Manila Standard - 2018 February 24 - Saturday

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Believe it: No more living wild horses

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Rody’s wish: Monthly pay hike of P1.3m

P1.5 million instead of P200,000 a month bePRESIDENT Rodrigo cause of heavy work Duterte said he should load as President of the Next page receive a salary of Republic.

By Vito Barcelo

VOL. XXXII • NO. 13 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Divorce bill won’t allow ‘drive thru’ marriage split-up

By Maricel V. Cruz THE proposed dissolution of marriage disallows “drive thru” or “no-contest” or “quickie” divorces, one of the bill’s authors in the House of Representatives said Friday.

Opposition and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the substitute bill on divorce approved last Wednesday at the committee level provided that “no decree of absolute divorce shall be based on a stipulation of facts or confession of judgment,” which prohibited what he called a no-contest divorce.

“Coerced petitions and convenient collusions are also prohibited,” Lagman said.

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New anti-terror unit boosts SAF

MIAMI—All the world’s wild horses have gone extinct, according to a study Thursday that unexpectedly rewrites the horse family tree based on a new DNA analysis of their ancestry.

What most people thought were the last remaining wild horses on Earth-- known as Przewalski’s horses--were actually domesticated horses that escaped their owners, said the report in the journal Science.

“This was a big surprise,” said co-author Sandra Olsen, curator-in-charge of the archeology division of the Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas.

“This means there are no living wild horses on Earth—that’s the sad part,” Next page said Olsen.

By Francisco Tuyay

T

HE Philippine National Police is set to form additional five battalions of police commandos—a maximum 4,000 men—to enhance the government’s fight against terrorists and all forms of threats to the country’s internal security.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the formation of the five battalions of the Special Action Force was created solely to combat terrorism and criminality.

“The mandate of SAF is more on counter-terrorism and internal security operations. That’s our main concern at the present that they will have to focus on,” Dela Rosa said.

The creation of the battalion of SAF forces complies with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive approved by the National Police Commission.

At present, SAF has an existing seven battalions of police commandos and the new complement would eventually increase its capability to suppress threats to national security.

The 4,000 SAF personnel would be deployed to different areas particularly in Mindanao where terror threat prevails.

The new SAF would complement the various anti-terror units of the Armed Forces currently deployed in known terrorist areas like Basilan, Sulu, TawiNext page Tawi and Maguindanao.

Sara rolls out regional party for 2019 polls

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

DFA: Suspects in Demafelis slay arrested

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE principal suspects in the gruesome murder of overseas Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis in Kuwait more than a year ago are now in the custody of authorities in Lebanon, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said he informed President Rodrigo Duterte about the arrest of Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, who together with his wife Mona, a Syrian national, are the principal suspects in the brutal torture and murder of the 29-year-old domestic helper from Sara, Iloilo.

“The President welcomes the news that Nader Essam Assaf is now in the hands of authorities in Lebanon,” Cayetano said in a statement. “Assaf’s arrest is a critical first step in our quest for justice for Joanna and we are thankful to our friends in Kuwait and Lebanon for their assistance.”

DAVAO CITY—The Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a regional party chaired

by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio was officially launched Friday with support from four Davao governors.

The HNP, the mayor said, will serve as the official party of the Davao region and members will run under the HNP banner in 2019.

“We are all members of the local party in our different provinces, but we agreed that if we run, we will run under HNP,” the mayor, President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, said.

Compostela Valley Gov. Tyrone Uy said there would be no conflict with his national party, the ruling PDP-Laban, because he had resigned from it Friday to focus on the HNP. Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental said he would “seek

SIGNATURE FIST.

President Rodrigo Duterte thrusts his signature pose (above), aped by Army troops during the establishment Thursday of the Tienda Para sa mga Bayani at Camp General Adriano Hernandez in Iloilo, while the Chief Executive listens as businessman Sabino Aboitiz (right photo) explains the function of the egg layer machine at the Tienda, also attended by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.

Malacañang Photo

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Du30 opts to skip Edsa rites for Davao PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the 32nd anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on Feb. 25, People Power Commission member Pastor Saycon said Friday.

This would be the second time that President Duterte would skip the People Power ceremony held every year.

In a television interview, Saycon said the President will be in Mindanao during the Edsa People Power anniversary cel-

ebrations to attend to his constituents in Davao city.

Saycon, quoting the President, said, “Wala naman ako diyan [I wasn’t there at the EDSA People Power revolution] and I want to spend it with my people in Davao.”

The Palace, however, said the administration is not minimizing the significance of the peaceful uprising that toppled the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Saycon said Duterte wants everybody, including his critics, to join this year’s commemorative activities for the EDSA People Power uprising.

He said all are invited to join the Edsa activities.

At the Edsa People Power monument, a prayer vigil organized by an administration critic kept honor guards from rehearsing for the Feb. 25 commemoration.

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Students walk out to protest govt policies

PROTEST RALLY. Students of the state-run University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City walk out of their classes in front of the Palma Hall Friday in protest against political issues like the TRAIN law, jeepney phaseout, series of extrajudicial killings and the freedom of the press. Manny Palmero

UNIVERSITY students walked out of their classes en masse Friday to protest the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte, including his bloody war on drugs, the tax reform law that has raised commodity prices, attacks on press freedom, martial law in Mindanao and Charter change.

Joining the protest were students from the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, National University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of the East, University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas.

Similar protests were held in Baguio,

Cebu and Iloilo, the leftist League of Filipino Students said.

In UP Diliman, the steps of Palma Hall were filled with protesters, including teachers, jeepney drivers and vendors, after Chancellor Michael Tan encouraged students to participate “as part of their education.”

Jeepney drivers, angry at the administration plan to phase out old jeepneys, honked their horns in support of the protest.

“We dare this delusional dictator to face the wrath of the people and address legitimate people’s concern hurled at him,” the Next page

Duterte vows better quality of life by end of his 3rd year

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed to provide a better quality of life to Filipinos by the end of his third year as various programs, including the Build, Build, Build project, are implemented.

Addressing soldiers in Camp General Adriano Hernandez in Iloilo Thursday night, the President said the government is trying to fulfill all his campaign promises such as eliminating graft and corruption, eradicating crime and illegal drugs, maintaining peace and order and improving the economy.

“Be patient. I’m on my second year. Maybe towards the end of the third year and the early part of the fourth year medyo angat na tayo (we’ll be doing better),” the PresiNext page dent said.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Garin files libel case vs Ubial, others over vaccine FORMER Health Secretary Janette Garin on Friday filed a libel case against her successor Paulyn Jean Ubial and three other medical practitioners for blaming her for the Dengvaxia mess.

She filed her complaint at the Iloilo Prosecutor’s Office.

The other respondents in the case are former Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa, health advocate Tony Leachon and Ubial’s consultant Francisco Cruz.

Garin filed her case even as seven incumbent officials of the Health Department on Friday filed the third libel complaint against ex-Health consultant Francisco Cruz over his allegation that they were members of a corrupt group in the department.

Undersecretaries Maria Carolina Vidal-Taiño, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David, Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago, Financial and Management Service director Laureano Cruz, Disease Prevention and Control Bureau director Maria Joyce Ducusin, and Health Promotion and Communication Services director Mar Wynn Bello lodged the complaint at the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.

Earlier in the year, Cruz, a former consultant to Ubial, tagged the complainants in the list of past and incumbent Health officials who allegedly benefited from the conversion of funds for big-ticket Helth projects, such as the procurement of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Garin has been repeatedly blamed for the deaths of several children immunized with the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Duterte...

From A1 He said the economy continues to grow and more jobs are being created through massive infrastructure development programs, particularly in Metro Manila and Mindanao.

He again urged professionals and skilled workers as well as Filipino domestic helpers abroad to return to the country and contribute to development and growth.

“There is no need for you to go abroad. Don’t leave, I cannot protect you. Magtiis-tiis na lang tayo dito, (Let’s tough it out here),” he said, especially to Filipinos who are planning to work abroad as domestic workers.

The President earlier banned the deployment of workers to Kuwait following the series of deaths of Filipinos working there including Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment.

Before addressing the military, Duterte visited the wake of Joana Demafelis where he assured the family that justice would be served.

The President also appealed to members of the communist New People’s Army to return to the fold of the law, promising them a better life with jobs and livelihood opportunities.

“Surrender and lay down your firearms, I will pay you... We need workers” the President added.

Sara...

From A1

permission” to leave the Liberal Party to focus on the regional party. Gov. Claude Bautista of Davao Occidental said he would be considered resigned from the Nationalist People’s Coalition once he runs next year under HNP. Gov. Anthony del Rosario of Davao del Norte had already resigned from the Liberal Party last year, and said he intends to run under HNP. In the Davao region, only Gov. Douglas Cagas of Davao del Sur is not a HNP member. The mayor said they would talk to Cagas after the party convention.

At the moment, HNP has 500 members, including mayors, board members and other local officials in the region.

“After we register the HNP with the Comelec, anyone who wishes to join HNP can join,” the mayor said.

She only laughed, however, when asked if House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who she had attacked over his remarks about the HNP, could also join.

In the face of a blistering attack by the mayor, who called him an asshole, Alvarez backed down on Friday, and refused to comment on their spat.

“No comment na ako d’yan. Surrender,” Alvarez told reporters in Butuan City.

The Commission on Elections said if HNP seeks accreditation as a political party, its members would have to leave their current parties.

Corruption can't be solved overnight—Malacañang

By Vito Barcelo

M

ALACAÑANG said Friday the Duterte administration is speeding up reforms to improve the economy but corruption is a problem that cannot be solved overnight.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the remark after the Philippines slid by a notch in the global Corruption Perception Index 2017―to 11th place last year from 110th in 2016 out of 180 countries.

“The government is taking seriously the results of the organization that put the Philippines at 111th out of 180 nations,” Roque said in a statement.

“We have to underscore that corruption is a problem that cannot be solved

overnight.”

Roque said Transparency International factored in the protection of the press and non-governmental organizations in its ranking.

“It particularly mentioned the Philippines as among the countries which score high for corruption, have fewer press freedom, and higher number of journalist death,” Roque said.

He denied Transparency International’s report that every week at least one journalist was killed in a country that

was highly corrupt, which was not the case in the Philippines.

“There is no truth [to the report] that we have fewer press freedom. Our media are still able to broadcast and print or publish what they want―fake news included,” Roque said.

He said Filipinos were free to air their grievances and President Rodrigo Duterte had even declared an unprecedented Day of Protest.

He said Duterte also created the Presidential Task Force on Media Security to ensure the protection of media practitioners, and that all the murder cases involving journalists during the Duterte administration had been solved.

“Public officials who threatened media workers have been “red-flagged” to show that we work without fear or favor,” Roque said.

MMDA: Solving traffic gridlock will take time A SOLUTION to the P3.5-billion daily loss to the traffic gridlock exists but the problem cannot be solved overnight, the Metro Manila Development Authority said Friday.

MMDA Assistant General Manager Jojo Garcia says it will take time to make the traffic problem go away because it is complex and was caused by poor urban planning 30 years ago.

“The solution is long-term and it includes building more infrastructure and more roads,” Garcia said in a radio interview.

“We have to decongest Metro Manila and to expand it.”

Garcia made his statement even as Senators Kerwin Gatchalian and Grace Poe said the development of a reliable and convenient mass transit system was the solution to Metro Manila’s traffic woes.

Gatchalian said the only solution to traffic problem was to expand the MRT and LRT or to build a subway.

“This is a tried and tested formula

to reduce the volume of vehicles on the road,” Gatchalian said.

But he conceded that the problem was the 42 train coaches of the MRT that had not been used for the past three years.

Poe said the building of alternative roads and bridges and the building of economic centers outside Metro Manila were needed to solve the traffic problem.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said the effective solution to the traffic gridlock were long-term and the government was now taking steps to solve it.

Senator Vicente Sotto III said the traffic problem was growing worse every day because the streets in Metro Manila were being used as parking lots.

Meanwhile, MMDA’s 2,000 traffic constables will continue to enforce traffic rules despite their diminished number and incomplete gear, Garcia said.

But he said within the next few months someone would be donating more than a thousand body camersa for

Divorce...

Du30...

From A1

From A1

In his TV interview, Saycon said all “known yellows” have been invited to the commemorative activities, including former President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Leni Robredo. Vito Barcelo

Rody's...

