the first time that a president of Ecuador had visited the terminal since the start of its operations in 2007. Shown is an aerial view of Guayaquil Container & Multipurpose Terminals at the Port of Guayaquil.

CAR sales rose 4 percent in January to 31,645 units from 30,425 units a year ago despite the imposition of higher excise taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said members still posted positive sales growth year-on-year.

“We started the year with a modest growth of 4 percent in January 2018 against the same period last year. While this is considerably low compared to the growth rate of January 2017 [27 percent up versus January 2016], we still consider January 2018 sales as satisfactory and a good start for the auto industry. We will continue our efforts in sustaining the growth momentum of past years,” said Campi president Rommel Gutierrez.

Automobile sales, however, slid 30.4 percent from 45,494 units sold in December 2017.

Data showed that while sales of passenger cars dropped 10.9 percent in January to 9,790 units from 10,984 units a year earlier, sales of commercial vehicles increased 12.4 percent to 21,855 units from 19,441 units in the January 2017.

The light commercial vehicle segment registered the highest growth of 23.3 percent to 15,218 units from 12,340 in January 2017.

Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. remained the market leader with 39.14-percent market share, followed by Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Inc. with 24.13 percent, Ford Motor Company Philippines Inc. with 8.19 percent, Nissan Philippines Inc. with 7.12 percent and Isuzu Philippines Corp. with 5.92 percent.

Members of Campi and TMA sold 425,673 vehicles in 2017, up 18.4 percent from 359,572 units in 2016. Together with sales of other industry groups, the industry sold nearly 500,000 units last year.

Singapore firm signs deal for New Clark City STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development signed a memorandum of cooperation with Surbana Jurong of Singapore on Monday to start the full development of New Clark City in Central Luzon.

BCDA said the collaboration, signed in Mactan, Cebu, marked the full implementation of the project based on the comprehensive master development plan developed by the agency and Join, in partnership with urban planning and engineering firms AeCom, Nippon Koei and Philkoei International Inc. Surbana Jurong will assist BCDA and Join under the agreement to draft the development management framework, design standard guidelines and environmental guidelines to complement the masterplan of New Clark City.

“Surbana Jurong is proud to support BCDA and Join in developing New Clark City into the next big metropolis and become a showcase to the world of a smart and green city. We will leverage our over 50 years of urban and infrastructure development expertise and our global capabilities to manage the development of the city, and help the Philippine government bring this vision to reality,” said Surbana Jurong Group chief executive Wong Heang Fine.

Surbana Jurong will also help in utilizing public-private partnerships to entice investors to New Clark City.

It will also advise in the implementation plan of pioneer developers in New Clark City such as Filinvest Land Inc.’s mixed-use industrial real estate developments and MTD Capital Berhad’s National Government Administrative Center.

It will also establish the framework of a smart city concept that will have fully-integrated infrastructure and utilities for power, water, sewerage, information and communication technology, security and traffic management.

Othel V. Campos

B2

Business

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines on rate hike fears

T

HE stock market fell Monday on higher inflation prospects by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and on fears it will raise interest rates next month.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 15.78 points, or 0.2 percent, to 8,487.91 on a value turnover of just P5.9 billion. Losers beat gainers, 118 to 94, with 36 issues unchanged.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, declined 3.1 percent to P283, while DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji Group, which is into coal mining, power generation, water distribution and property development, dropped 2.9 percent to P13.40.

Prime Orion Philippines Inc., controlled by Ayala Land Inc., jumped 28.1 percent to P3.65, while Now Corp., which is bidding to become the third telecommunications company in the Philippines, surged 9.7 percent to P7.90.

The rest of Asian markets mostly rose on Monday as buyers cautiously returned after last week’s global rout, with confidence boosted by a rally on Wall Street but analysts warning of further volatility.

After a stellar 2017 and a January that saw record and multi-year highs around the world, traders are scurrying to the hills this month as a strong economic outlook—particularly in the US—healthy corporate earnings and rising inflation have sent borrowing costs surging.

Equity markets, for years buoyed by post-crisis stimulus, have spiraled into the red as traders fret that the era of cheap cash is at an end.

But Monday got off to a calm start.

Hong Kong, which sank more than nine percent last week, was up 0.7 percent in the afternoon while Shanghai closed up 0.8 percent and Singapore rose 0.6 percent.

Seoul gained 0.9 percent, with traders cheered by signs of a thaw in relations between North and South Korea during the Winter Olympics after Kim Jong Un—whose sister attended the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang—invited the South’s President Moon Jae-in for a summit in Pyongyang.

Taipei added 0.5 percent and Bangkok 0.3 percent but Sydney eased 0.3 percent and Manila dipped 0.5 percent. Tokyo was closed for a public holiday.

The gains came after a late rally on Wall Street helped all three main indexes end on a positive note Friday, though still well down over the week.

However, there are expectations that profit-taking will lead to further losses, with Brian Culpepper at James Investment Research warning: “Stocks are extremely expensive.”

Eyes are now on the release this week of US inflation figures, which market-watchers say will be key to future movements.

“With powerful US economic signals and interest rates most certainly to rise quicker than expected, last week’s tumult could be little more than the start of the equity roller-coaster,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. “Given all this ruckus started with an uptick in the wage growth component from this month’s (US jobs report) release, this week’s US inflation data will be a monster of a print.”

While the week got off to a positive start, energy firms took another hiding after further recent falls in the price of oil due to rising US production and the spillover from the equity market rout. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.28 2,141,000 59.6 11,610 117.6 1,393,410 3.67 52,000 150 1,064,700 1.88 357,000 36.35 416,500 8.5 1,200 15.3 300 28.7 764,300 9.18 9,000 1.64 38,000 0.53 501,000 98.1 1,963,070 1.8 23,613,000 13 83,000 25.85 100 57.15 117,080 239.8 630 49.5 313,500 248.8 265,030 1,871 95 91.4 37,660 1.21 18,000

8,976,170 690,292.50 163,823,354 191,020 159,260,087 660,190 15,164,200 10,210 4,630 22,059,130 83,307 62,320 265,530 189,221,707 40,429,080 1,079,030 2,585 6,778,077.50 151,078 15,519,495 64,994,690 179,425 3,442,470 21,750

-24,000 356,275 -80,107,206 -62,415,856 304,380 10,877,855 3,335,340 -20,056,450.50 -11,350 -78,000 5,174,201.50 6,402,525 -6,305,506 3,218,289 -

39.6 12.78 0.59 1.28 18.06 0.214 108 3.96 15.22 189 51 18.84 61 59.1 82.3 1.95 5.3 10.68 11.4 14.68 11.34 7.51 5.56 1.76 15.72 61.7 29.15 9.98 20.25 1.98 282.2 51.05 4.06 3.06 27.5 17.64 19.3 317.8 0.192 8.3 2.83 4.78 9.3 6.18 1.57 12.2 58.2 5.92 625 4.86 2 1.6 16.02 5.45 0.132 1.04 155.5 2.72 1.9 1.1

INDUSTRIAL 39.6 1,305,300 12.9 928,000 0.6 789,000 1.29 586,000 18.36 59,100 0.219 950,000 108 10 4 19,217,000 15.3 1,005,800 190 150 52.9 524,280 18.84 2,600 63.75 920 60 3,940 82.3 10 2.02 1,702,000 5.3 600 10.96 88,300 11.64 851,400 14.78 316,400 11.4 228,100 7.65 368,400 5.65 11,562,400 1.76 7,000 15.9 466,700 61.7 645,470 29.5 209,200 10.04 59,000 20.55 2,292,900 2.01 8,759,000 283 741,090 51.05 460 4.14 96,000 3.06 3,000 27.55 318,700 17.66 225,700 19.34 3,829,800 318 200,000 0.195 510,000 8.88 2,300 2.85 3,073,000 4.89 106,000 9.46 1,353,900 6.34 53,400 1.58 179,000 13 579,800 58.55 267,080 5.95 5,800 656 255,960 4.9 76,000 2 14,000 1.69 1,022,000 16.3 1,113,000 5.47 188,700 0.133 5,750,000 1.09 37,000 155.9 1,055,180 2.73 235,000 1.92 1,550,000 1.12 11,068,000

51,881,905 11,971,598 472,830 755,030 1,078,364 203,760 1,080 76,913,690 15,389,224 28,486 27,487,956 49,340 56,363 236,366.50 823 3,384,650 3,180 968,138 9,776,396 4,671,426 2,597,434 2,832,882 65,140,384 12,320 7,374,078 39,987,552.50 6,208,220 590,476 47,679,455 17,853,530 210,277,632 23,778 390,140 9,340 8,896,305 3,990,800 74,687,008 63,649,716 99,320 19,206 8,885,850 511,400 12,672,974 330,470 281,690 7,448,680 15,632,542.50 34,756 165,342,660 370,280 28,050 1,699,360 18,119,686 1,031,149 764,590 40,280 164,708,099 641,300 2,961,430 12,737,440

-16,700,180 3,470,710 65,880 -14,055,240 -4,488,528 1,872,876 -80,800 269,620 398,960 -751,038 388,671 3,167,896 -3,152,336 -1,358,421 -17,700 230,040 -5,777,640 -865,200 -120,560,182 636,845 1,771,180.00 -17,684,758 -39,392,076 78,000 -290,340 -6,040,682 -13,168,202.50 5,950 6,140,150 267,470 -56,300 7,806,912.00 -40,035,717 368,300 -72,960 33,600