From A1

Duterte made the suggestion in his speech at the 6th Regional Community Defense Group Ground, Camp General Adriano Hernandez, Dingle, Iloilo, saying the P200,000 monthly salary was not enough since he had two wives.

“My ideal salary, I estimate I should earn, no joke, one million and five hundred for all my weariness,” he said.

A bill filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the Senate Bill No. 1689 or the Salary Standardization Law 4, which proposes an “omnibus compensation and position classification system for civil

Believe...

From A1

The study is based on archaeological work at two sites in northern Kazakhstan, called Botai and Krasnyi Yar, where scientists have found the earliest proof of horse domestication, going back more than 5,000 years.

To further dig into these roots, international researchers sequenced the genomes of 20 horses from the Botai-based on teeth and bones unearthed from the sites--and 22 horses from across Eurasia.

Then, they compared these ancient horse genomes with already published genomes of 18 ancient and 28 modern horses.

They discovered that Przewalski’s horses descended from the earliest-known domesticated horses, kept by the Botai people of norther n Kazakhstan some 5,500 years ago.

That means what people thought were wild horses were actually feral, meaning they had escaped from domestication but were not originally wild.

- A new quest According to Beth Shapiro, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, the findings are “super interesting.”

“Certainly, it is surprising to see that Przewalski’s horses are descended from early domestic horses, as this is

the traffic constables.

Susumu Ito, chief representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency, noted in a presentation during the 36th Joint Meeting of the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committees that the country was losing P3.5 billion daily due to the extreme traffic in Metro Manila.

The estimate is nearly 50 percent higher than the P2.4-billion estimate in 2012 and is on track to meet JICA’s projection that the traffic jams in the key cities around the country would cost P6 billion a day by 2030.

The loss estimates were calculated based on the potential work wasted from the hours spent on the road by workers and delays in the delivery of goods, Garcia said.

A lack of infrastructure and the constant increase in the number of private vehicles on the road, poor road planning and a lack of discipline on the part of motorists further compound the problem. Macon Ramos-Araneta

servants, and military and uniformed personnel” is still pending at the Senate.

The proposal is to raise the salary of the President to P1 million; Cabinet secretaries should have salaries each of P600,000 to P800,000 a month.

Duterte complained he had a busy daily schedule that included meetings in Malacañang and provincial trips.

“I have complained to them. P200,000 really? I don’t have meal allowance, representation. I go home alone, go to work and then my barge is old and weak,” he said.

The President said he was also commuting back and forth from Manila to his hometown Davao City during weekends. not what people tended to believe,” Shapiro, who was not involved in the study, told AFP. “Swapping the word ‘wild’ for ‘feral’ is a semantic change that may better reflect their evolutionary history but should not change their status. We should continue to protect Przewalski’s horses as a population of wild horses.”

Przewalski’s horses are considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The round-bellied, short legged, reddish brown to beige horses roamed Central Asia, Europe and China in prehistoric times.

They were listed as extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but a number of breeding programs and reintroductions have helped bolster their numbers.

The findings have also sparked a new quest--to uncover the true origins of today’s domestic horses.

“Current models suggest that all modern domesticated horses living now descend from those first tamed in Botai, in the north of present-day Kazakhstan,” said a statement from the French National Center for Scientific Research scientist Ludovic Orlando.

“Yet this genomic analysis yielded unexpected results.”

Since the Botai horses did not give rise to today’s domesticated horses, “the origin of modern domestic horses must be sought elsewhere.” AFP

He cited Section 12 of the bill which provides that “a spouse who is a party to a petition for absolute divorce who is found by the court to have used threats or coercion to compel the other spouse in filing the petition, and spouses who are guilty of collusion, shall be punished with imprisonment of five years and a fine of two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00).”

“These provisions uphold the State’s commitment to protect marriage as a social institution,” Lagman said.

Under the bill, the Office of the Public Prosecutor is mandated to conduct investigations to determine whether or not there is collusion between the spouses.

The bill specifically provides that the “Office of the Public Prosecutor in provinces, cities and capital towns is authorized and obliged to conduct investigations to find out whether or not there is collusion between the spouses in a petition for absolute divorce and shall report its findings to the proper court within six months from the filing of the petition,” Lagman said.

Lagman said the bill carried steep penalties of five years imprisonment and a P200,000 fine would be imposed on a spouse who had coerced the other into filing a petition for divorce as well as on colluding spouses.

Earlier, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, main author of the bill, appealed to the Catholic Church to respect the obligation of the government to protect the welfare of all Filipinos and desist from obstructing efforts in Congress to enact a law on dissolution of marriage and divorce.

Last Wednesday, the House committee on population and family relations approved the substitute bill on dissolution of marriage and divorce. Alvarez, estranged from his wife, is one of the principal authors of the dissolution of marriage bill.

Students...

From A1

leftist student group Anakbayan said, referring to Duterte.

Some students said they planned to march on Malacañang in the afternoon.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said there were no plans to stop the students from walking out of their classes, but again warned those from state universities that they could get kicked out of school for squandering public funds that have paid for their education.

“It’s up to them if they want to get kicked out,” he said in Filipino.

American ambassador summoned to Palace

By Vito Barcelo EXECUTIVE Secretary Salvador Medialdea summoned United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim last Thursday to Malacañang, where they discussed the latest US Intelligence Community’s Worldwide Threat Assessment report, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Medialdea discussed with the US envoy the global Corruption Perception Index 2017 report that called the Philippines, along with India and Maldives, as among “the worst regional offenders” in terms of threatening—or in some cases, murdering—journalists, activists, opposition leaders, and staff of law enforcement or watchdog agencies.

In a statement, Roque said Medialdea likewise instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs, through our Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, to coordinate and engage with the American agencies involved in the writing of the assessment.

The Executive Secretary has also instructed the Philippine Embassy in the US to provide the intelligence community accurate information on the realities happening on the ground in the Philippines, “including the actions taken by the President and his administration to promote socioeconomic development for the country and provide a safe and secure environment for all Filipinos, respecting at all times the rule of law,” Roque added.

New...

From A1

“After a review of the PNP’s proposal, the Commission approved the creation of five additional SAF to effectively carry out the mandate of the PNP to actively support the Armed Forces in internal security operations for the suppression of insurgency and other serious threats to national security pursuant to Executive Order No. 546, series of 2006,” said Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Rogelio Casurao.

The approval came barely a day after the PNP arrested an Egyptian national suspected to have links with the Islamic State.

Meanwhile, the military warned Friday that jihadists were waging a fresh and deadly bid to set up a Southeast Asian caliphate in Mindanao.

The gunmen have mustered a force of about 200 fighters and fought a series of skirmishes with the security forces this year after government forces retook Marawi last October, Colonel Romeo Brawner told AFP. “They have not abandoned their objective to create a caliphate in Southeast Asia,” said Brawner, the commander of a Marawi-based military task force.

“Mindanao is the most fertile ground,” he said, referring to the country’s southern region.

Struggling with widespread poverty and armed Muslim insurgencies seeking independence or self-rule, Mindanao must improve poor supervision of Islamic schools or madrasas where most young gunmen are recruited, Brawner added.

He said the armed forces are retooling to meet the challenge of the Maute group, which occupied Marawi over five months and has pledged allegiance to the Middle East-based Islamic State group.

Gunmen who escaped during the early days of the US-backed operation to recapture Marawi are leading the recruitment effort, flush with cash, guns and jewellery looted from the city’s banks and private homes, Brawner said.

The recruits are mostly locals, but an unspecified number of Indonesians, some with bomb-making skills, have recently arrived there, he said.

Mindanao military officials said the Maute gunmen murdered three traders in the town of Piagapo, near Marawi, in November last year.

Three jihadists were killed in Pantar, another neighboring town, on Feb. 8, while three of the Piagapo merchants’ suspected killers were arrested in that town last month.

The military also reported skirmishes with the Maute gunmen in the towns of Masiu and Pagayawan near Marawi last month.

The renewed fighting came after President Duterte and other political leaders in the Mindanao region warned of a potential repeat of the siege of Marawi which claimed more than 1,100 lives.

Duterte imposed martial law over Mindanao until the end of the year to curb the militants’ challenge.

Ebrahim Murad, head of the Philippines’ main Muslim rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace treaty with Manila in 2014, also warned Tuesday that jihadists were recruiting and could seize another Filipino city. With AFP

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‘Boracay to be closed for tourists for 3 months’

Rappler can still operate as case is still pending—SEC

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has said that it is considering to close off to tourists Boracay for three months as it pushes through with its plan to declare a state of calamity in the area to give way to rehabilitation work amid environmental issues plaguing the world-tourist destination.

“Base sa mga plano namin, puwedeng proposal namin na isara muna ng konting panahon ang Boracay, siguro mga 60 days to 90 days,” Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said in a radio interview Friday.

Leones cited the case of Phuket, Thailand, which also shut down tourism in the area for a year to allow the island to recover from environmental damage.

“Kasi ang iniisip namin ‘yung mga experience sa ibang bansa. Like for example ’yung Phuket. They shut down, they prevented the tourism for one year and let the nature recover. So that’s the only way we can ensure [that Boracay] will be restored.”

Leones said closing off the islands to tourists will allow them to investigate and dig up land to see where the establishments’ wastewater are flowing out.

“Talagang nagsusulputan na parang mushrooms ang mga buildings diyan.

Nagpapatong-patong na. Hindi na natitingan kung saan ’yung kanilang discharge point... Kinakailangang hukayin at makita kung saan talaga dumadaan ’yung kanilang mga wastewater.”

He added that if resorts could not connect their sewer lines to the Boracay main sewer line, they will have to come up with their own wastewater facilities.

‘Bodily remove’ Carandang from Ombudsman office—lawyers FOLLOWING the decision of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales that she will not follow the directive of the Office of the President to suspend Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, a couple of lawyers had urged Malacañang to enforce its decision by “physically removing” Carandang from office.

Malacañang has announced the 90day preventive suspension of Carandang to give way to a probe into the grave misconduct and grave dishonesty charges against him for the supposed illegal disclosure of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family’s bank transactions.

Morales had refused to follow the order, citing the anti-graft body’s independence.

Lawyers Jacino Paras and Glenn Chong, two of the complainants against Carandang, said despite receipt of the suspension order, the overall deputy ombudsman refused to serve his suspension.

“As there is no other way to ensure compliance with the order of preventive suspension, and in view of such refusal, respondent Carandang may now be bodily or physically removed from office or physically restrained from the exercise thereof for the duration of his preventive suspension, through the use of necessary and reasonable force,” the lawyers said in their manifestation.

LIBEL COMPLAINT. Department of Health Undersecretary Dr. Gerardo Bayugo (leftmost) accompanied by other DoH officials

files a libel complaint against former DoH consultant Dr. Francis Cruz, who claimed that some 18 DoH officials, including former Health secretary Janneth Garin belong to a ‘mafia‘ that profited from the governments scrapped P3.5-billion Dengvaxia vaccination program. Norman Cruz

Ex-Cebu City mayor Rama gets threat via tarpaulin T HIS i s o ne for the books.

While most threats are made either through a text message or a telephone call, last Friday, somebody sent a chilling message to a target for liquidation—in full view.

The target is former Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama and the message was written across a tarpaulin hung in an overpass in Mandaue City near the Basak Elementary School.

The tarp had a photo of Rama with that of the late Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and Ronda town Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab, lawyer of Espinosa’s son Kerwin, a confessed drug lord, who was shot and killed recently The picture was reportedly taken in Albuera, Leyte years ago during Espinosa’s oathtaking as a member of the United Nationalist Alliance, where Rama served as regional chairman.

Espinosa’s and Ungab’s faces were spray painted with X marks, which meant that they were already eliminated, while Rama’s face was encircled, with the words “Ikaw sunod” [you’re next] written beside his image.

“It’s a serious threat,” Rama said in a television interview.

The elder Espinosa was killed by the police on his own jail cell in Leyte in November 2016, while Ungab was shot dead only last Monday in downtown Cebu.

The suspect in the tarp message has yet to be identified, but Rama said he already has a suspect in mind. He declined to give details.

Earlier, Ungab’s wife said that her husband received threats via text messages hours before he was shot by unidentified assailants in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, an Amnesty International Airport that Philippine police officers have yet to account for their actions for their involvement in the killings of alleged drug suspects drew condemnation and disbelief from Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, In a radio interview, Dela Rosa described the AI report as unfair and insisted that the police doing their jobs to investigate the cases against their own peers.

“Unfair naman ‘yan kung totoong sinabi niyang ganun. Meron naman tayong imbestigasyon. May mga na resolved na tayong kaso. Walang kabuluhan na imbestigasyon, e anong nangyari dun sa mga pulis na nakakulong, mga kinasuhan at dinismiss?” he said in

the radio interview.

Dela Rosa goes on to say that the PNP leadership is currently undergoing an internal cleansing, as many corrupt cops have been caught.

To prove his claim, Dela Rosa said he had already dismissed 352 police officers from the service for various offenses since he assumed his role as PNP chief.

PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management data also showed that from 2016 to 2017, 167 police personnel have been dismissed with cases related to illegal drugs.

Of the 167, 146 tested positive for illegal drug use while 21 were involved in illegal drugs operations. Eight police had kidnapping cases, 22 were involved in murder, one cop had a rape case, 15 were caught involved in robbery/ extortion and and one in graft/ malversation.

Earlier this month, three policemen in Caloocan City who were alleged involved in the killing of teenage drug suspect the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court branch 125 were issued a warrant of arrest over the killing of alleged teenage drug suspect Kian delos Santos last year.

Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz—now face murder and torture charges for the killing.

PAL airlifts another batch of OFWS from Kuwait

By Joel E. Zurbano FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines on Friday airlifted and brought to Manila another batch of Filipino workers from Kuwait.

At least 160 OFWs and 30 children arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on board PAL flight PR 669, bringing to more than 2,000 the total number of Filipinos that PAL and other airlines brought home since he repatriation program started last Sunday.

Various airlines granted the request of President Rodrigo Duterte to help the government to repatriate the distressed Filipino workers in Kuwait.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration officials said most of the distressed workers were victims of illegal recruitment who entered Kuwait

through neighboring countries.

Officials of OWWA and other government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Labor and Employment welcomed the new batch of repatriated OFWs. The OFWs were given livelihood and financial assistance by the government before going to their respective provinces.

Those who have no relatives in Manila were offered to stay in the OWWA headquarters in Pasay City.

PAL Corporate Communications officer Jonathan Gesmundo said the airline has mounted six flights and has already transported 1,240 OFWs from Kuwait since Feb. 11.

The first two flights were discounted

fare and which was paid by the government, while the rest of the flights are free.

Cebu Pacific Air also provided one special flight using its Airbus A330 to repatriate almost 500 OFWs. Meanwhile, OWWA said they will provide livelihood program to OFWs who wants to avail or interested in their program.

OWWA officials also urged OFWs to file complaints against their abusive employers. They will also summon the recruitment agencies involved in deploying the OFWs to Kuwait.

Michelle Raquini, 32, of Santa Ana, Manila, an OFW, said that if she would return to Kuwait she will never accept a household job. She added she wants to work in beauty salon or in a restaurant.

IBP forms task force on killings of lawyers

By Rey E. Requejo THE country’s mandatory organization of lawyers has formed a task force to investigate the killings of lawyers in the country.

In a resolution, the IBP Board of Governors authorized their national president, lawyer Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo, to appoint the chairman and four members of the panel “all of whom are members in good standing of the Integrated Bar and of proven probity, independence and competence.”

The IBP said the task force is mandated “to investigate, document, prosecute or assist in the prosecution of cases involving the murder or violent assault against the members of the Bar and/or their families.”

The panel is required to submit a semiannual report to the IBP board.

“The apparent continued attacks on the members of the Bar, none of which had been successfully resolved or prosecuted, create an impression of impunity, wherein State forces appear indifferent and help-

less, or, worse, in one case, even involved in such violent assaults,” the IBP stressed.

“This impression of impunity, in turn, creates a chilling effect on members of the Bar, who, in the discharge of the solemn duties as officers of the court and guardians of the Rule of Law, are placed under a serious, grave and imminent threat to their life and family,” the group lamented.

The IBP, a mandatory organization of over 55,000 lawyers in the country, made the move following the recent killings of two lawyers—Argel Cabatbat last Feb. 13 and Jonah John Ungab, vice mayor of Ronda town in Cebu who served as lawyer of detained drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, last Feb. 19.

“The investigation of these cases has remained open-ended or unresolved nor has there been any of the said cases prosecuted before our courts of justice, with the perpetrators roaming freely in our midst and with the families of the victims haplessly and silently bearing the pain and suffering of a murdered loved one,” it said.

HOME AT LAST. In photo are some of 190 OFWs from Kuwait who arrived at the Naia Terminal 1 on Friday on board Pal flight Pr669. The repatriates were flown for free by flag carrier (PAL) as part of the airlines social responsibility and in line with the call of President Duterte’s call on PAL Chairman Lucio Tan to support his government in ferrying out distress OFWs from Kuwait. Eric Apolonio

MEDIA watchdogs are up in arms over the banning of a Rappler reporter in Malacañang even as the Securities and Exchange Commission said that Rappler may still operate since the Court of Appeals has yet to decide on the news’ online appeal and the government has yet to make a reply on the motion At the same time, the SEC said it sees nothing wrong with the Palace decision to bar Rappler’s reporter from the Palace compound.

“They filed an appeal at the appellate court and SEC has to file a reply.

So it is undergoing due process, but we are also confident in our original ruling,” SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa said.

She also opined that the Palace was “exercising its right to determine who should be granted access” when it barred the news website and its reporter Pia Ranada from covering press briefings and other events of the President.

“That is its own independent decision,” she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte had said Thursday he issued the order to ban Rappler from the Palace as it was only complying with the SEC ruling which revoked the company’s registration papers for supposedly violating foreign ownership rules. Rappler had criticized Malacañang’s move as an attempt to “intimidate independent journalists.”

Rappler’s cause drew support from Reporters Without Borders and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, who both spoke out against the ban preventing Rappler reporter Pia Ranada from entering the Malacañang complex.

In a statement, the CMFR, said that “The message of that directive, the first by a sitting Philippine president since the Marcos dictatorship, is clear.

It is that journalists can and will be prevented from doing their jobs should they, like Ms Ranada, ask government officials the tough questions that practitioners need to raise in fulfillment of their responsibility to get at the truth and to hold the powerful to account.”

DoJ indicts alleged NPA member AN ALLEGED member of the New People’s Army arrested in Rizal last Thursday was charged before the Department of Justice on Friday.

Marklen Maojo Maga, organizer of militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno and son-in-law of National Democratic Front consultant Rafael Baylosis, was brought to the DoJ for inquest proceedings on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Assisted by public lawyer, Maga opted not to answer the complaint of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for violation of Republic Act No. 10591 or Comprehensive Law On Firearms and Ammunition.

The investigating prosecutor then submitted the case for resolution.

Maga was reportedly arrested by policemen in civilian clothing at a basketball court near their house in San Mateo town last Thursday morning.

Rey Requejo

Unconditional Cash Transfers out in 1st quarter THE Finance department said unconditional cash transfers amounting to P2,400 for 2018 will be distributed within the first quarter to some 7.4-million households, comprising the 4.4-million existing beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and three-million indigent senior citizens already receiving social pensions.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said Friday the schedule relayed to the DoF by the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed that 4PS beneficiaries will receive a top-up to their existing conditional cash transfers in February if they are getting their benefits through ATM cards, and in March if they get these over the counter.

OTC releases are those that beneficiaries get via conduits such as rural banks, cooperatives and non-government organizations.

Social pensioners will also start receiving their allocations in March this year, Chua said. Julito Rada

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Shedding the veil

It pays to play

By Ludovic Ehret MOST teachers would not be impressed to discover a student playing video games in their class. But at a school in eastern China it is mandatory, part of a drive to train eSport champions and tap into the booming industry.

“Dammit, I’m dead!” exclaims one student at the Lanxiang Technical School in eastern Jinan province as dozens of his classmates who are still in the game continue to furiously bash their keyboards.

Once associated with teenagers stuck in their bedrooms, eSports—where players square off in lucrative video game tournaments—are growing fast.

Chinese Internet research company iResearch estimates 260-million people are already playing eSport games or watching competitions in the country, with the biggest bouts playing out to thousands of spectators in stadiums and many more online.

The growth shows no signs of slowing.

Market research firm Newzoo estimates that the eSport industry will be worth $906 million in global revenues in 2018, a 38.2-percent increase from last year.

China alone will account for 18 percent.

Gaming has become a team sport at 910 universities across the Asian country, but there is also an increase in educational establishments, such as Lanxiang Technical, actively teaching the skills needed for eSports success.

Around 50 students signed up for its inaugural eSports course, which launched in September.

“At first, many parents thought it was just about playing video games,” school director Rong Lanxiang, told AFP. “In fact, it’s not the case, eSport is developing to a very high degree and it’s become an economic growth driver.”

League of Legends At the school in Jinan, students focus on improving their skills in some of the most popular eSport games.

League of Legends, one of the world’s most played games, is a strategy driven bout where players fight each other in a digital arena.

First person shooters like Overwatch, Counter Strike and the hugely popular newcomer PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, are also key parts of this unusual syllabus.

“This was a hobby for me, I was really into playing video games, and it’s a new industry, I think there are good prospects in it,” says Teng Xin, who says he racks up at least 20 hours game time a week.

At 22, the student fears he may be too old to be a professional eSportsman, but feels he could be a coach.

His eSports course lasts a full three years. During the first year, the classes are 50-percent gaming and 50-percent theory lessons on succeeding within the industry.

After the first year, the students are divided up. The best gamers focus on becoming professional players while the others are taught accompanying skills including event organisation, promotion, or coaching.

Song Jinze, a shy 16-year-old, says he wants to become a presenter.

Big tournaments attract huge online audiences and, just like any boxing or football match, a good presenter is a key part of the experience.

It’s not a career path his parents were happy with but he was able to persuade them of his prospects.

He says: “When I showed how much I love this and that I would persist with it, my dad agreed to let me come here to learn.”

The annual school tuition fees are around 13,000 yuan ($2,050), a fairly reasonable price for tuition in China. The most talented players who become part of the school team are exempt from paying.

Lanxiang Technical has its sights set on tutoring up to 1,000 eSport students.

Olympic status?

It is all a far cry from the situation less than a decade ago when the government was so concerned about youths spending excessive time on the internet it listed web addiction as a clinical disorder and drafted legislation to limit online time.

Today, China is a key eSport market. In November more than 40,000 fans flocked to Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium to watch the final of the world championships for League of Legends.

ESports are to be included as a medal sport for the first time at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and proponents are pushing for Olympic status.

The eSports industry already employs some 50,000 people in China, according to local data firm CNG, but they estimate the demand is there to employ a further 260,000 across the country.

Alongside Lanxiang Technical, at least two other universities have opened up eSport courses. Overseas, Britain’s Staffordshire University plans to launch a three year course next September. Universities in Finland and Moscow already offer such courses, while there is an eSport Academy in Nantes, France.

“In the future, eSports will be present in every family and it’ll be more popular than basketball and football,” predicts Teng Xin. He adds: “To practice traditional sports, you have to go outside and have space. But you just need a computer to practice eSports at home.” AFP

S

UPREME Court Justice Samuel Martires had glowing words for today’s Filipina in a recent decision.

“Today, we simply cannot be stuck to the Maria Clara stereotype of a demure and reserved Filipino woman. We, should stay away from such mindset and accept the realities of a woman’s dynamic role in society today; she who has over the years transformed into a strong and confidently intelligent and beautiful person, willing to fight for her rights,” the High Court said in the Jan. 17 ruling that acquitted two men of rape.

Juvy Amarel and Junard Racho had been convicted by a Davao court and sentenced to up to 40 years in prison, and the Court of Appeals upheld this decision.

In assailing the lower courts’ decision, the Supreme Court said the victim’s testimony was different from her affidavit, and wondered

how the victim was able to identify her rapists when she herself said the place where the rape took place was dark and surrounded by trees.

Medical examination also did not establish physical injuries that showed she struggled against the men. She said the men punched her, the court pointed out, but her body bore no bruises that proved it.

“We cannot completely rule out the possibility that [the victim] voluntarily had sex that night,” the decision read.

The decision supposedly throws out the woman’s honor doctrine, established decades ago, that “no young Filipina of decent repute would publicly admit that she has been sexually abused, unless that is the truth, for it is her natural instinct to protect her honor.

This misconception not only puts the accused at an unfair advantage, the court said, but creates a travesty of justice.

We agree that some may claim to be rape victims with things other than the truth as their agenda. People have

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

different dispositions, motives and capabilities. Such is human nature, and both men and women could be capable of malice or dishonesty.