0.305 72.7 15.5 1.18 6.98 0.64 0.63 1,022 7.54 13.8 7.52 1,325 75 0.73 5.4 22.95 0.34 6.26 0.04 1.23 3.83 146 987 1.65 280 0.246 0.183 0.19

0.295 71.4 15.18 1.02 6.95 0.59 0.6 1,000 7.3 13.36 7.5 1,280 72.7 0.71 5.31 22.3 0.31 6.15 0.038 1.16 2.9 144.4 969 1.62 279 0.235 0.183 0.19

HOLDING FIRMS 0.295 170,000 72 778,600 15.38 2,462,800 1.04 4,331,000 6.98 4,100 0.61 26,770,000 0.61 8,315,000 1,000 110,910 7.3 3,896,700 13.4 6,702,200 7.5 69,800 1,325 49,065 73 1,378,990 0.72 404,000 5.31 2,208,200 22.9 546,800 0.34 20,000 6.18 16,703,000 0.04 22,800,000 1.23 4,000 3.65 79,815,000 145 263,650 980 248,780 1.63 423,000 280 1,250 0.246 60,000 0.183 30,000 0.19 610,000

50,650 56,059,184.50 37,814,730 4,715,660 28,523 16,536,330 5,123,530 111,641,345 28,736,390 90,479,552 523,644 64,282,375 100,840,180 289,200 11,809,315 12,458,425 6,500 103,236,931 901,000 4,780 274,955,130 38,249,725 243,171,790 685,510 349,600 14,320 5,490 115,900

-44,636,689.50 -18,506,592 -1,667,500 -55,115,915 -19,421,533 -55,972,778 -19,163,100 -80,133,866.50 72,288 -4,770,115 -80,129,419 -3,121,680 -16,968,223 -167,544,900 -

6.79 0.95 19.9 2.2 0.9 44.45 3.66 4.67 5.81 0.46 1.13 1.11 0.249 0.49 37.25 0.65 1.81 1.36 0.78 4.93 0.355 0.325 0.52 4.17 34 20.8 2.05

6.26 0.93 18 2.15 0.88 43.55 3.62 4.4 5.75 0.45 1.09 1.09 0.24 0.43 36.4 0.63 1.78 1.33 0.75 4.88 0.34 0.315 0.51 4 34 20.4 1.95

15,049,744 1,694,230 5,045,916 1,114,440 916,510 360,480,675 543,230 12,458,930 839,188 5,882,350 312,670 490,970 15,694,750 4,815,200 13,952,850 54,870 8,635,230 1,486,370 28,530 134,912,250 28,836,800 1,039,950 945,770 6,339,590 23,800 21,919,240 3,103,490

81,866 8,460 129,342 -65,100 -124,093,850 -25,480 1,700,480 -646,600 1,130 4,850 -720,095 -640 -5,328,360 -322,370 -8,400,000 21,000 -590,380 -9,947,260 800,080

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FILIPINO FUND IREMIT MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.87 59 117.9 3.67 154.8 1.83 36.2 8.51 15.5 29.05 8.6 1.64 0.53 96 1.62 13.06 25.85 58 240 48.5 244.8 1,895 90.2 1.2

4.46 59.6 118 3.7 154.8 1.88 36.75 8.51 15.5 29.3 9.45 1.64 0.53 98.1 1.82 13.06 25.85 58.05 240 50.4 248.8 1,895 93 1.21

3.8 59 117.3 3.67 148.4 1.81 36.15 8.5 15.3 28.5 8.6 1.64 0.53 95.5 1.57 13 25.85 56.95 239.8 48.5 243.6 1,871 90.1 1.2

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

40.1 12.9 0.61 1.29 18.98 0.214 108 4.06 15.22 189 52 19.72 62.8 59.1 82.3 1.96 5.3 11 11.4 14.76 11.44 7.63 5.56 1.76 15.9 63 29.2 10.1 20.85 1.98 289 52.05 4.06 3.14 28.05 17.74 19.98 318 0.192 8.3 2.91 4.81 9.35 6.2 1.57 12.6 59 5.92 629 4.86 2.01 1.66 16.02 5.5 0.132 1.09 158 2.73 1.92 1.2

40.1 12.98 0.61 1.3 18.98 0.219 108 4.06 15.36 190 52.9 19.74 63.85 62 82.3 2.03 5.3 11 11.64 14.8 11.44 7.8 5.67 1.76 15.9 63 30 10.1 21.15 2.08 291.8 52.05 4.14 3.14 28.05 17.76 19.98 321 0.195 8.88 2.91 4.91 9.46 6.38 1.58 13 59 6.05 660 4.9 2.01 1.69 16.4 5.5 0.134 1.1 159.9 2.73 1.92 1.25

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

0.305 72.7 15.24 1.14 6.95 0.6 0.62 1,006 7.54 13.74 7.5 1,280 73.7 0.73 5.4 22.95 0.31 6.21 0.038 1.16 2.9 145 986 1.62 279 0.235 0.183 0.19

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 DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL

6.3 0.93 18 2.18 0.88 44 3.62 4.6 5.81 0.46 1.1 1.1 0.241 0.43 37 0.63 1.79 1.36 0.75 4.9 0.35 0.325 0.51 4.13 34 20.8 1.97

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

3.23 35.2 1.01 20.8 0.82 6.4

3.23 35.9 1.02 20.8 0.84 6.6

3.22 35 1.01 18 0.81 6.4

3.23 35 1.02 18.5 0.83 6.55

54,000 5,814,100 1,031,000 863,800 63,000 6,633,700

174,400 204,289,205 1,047,690 16,119,131 51,800 43,406,516

-105,438,745 -1,128,272 -10,394,880

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

18.9 32.9 1.36 0.44 0.045 11.58 5.34 13.24 0.066 101.3 9.08 8.36 2.82 61.8 1,785 6.04 176.2 12.68 5.7 2.85 110.5 12.6 8.31 0.141 1.57 3.22 15 4 1.05 26.3 0.51 4.75 8.5 3.5 19 7.25 10.4 10.54 2.81 8.21 109 6.7 1,520 1.2 0.355 50.1 94.1 6.24 2.89 1.42 0.61 3.78 0.96 10.9

19.08 33 1.37 0.455 0.052 11.58 5.34 13.38 0.067 101.3 9.1 8.6 2.85 61.8 1,793 6.06 180 12.68 5.76 2.87 111 13.28 8.31 0.141 1.67 3.31 15 4 1.1 26.85 0.51 4.85 8.62 3.5 21 7.92 10.4 10.74 2.84 8.21 109 6.75 1,529 1.23 0.355 50.75 95 6.25 2.89 1.42 0.62 3.78 0.98 11.38

18.9 31.9 1.32 0.44 0.045 11.58 5.34 13 0.066 100.2 8.93 8.36 2.61 55.05 1,775 6.03 166 12.68 5.45 2.85 108.1 12.5 8.31 0.137 1.56 3.18 14.92 3.98 1.05 24.7 0.51 4.53 8.41 3.43 17.22 7.19 10.4 10 2.81 8.2 107 6.65 1,509 1.19 0.34 50 94.1 6.1 2.82 1.38 0.55 3.66 0.94 10.9

SERVICES 19.08 32.1 1.37 0.44 0.051 11.58 5.34 13.3 0.067 100.8 9.05 8.6 2.66 55.7 1,775 6.06 169 12.68 5.58 2.87 110 13.28 8.31 0.139 1.6 3.31 14.92 3.98 1.05 25 0.51 4.56 8.52 3.45 18.98 7.9 10.4 10.74 2.84 8.2 108 6.65 1,525 1.19 0.35 50 95 6.23 2.85 1.39 0.56 3.67 0.94 11.08

57,600 127,300 15,000 180,000 171,600,000 100 100 13,033,400 4,160,000 65,820 840,800 86,900 163,000 325,450 26,565 211,600 195,910 19,300 4,437,100 51,000 612,100 6,900 2,000 7,970,000 1,970,000 49,000 12,100 216,000 317,000 3,332,900 3,000 455,000 8,183,400 550,000 8,100 40,760,800 14,700 28,100 11,000 10,500 7,930 660,800 90,195 4,627,000 300,000 754,150 547,200 71,800 398,000 1,750,000 143,283,000 576,000 5,622,000 38,109,900

1,092,652 4,083,935 20,300 79,800 8,579,700 1,158 534 172,972,550 276,160 6,630,418 7,577,534 740,936 449,550 18,728,640 47,353,345 1,279,857 33,671,992 244,724 24,870,769 145,790 67,253,567 86,668 16,620 1,106,620 3,164,450 157,770 180,606 861,160 333,850 85,844,655 1,530 2,096,430 69,803,928 1,898,740 157,958 313,101,879 152,880 289,140 31,050 86,120 856,410 4,410,360 137,289,545 5,558,480 105,950 37,829,910 51,909,165 445,127 1,131,510 2,429,870 83,519,900 2,127,520 5,366,260 426,940,776