We agree that not all who claim to be victims may in fact be victims, just as we cannot guarantee that someone who looks or talks like a rapist is in fact a rapist. Again, it is not an issue of sex, but of human behavior.

There is a way to get to the truth in all this. Unfortunately, despite advances in science, Philippine law enforcement has not been able to shed its over-reliance on testimonial evidence. The police have lacked care and discipline in collecting, handling and storing evidence for forensic purposes. DNA technology remains prohibitive.

This is not to say that the first reaction to claims of rape, abuse or harassment should be disbelief. Generally, people speak the truth about what happened to them. Rape is rape.

Justice entails getting to the truth using hard, incontrovertible evidence. Any other means is inferior—a travesty, indeed.

Grace Poe’s continuing opportunism SENATOR Grace Poe has joined the bandwagon of purported experts on the Constitution and has publicly announced which provisions of the 1987 Constitution should be amended.

This is not the first time Poe has exploited an opportunity to promote herself to the voters.

Her father, Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), the late box office king of the country, passed away shortly after he lost in the presidential election in May 2004 to the controversial President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. That election was marred by the infamous “Hello Garci” scandal, which was triggered when it was learned that President Arroyo called up a commissioner of the Commission on Elections supposedly to inquire about her votes. Soon after the scandal was revealed by the news media, a stiff-faced President Arroyo reluctantly apologized to the nation on television.

Sadly, FPJ passed away soon after that election. Many suspect that “the king” died because he took his defeat very badly. His death was mourned, and created many sympathizers.

Right after Benigno Aquino III assumed the presidency in 2010, he appointed Grace Poe to the helm of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. In 2013, Poe ran for a seat in the Senate, and she landed first in the senatorial race.

Political observers believe that Grace Poe’s resounding electoral victory was attributable to the deluge of sympathy votes from those who believe that FPJ won the 2004 presidential election. Obviously, Grace Poe’s victory wasn’t on account of her performance in public office because her

No wonder people still doubt her.

mently denied involvement in the deal.

Pia Ranada, Rappler’s Malacañangaccredited correspondent who had been working on this issue suddenly found herself banned from entering the Palace premises. The order to not let her into the Palace grounds was first relayed to her by a member of the Presidential Security Group who only said that the order came from higher-ups. As expected, Pia asked questions. Eventually, Pia was told that she was allowed to enter the New Executive Building where Palace reporters worked but she was banned from covering President Duterte. Further clarification was made

by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque who said that the decision to ban her was because of the earlier SEC ruling. He, however, added that Pia could still cover his press briefings until the

brief stint as the national censors chief was hardly outstanding, and likewise because prior to that, she had been residing abroad as an American citizen.

Despite her disappointing performance as a freshman in the Senate, Grace Poe saw her first-place senatorial election victory as an opportunity to seek higher office, namely, the presidency. In late 2015, Poe rejected President Aquino’s offer to field her as the Liberal Party’s candidate for vice president in the 2016 polls, and eventually announced her bid for the presidency. Poe’s rejection of Aquino’s offer prompted the latter to settle for one-term congresswoman Leni Robredo instead.

Grace Poe ran on a platform of motherhood statements and populist promises. From what can be discerned from her newspaper advertisements (many of which were written in awful English), Poe wanted to project herself as the good mother of the republic. Many journalists saw through her charade and exposed her blatant political opportunism.

Even before the official campaign started, a petition to unseat Poe in the Senate was filed with the Senate Electoral Tribunal. The petition alleged that Poe is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, which is explicitly required under the 1987 Constitution.

A separate petition was filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which sought to disqualify Poe from the presidential derby for the same reasons.

Under the 1987 Constitution, a natural-born citizen is defined as one who is a citizen of the Philippines at birth, and one who has not performed any act to perfect his or her acquisition of Philippine citizenship. Since

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

From foreign-owned to ‘bwisit’ to CIA-funded issue became too hot to handle. Rappler continues to operate and has since filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals where the case remains pending.

Rappler continued to catch the ire of more powerful people in the Palace SOMETIME ago, the online media particularly when it reported alleged outfit Rappler was in the news when the Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that it has violated ownership laws. SEC said that the group is owned The media should or controlled by foreign investors and as a result, Rappler’s incorporation papers not cower. were revoked. Curiously, the request to investigate Rappler was filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida about a year after the President himself threatened to look into Rappler’s operations during intervention of Special Assistant to the President Bong Go with the military’s his State of the Nation Address.

It is important to note that this SEC frigate deal. Go, who is among those decision is not yet final and executory closest to the President, together with as admitted even by the Palace when the other Malacañang officials, have vehe-

POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO

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Opinion

INCREASING tariff on products from US dollar and other major currencies China and South Korea is not the so- began trading their currency against lution to the burgeoning problem of other currencies giving rise to what is unemployment in America. Rather, now known as the “casino economy.”

Various forms of portfolio investmany see the decision of US President Donald Trump as unlikely to ease un- ment emerged, all based on speculative employment, much that imposing tar- trading. All these triggered unmitiiff does not seem to address the issues gated inflation and in the spiralling in about the high value of the US dollar the prices of goods and services, which against other currencies that has re- equally affected the US economy. The sulted in trade deficit, in the relocation money market traders did not mind the of US manufacturing plants to other unabated revaluation of the dollar. In countries, and on the overall decline in the US, currency deregulation affected US competitiveness. If things slip out the wage of their own workers though of control, it could escalate into a ruin- real wages remain stagnant since 1970.

On the whole, the prices of goods ous trade war wherein nobody wins.

Let us not have our misgivings about and services and the cost of living inglobalization. At the outset, the new in- creased but barely enough to catch up ternational economic order was a pre- inflation. Nonetheless, the US pursued meditated plan by the US to use free this policy of automatic revaluation just trade purely to its own advantage. We to make itself economically, militarily are saying this because the decision by and politically dominant, but failed to President Trump to impose a 30 per- anticipate that it would push their own cent tariff on China’s solar panel and 50 exports out of the international market.

In the Philippines, our adoption of percent on South Korea’s washing machines may appear consistent with its the automatic currency devaluation or apocryphal policy of “America first,” floating rate resulted in the defanging but in truth is symptomatic of the deep- of all of our regulatory boards. The prices of oil, water, and electric compaening crisis in the US economy.

President Trump must bear in mind nies, power generation plants, toll fee that the US was the promoter of free operators and other utilities that were trade. It committed itself to that policy granted franchise were all deregulated. parallel to its ideological commitment Those private firms with foreign loans, beginning with the General Agreement often guaranteed by the State, passed on Tariff and Trade (GATT) or Uruguay on their franchise tax to their captive Round that later evolved to become the customers treating them like valueWorld Trade Organization and the con- added tax, and adjusted their price/ rate based on the comitant creation current value of of various regional the dollar known economic blocs as “currency exlike the North AtLet us not have change rate adjustlantic Free Trade ment.”

Association and our misgivings about It was only ChiAsean Free Trade na that stood firm Agreement, insist- globalization. and resisted the ing that members floating rate deabide by the trade manded by the inclause known as the “most-favored-nation treatment,” ternational financial institutions. Thus, a commitment that a member-country when the US realized that China’s should extend the same tariff rate it ap- economy has greatly improved, it started pressuring that country to revalue plies to other members.

Notably, after the Nixon administra- the yuan. China rejected arguing that tion decoupled the US dollar from the it would not only be forced to increase gold standard to give relief to the US its minimum wage affecting millions economy deeply burdened by trade def- of Chinese workers but could push the icit because of the Vietnam War, it was prices of its manufactured goods upalready grooming to promote the dollar ward to set in recession and endanger as the universal medium of exchange. its manufacturing sector.

One must not forget that the migraAfter that fateful decision known as the “Nixon shock,” the US freed itself from tion of factories to China and to other the obligation of fixing the value of the countries mostly in Asia has nothing dollar seen as the most serious violation to do with unfair competition but the of the Bretton Woods Agreement. The result of the artificial high value of US dollar effectively substituted gold the dollar. Even Americans have been as the currency for foreign exchange by questioning the rationale behind the importation of their own brands manumost countries.

The shift from gold, the fixed and factured in China much that the net remore stable value, to the US dollar saw sult is the same or even higher in cost. the World Bank and the International They decry the fact that they already Monetary Fund (IMF) pressuring coun- lost their jobs, and they cannot now be tries to adopt the so-called “floating rate accorded the privilege of lower tariff system.” This means they have to de- for US brands like returning citizens. control the value of their own currency The unusual high value of the US dolbadly, and that proved to be disastrous to lar has created a paradox curve in the their economy. Countries like the Phil- economy that it stands today as the bigippines had to abrogate their anti-usury gest debtor nation in modern history laws, which mean that interest rate reaching a staggering amount of more could be imposed by creditors based on than $20 trillion.

The US tried to patch this gaping the current value of the US dollar.

That plunged the world economy into hole by urging foreign manufacturpandemonium. Underdeveloped coun- ers like Japan and Western Europe to tries exporting mostly agricultural and put up production plants in the US to mineral products, and dependent on the compensate for the lost American jobs. import of manufactured goods initially But the crux of the matter is that, even suffered. This saw the gradual erosion if US companies consider the possibilin the value of their currency, vis-à-vis ity of returning to the US to heed the decline in their economy. The value of call of Trump in “making America their exports conversely allowed the US great again,” that would not be easy as to import more goods at cheaper prices, his slogan would convey. US compaand that marked the beginning of the nies could no longer afford to pay US workers with the same amount of wage serious problem of US trade deficit.

The sharp decline in the value of oth- they pay to their workers abroad. This er currencies against the dollar opened explains why the US is bleeding finanthe floodgates to the migration of man- cially through foreign remittances and ufacturing plants from the US to other the reason why Americans today prefer countries that had their currency ema- to shop abroad because they feel they ciated by devaluation vis-à-vis settling could buy more for their dollar than in for low wages to keep their economy their own market. going. This also opened a new marrpkapunan@gmail.com ket called “currency speculation.” The

Grace...

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the Constitution reckons natural-born citizenship from one’s birth, a foundling cannot be considered as a natural-born citizen.

Records disclose that Poe was a foundling who was left at a Roman Catholic Church in Iloilo sometime around 1968, and that she was eventually adopted by FPJ and his wife, cinema and television actress Susan Roces. Moreover, Philippine jurisprudence mandates that the adoption of a child by a Filipino citizen does not confer Philippine citizenship on the adopted child.

It was argued that since Poe was an

American citizen in the years before she returned to the Philippines upon the death of FPJ, Poe’s belated renunciation of her acquisition of Philippine citizenship amounted to an act on her part to perfect her acquisition of Philippine citizenship.

As pointed out above, the 1987 Constitution explicitly mandates that a natural-born citizen is one who, among others, does not need to perform any act to perfect his or her acquisition of Philippine citizenship.

Undoubtedly, the Constitution and the jurisprudence in force indicate that Poe is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.

For her part, Poe appealed to emotions and public empathy by saying that it isn’t

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The transfiguration of our country

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

Trapped in its own economic game

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

ON THE Second Sunday of Lent, we move from Jesus’ retreat to the desert and temptation by the devil to the glory shown in Jesus’ Transfiguration. The Gospel narrates that on a mountain in the presence of just three of Jesus’ disciples—Peter, James and John, Jesus was Transfigured. As they awake, Peter and the disciples see Jesus face shining and his clothes dazzle in great light and Elijah and Moses present with Jesus. Upon seeing the spectacular event, Peter, impetuous as ever, said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Perhaps, Peter, not understanding what he was seeing, made the utterance in confusion. The Gospels tell us that the three disciples kept the secret among themselves, but it was only after resurrection that they fully grasped the meaning of the event.

In the Transfiguration, Jesus displays his full glory and splendor, a foreshadowing and a preview of the glory of his resurrection. The momentary vision is shown to the disciples to prepare and strengthen them to the upcoming trials to their faith, which the suffering and crucifixion of their Master will bring them. The disciples, being all too human, will have their faith severely tested when they see their Master, who made miracles and wonders during his ministry, being tortured and nailed on the cross. Any human will lose his faith upon seeing that the Messiah and the redeemer is after all weak and can be subjugated.

The story of the Transfiguration reminds us that being a disciple of Christ is no walk in the park. It is littered with trials and temptations, tests that often will cast doubt on our faith and belief in God. This enlightening glimpse of Christ’s future glory was shared to these Apostles to strengthen and encourage them in the terrible test of their faith which they would share with their master. It is the sort of test that will delude us into believing that we can live and exist even without God. In these times when societies are being bombarded and swamped with unchristian and anti-life values, how many amongst us readily embrace or at least acquiesce to immoral values only because it is fashionable and most con-

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venient to do so? We remain silent and even lend out approbation to the killing of criminals, and other practices that spell the destruction of life and the sanctity of marriage, if only because we are all too willing, at the drop of the hat, to cast aside God’s laws and succumb to our immoral desires. Yet, as I said, being a disciple is to triumph over these tests, unshaken in the faith, always cognizant that while God may be invisible at the moment his magnificence in the end will never dim and forever shine and dazzle.

As the cliché goes, life is not a bed of roses; its path is strewn with thorns and traps. Sometimes, the struggles of daily life can be exhausting. Every moment we are given a choice between good or evil; we are tested with difficult situations. This constant struggle causes us to suffer emotionally, physically and spiritually. Often, we raise our hands in despair and just give in to the desires of the allures of sin. But the experience on Mt. Tabor provides the three disciples, as it is for us, a guarantee and a foretaste of the joys and the glory that will be ours for eternity, if, with great humility, we persevere in our struggles against the world, the flesh and the devil.

We badly need this experience again.

cry to the heavens: First, the poverty, inequity, and injustice that continues to characterize our society. Second, the abysmal state of human rights in the country today, a result of a misguided strategy in the war against drugs. Third, the threat to our democracy, exemplified among others by the persecution of Senator Leila De Lima, Chief Justice Meilou Sereno, and journalist Pia Ranada and her colleagues in Rappler.

Today, Cardinal Chito Tagle will lead a pro-life march in Manila to protest the continued killings in the country and more importantly to speak out for an ethic of life. The march is organized by the Council of the Laity in the Philippines and will also be held in other places, such as Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, San Pablo, and Tarlac.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo describes the march as a walk for the life of every person who has been a victim of “this culture of death.” According to Pabillo, who chairs the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Commission on the Laity: “As Christians, we stand together because we have the responsibility to care for our fellow human beings and to ensure that common good and justice must prevail.” It is not only to condemn “the wrong that us being done” but also to pray for the conversion of those behind it,” said Pabillo.

Pope Francis shares a profound insight on the Transfiguration: “The event of the Transfiguration of the Lord,” he said, “offers us a message of hope: It invites us to encounter Jesus, to be at the service of our brothers.”

The Jesuit Pope emphasizes that the spiritual heights the disciples experienced in Mount Tabor, though, are not an end in themselves. Following the experience of the Transfiguration, the disciples came down from the mountain with “eyes and hearts transfigured by the experience of the Lord.”

Pope Francis says that we too can “come down from the mountain, recharged by the power of the divine Spirit, to decide on new steps of authentic conversion, and to constantly bear witness to charity as the law of daily life.” This transfiguration will allow us to be signs of the life-giving love of God for all, especially those who suffer. To prepare his disciples “not to be scandalized” by seeing him on the Cross, Jesus was transfigured, he said, explaining that it provides the needed assurance “to go forward,” he said.

This Lent, my hope is that, as individuals and as a country, we will also be transfigured.

Transfiguration is a gift given to each individual, to families and to communities. It is a gift that a country is also given, as we have countless times. This weekend, for example, we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the People Power revolution. I always wear yellow during the annual celebration of this moment of transfiguration for our country, to remember that conversion can come to a whole country. I am conscious however that the revolution, while a glorious moment, did not bring us a perfect country where our contradictions would be finally resolved. In fact, the greatest irony is that the administration of Noynoy Aquino, the son of our first post-Marcos President Cory Aquino, has ushered us into what looks a new period of authoritarianism. The consolidation of power in the presidency in the Arroyo and Aquino years and the failure to institute political reforms are to me the doors that have led us to where we are now.

Today, we need that experience of national transfiguration again. Three Facebook page: Professor Tony La things around us stand out for me that Viña (deantonylavs) Twitter: tonylavs

SEC issue is resolved.

The issue got messier when the PSG Commander, Brig. General Lope Dagoy, lambasted Ranada for allegedly disrespecting his man who he said, was just following orders. He also said that Ranada should be thankful that she was not hurt by the PSG. Another notice was issued by Malacanang that besides Ranada, Maria Ressa, Rappler’s head, was also banned from entering the palace premises. By this time there were already reports that the ban order came from President Duterte himself who, according to Roque, was “bwisit” with Ranada. Roque likened Duterte to a homeowner who refused to receive a guest (Ranada) in his home (Malacañang).

Eventually, the president himself in a speech said that Rappler may be funded by the Central Intelligence Agency.

So many things went wrong here.

One, the SEC decision as already said earlier, is not executory as of yet. Thus, it cannot be used to bar a legitimate and accredited journalist like Pia Ranada from doing her work and covering events in Malacanang. Of course Palace officials knew and this may be the reason why their reasons for banning Pia shifted from SEC ruling, to “bwisit,” to alleged CIA funding.

Two, PSG Commander Dagoy was wrong in implying that his PSG men may actually harm unarmed and non-threatening civilians who are just doing what they

are supposed to do. Even Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana said that Dagoy’s words were out of line and uncalled for. Indeed, the PSG guy was merely following orders. It is the same with Ranada who was just doing her job.

She only had a mobile phone camera and recorder, but she was not armed. She was just asking questions, persistently, yes, but never disrespectfully. It is after all what she does as a journalist.

What was most worrisome about what Dagoy said was that it betrayed a dangerous mindset that should never be possessed by the armed component of government—that they can hurt people at the slightest provocation (and Ranada was not provoking the guard). If this mindset dominates our peace and order officials, then we must all be very scared. It is good that Secretary Lorenzana seems to serve as the voice of reason among the country’s armed personnel.

Three, Roque was very wrong in his homeowner analogy. Malacañang is not the private property of the president. It is owned by the people who have allowed Duterte, for having been elected to office, to temporarily work and stay in its premises to be able to perform well as a public servant. As one, Duterte is accountable to the people. To ensure that he is doing his job, members of the media should report to the people the goings on in their property and how their interests and welfare are being addressed by the designated public servants.

Ranada is not a guest in the Palace. She is an accredited journalist so it is also her

workplace. So the “bwisit” reason cannot also be used.

Four, Rappler’s possible CIA connection as alleged by Duterte himself, unless substantiated, may be another gimmick to continue to put the media outfit down.

Is Malacañang running out of reasons to justify barring Ranada and Rappler from entering the people’s Palace?

Five, and most important, this issue is not just about Ranada and Rappler. This is about the continuing attempts that violate the constitutionally-protected freedom of the press. This administration cannot stand and wants to silence critics. This is an affront not only to Ranada and Rappler but to all media outfits and journaists. Those in Malacañang are saying that this is what we do to those who criticize us. If they can do this to Rappler, they can do it to others.

The powers-that-be want total control and that includes the media. The fourth estate cannot be complacent. Times like this, the country needs journalists to report the facts and stand up against abuses committed by those in position. The press should remain free from influence, threats, and coercion. A free press is indispensable in a functioning democracy.

So, whatever the reason may be, from SEC ruling to “bwisit” to CIA funding, the media should stand its ground and refuse to be cowered. The country needs a free press.

her fault that she is a foundling. Indeed, that is not her fault, but until the constitution’s definition of natural-born citizenship is amended, a foundling cannot be a natural-born citizen—period.

At the time of the election, Poe’s children were American citizens. Her husband, who is an American citizen, also promised to reacquire Philippine citizenship prior to election day. So far, there is no available information about the status of their citizenship.

Poe also made unsuccessful attempts to track down a biological relative, which is a tacit admission that her status as a foundling is admitted.

The SET eventually ruled in favor of

Poe, albeit on the basis of political considerations and not on constitutional reasons.

On the other hand, the Comelec ruled against Poe. Inevitably, the citizenship issue reached the Supreme Court, which eventually allowed Poe to continue holding office as a senator, and to run for president. In fine, the ruling suggested that there is a more than ninety percent probability that Poe is a natural-born citizen, and that her physical features are those of a Filipina. Good grief! Those grounds were assailed by many non-partisan experts in Constitutional Law as devoid of any justification under the Constitution.

Thanks to Grace Poe and her oppor-

tunistic desire to be president, Philippine jurisprudence on natural-born citizenship has been mangled beyond recognition.

Just recently, Poe announced she favors the amendment of the provisions of the Constitution which impose restrictions on foreign investments in specific industries.

She argued that the restrictions are no longer relevant. In other words, Poe wants to allow foreigners to dominate Philippine industries which are attended with a very high degree of public interest. That’s constitutional folly!

Apparently, Senator Grace Poe believes that nationalism must have an expiration date. No wonder her critics doubt her citizenship.

From A4

bethangsioco@gmail.com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

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News

A6

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DoT sees 1.5-m Chinese tourists coming in 2018 Ctrip, China’s largest online

By Othel V. Campos and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan travel provider.

Philippine Tourism Attaché to Shanghai Ireneo Reyes said accessibility to entry into the Philippi nes is the mai n pr ior it y of the DoT. Starting this year, a total of 5,180 seats per month will be added for Chinese tourists, with special chartered flights for the Chinese New Year celebration.

Additional 1,800 seats for direct flights to Cebu, 3,183 to Kalibo and 197 to Puerto Princesa are expected to attract more Chinese tourists this year.

For the Chinese New Year period, a total of 2,937 seats are opened this month from different Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, and Tianjin.

“These direct and chartered flights provide convenience that greatly affects tourist experience and influences potential tourist’s decision in choosing a destination. At the moment, there are 11 airlines servicing direct, regular and charter, routes for 17 Chinese cities,” said Philippine Tourism Attaché to Beijing Tomasito Umali.

THE Tourism Department expects Chinese tourists to increase by 50 percent to 1.5 million arrivals this year from almost a million in 2017.

“This year, we are aiming higher and we are targeting 1.5 million,” said Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo. Last year, a total of 968,447 Chinese tourists visited the country, overtaking the Americans at the second spot of the top tourism source markets.

Arrivals last year almost doubled with a 43.33 percent growth from 675,663 in 2016.

Teo said the warming relations between the Duterte administration and the Chinese government, despite thorny territorial disputes, brings much more advantage to the country in terms of increased tourist arrivals as well as investments from mainland China.

Last month, Chinese arrivals stood at 111,344, a 29.55 percent increase from the same period last year.

China rose as the world’s largest tourism source market with 129 million outbound trips in 2017 according to

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD

ERRATUM

Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that CITYLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. (owner/developer), has filed with this Board for the sale of condominium units of 101 XAVIERVILLE located in Xaviervillle Ave., Brgy. Loyola Heights, Quezon City, specifically described as Lot 3 Block 20 & Lot 2, Block 29, Psd-35337, covered

by TCT Nos. 004-2017000804 and 004-2016014690, respectively, with a total area of 1,800 square meters.

That the above owner/developer has issued an Affidavit of Undertaking in lieu of the proof of compliance to the modes and manners provided by RA7279 as amended by RA 10884. That within six (6) months after the issuance of the License to Sell, the owner/deve/oper of the main project shall submit the proof of compliance per HLURB’s revised IRR by which the developer of the main project can fulfiII and satisfy the balanced housing development requirement AIl papers relative thereto shall, upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the name of the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certilicate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, FEB. 15, 2018.

(Sgd.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer in Charge

(MS-FEB. 17 & 24, 2018)

There was an error in Invitation to bid for Construction of Oras Integrated Public Market Bus Terminal of Municipality of Oras publication last February 1, 2018.

The Invitation to Bid should have read as: Item No. 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested bidders on February 1, 2018.

6. The Local Government Unit of Oras will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 9, 2018, 2:00 PM.

Centralized DNA database proposed to speed up cases

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

N ADMINISTRATION lawmaker on Friday proposed the establishment of a centralized DNA database system which will help solve crimes faster, locate missing persons, identify remains, and establish paternity and other family relationships.

In filing House Bill No. 7215, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the database would uphold the state’s policy to establish and maintain a fair, responsible, ethical and efficient criminal justice system.

HEAVY ESCORT. Suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa (wearing shades) is escorted by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation going to the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 for a hearing presided

by Judge Sivino Pampilo. after Espinosa handed over a letter to an NBI agent refusing to attend the hearing due to death threats against him and no lawyer to represent him in court. Norman Cruz NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Notice is hereby given that Divina Gracia Buenafe is no longer the Treasurer and Director of TEEKAY SHIPPING PHILIPPINES, INC. The new Treasurer of the Corporation is Cherebel Santos effective August 18, 2017 and was also elected as Director on December 13, 2017.