3,780.00 111,900 20,041,210 -1,144,891 -107,880 -253,283 -38,665,210 176,000 146,013 -49,403,013 53,430 131,200 7,980 -1,412,495 46,140 -6,461,119.00 72,440 3,143,435 -57,410.00 150,120 33,250 -15,383,875 2,528,280 -15,868,186 -10,169,494.50 572,610 -789,520 89,530 -95,000 145,260,540

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

0.0023 1.52 4.9 12.1 1.59 0.31 7.47 2.5 0.192 0.151 0.156 0.0091 0.0094 1.5 6.35 1.41 0.88 0.012 0.012 2.04 6.43 8.38 35.7 0.007

0.0024 1.54 5 13.08 1.6 0.33 7.65 2.51 0.199 0.151 0.157 0.0093 0.0094 1.51 6.41 1.41 0.89 0.013 0.012 2.23 6.6 8.45 35.8 0.007

0.0023 1.51 4.89 12.08 1.58 0.31 7.32 2.47 0.192 0.149 0.155 0.0091 0.0094 1.49 6.29 1.35 0.88 0.012 0.011 2.04 6.4 8.23 35.3 0.0069

MINING & OIL 0.0024 1,235,000,000 1.52 1,669,000 4.9 280,000 13 6,100 1.6 755,000 0.32 140,000 7.55 13,400 2.47 1,213,000 0.195 400,000 0.149 15,550,000 0.156 1,190,000 0.0093 3,000,000 0.0094 1,000,000 1.49 438,000 6.31 1,508,900 1.39 25,000 0.88 255,000 0.013 80,500,000 0.011 23,300,000 2.07 7,000 6.4 600,800 8.23 2,147,400 35.3 2,154,200 0.0069 3,000,000

2,929,800 2,530,080 1,378,870 76,728 1,198,260 45,400 101,797 3,027,510 78,240 2,331,140 186,130 27,500 9,400 657,420 9,564,741 34,620 224,660 968,200 267,900 14,600 3,865,843 17,862,780 76,410,330 20,800

-38,000 -74,260 39,000 -237,750 29,780 2,094,395 -1,629,503 -86,609 -30,263,420 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF F GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H

32.25 516 518 107.1 103.8 103.8 5.94 1,007 101.7 1.04 1,175 1,007 77 81 76.65 79 77 77.5

32.25 516 518 107.1 103.8 103.8 5.94 1,007 101.9 1.04 1,175 1,007 77 81 76.65 79 77 78

32.05 509.5 518 107 103.8 101.3 5.94 1,005 101.3 1.04 1,175 1,000 77 81 76.5 78.85 77 77.5

PREFERRED 32.25 51,700 509.5 12,000 518 370 107 6,000 103.8 600 103.8 1,100 5.94 3,500 1,005 1,800 101.9 7,200 1.04 1,018,000 1,175 5 1,001 7,160 77 920 81 7,520 76.5 7,000 79 49,100 77 29,400 78 98,700

1,663,915 6,120,465 191,660 642,020 62,280 113,930 20,790 1,809,010 729,760 1,058,720 5,875 7,166,870 70,840 609,120 535,681 3,878,780 2,263,800 7,654,750

170,950 -6,115,355 5,875 -3,815,700 -2,263,800 -

LR WARRANT

2.4

2.4

2.34

WARRANTS 2.4 236,000

555,330

-

SME ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

6.84 2.9 4.75 4

6.87 2.9 4.93 4

6.16 2.88 4.54 3.9

6.17 2.88 4.79 3.9

37,029,601 14,440 7,991,560 5,458,140

-3,704,291 -217,140 -1,866,760

FIRST METRO ETF

129.3

129.8

128.8

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 6.68 0.94 19.48 2.15 0.89 43.55 3.64 4.64 5.8 0.455 1.13 1.11 0.242 0.485 36.4 0.65 1.8 1.33 0.75 4.89 0.345 0.315 0.51 4 34 20.4 2.03

2,286,000 1,805,000 264,700 511,000 1,031,000 8,219,600 149,000 2,754,000 145,100 13,050,000 286,000 446,000 64,430,000 10,090,000 381,300 87,000 4,818,000 1,108,000 38,000 27,552,000 82,900,000 3,260,000 1,840,000 1,567,000 700 1,069,600 1,551,000

USD DMPL A2

10.28

TRADING SUMMARY

10.28

SHARES

FINANCIAL

33,162,582

INDUSTRIAL

86,869,322

HOLDING FIRMS

179,502,849

PROPERTY

246,964,419

SERVICES

458,750,059

MINING & OIL

1,376,144.775

GRAND TOTAL

2,390,379,849

10.28

5,804,200 5,000 1,692,000 1,391,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 128.8 86,160 DDS 10.28

3,800

11,153,886 39,064

1,293 -

VALUE 2,198.89 (up) 14.35 693,095,727.91 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,470.62 (down) 95.53 1,181,279,799.03 HOLDING FIRMS 8,607.61 (down) 7.67 1,226,271,684.368 PROPERTY 3,812.85 (down) 11.26 1,692.21 (down) 4.18 938,368,775.005 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,284.45 (down) 139.76 1,638,720,015.662 PSEI 8,487.91 (down) 15.78 123,857,617.557 All Shares Index 5,025.90 (down) 2.48 5,863,276,419.63 Gainers: 94; Losers: 118; Unchanged: 36; Total: 248

AEV sells interests in remittance company

By Jenniffer B. Austria ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. agreed to sell its 51 percent stake in money transfer and remittance firm PETNET Inc. to its thrift banking unit City Savings Bank and Union Properties Inc. for P1.2 billion as part of the conglomerate’s strategy to consolidate interests in banking and financial services.

AEV said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the sale would consolidate AEV’s interests in banking and financial services under Union Bank of the Philippines.

UnionBank currently owns 99.77 percent of CSB and 100 percent of UPI. “The sale and the resulting consolidation of all of AEV’s existing interests in banking and financial services will unlock shareholder value from the synergies between the core businesses of CitySavings and PETNET,” AEV said.

PETNET, the country’s leading urgent transaction center with over 2,500 locations nationwide, provides its customers with a comprehensive scope of reliable financial services (Western Union International and Domestic Remittance, money changing, bills payment, e-loading, DepEd loans and GSIS pension loan acceptance and micro-insurance) in one location.

Under the agreement, CSB and UPI will acquire 2.461 million shares in PETNET at P487.54 per share.

AEV said the value of the transaction was based on the agreed enterprise value for PETNET and its assets, net of the amount attributable to the other shareholders of PETNET. The deal is subject to approvals by the Philippine Competition Commission and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

AEV acquired a controlling stake in PETNET in 2015, while the existing shareholders of PETNET led by president Larry Ocampo continue to own 49 percent.

Established in 1998, PETNET aims to expand the network of Western Union in the Philippines.

Meanwhile AEV’s construction firm Aboitiz Construction Inc., and First Balfour recently, signed an agreement to explore potential project collaborations in the Visayas.

Globe ties up with three more big merchants

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. said it teamed up with three more big merchants to accept cashless payments via QR codes.

Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said it signed separate agreements with Kentucky Fried Chicken, National Book Store and Andoks Corp. to accept cashless payment on all its stores nationwide.

Cu added Globe was also looking at transport operators to accept QR codes payment.

“We’ve been in talks with this e-transport companies, e-jeepney companies, but nothing’s concrete yet. As more merchants come, more users will come. I think GCash is doing the right thing—putting a priority at the most relevant merchants,” he added.

There are over six million GCash app downloads, while active users stood at over one million.

GCash in August this year introduced the scan to pay feature in the GCash App that allowed customers to pay by simply scanning QR (quick response) codes of merchants.

To date, QR payments across different merchants accross the country have been deployed successfully, transforming the local retail scene into a cashless landscape.

GCash, operated by Mynt which is owned by Globe, Ant Financial and Ayala Corp., has been aggressively campaigning for cashless payment system using the GCash App scan to pay feature.

More than 4,000 GCash QRs are now being accepted in various merchants nationwide, including the biggest players in the retail industry such as Ayala Malls, Robinsons Department Store, SM Malls, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Cinema, Puregold, Ministop, and NCCC Malls.

Globe earlier posted a net income of P15.1 billion last year, down 5 percent from P15.9 billion in 2016 as increased investments in its data network pushed non- operating expenses and depreciation charges higher for the period.

Business/ World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

B3

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, World Editor

Improving aboriginal lives still a struggle

PARADE. A so-called Long Man carnival character takes part in the Jump of the Fools carnival parade on February 12, 2018 in the streets of Rottweil, southern Germany. AFP

US soldiers introduced jazz in Europe 100 years ago

Weinstein company sued for failing to protect staff

NANTES, France―A hundred years ago in World War One, a group of American soldiers stormed Europe―not to the boom of guns but the swinging rhythm of saxophones, drums and horns.

They came to fight in the mud against the Germans in a war approaching its end―but their arrival also marked the start of a sweeter, cultural conquest.

A hundred years ago on Monday, the 369th Infantry’s “Harlem Hellfighters Band” gave what is said to have been the first jazz concert on European soil―in the northwestern French city of Nantes.

“When the band had finished and the people were roaring with laughter, their faces wreathed in smiles, I was forced to say that this is just what France needed at this critical moment,” wrote one of the band members, Noble Sissle, in his memoirs.

On Monday Nantes launches a series of concerts, conferences and exhibitions to mark the centenary of that legendary gig.