TEEKAY SHIPPING PHILIPPINES, INC.

7. Bid opening shall be on February 21, 2018 at 9:00 AM

In compliance with POEA Requirement POEA-029-SB-042605-R

And not as published.

(MS-FEB. 24, 2018)

(MS-FEB. 24, 2018)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE

InvItatIon to BId no. Goods-013-2018

InvItatIon to BId no. Infra -019-2018 013

The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC).

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Name of Project 1. Supply & Delivery of sets of Notebook, Pencil and Ballpen for Elementary, Secondary & Senior High School Province of Bataan

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC) =P=29,807,598.39

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement.

Delivery of goods is required on or before the maturity date stipulated on contract.

Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committee and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a nonrefundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000 and below More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 5, 2018 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan.

Bids must be delivered on or before March 16, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 or Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities Schedule 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid February 26 – March 4, 2018 2. Eligibility Check Refer to date of Opening of Bids 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents February 26 – March 16, 2018 4. Request for Clarification March 7, 2018 5. Opening of Bids March 16, 2018 The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: Ms. Aileen C. Sagun Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, BalangaCity, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph

In response to the first advertisement for Construction of Three (3) Storey Twenty Four (24) Classroom School Building Mariveles National High School Annex-CabcabenBrgy. Alas-asin, Mariveles, Bataan, nobody purchased and submitted bidding documents which is scheduled to be opened last February 12, 2018 at 1:30 p.m.; Under Section 35, of RA 9184, the BAC shall declare failure of bidding when no bids are received. The BAC members resolved to declare Failure of Bidding and recommended to Rebid the above-mentioned project subject to the approval of the Provincial Governor.

In view of the failure of 019 the first bidding, the Provincial Government of Bataan, through the Special Education Fund advertised again the Invitation to Bid for the said projects in the Provincial Government of Bataan Website, in the Philgeps and in a conspicuous place at the premises within the Provincial Government of Bataan continuously for seven (7) days; w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

019

The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the Special Education Fund intends to apply the below listed project w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Name of Project 1.

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC

Construction of Three (3) Storey Twenty Four (24) Classroom School Building, Mariveles National High School Annex-Cabcaben, Brgy. Alas-asin, Mariveles, Bataan

=P=41,999,945.52

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listedProjects. Completion of works is within 300Calendar Days requiredon or before the maturity date stipulated on contract. Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committeeand inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 042012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000 and below More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataanwill hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 2, 2018 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan.

Bids must be delivered on or before March 14, 2018 at 1:30 P.M. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 or Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid 2. Eligibility Check 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents 4. Request for Clarification 5. Opening of Bids

Schedule February 23 – March 1, 2018 Refer to date of Opening of Bids March 2 - 14, 2018 March 5, 2018 March 14, 2018

The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN (MS-FEB. 24, 2018)

“DNA is a powerful investigative tool because, except for identical twins, no two people have the same DNA,” said Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs.

The bill seeks to institutionalize the Philippine

Ms. Aileen C. Sagun Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataanp 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph (SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC Chairman (MS-FEB. 24, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

DNA Database System which shall serve as the central repository of DNA profiles in the country.

It shall contain the forensic DNA profiles of persons categorized under the following indices: crime scene suspected persons, convicted offenders, detainee, drug dependents, missing persons, voluntary persons, uniformed personnel, and government employees.

“We cannot undermine its importance especially in investigating criminal cases such as murder and rape, resolving disputed paternity, and identifying victims of calamities. DNA analysis has also become a common form of evidence in courts,” Barbers said.

Until now, there is no specific law for the management of forensic DNA, he added.

Most of the time, he said, an investigating officer faces a blank wall when collecting scientific evidence to prove an accused person guilty. This can be avoided with DNA profiling or DNA typing wherein a minute sample of genetic DNA material is taken from human tissue and given a digital numeric value or barcode.

Barbers said a Philippine DNA Database System Scientific Advisory Committee shall be established to develop quality assurance standards for DNA testing database. It shall be headed by a representative from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.

The database shall only be accessed by the Philippine DNA Database Office which shall be composed of personnel from the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Some Makati streets closed for Caracol Festival Sunday

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Makati City government announced it will enforce a traffic rerouting plan to make way for the annual Caracol Festival on Sunday.

In line with the festival to be held at Globe Circuit Makati, the city government under Mayor Abigail Binay said Friday the following streets will be closed to traffic: • Hipodromo Street-from Taliba Street to A.P. Reyes Street • A.P. Reyes Street-East Boundfrom J.P. Rizal Street to Pascua Street • All streets from J.P. Rizal to Hipodromo heading to Globe Circuit Makati Romulo Salgado Jr., officerin-charge of the city’s Information and Community Relations Department, said these areas will be used as assembly point for festival participants on Feb. 25 from 1 p.m. onwards.

The city’s Public Safety Department also advised motorists and commuters heading to Manila to take J.P. Rizal and go straight past A.P. Reyes, instead of turning right.

Salgado said the remaining portion of A.P. Reyes Street will be made two-way traffic to give way to motorists.

Public utility jeepneys plying the Mantrade-Libertad-PRC route coming from Pasong Tamo Extension are advised to turn left to J.P. Rizal, then left to Pasong Tirad toward their destination.

Participants and guests of the event can use the parking space of Globe Circuit Makati.

The festival will begin with a parade of participants, village officials and residents, city employees, private sector representatives, senior citizens, and students at 4 p.m., which will be followed by a dance competition.

Ombudsman indicts mayor after failing lifestyle check

By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to indict Mayor Datu Ombra Sinsuat Sr. of Maguindanao’s Datu Odin Sinsuat town for three counts of violation of Republic Act No. 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, and five counts of perjury under the Revised Penal Code.

Based on the results of a lifestyle check investigation conducted by the Ombudsman in Mindanao, the respondent failed to declare his Ford Expedition, Mitsubishi Pajero, Honda Civic and Ford Ranger vehicles in his 2009, 2013 and 2014 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

The Ombudsman said Sinsuat had also failed to declare his relatives working in the government.

In a counter-affidavit, Sinsuat said he did not declare his vehicles since they were no longer usable or had already been sold.

He claimed difficulty in identifying relatives in government service, as “the Sinsuat family is composed of many members.”

But the Ombudsman junked Sinsuat’s “self-serving” contentions and ruled the same could be given any weight for lack of controverting evidence.

CHED pays out tuition to SUCs CLOSE to 900,000 students in 111 state universities and colleges are enjoying free tuition since June 2017 through the P8.3 billion realigned by Congress and approved by President Rodrigo Duterte in the General Appropriations Act, the Commission on Higher Education said Friday.

Under the 2017 GAA, P8 billion was given to CHED to reimburse SUCs so they will not collect tuition fees from their students, CHED officer in charge Prospero de Vera said.

Another P300 million was allocated to provide free tuition to medical students in 8 SUCs offering medicine like University of the Philippines Manila, Mariano Marcos State University,

University of Northern Philippines, Cagayan State University, Bicol University, West Visayas State University, UP School of Health Sciences in Leyte, and Mindanao State University.

The CHED has downloaded almost P3 billion of the P8-billion reimbursement to almost all SUCs as of this February.

This sum covers free tuition granted to 888,799 enrolled students in 111 SUCs in the first semester of school year 2017-2018, De Vera said.

A similar number of students is expected to benefit from free tuition in the second semester of SY 2017-2018 and paid out of the remaining sum of the P8-billion fund.

Sports

A7

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

F2 begins title bid in Superliga

Torre calls on youth to play chess

Games Today

(Sta. Rosa Sports Center) 1 p.m. – Opening ceremony 2 p.m. – Cignal vs Petron 4 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Cocolife

STA. ROSA CITY—F2 Logistics kicks off its title-retention campaign, while Petron tries to make an early impact when the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga formally goes full blast Saturday at the Sta. Rosa Sports Center here.

After defeating the Blaze Spikers in a dramatic three-game finals series last December, the Cargo Movers march back to the warzone as they take on Cocolife in the 4 p.m. main offering of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu and UCPB Gen with ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.

Petron, meanwhile, also hunts for its first victory in this tourney that also has Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh, Grand Sport and LGR as technical sponsors when it collides with Cignal at 2 p.m. following a colorful opening ceremony at 1 p.m.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico, Sta. Rosa City Mayor Dan Fernandez and Rep. Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno will lead the opening of this tourney that will be aired live over Hyper and AksyonTV. PSL President Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara is out of the country attending to an AVC assignment.

Despite parading the powerful tandem of Americans Lindsay Stalzer and Hillary Hurley with Japanese Yuri Fukuda as libero and the local crew of Mika Reyes, Frances Molina, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Rhea Dimaculangan, Petron is still expected to have a hard time versus Cignal, a team that lost its nucleus in the off-season.

In fact, the HD Spikers pulled off a shocker when they clobbered the Asset Managers in an out-of-town battle in Bacoor City last Tuesday, 25-15, 28-26, 25-15.

High-flying reinforcement Jeane Horton of United States led the assault while Sonja Milanovic of Bosnia did a marvelous job at the net that minimized the power of Cocolife imports Sara Klisura of Serbia and Taylor Milton of US.

Fierce duel up in PPS Oroquieta KEEN competition is seen as action in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age-group tennis tournament resumes in Oroquieta City got under way yesterday (Friday, Feb. 23) with close to 200 entries slugging it out for top honors in various divisions.

No player scored two victories in singles play in last week’s PPS-PEPP stop in Ozamiz City to underscore the level playing field with the same finish tipped in this week’s Group 2 tournament with practically the same cast clashing in nine categories at the Oroquieta City Lawn Tennis Club in Misamis Occidental.

But six Ozamiz leg winners are all primed up for another shot at their respective crowns with Carmeville Gervacio eyeing a repeat in the girls’ 18-and-under class, Rovie Baulete in 16-U, Judy Padilla in 12-U, Nilo Ledama in boys’ 16-U, Brent Cortes in 14-U and Aslan Carbonilla in 12-U. “The level playing field indeed makes this circuit more and more interesting and we continue to encourage the young players out there to train and join with so many tournaments lined up and almost all the provinces covered by our annual tour,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Meanwhile, a tossup among Steven Sonsona, Uzziel Pepito, Jessy Elumba and Ledama looms in the boys’ premier class while Kristine Bandolis and Padilla are tipped to dispute the girls’ 14-U title and Garlandson Ardiente, Wyn Sanchez, Novic Malinis and Troy Iglupas gear up for a fierce duel in the 10-unisex side of the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop, presented by Slazenger and backed by Asiatraders Corp. and Dunlop as official ball.

Also to be disputed in the fiveday tournament sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, are the doubles titles in the boys’ and girls’ 14- and 18-U categories and the 10-unisex section.

3YO STAKES RACE. Jockey Mark Angelo Alvarez (right, back) and representatives of Probinsyano owner Napoleon M. Magno display their trophies after their colt won the 1st leg of the Philracom 3YO Local Fillies and Colts Stakes Race. They are joined during the awards rites by (from right) Philracom Commissioners Lyndon B. Guce, Jose Santillan and Bienvenido Niles Jr. and MJCI Manager Jose Ding Magboo. Probinsyano fended off the late charge of the field and pulled off an exciting half-a-length win in the Stakes Race Sunday at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

Wizards hold off Cavs; Sixers edge Bulls by 1 L

OS ANGELES—The Cleveland Cavaliers returned from the NBA All-Star break with a thud Thursday, falling 110-103 to the Washington Wizards despite 32 points from LeBron James.

The Cavs had not lost since trading half a dozen players and receiving four at the February 8 trade deadline, winning four straight heading into the AllStar break.

James, who earned his third AllStar Most Valuable Player award on Sunday in his 14th straight start in the mid-season exhibition, connected on 13 of 18 shots from the floor, pulled down nine rebounds and handed out eight assists.

He became the seventh player in NBA history with 11,000 career baskets, scoring Cleveland’s last 14 points in defeat.

“We got some really, really good looks,” James said. “We played hard.

I think the legs, being off for nine days kind of got to us, especially after the first quarter.”

The Cavs had led by 12 in the second period, but they finished just eightof-35 from three-point range as the Wizards, still without injured five-time All-Star point guard John Wall, gained the win.