Among the guests of honor at Monday night’s opening are three of the grandchildren of the orchestra’s leader, Lieutenant James Reese Europe―the black American bandleader known as the “king of jazz”.

After that night at Nantes’s Theatre Graslin, Europe would never sound the same again.

It “turned France upside down”, according to local press reports from the time.

“The ‘Jazz germ’ had hit them,” Sissle wrote, “and it seemed to find the vital spot.” AFP

EW YORK―New York state sued Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their production company on Sunday for failing to protect employees from years of his alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints from staff.

N

The lawsuit comes four months after the Hollywood mogul’s career ended over allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape now leveled by more than 100 women spanning 40 years.

State prosecutors said the suit, the result of an ongoing investigation, was filed out of fear that an imminent sale of The Weinstein Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy, could leave victims without adequate redress. The lawsuit now threatens to delay the sale.

Weinstein’s lawyer poured cold water on the lawsuit and presented his 65-year-old client as a supporter of women’s career advancement.

But state prosecutors accuse the company’s board and executives of repeatedly failing to take adequate steps to protect staff or curb Weinstein’s behavior, despite multiple complaints to human resources.

The twice-married father of five is being investigated by British and US police, but has not yet been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex and is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction.

The suit alleges that female assistants were required to facilitate Weinstein’s sex life as a condition of employment and had copies of a manual, known as a “Bible,” that included directions on how to do so.

Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to “kill” several staff or their families, and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could “take care of problems.”

They said one employee flew from London to New York to teach his assistants “how to dress and smell more attractive” to Weinstein.

Weinstein’s drivers in New York and Los Angeles were re-

quired to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times, prosecutors said.

Among the alleged misconduct was making a female employee take dictation while leering at her as he lay naked on his bed in 201415. He also allegedly put his hand on her upper thigh and buttocks near her genitalia to rub her without consent in the back of cars.

Largely female assistants allegedly contacted prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction, and maintained space on his calendar for sexual activity.

Female executives also allegedly had to meet prospective sexual conquests and follow through on promised job offers, which prosecutors said demeaned and humiliated them, fueling a hostile work environment.

The New York state attorney’s office said that, despite multiple complaints to the human resources department, there was no meaningful investigation or relief for victims, or consequences for Weinstein.

It said the company’s toxic work environment was shrouded in secrecy because of a practice of reaching non-disclosure agreements―a policy that has come under renewed scrutiny in InvItatIon to BId for Project no. 2018-01: reBIddIng of SuPPly and the wake of the sexual harassdelIvery of one (1) lot of motor vehIcleS ment watershed that has fol1. The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), through the Corporate lowed Weinstein’s downfall.

Budget for the Year 2018 intends to apply the sum of Seven Million “While Mr Weinstein’s beTwo Hundred Thousand Pesos(Php7,200,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for havior was not without fault, Project No. 2018-01: Rebidding of Supply and Delivery of One (1) Lot there certainly was no crimiof Motor Vehicles consisting of five (5) units of Pick-up Truck and One nality,” Weinstein’s lawyer Ben (1) unit of Passenger Van. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Brafman, one of America’s most 2. The SHFC now invites bids for the Rebidding of Supply and Delivery of celebrated criminal defense atOne (1) Lot of Motor Vehicles [Five (5) units of Pick-up Truck and One torneys, said in a statement.

(1) unit of Passenger Van]. Delivery of the Goods is required within thirty “At the end of the inquiry, it (30) calendar days from the date of receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

Bidders should have completed, within two (2) years from the date of will be clear that Harvey Weinsubmission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The stein promoted more women to description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, key executive positions than any particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. other industry leader and there 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 was zero discrimination.” AFP

Objectionable characteristics of excise taxes ONE of the objectionable characteristics of a tax system oriented toward excise taxes is its adverse effect on income equalization. A tax system that seeks to reduce income inequality should tax the poor—directly or indirectly— less than the wealthy. But that is not what excise taxes do; they take resources from the poor and the wealthy at the same rate. The result is that they afflict the poor proportionately more heavily than they do the wealthy.

That is the effect of indirect taxation— taxes on what people buy rather than on what they earn—at the level of the individual. Its effect at the level of the economy as a whole is arguably even worse.

The problem—and the risk—associated with excise-taxation-oriented policymaking is that the policymakers seek to generate the greatest possible amount of government revenue from their efforts. That means targeting (1) goods and services that carry high price tags and (2) goods and services that are widely consumed because of their basic nature. There is no problem with the first category of excise-taxable goods and services; goods such as high-priced motor vehicle and services such as cosmetological procedures have limited markets and thus can be taxed heavily without widespread resistance. But a problem arises when heavy taxes are levied on the sale and purchase of goods and services that are consumed by the broad mass of Filipinos on a daily basis.

The negative impact of such excise taxation is felt on two fronts, namely, the incomes of low-income consumers and the structure of prices as represented by the

consumer price index (CPI). Indeed the deleterious effect of taxation of basic goods and services began to manifest itself even before the approval of the TRAIN (Tax Reform and Inclusion) law, as producers and sellers adjusted their prices upward in anticipation of the implementation of TRAIN’s excise-tax charges. Since then, of course, the upward movement of prices has proceeded in earnest.

The trick to—and the danger in— resorting to excise taxes to increase government revenue lies in the location of the excisetaxed goods and services in the cost/price chain. The Department of Finance (DOF), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) have been laboring hard to downplay the strength of the inflationary force that has been unleashed by the TRAIN increases in petroleum-products prices. It is wrong for these agencies of government to do so because petroleum products translate into transportation costs (fares and producer distribution charges) and housekeeping costs (lighting and appliance-use expenses). The addition of a few hundred pesos monthly to transportation and household expenses may not mean anything to a wellheeled family but it means a great deal to a middle-income or poor family’s budget.

Those who craft tax policy need to understand the psychology of inflation. That psychology embodies elements of anticipation and defensiveness. Looking around the marketplace, particularly at their competitors, producers and sellers may change the

SYDNEY―Australia is making some progress in improving health and education among its indigenous population, an annual report said Monday, but it is still missing most targets to reduce Aboriginal disadvantage a decade after launching a major campaign.

The 10th “Closing the Gap” study found authorities were on track to meet just three out of seven targets to help health, education and employment outcomes among Aborigines catch up with the non-indigenous population.

Efforts were showing results in areas such as reducing Aboriginal child mortality and improving rates of high school qualifications.

But four other areas including boosting indigenous employment and life expectancy were falling behind.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said results were improving, after Australia had been on track to meet just one target the year before.

“Three of the seven targets are on track this year, giving us the most promising result since 2011,” he told parliament.

“The last decade has given us a richer understanding about what works and what does not,” he said, adding the most valuable lesson had come from working more closely with indigenous people.

Aborigines, who make up about three percent of the total national population of 25 million, are among the most disadvantaged Australians.

Monday’s report―marking a decade since former prime minister Kevin Rudd made a historic apology to Aboriginal people for centuries of injustice―showed the target to halve the gap in child mortality with non-indigenous Australians by 2018 was on track to be met.

The mortalManila EXTRAJUDICIAL ity rate for in- Standard SETTLEMENT TODAY digenous children under four Notice is hereby given the estate of the years old has that late Freddie Lozano fallen from 217 Gabatino has been per 100,000 in extrajudicially settled heirs as per 1998 to 145 among Doc. No. 188; Page per 100,000 in No. 39; Book No. 2016, but it is III; Series of 2018, Atty. Leonardo still far higher before S. Godinez, Notary than the rest of Public until Dec. 31, the population. 2018 for Taguig City AFP

price structures of their merchandise in anticipation of probable marketplace changes or in defense of their profit margins.

Inflation may come in a single wave, such as we have seen in the months immediately preceding TRAIN’s approval. But the psychology of inflation suggests that we have not seen the end of the TRAINinduced price upcreep and that at least one more wave of post-TRAIN price increases is coming. In adjusting the upward end of its 2018 inflation range to 4.5 percent, I trust that the BSP was keeping its institutional fingers crossed.

Taxes on income—individual and corporate—are difficult to collect, so those earning P250,000 or more per annum who no longer have to file ITRs (income tax returns) may not have filed ITRs anyway. On the other hand, there is no escaping taxes on sales and purchases of goods and services; the Meralco (Manila Electric Co.) collector, the gas-station operator and jeepney and taxi drivers will take care of collecting for the the proceeds of the increases in petroleum-products prices.

Rely more on excise tax revenues and rely less on income tax revenues: that appears to be the Duterte administration’s taxation strategy. Is it?

E-mail: romero.business.class@gmail.com

(MS-FEB. 13, 2018)

Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from SHFC and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during officer hours from8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M..

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on February 13, 2018in the address indicated belowand upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Ten Thousand Pesos (Php10,000.00).

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The SHFC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 21, 2018, 2:00 P.M. at SHFC Board Room, 5th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before March 12, 2018, 10:00 A.M. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on March 12, 2018, 10:00 A.M.atSHFC Board Room, 5th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

SHFC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. SHFC reserves the right to waive any or all formal requirements, so that it shall likewise not be held liable for any defects or typographical errors in all documents received by the bidder, which shall be presumed to have been read and understood by the bidders to be mere defects in form only The SHFC reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Ethel S. Bugho BAC Secretariat Social Housing Finance Corporation 6th Floor, BDO Plaza, 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City (T) +63 2 750 6337 (loc) 732 ebugho@shfcph.com www.shfcph.com (SGD) ATTY. JOSE D. MELGAREJO Chairman, BAC

(MS-FEB. 13, 2018)

LGUs

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

B4

tuesday, february 13, 2018

LocaL government units

Mayon victims get aid from Muntinlupa, Caloocan

CULTURE CHAMPION.

Senator Loren Legarda (second from right) hands over a plaque of appreciation to Biñan Rep. Marlyn B. ‘Len’ Alonte Naguiat for championing arts and culture in the Laguna city by gearing it toward culture-based governance. The work includes the establishment of a local Heritage District, restoration of the town plaza, acquisition of heritage sites, and the declaration of important cultural properties.

Flanking them are Biñan Vice Mayor Gel Alonte (left) and Mayor Walfredo ‘Arman’ Dimaguila Jr.

In BrIef 2nd batch of Joy’s college scholars set The Quezon City government has started organizing the second batch of students who will be enrolled in Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte’s free community college program.

Belmonte is discussing with Ateneo de Manila University, the Division of City Schools, and Technical education and Skills Development Authority for the enrollment of another batch of high school dropouts, out-of-school youths and even young solo parents wanting to finish school.

“The media always asks me what my office does for out-of-school youth. The Quezon City community college program is our response. We started in one school and now we’ll be in three,” she said.

The program offers poor city residents a second shot at finishing school through one-year technicalvocational courses at Tesda and a special program under the prestigious Ateneo Center for educational Development of AdMU. Rio N. Araja

noveleta couples in mass wedding rites NOVeLeTA, Cavite—hundreds of couples in common law partnerships in this town will officially get married on Valentine’s Day in a mass wedding sponsored by the local government.

Mayor Dino Reyes Chua will administer the civil rites on Feb. 14 at el Palacio hotel and Resort in Barangay San Rafael IV. Chua will also shoulder the reception, bouquet of flowers, wedding cakes, and souvenirs of the couples tying the knot.

Chua, Vice Mayor Donnie Torres, Councilor Davey Chua and other councilors will act as godparents of the couples.

FcF forest project 3rd in mining awards QUeZON, Nueva Vizcaya—The forest program of FCF Minerals Corp. in barangay Runruno here won a national award during the recent Annual National Mine Safety and environment Conference in Baguio City.

FCFMC grabbed Third Place in the 2017 Best Mining Forest Award–Metallic Category for its implementation of its “Adopt a Tree, Adopt a Mining Forest Program” at Camp John hay Trade and Cultural Center in Baguio.

The award, organizers of the ANMSeC said, recognizes responsible mining companies who initiated successful efforts in achieving environmentally- and socially-responsible surface mining and mineral processing operations.

The Best Mining Forest Contest is being implemented through the Mining Forest Program of the Department of environment and Natural Resources Department Administrative Order No. 22 of 1989, providing guidelines for the implementation of the “Adopt a Tree, Adopt a Mining Forest Program”. Ben Moses Ebreo

Protect youth, Binay urges Makati elders

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

AKATI City Mayor Abigail Binay on Monday urged parents, teachers and community leaders to continue taking active roles against crime by closely coordinating with the city government and the police to protect residents, particularly the youth, from bad elements of society.

Binay made the appeal after the arrest of three of the five individuals, including three minors, believed responsible for killing an 18-year-old student of San Antonio high School during gang-related violence last Friday.

Arrested were Ryugene Adan of Barangay Poblacion and Jigo Guerzon of Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque City, both 19 years old; and their minor companion, who is a resident of Barangay San Antonio.

Two other suspects, who are also minors, earlier surrendered to the police.

“We all need to fulfill our respective roles in keeping the youth safe and protected from any form of danger, whether they are at home, in school, or anywhere in the city. Let us not allow all

our efforts to provide quality education for our children go to waste, and prevent such a senseless death from happening again in our city,” said Binay.

She also urged residents to promptly report through My Makati Facebook or the Makati Police any suspicious activities of fraternities or gangs in their communities.

“Let us all be vigilant against potential threats to residents, especially the youth, and immediately notify the authorities to prevent them from causing harm on anyone,” said Binay.

The five were tagged responsible for the death of John ernest Rivera, a resident of Barangay La Paz, who sustained several stab wounds during an alleged gang-related confrontation in front of the school.

LIVESTOCK FOR FAMILIES.

Dr. Isa Conjuanco Suntay (center) co-founder of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation, assists Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Rolando Bautista in turning over a cow to farmer Florentino Bautista, one of the beneficiaries of the foundation’s ‘Handog Pangkabuhayan’ animal dispersal project at Sitio Ermita, Brgy. Abogado, Paniqui, Tarlac. A total of 110 families have received different animals since the program’s inception, and THF will be awarding 11 qualified individuals who have fulfilled the program’s criteria with cash incentives.

Lino Santos

NLEX finishing 6 interchanges to declog traffic in San Fernando

By Romeo Dizon

CLARK FReePORT, Pampanga— NLeX Corp. will construct six interchanges worth P20 billion to help travelers reach the western parts of Pampanga, Bataan, and Zambales without passing through the congested Jose Abad Santos Avenue in the City of San Fernando, the company said.

Raul L. Ignacio, senior vice president for construction and engineering of NLeX Corp., said the project will create alternate routes past the congested San Fernando city downtown.

During a media forum here, Ignacio said the planned interchanges, composed of 38 kilometers of roads with two-by-two lanes, will start in Sto. Tomas, MacArthur, Bacolor, and Lubao towns in Pampanga and Dinalupihan in Bataan.

Ignacio said NLeX Corp. is also widening the northbound exit ramp of the San Fernando interchange—a project worth P28 million—for vehicles with higher capacities that would lead to faster transactions at the toll plaza.

The projects, which started June 25, 2017, are expected to be completed by

“I strongly condemn this horrific act of violence which has abruptly ended the life of a young man, along with his dreams of a bright future. It is very alarming that some of the alleged suspects are minors,” said Binay.

The mayor expressed her condolences to the family of the victim, and extended financial assistance for the funeral arrangements. She also vowed to closely monitor the progress of the case until all the culprits have been brought to justice.

Last Friday, Binay ordered Makati Police chief Gerardo Umayao to immediately launch an intensive search for the suspects upon learning of the incident.

Poice said the rumble happened around 4:20 p.m. in front of San Antonio high School. Rivera had gone to the school with some friends when he got engaged in a brawl with members of the Youth Scorpion Fraternity outside the school.

A frat member allegedly approached Rivera and punched him. In the ensuing brawl, other members allegedly took out fan knives (balisong) and stabbed the victim repeatedly.

The City of Muntinlupa will donate P3 million to build bathrooms and install septic tanks in schools used as evacuation centers by residents displaced by the Mayon Volcano eruption in the province of Albay.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi also said the city is turning over 900 sacks of rice to the evacuees—400 sacks handed out in Daraga and other Albay towns last Jan. 27 and 500 more on Feb. 16.

The rest of the funds will be used to purchase hygiene kits, sleeping mats, and grocery packages, Fresnedi said, and evacuees who would work on the construction of the facilities, which would serve at least 7,900 persons, will be compensated.

Meanwhile, the Caloocan City Council also approved P2 million in financial assistance for Tabaco City and Malilipot town in Albay as aid to victims of Mayon’s eruption.

According to District 1 Councilor Aurora henson, two resolutions have been issued by the Sangguniang Panlungsod to allow the city government to release P1 million funds each in assistance to the two areas heavily damaged by the volcanic eruptions.

Secretary to the mayor Lilubeth Luakian said Caloocan will also provide other needs that can be given to constituents of the affected areas, such as sleeping mats, building materials, kitchen and toilet facilities and other relief goods.

In past disasters, Mayor Oscar Malapitan personally handed the city government’s assistance to Tacloban, Marawi and Ormoc.

Library prints book on QC milestones

By Rio N. Araja QUeZON City Mayor herbert Bautista has launched the city library’s first publishing venture, a book titled “QC Milestones: A Timeline of events that Shaped a Great City” featuring the city’s history and development.

The Quezon City Public Library and Information Center is the first public facility in the Philippines to expand into publishing. Bautista has vigorously pushed the public library to go into publishing as what prominent libraries abroad have been doing.

“QC Milestones” covers the history of the city starting 1588 until June 2016. “The book contains important dates, places, culture, events and names of people that play historical parts in the city. It allows the readers to look back into the past through several photographs,” Bautista said.

Publishing the book is part of Bautista’s vision to make the city globally competitive through the adoption of several best practices from progressive countries. “history holds many lessons that we must remember and take to heart as we face the present challenges that come to us,” the mayor said.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Civil Military Operations School has partnered with the Quezon City’s public library in learning puppetry.

YEAR OF THE DOG.

‘Peanuts’ characters Lucy, Snoopy and Charlie Brown kick off the Chinese New Year celebration at SM City Taytay with a young girl, whose mother is a big fan of the comic strip.