Bradley Beal scored 18 points to lead the Wizards, who are now half a game behind Cleveland for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Trailing 82-79 going into the fourth, Cleveland took an 89-88 lead on Kyle Korver’s three-pointer with 9:42 remaining.

But Washington scored nine straight points to regain the lead.

“It’s still a work in progress for us,”

James said. “It’s not going to be overnight no matter the excitement before the break.

We’ve got a lot of things to work on ... we still played our game, we just didn’t make a lot of shots.”

If the All-Star break slowed the Cavs, it seemed to have energized the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, who held off the determined Los Angeles Clippers 134-127 in Oakland.

“Obviously the break came at a good time for us,” said Warriors star Stephen Curry, who scored 44 points.

Kevin Durant added 21 with eight assists, Klay Thompson scored 19 points and Draymond Green chipped in 13 points with seven rebounds and six assists for a Golden State team that coach Steve Kerr described as “mentally fried” as they lumbered into the All-Star break.

Curry connected on 14 of his 19 shots from the field, including eight of 11 from three-point range.

Golden State led 104-93 early in the fourth quarter before the Clippers put together a 9-0 scoring run to trim the deficit to two.

With less than two minutes remaining, Curry’s deep three-pointer had the Warriors’ lead back to seven points and the Clippers wouldn’t get closer than five from there.

“We’ve still got some stuff to work on,” Curry said. “But I like our competitive spirit. We found a way to win down the stretch.”

On Saturday the Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder, who edged the Kings in Sacramento 110-107 thanks to Russell Westbrook’s game-winning three-pointer as time expired. AFP

CHESS legend Eugene Torre reiterated his call for both the public and private sector to join hands in encouraging the youth to play chess and stay away from drugs and Torre other vices.

Torre, who made history by becoming Asia’s first GM in Nice, France in 1974, said playing chess will also provide the youth with some of the most important values in life.

“Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, once compared chess to life and talked about the three morals of chess: foresight, circumspection and caution, which are all necessary to succeed in life,” said Torre in a speech before participants of the “Learn and Play Chess with the Masters” program of the ERJHS Alumni Sports Club at the Barangay N. S. Amoranto in Quezon City last Feb. 22.

Torre, who also conducted a 15-board simultaneous exhibition matches against select studentparticipants, also talked about the contributions of late FIDE president Florencio Campomanes, who would have turned 91 on the same day.

“Today is a special day in chess.

We are not only having this chess event, but we are also marking the 91st birth anniversary of the Father of Philippine chess, Canpomanes,” said Torre.

The 66-year-old Filipino champion lauded Quezon City Councilor Onyx Crisologo, Barangay Chairman Von Yalong and the ERJHS alumni for their efforts to get the youth into sports.

The One Meralco Foundation, headed by Jrff Tarayao and Rolly Sol Cruz, also conducted a chess clinic for aspiring young players.

Cruz was assisted by FM Edgardo Garma and NM Efren Bagamasbad.

One of the top performers during the four-hour long event organized by ASC president Ed Andaya of Batch 81was Jerry Labato of the Roberto Castor Rover Scout group.

Nietes title duel on ABS-CBN S+A

Jordan Clarkson (left) of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends against Otto Porter Jr. of the Washington Wizards during the game between the two teams at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. AFP

Batangas hangs on for cage win

ALTAS CHAMPS. Players, school officials, coaches and supporters of Perpetual Help pose with the championship plum after the Altas Spikers clinched and reclaimed the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 93 senior volleyball championship, Friday for their 11th title overall held Thursday at Fil Oil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Perpetual Altas volleyball men’s team outsmarted the Arellano Chiefs (23-25, 27-25, 25-19, 25-23) in Game 3 of their sudden death Finals.

BATANGAS CITY—Batangas City experienced its biggest test in the MPBL Anta-Rajah Cup late Thursday night, but managed to survive a tough Paranaque Patriots side in a bruising, down to the wire encounter at the Batangas City Coliseum.

The Tanduay-backed Athletics got their second wind in the extra period to eke out a thrilling 87-79 win over the Patriots.

Val Acuna continued his sizzling performance, scoring 19 points, including four triples, but the Athletics needed timely baskets from Teytey Teodoro to deliver the telling blow on the Patriots.

Teodoro scored on a nifty layup, then drilled in a backbreaking trey with 46 seconds left in overtime to push the Athletics ahead by seven, 84-77.

Batangas City coach Mac Tan admitted the team’s latest triumph was the toughest they’ve picked up.

“Bago mag-halftime, I told them na instead of playing for the crowd, nagshoshow boat tayo,” Tan said. “‘Yun ang problema natin. Dapat nga kakampi natin ‘yung crowd, sumobra kami sa pagshowboat. Tested kami sa away games, but not in our home court.”

THE longest-reigning Filipino ring champion is set to climb the ring once more to extend the occupancy of his throne in his new weight division this Sunday in “Pinoy Pride Presents: Donnie Nietes vs Juan Carlos Reveco,” which will air at 3:30 p.m. on ABS-CBN and on primetime at 6:30 p.m .on ABSCBN S+A and S+A HD. Nietes (40-1-4; 22 knockouts), is making the first defense of his IBF Flyweight division belt at the Forum in California, USA, after beating Thai Komgrich Nantapech via unanimous decision in their championship bout in Cebu last April 2017.

The man they call “Ahas” will be challenged by Reveco of Argentina, who totes a 39-3-0, 19 KOs card and is up for the biggest fight of his career when he enters Nietes’ snakepit. The Argentinian is looking to be the first fighter to put the hardy Nietes to the canvas, as the IBF Flyweight king has not kissed the mat nor lost in title bouts.

Before moving up in weight, Nietes was unbeaten for more than a decade in the light flyweight division. He is also only the third boxer in the country to win a world title in three different weight divisions, next to Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire Jr. At the age of 35, however, the fighting pride of Bacolod remains on top of his game and is out to show the world that he is not yet done winning. His longevity is credited to his being a tireless workhorse on and off the ring, keeping himself in tiptop condition at all times.

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

Sports

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

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Kia’s Ronald Tubid fights SMB’s Marcio Lassiter and Louie Vigil for ball possession in a PBA Philippine Cup game won by the Beermen, 108-106.

SMB struggles past Kia

By Jeric Lopez INCHING closer to the top seed, league-leader San Miguel Beer showed its authority for most part before holding off Kia in a cardiac finish to list a thrilling 108-106 escape victory and ensure itself a place in the Top 2 of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Marcio Lassiter saved the day for the Beermen with his gamewinning lay-up from a nice dime from Chris Ross at the buzzer, allowing the Beermen to avoid what might have total collapse.

Arwind Santos had his best game of the tournament, tallying game-highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists, while Lassiter was equally impressive with 22 markers.

It seemed like San Miguel was headed for an expected cruising finish when it still held a commanding 100-82 advantage with under nine minutes left.

Unexpectedly, the Picanto suddenly woke up and embarked on an impressive 18-2 run to put itself in the game as it only stared at a 100102 deficit after Ronald Tubid’s lay-up with under three minutes remaining. From there, it was a seesaw battle with the game hanging in the balance and Kia even taking the lead briefly and appearing to potentially complete a stunner.

Fortunately for San Miguel it had the last laugh.

Already safely through to the quarterfinals for quite sometime now, the Beermen moved closer to securing the top seed as it improved further to 8-2 with still a game left.

A win in their final assignment will seal their top ranking.

More importantly, San Miguel, which won its second straight game, ensured itself of a Top 2 finish as it has claimed the first of the two twice-to-beat incentives in the quarters.

Kia’s nightmare finally ended as it finished with a woeful 1-10 card for dead last, while exiting with a six-game losing streak.

A new era: Vargas elected POC chief

By Peter Atencio

A

S ATHLETES, coaches and numerous supporters outside the Westside Grill of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong started to holler and clap in celebration, former Tarlac Congressman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. quietly walked away from the big hall, headed for the driveway, boarded his car and sped away from the merriment.

The numbers on a whiteboard said it all—15 votes for Cojuangco and 24 votes for boxing chief Victorico “Ricky” Vargas, signaling a new dawn for Philippine sports.

Finally given a chance to run for the POC presidency a day earlier, Vargas was elected as the new president of the Olympic body, with Tagaytay Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino being named chairman.

Tolentino, who heads PhilCycling, got 23 votes, beating his opponent Ting Ledesma of table tennis.

Vargas, who will serve the remainder of Cojuangco’s remaining term, has now successfully followed of his grandfather Jorge B. Vargas, who was the second president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation from 1936 to 1955.

This ends Cojuangco’s years with the POC, which started 13 years ago in 2005.

He was nearly in tears when he left his table with his daughter, IOC representative Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.

It was a double celebration for Vargas, who celebrated his 66th birthday on Saturday, and for Tolentino, who turned 53 on Friday, the day of the election.

“There were many indications that we will be disqualified. But I thank the Comelec for seeing though this, to allow us to run,” said Vargas, who added a lot of work is now at hand.

He is ready to work on the preparations for the 2018 Asian Games and the country’s hosting of the 2019 SEA Games with Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayetano.

Election committee member and former IOC representative Frank Elizalde, who was joined by former justice secretary John Agra and Bro. Bernie Oca of De La Salle University were on hand to supervise the one-hour election.

Elizalde said that the election commit-

tee finally allowed Vargas and Tolentino to run because the issue has already been resolved in court.

“That’s the end of my responsibility.

They carried out the orders of the court.

OK. You now have a new president and a chairman,” said the 84-year-old Elizalde, who clarified there was no government intervention that took place in this case.

“There is no government intervention because we are dealing with judicial procedure. And nobody in the POC is beyond the dictates of the law and the legal authorities of this country,” added Elizalde.

Among those not allowed to vote were officials from swimming, shooting and weightlifting because the elections within their associations have not been done in accordance to the procedure, according to the POC. “Saka na ako magsasalita.

Baka may masabi akong hindi mabuti,” said Cojuangco while on his way to the driveway.

Va r g a s and Tolentino were

disqualified by the election panel during the polls in 2016, allowing Cojuangco to run unopposed and secure a new term as president.

But the Pasig Regional Trial Court ruled in favor of the complaint filed by Va rgas.

Russian ice princess can’t believe fairytale Winter Olympic gold

Russia’s Alina Zagitova competes in the women’s single skating short program of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung. AFP

JAYBOB Pagnanawon hopes to follow the footsteps of his father, former Marlboro Tour champion Rolando, as he spearheads Team Bike Xtreme in the Ronda Pilipinas 2018 presented by LBC unfolding on March 3 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and ending on March 18 at Filinvest, Alabang.

Pagnanawon, 29, will skipper a team that also includes younger brother Jhunvie and cousin Jhetly with an eye of making a big impact after a disappointing performance a year ago when he didn’t even finish in the Top 20.

“I had mechanical problems last year.

Hopefully, I could do better this time,” said Pagnanawon, a native of Talisay, Cebu, in Filipino.

Team Bike Xtreme coach Lloyd Lucien Reynante, the architect of Navy-Standard Insurance’s dominance the last few Ronda editions, for his part, said their goal this year is to develop riders, who have the potential do big in the future.

Apart from the Pagnanawons, the other members of the team owned by Singapore-based Vincent Leow are Michael Ochoa, James Ferfas, Arjay Kaul, Michael Farre and Valdimir Ulanday in this race presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Cycling, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

“If you will notice, our one and only big gun is Jaybop because we’re just looking for a Top 10 finish and perhaps several stage wins or podium finishes,” said Reynante. “Our pur pose is to really help those riders from the provinces who have potential.”

“But of course, we would be happy if we can have a rider, Jaybop or anyone, who can finish in the Top 10, that would be an accomplishment for Vincent (Leow) and I because this year would really be one of the toughest as several champions and strong riders are returning to compete,” he added.

Reynante was referring to Team Franzia’s Santy Barnachea, who won the inaugural race in 2011 and the 2015 edition, CCN Superteam’s Irish Valenzuela, the 2013 winner, and Go for Gold’s George Oconer, the 2015 runnerup who missed last year’s race.

There is also Warren Davadilla, former two-time champion of the fabled Marlboro Tour, who has come out of retirement to provide Valenzuela help at CCN.

Eaglets draw 1st blood in UAAP finals

Boxing’s Ricky Vargas (right) and cycling’s Bambol Tolentino celebrate their ascension to the top posts of the POC with a handshake.

Vargas was elected president, while Tolentino was voted chairman of the country’s Olympic body.