The incoming year is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Norman Cruz

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MstandardLIfe tuesday, february 13, 2018

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Life

health and environment FITSPIRATIONS. Century Tuna Superbods Ageless Alice Dixson, Ina Raymundo, and Sunshine Cruz join Century Tuna Superbods Hotties Paulo Avelino, Gerald Anderson, and Matteo Guidicelli in the canned tuna’s latest TVC.

Strong and sexy at any age

J

AWS dropped when 90s bombshells Alice Dixson, Ina Raymundo, and Sunshine Cruz appeared in a canned tuna TVC with their svelte physiques and gorgeous looks—like age hasn’t crept up on them.

The three ladies, who are all in their 40s (Dixson at 48, Raymundo at 42, and Cruz at 40), are the ultimate ageless “fitspirations” to those at their same age range who think they can no longer do it and to those who are younger but has hundreds of excuses not to reach their fittest potential.

To prove that age is just a number, Century Tuna Superbods, the country’s most awaited health and fitness summer event, searches for the fittest and healthiest men and women age 18 to 50.

“This year’s Superbods search revolves around the theme of ageless,” says Greg Banzon, general manager of Century Pacific Food, Inc. Dubbed the Century Tuna Superbods Ageless 2018, the bi-annual event, for the first time ever, features two categories with 36 finalists: 20 finalists in the 18-37 years old category and 16 finalists in the 38-50 years old category.

Banzon shares, “This time around, we want to put forth the message that age should not be a hindrance to staying fit and healthy, and that we should never stop in our pursuit of physical fitness and wellness. That’s why we added a totally new category for those 38-50 years old.”

Century Tuna marketing manager Gela Pecson says this year’s edition of the popular search aims to prove that strength and sexiness can be achieved at any age. “Which is why, this year, we’re encouraging and motivating everyone, especially those in the ageless bracket, to take part and prove to others that nothing is impossible if you set your mind and heart into it.”

The Century Tuna Superbods Ageless 2018 kicked off with a nationwide go-see on Feb. 11 in Davao City, followed by search in Cebu and Manila on Feb. 18, 24, and 25. These will be

followed by a slate of exhilarating activities: The VIP Night to be hosted by Mond Gutierrez and Gelli Victor; the Ultimate Challenge that will test the finalists’ mental and physical health to be held at the Inflatable Island, Subic; the Superbods Weekend including the fun Underpants Run in Filinvest; the Zalora Fashion Show, which culminates in the Finals Night on April 12 at the Cove, Okada Manila.

Up for grabs are P500,000 each for four winners (one men and one women in each category), a training contract with Star Magic this year, and a Chevrolet Trax.

Also at stake are special awards including Stylish Superbod of the night, People’s Choice, Best in Congeniality, Superbods Photogenic, Runway Superbod of the night, Superbod Beach Bod, and Superbods Challenge Winner.

Visit Century Tuna Superbods on Facebook for more details, updates on events, and registration.

Ageless goddesses Ina Raymundo, Sunshine Cruz, and Alice Dixson are gorgeous, strong, and sexy at 40.

Dr. Doni Wilson, a celebrated naturopathic doctor, author and clinical nutritionist

US Naturopathic doctor

tackles effective stress busters TOO much stress can end up disrupting body systems, triggering illness, and impeding optimal health.

Countless studies point out that chronic stress, including from job strain and non-work-related matters like major life change, can have negative health effects. Chronic stress, among others, can activate systems that can have long-term effects on things like insulin resistance, obesity, and high blood pressure.

People can make changes to their daily routine to fight stress and lessen its impacts, but sometimes, these measures are not enough, if not working.

Celebrated naturopathic doctor from the US, Dr. Donielle “Doni” Wilson is coming to the Philippines to share insights and tips on how to effectively counteract the many daily stressors that can lead to unfavorable health issues in the wellness forum, Healthy Options Talks on Feb. 22, 6:00 p.m. at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

Dr. Doni Wilson is no stranger to stress. She attributes her good health to mastering how to support the body, through the application of applying science, with food, exercise, sleep, and stress remedies.

Partnering with Healthy Options, the leading all-natural products store in the Philippines, the naturopath will be sharing very helpful guidelines like eating well and understanding beforehand how the stress response is shaped and how things can spiral into a vortex of stress-related symptoms.

In her bestselling book, “The Stress Remedy - Master Your Body’s

Synergy & Optimize Your Health,” Dr. Wilson delves on the science of how stress affects the body. The human stress response, she explained, is a dynamic interaction between our bodies, minds, emotions, life events, environment, and history. She elaborates on how to determine which of your problem networks are out of balance.

She has helped women, men, and children overcome health challenges and achieve wellness goals with individualized strategies addressing their whole being. Rather than thinking of health as the ability to skilfully manage or treat illnesses as they occur, Dr. Wilson intends to let people see how they can move closer to the experience of total, energized health, or the peak condition that they are capable of.

Dr. Wilson will teach audience how to achieve optimal synergy using her stress remedy master plan. Each person responds differently to various forms of stress, both emotional and physical stresses (trauma, infection, or toxins, for example). By knowing how to effectively support your body to recover from stress and to reduce your exposure to disruptors, you can be more productive, healthier, and happier.

Learning to combat or beat stress in its tracks can prevent the onset of a wide range of medical conditions that may get in the way of a happy and productive life.

For inquiries and ticket reservation, contact events@healthyoptions.com. ph or 0917-8098479.

Wellness campaign for BPO agents

Former Health secretary Jean Ubial-Rosell and Johnson & Johnson Philippines brand manager Karlo Patron lead the launch of Voice Your Care campaign

“BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) appeal to many working-age Filipinos because of the abundance of jobs they offer.

Finding and keeping well-paying jobs is a real concern for many BPO workers, a lot of whom support families and households financially. However, health and wellness should not take a backseat to keeping the job and advancing in one’s career.”

This sentiment is shared by Karlo Patron a brand manager of healthcare company Johnson & Johnson.

According to a study written by Lorenza Errighi, Charles Bodwell, and Sameer Khatiwada, entitled, “Business Process Outsourcing in the Philippines: Chal-

lenges for Decent Work,” night shifts are one of the major contributing factors that can cause disruptions in work-life balance, affecting both the physical and psychological well-being.

In a bid to promote health and wellness within the huge BPO sector in the country, J&J Philippines and the Department of Health launched Voice Your Care.

Through health modules co-created with the DOH, on-ground activities, workshops with healthcare practitioners, and information driven digital content, Voice Your Care hopes to create a behavioral change that would empower every BPO agent to actively seek treat-

ment for their ailments and choose a healthier lifestyle.

J&J Philippines and the DOH will be rolling out activities throughout the year; including health caravans with healthcare practitioners, corporate social responsibility initiatives with private companies, and strategic partnerships with BPO companies.

“As a leader in healthcare, we want to make sure that we are present in every Filipino’s life stage—making sure to care for them in every way that we can, in whatever environment they are in. Through Voice Your Care, we hope to start that change in the BPO industry,” ended Patron, Voice Your Care project lead.

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tuesday, february 13, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Curing cancer with care and technology WhIlE advances in medical science have greatly helped improve the efficacy of cancer treatment, science has also shown that beating cancer is by no means purely a technological endeavor.

Genuine compassion and heartfelt care are essentials to cancer survival. It is with these insights in mind that the new Cancer Care Center at ManilaMed was designed from top to bottom. “one of the newer features of the Cancer Care Center which we are trying to introduce is the concept of the multi-disciplinary team approach in the management of Cancer,” says Cancer Care Center head medical oncologist Dr. Dennis sacdalan. “We bring people from different disciplines, different specialties together in one setting, and they’re there to discuss a patient so that all aspects of the patient’s treatment can be covered.”

Manilamed’s Linear Accelerator utilizes focused radiation to kill cancer cells

PSBank vice president and Human Resources Group head Mark Lord Limson (4th from left) present the check donation to Resources for the Blind, Inc.

A SMART way to farm Monsanto Philippines launched this February a nationwide farmer training program, dubbed sMaRt Farm, meant to teach smallholder corn growers across the country best farm management practices and the latest corn planting technologies.

In its first year, the program targets to reach out to over 20,000 farmers in different corn regions in the Philippines. sMaRt Farm’s Center of Excellence lead John Fajardo said that smallholder farmers (farmer owning small-based plots of land), who make up around 80 percent of all farmers in the country, are often challenged with rural isolation and limited agronomic know-how, which limit their potential for increased productivity and profitability.

Monsanto Philippines established 16 sMaRt Farms across the country where two to three days of lectures and hands-on workshops will be conducted each planting season. these demo farms also serve as a shop where farmers can buy high-yielding and disease-resistant corn seed products at competitive prices. the training will be first conducted in Bugallon, Pangasinan. It will be followed by a series of trainings in other corn growing regions in tarlac, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos sur, Isabela, occidental Mindoro, Camarines sur, Capiz, and Iloilo. “through this program, we aim to further sustain the productivity of the sector and improve the profitability of the livelihoods of our smallholder farmers,” said Monsanto’s Corporate Engagement lead Charina Garrido-ocampo.

Bright future for underprivileged children t

hREE organizations committed to educating, nurturing, and protecting underprivileged children received donations from PsBank to aid in their projects and charitable efforts.

the bank gave a total of P300,000 to its three Corporate social Responsibility partners: World Vision, Resources for the Blind, Inc., and Chosen Children Village Foundation, Inc. the Bank presented the donation to World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF) during WVDF’s Corporate Partners night on nov. 23 last year. this is to assist in the organization’s activities centered on child welfare, education, and disaster relief. last Dec. 11, PsBank employees through PsBank hRG – Employee Engagement, donated new clothes to children with special needs at Chosen Children Village Foundation, Inc. in silang, Cavite. CCVFI provides for the daily sustenance, special education, and therapy of special children. to date, the facility houses 80 children.

“We accept infants as young as one month old but our oldest is 21 years old. some are fortunate enough to have adoptive families but most stay with us until they grow old. this is why we need all

Chosen Children Village Foundation Finance Director Neth Maraan (left) accepts the check from PSBank Employee Engagement Department head Anthony G. Sarmiento.

Dr. liangco, also an oncologist at the center explains, “When a patient is treated for cancer, there is a tendency for the treatment to be disjointed, especially if the patient is seeing many doctors like a surgeon, a pain specialist, etc. there is a tendency for some of the data to get lost in translation, some time to be lost, and for things to be inefficient in general.” he continues, “that is one of the reasons why we are coming up with a multi-disciplinary team approach for cancer, the efficacy of the MDt approach is supported by studies.” aside from its novel approach, the Cancer Care Center at ManilaMed will have only the best hardware in the country. the centerpiece of the Cancer Care Center is a state-of-the-art linear accelerator (lInaC) provided by the Philippine oncology Center Corporation. lInaC is a radiation therapy machine that utilizes focused radiation to kill cancer cells. In many cases radiation is a less drastic and less invasive option than surgery.

“Unlike older technologies, the medical lInaC machine can zero in on a tumor and minimize the damage to healthy tissue,” explains head Medical Physicist Raquel santecera. according to chief of Radiation oncology, Dr. Vicente hizon, “the model of lInaC at ManilaMed is the most advanced in the Philippines. It is one of only three similar machines in the whole country, and in Metro Manila, only Medical City has a comparable machine.”

Dr. hizon and Raquel go on to explain that the most advanced feature of this lInaC is Volumetric Modulated arc therapy. When older lInaCs have to move from angle to angle, delivery of radiation is stopped so that the beam can conform to the two-dimensional shape of the tumor from the new perspective, the model in ManilaMed can adjust the beam on the fly while continually delivering radiation. “accuracy in position and the accuracy of the dose are both very much improved. Because of this, survival, local tumor control and the side effects produced by the radiation treatment are better,” explains Dr. hizon.

ManilaMed utilizes state-of-the technology in curing cancer World Vision national director Rommel Fuerte accepts the check from PSBank assistant vice president and HRG-Leadership, Development, & Engagement Division head Anne Ilagan.

Smallholder farmers gather for a two- to threeday training and hands-on workshop at a SMART demo farm of Monsanto Philippines.

the help we can get to provide for them, just like what PsBank does,” said CCVFI finance director neth Maraan.

Finally, the PsBank Glee Club held a benefit concert on Dec. 5 for the visually-impaired children of Resources for the Blind, Inc. Proceeds were used to buy gifts for the children, which were given alongside the donation on Dec. 12. the Glee Club also serenaded the kids on the gift-giving day.

RBI has been advocating the education and integration of visually impaired children to society. they are

taught Braille and values education in their pre-school to help them transition to formal schooling. the organization also does counseling, rehabilitation and training and is actively involved in preventing blindness and restoring sight, whenever possible.

“We are touched by the efforts made by PsBank Glee Club. likewise, thank you for PsBank’s help. our projects for the children won’t be possible without the Bank,” RBI public relations officer Gloria Mendoza enthused during the event.

the final piece of the puzzle though is heart. “aside from having a team of doctors, we also hope to introduce other aspects of cancer care. Part of the multi-disciplinary team approach is to provide psycho-social support, even spiritual support. Pastoral care will be part and parcel of the multi-disciplinary management of patients,” shares Dr. sacdalan. he adds, “For patients who may not be cured of their cancer for a long time, we have a palliative care team that will be able to take care of these patients even outside the hospital.”

Call (02) 523-8121 local 2647 or go to manilamed.com.ph for more information.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Fall in love with local films this February L

OVE is in the air this February and if you’re celebrating the love month with an SO (significant other) or flying solo, SM Cinema has got you covered as it presents local films with this amazing movie lineup that will make you fall in love, laugh, and cry to your heart’s desires.

Meet Me in St. Gallen Strangers Celeste (Bella Padilla) and Jesse (Carlo Aquino) meet in a coffee shop and have a dreamlike night together, never to see each other again—until they do, years later in the same coffee shop. Best seen with a date, or alone if your heart can take it, discover love and friendship with Jesse and Celeste in St. Gallen, which premiered on Feb. 7.

My Fairy Tail Love Story Can true love’s kiss really fix everything or is it not enough?

Watch Chantel (Janella Salvador), a girl who has everything, get cursed and turned into a compulsive singing mermaid and find out that love isn’t as simple as fairy tales make it out to be. Swim your way into the movie house with the family, friends or your would-be SO to this funny and kilig-worthy musical on Valentine’s Day.

Book your tickets now through the website, www.smcinema. com or get the app and skip the line. Download the SM Cinema app now through the App Store and Google Play. Stay tuned to SM Cinema on facebook and @SM_Cinema on Instagram for more details.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, February 13, 2018

57 Glitterati member 59 Deep hole 60 Cast a vote 61 Cardiologist’s concern 62 Get the point 63 Formation flyers 64 Female rabbits 65 Sullivan and Murrow DOWN 1 Acid in milk 2 Flourish 3 Ohio city 4 Roman naturalist 5 Galley slaves’ need 6 Mao — -tung 7 Earthy 8 Come to terms 9 Breached 10 Work, as yeast 11 Rascals 12 Lowell and Irving 15 Actually 21 Sites for showing (2 wds.)

23 Where the lion roars 25 Cadge 27 Status — 29 Root vegetable

30 Strong-scented plant 31 Peculiar 33 Vinyl records 34 Not masc.

35 Investment options 36 Tint 37 Electric swimmer 38 — kwon do 40 Snag 41 Oil source 42 High school subj.

From C4

Which animal signs are luckiest this year?

Feng shui and Chinese astrology expect Master Hanz Cua revealed in his new book (ABS-CBN Publishing) entitled Chinese Astrology 2018 that this year, the Year of the Earth Dog, will be full of energy and everyone will be at their most active pace.

“Based on Chinese zodiac, this year is full of action. There is good and overflowing lively energy brought to us by the New Year, which in turn will make us always on the go,” said Master Hanz, who shares daily horoscope in Umagang Kay Ganda.

The astrology master feels positive for 2018 and believes that it will be an actionpacked year. However, he stressed that because of this anticipated action, people may experience stress, tiredness and pressure, and he encouraged readers to face this challenge head on.

The expert also revealed that based on Chinese zodiac, those born in the Year of the Horse, Tiger, Rabbit, and Snake are among the luckiest for 2018. His book consequently includes suggestions on how to counter bad luck for those whose year is expected to be inauspicious.

His book, “Chinese Astrology 2018,” uncovers Master Hanz’s forecast for the whole year as well as his monthly prediction about career, money, love and relationships based on the Chinese zodiac 12 animal signs. He also included details on lucky colors and charms and suggested ways to maximize everyone’s potential and achieve this year’s vitality to the fullest.

Aside from Master Hanz’s new astrology manual, readers may also refer to his Feng Shui 101 book, also published by ABSCBN Publishing, for ways to use direction, measurement, and colors to invite positive chi or energy this new year. It includes practical tips to bring luck in homes, offices, or business, plus ways to avoid bad vibes.

He studied feng shui disciplines in Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and in other parts of the world. Aside from being an author and host, he also gives trainings and seminars on tarot card reading, palm and face reading, space cleaning, meditation classes, and many more. He received the “Seal of Excellence Award” for his feng shui skills in 2016.

The “Chinese Astrology 2018” and “Feng Shui 101” by Master Hanz Cua are now available in leading book stores and newsstands nationwide for only P285 each. *** ABS-CBN’s Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo”(BMPM) will continue going around Mo the Philippines for its intensified campaign to promote responsible use of technology and social media, and to educate people on how to analyze information received on the radio, TV, newspaper, and the Internet.

In 2017, BMPM was able to go to not less than 29 locations in the country, including the hard- to-reach provinces of Batanes and Tawi-Tawi, to conduct workshops in citizen journalism and media literacy.

Feng Shui master Hanz Cua

According to BMPM head Rowena “Weng” Paraan, it’s important that the public is properly equipped with the appropriate knowledge about the true goal and proper use of the media. Hence, from teaching citizen journalism for the past 10 years, BMPM has also started its media literacy campaign to fight the spread of fake news.

The media literacy campaign was formally launched in October 2017 through a news literacy workshop held in ABS-CBN that was attended by more than a hundred teachers from Quezon City who teach journalism and media information literacy classes, a required high school subject.

“We partnered with different agencies and organizations like the Department of Education to teach our countrymen the process of delivering news, and the proper consumption and sharing of information through the use of social media,” Weng shared.

She further explained that BMPM’s advocacy has increased with 1.9 million members or Bayan Patrollers in the country, including 1 million on Facebook.

“In BMPM, we believe that ordinary people have the capacity and the right to make a difference, not just in reporting news on anomalies and community issues, but also in creating concrete change,” she said.

Aside from teaching students to take better pictures and videos using their cellphones in reporting news in their community, and how to detect fake news, BMPM also gave a platform to the youth’s advocacies in each location.

In Batanes, the lack of school books was discussed. In Boracay, they also tackled the fight of the indigenous tribe of the Ati to reclaim their ancestral domain. In Samar, LGBT students were given support when their transgender comfort rooms were hailed.

Among the places visited by BMPM last 2017 was Abra, Antipolo, Apayao, Baguio, Batangas, Calasiao, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Ifugao, Isabela, Malolos, Mindoro, Naga, Novaliches, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Quirino, Sorsogon, Tarlac, and Tuguegarao in Luzon. In Visayas they were able to go to Antique, Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, and Tacloban, as well as Davao and Zamboanga in Mindanao.

SM Cinema will also screen other local films such as Joel Lamangan’s The Significant Other, an intriguing story that will show you the beauty in knowing what’s right, fixing what’s wrong and learning how to let go, starring Erich Garcia, Lovie Poe and Tom Rodriguez on Feb. 21; and My Perfect You with Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach and Gerald Anderson on Feb. 28.

Amnesia Love Award-winning actor, Paolo Ballesteros graces the big screen once more in this romantic comedy. Ballesteros plays an overworked, grouchy gay guy but things get a little more interesting when he accidentally falls off a cliff and forgets everything—including his gender.

Will Macky forget who he truly is or does the heart persist even when the person forgets?

Laugh and fall in love on Feb. 21 with Amnesia Love.

ACROSS 1 Soho co.

4 Stew cookers 8 Open-air lobbies 13 Gleeful shout 14 Powerful beam 16 Fairy tale brother 17 Shout 18 Singer — Cara 19 Hoarse 20 Atlas and Prometheus 22 Monotony 24 Walrus tusk 25 Swells outward 26 Small change 27 Second thought 28 Pita sandwich 32 Not cheerfully 34 Impostor 35 El — (inferior item) 38 Was rife with 39 Pistol fights 40 Flashes of light 43 Move merchandise 44 Dress style (hyph.)

45 Chair or bench 49 On the wane 51 Singer — Reese 52 Film hopefuls 55 Rewards for bravery 56 Irrationality

Simply Red...

44 Lincoln nickname 46 Pass 47 Joined forces 48 Takes a sip 50 Knife part 51 Mortgages 52 Bad air 53 Adhesive strip 54 Gambling stake 55 Simply 58 Mekong native

Last 2017, BMPM was able to go to not less than 29 locations in the country, including the hard to reach province of Tawi-Tawi.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

MAXINE, new third party for ARJO-SUE?

Former soldier, adventurer, and television presenter Ant Middleton From left: Mike Tuvierra, Rams David, GMA President and COO Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr, Marian, GMA Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, GMA SVP for ECG Lilybeth G. Rasonable, GMA EVP and CFO Felipe S. Yalong

ISAH V. RED

5 people, 1 impossible situation in new series

‘ESCAPE’

MISS Universe-Philippines 2016 finalist Maxine Medina struts her way to acting as she makes her teleserye debut and joins the cast of Kapamilya series Hanggang Saan.

After Paco’s (Arjo Atayde) heartbreaking split with Anna (Sue Ramirez), he will not face his plight of saving Sonya (Sylvia Sanchez) alone as he reunites with his exgirlfriend Georgette (Maxine), a fellow lawyer he met in law school.

Together, they will prove that Sonya was not the one who killed Mr. Lamoste (Eric Quizon) and will look into possible evidence that may help prove Sonya’s innocence.

However, Jacob (Ariel Riveral) has some tricks up his sleeves and plans to use Georgette to know all the vital information that will make Sonya lose her case.

Hanggang Saan airs after Asintado on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167). *** Boy Abunda’s book It’s Like This: 100+ Abundable Thoughts that will make you think and rethink what you’ve always thought about your life” topped National Book Store’s bestsellers list for nonfiction, Philippine publication category for the month of October 2017.

The latest book of Tonight With Boy Abunda host, formally launched by ABS-CBN Publishing at Shangri-La Plaza in September last year, is a good source of inspiration for readers as it contains life lessons, quotes, and selected essays that he wrote for his “Direct Line” column in another daily.

It covers his humble beginnings in Borongan, Eastern Samar; his unparalleled love for Nanay Lising; his personal challenges; his journey as a television host, inspirational speaker, and talent manager, among others.

Get to know more about Philippine television’s King of Talk and be inspired by his nuggets of wisdom in his bestselling manual, It’s Like This, available in National Book Store and Powerbooks for only P275.

Continued on C3

Marian Rivera arrives at the GMA Network Center as she continues her journey as a Kapuso signing another exclusive contract.

television series, Marian also displayed her versatility when she hosted her own dance show and at the same time, headlined a roster of talk and variety shows in her home network.

The popular Kapuso actress is also one of the country’s trusted endorsers and in demand cover girls. She continues to be an inspiration to her fans and supporters with her charity works and advocacy that is why GMA top guns were delighted when the actress renewed her contract.

“Si Marian ay isa sa pinakamaganda at pinakamagaling na artista sa Pilipinas ngayon. Kaya nagagalak kami na kasama na naman natin siya at sa tingin ko, malayo pa ang mararating ni Marian at talagang tutulungan natin siyang marating yung sukdulan ng kanyang career,” GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon said during Marian’s contract renewal signing.

Meanwhile, All Access To Artists President Rams David, who was also in attendance during Marian’s contract signing, said he is very excited about this new milestone in Marian’s career as a Kapuso, “Masayang-masaya kami. Ang GMA 7 ang siyang nagalaga sa kanya from the very start hanggang ngayon na mayroon na siyang pamilya at anak and she is still doing her best na maging worthy na maging Kapuso star and GMA’s Primetime Queen.”

Upon hearing all the good words from the big bosses, Marian retorted, “Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa GMA dahil sobra sobra yung tiwala nila sa akin. Nagpakasal, nagkaanak ako, binibigyan pa rin ako ng magagandang proyekto. Of course, looking forward ako sa mga gagawin pa namin this year.”

CAN you imagine being stuck in a deserted place with nothing but a wrecked vehicle and a dwindling supply of food and water? While some people might see this as a hopeless scenario, some people are firm believers that giving up in this situation is not an option. Meet these amazing people in the newest KIX series, Escape.

Have a glimpse of the unimaginable as five engineers, guided by ex-special forces soldier, Ant Middleton, save themselves with nothing but their genius and innovative ideas in KIX’s new and exclusive series.

Expect the unexpected with every episode, as five engineers will be placed in varied locations around the world – from a desert to a mountain, a jungle, and even a desert island. The locations are crash sites based on reallife incidents. In every site, they are provided with limited food and water supply so they have to escape before these run out. The only way out is to build a machine from the wreckage based on the real crash incidents.

Aside from the brilliant ideas that the engineers have packed, they will also be guided and lead by Ant Middleton, a former Special Forces hero.

Ant adds Escape to the list of television shows where he shares his military knowledge and training.

In an interview, Ant shared that even though it was tough, he was impressed on how the engineers took on the challenge, “Some of the things the guys came up with [to escape] were mad, some I thought went really well. They all stumbled across different things but they all had to come together as a team really quickly.”

Escape premieres on Feb. 21, Wednesday at 9 p.m. on KIX on Cablelink Ch.54, Cignal TV Ch. 133, Destiny Cable Ch.63, Gsat Ch. 18 and SKYcable Ch.63.

By Nickie Wang

K

APUSO Primetime Queen Marian Rivera talked about what her fans can expect from her this year when she renewed her exclusive contract with GMA Network, Inc. on Feb. 5.

Maxine Medina joins the cast of 'Hanggang Saan'

Talking to some members of the entertainment press, the prized Kapuso star made a list of the projects that she plans to include in her 2018 itinerary.

“I’m thinking of doing a film this year. I also want to do an indie movie, ‘yung pang Cinemalaya. I want to try something that I haven’t done before,” she said.

She added that it’s unlikely for Dingdong Dantes to be her leading man due to the fact that they see each other every day. Hence, she is entertaining the idea of being paired with any other Kapuso male celebrities.

But asked if she could work with other stars in the rival network, like

what her husband has already been doing, the candid Marian remarked in vernacular, “If they want to work with me, then they should be the one to come over here.”

Marian, who has been a Kapuso for more than a decade, feels happy and fulfilled with her renewal of contract with GMA 7. Her career started in 2005 when she appeared in various soap operas and movies, both in the small and big screens.

In 2007, she became a household name when she bagged the title role of the top-rating Philippine adaptation of Marimar opposite Dingdong. Apart from her iconic roles in numerous

ROTARY Club of Sta. Mesa President Paulo Legaspi of District 3780 hands the organization’s donation to the Alagang Kapatid Foundation through Musikaramay’s founder Stanley Seludo. With them are Rotarian Jojo Gacang and Past President Biboy Badilles.

Musikaramay held a benefit concert on Jan. 27 at the Centris Grounds in Quezon City for the evacuees from 10 barangays around Mayon Volcano. The concert featured Jensen and the Flips, Climax, Crib, K247, Julianne, Blue Rascals, and many more.