Peter Atencio

GANGNEUNG—Teenage figure skating sensation Alina Zagitova expressed disbelief Friday after winning her duel with Evgenia Medvedeva to claim Russia’s first gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The 15-year-old took the women’s title for the Olympic Athletes from Russia by a slender margin of just 1.31 points from her friend, compatriot, training partner and arch rival.

Bronze went to Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond.

“I can’t believe I’m the champion,” said Zagitova after a fairytale debut season on the senior ciruit. “It’ll take some time to sink in.”

She beat two-time world champion Medvedeva despite both scoring matching 156.65 points in the free-skating.

“I did not get the feeling I’m the Olympic champion, I haven’t got my medal yet!

Jaybob wants to be like dad

When I learned that I’d come first I felt very happy, but also very empty.”

That feeling of emptiness came from being unable to take in immediately the realisation that the thing she had been striving for over the years, the fruit of all those 100s of hours of gruelling training back in Moscow, had suddenly become fact.

“I am realizing that all the work I have put in on the way to this Olympic Games was not in vain.

“The empty feeling is hard to explain,” she added.

“For 10 years now I’ve been skating, with all the highs and lows I’ve gone through and now I’ve finally achieved a gold medal at the Olympics......”

Zagitova’s world record short program score of 82.92 just 48 hours earlier made the difference, giving her a combined total of 239.57. AFP

KAI Sotto and Sean Ildefonso went to work in the third period and powered the Ateneo Blue Eaglets to an 86-70 smashing of the Nazareth School-National University Bullpups yesterday at the Arena in San Juan.

The 7’1” Sotto came up with a monster game, hitting 22 points, pulling down 16 rebounds and rejecting 11 shots for the Blue Eaglets in Game 1 of their best-of-three finals series with the Bullpups in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines Junior Basketball Tournament.

Ildefonso shot 21 points and had seven rebounds for the Blue Eaglets, who moved a win away from their 19th crown.

Sotto, who came up with his best showing this time around, made nine points in the third period, including a three-point play in the last 7:36.

“Experience is with NU. Championship experience. First quarter, we were shaky. Nobody has played in the finals before. I told them they now know how to play in the finals. Let’s do what we do best and keep it close in the first half,” said Blue Eaglets’ coach Joe Silva.

With the Blue Eaglets trailing, 3334, Sotto’s efforts triggered a 19-0 run and from there, they went on to take charge with a comfortable 50-35 spread in the last 4:11.

Getting 17 points from SJ Belangel, the Blue Eaglets have so far remained unbeaten after 15 games.

The Bullpups, behind Terrence Fortea with 21 points, were ahead in the first period after taking a 6-0 lead in the last 6:39 off Michael Malonzo, who had four points. NSNU then took a 30-17 edge off Cyril Gonzales’s basket in the final 5:39 of the second.

But triples from Belangel and Matthew Escalona touched off a rally that allowed Ateneo to tie contest, 31-all, at halftime. Peter Atencio

IN BRIEF

ERC clears NGCP deal with Phinma

THE Energy Regulatory Commission granted a provisional authority to grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines and Phinma Energy Corp. to implement an ancillary services procurement agreement.

“The commission’s initial evaluation of the instant application disclosed that the contracted ancillary service capacity is needed to augment the deficiency of dispatchable reserve capacity to be able to maintain the reliability in the operation of the transmission system and the reliability of the electricity supply in the Visayas grid,” the ERC said in an order.

Ancillary services are those that are necessary to support the transmission capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system operated by NGCP. Phinma is the owner and operator of the 64-megawatt diesel power plants (Power Barges 101 and 102) in Barrio Obrero, Iloilo City, which were certified and accredited by NGCP as capable of providing dispatchable reserve. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business HYUNDAI IN ILOILO. A&B United Corp. and Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. mark another milestone with the grand inauguration of Hyundai Trucks and Buses Iloilo, the first standalone Hyundai commercial vehicle dealership in the Philippines.

HARI was appointed the official Philippine distributor of Hyundai CV in 2016. Leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) HARI executive vice president and chief finance officer Ladislao Avila Jr., A&B United president Ceazar Anthony Ang, Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III, HARI president and CEO Ma. Fe PerezAgudo, A&B United chairman Antonio Ang, Hyundai Motor Co. general manager for commercial vehicles division Seonggi Kang, HMC regional manager for commercial vehicles division Kwangwoo Park, and HARI senior VP Numeriano Cortez, Jr.

PDIC issues rules on claims vs banks STATE-RUN Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. issued the guidelines for all creditors of closed banks on how to file a claim against the assets of a closed bank.

Creditors refer to any individual or entity with a valid claim against the assets of a closed bank, and include depositors with uninsured deposits that exceed the maximum deposit insurance coverage of P500,000.

Republic Act No. 3591, as amended, or the PDIC Charter, provides that claims against the assets of a closed bank must be filed with PDIC within 60 days from the date of publication of the notice of closure of subject bank. Claims filed beyond the prescribed 60-day period will be disallowed.

“Creditors whose credits are secured by a duly-registered real estate mortgage or chattel mortgage or duly-constituted pledge are no longer required to file their claims against the assets of the closed bank,” it said.

Claims may be filed either personally at the closed bank’s premises during PDIC’s takeover operations. Julito G. Rada

Safety guidelines on LED lamps out THE Department of Trade and Industry issued an order adopting the safety requirements for self-ballasted LED lamps as one of the Philippine National Standards for mandatory implementation under the Bureau of Philippine Standards’ Product Certification Scheme.

Department Memorandum Order 1802 added the self-ballasted LED lamp to the list of products that the department regulates prior to their distribution to the market.

“This DAO is a result of a series of public consultations with relevant stakeholders. This will further the department’s efforts in ensuring the safety of our consumers especially now that more and more individuals and organizations are using LED lamps in their homes and workplaces,” said Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo.

The order also stated that a manufacturer must be able to conduct test parameters on marking completeness, legibility and durability. Othel V. Campos

Semirara’s 2017 income climbed 18% to P14.14

Changi Airport to get 30% interest in big Naia project

By Darwin G. Amojelar

S

ingapore’s Changi Airport Group is keen in taking a 30 percent interest in the consortium that submitted an unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate and expand the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for P350 billion, according to the top executive of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan said members of the Naia Consortium “have agreed in principle” that Changi Airport would get 30 percent, while the remaining 70 percent will be shared by

the seven members with 10 percent each interest in the project.

The consortium’s members are Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments.

Naia Consortium tapped world’s premier airport operators Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. to provide technical support in the areas of master planning, operations optimization and commercial development. The group is committed to the development of a modern airport complex that will meet the long-term passenger demand at Naia.

The proposal involves expanding and interconnecting the existing terminals of Naia, upgrading airside facilities, and developing commercial facilities to increase airline and airport efficiencies, enhance passenger comfort and experience, and improve public perception of

Naia as the country’s premier international gateway.

The project is divided into two phases.

Phase 1 includes improvements and expansion of terminals in the current Naia land area, while Phase 2 involves the development of an additional runway, taxiways, passenger terminals and associated support infrastructure. The group is proposing a 35-year concession period.

The consortium plans to spend P100 billon for Phase 1 and P250 billion for Phase 2.

Construction of the additional runway will ensure the ability of Naia to serve as Manila’s gateway for years to come, bringing potential capacity up to 100 million passengers per year from over 40 million passengers last year.

The upgrades will elevate Naia to the level of major regional airports such as Changi in Singapore and Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok and will become a viable transit hub in southeast Asia.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

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Govt extends franchise of Now Telecom for 25 years

By Darwin G. Amojelar MALACAÑANG extended the franchise of Now Telecom Company Inc. for another 25 years, or until 2043.

Now said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange its franchise had been extended until 2043 under Republic Act No. 10972, which was signed for approval into law by President Duterte, “With the said law, Now Telecom, as a telecommunications company, now has privileges similar to those granted to existing dominant players in the industry,” Now said.

The bill expands the nature and scope of the franchise granted to Now to wireless telecommunications systems, including mobile, cellular and fiber optics.

Now, which is owned by the family of Mel Velarde, is vying for the third major telecommunications player that will challenge duopoly of PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. Kristian Pura, head of business development of Now, said it was open to forming a consortium of local and foreign telcos.

“Several groups already reached out to us. We are engaging with them and we will be finalizing some details but as of now, I cannot comment,” he added.

Now has cellular mobile telephone service license as early as 2006, but never rolled out its network because of lack of mobile radio frequencies.

Under the draft rules of the Department of Information and Communications Technology on the selection of a third player, the prospective bidders should have a net worth of at least P10 billion with a Congressional franchise to operate telecom services.

It said in case of a consortium, Filipinos should control at least 60 percent and at least one of the members should be a holder of a Congressional franchise.

Prospective bidders should not be a related party to any telecom group with a mobile and broadband wireless market share of at least 40 percent, the DICT said.

Herbosa says SEC will review PDS proposals

By Jenniffer B. Austria

By Alena Mae S. Flores SEMIRARA Mining and Power Corp. posted a consolidated net income after tax of P14.14 billion in 2017, up 18 percent from P12.04 billion in 2016, driven by its coal mining and power generation businesses.

Semirara said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Friday the higher income last year resulted in higher earnings per share of P3.32, up 17 percent from P2.83 in 2016.

The company said coal, Sem-Calaca Power Corp. and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. contributed P6.08 billion, P4.55 billion, and P3.74 billion to the bottom line, respectively.

“Before eliminations, the coal segment’s core NIAT of P9.04 billion, posted a 21-percent increase from P7.5 billion in 2016. This is exclusive of the dividend income of P2.5 billion in 2016 from SCPC and P1 billion each in 2017 from SCPC and SLPGC,” it said.

Semirara said better coal profitability last year was largely driven by increased average selling price and the slight rise in volume sold. The company owns the country’s biggest coal mining operations in Caluya, Antique province.

Coal production and coal sales set new record highs last year at 13.2 million tons and 13.1 million tons, respectively.

The average selling price of coal rose by 20 percent year-on-year to P2,268 per ton from P1,886 per ton in 2016.

SCPC, which owns the 600 MW Calaca coal-fired power plant in Batangas acquired from the government, posted a net income after tax of P2.33 billion, up 65 percent from last year’s P1.41 billion.

Two significant non-recurring transactions last year had impact on the profitability of SCPC, namely partial recognition of income from disputed receivables from Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. amounting to P330 million, and recording of accelerated depreciation amounting to P840 million relative to the life extension project of units 1 and 2, which will start in the later part of 2018.

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

FIRST METRO PARTNER. China National Heavy Machinery Corp., the third largest contractor of power projects and one of the top construction engineering companies in China, taps First Metro Investment Corp., the investment banking arm of the Metrobank Group, as its exclusive consultant in the Philippines. At the signing ceremony held at the new Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City are (from left) First Metro senior executive vice president Jose Pacifico Marcelo, First Metro president Rabboni Francis Arjonillo, CHMC president Xiao Ping and CHMC regional manager Sophia Nan.

2 groups say some cosmetic items lack warning label

By Othel V. Campos LABAN Konsyumer Inc., a consumer protection group, and the EcoWaste Coalition cautioned that some cosmetic products lack the required warning label to protect young children from inhaling talc-based powder.

The groups made the observation following the dissemination by the Food and Drug Administration of the Asean Advisory Statement on Talc, which among other things reiterated that talcum powders used in children must carry the warning statement “keep powder away from children’s nose and mouth.”

The warning label aims to protect children from inhaling talc in powdery prod-

ucts in line with the Asean, European and Canadian cosmetic labeling requirements.

“It’s important for manufacturers to comply with cosmetic labeling requirements under the Asean Cosmetic Directive and national laws such as the Consumer Act and the Food and Drug Administration Act to adequately guide consumers on products to buy and their proper use,” said Laban Konsyumer president Vic Dimagiba Ecowaste Coalition chemical safety campaigner Thony Dizon said products intended for use by young children such as baby talcum powders must bear the required warning statement to prevent and reduce potential health risks from the inhalation of talc.

The groups further sought assurance from

manufacturers that talc used in their products were asbestos-free, noting that asbestos must not form part of a cosmetic formulation under the Asean Cosmetic Directive.

The groups noted that the FDA earlier asked manufacturers, importers and distributors of talc-containing cosmetics “to provide proof or certifications of asbestosfree products sold in the market.”

In test buys conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition, seven products were found not to have the required warning label, namely B&B Kids Body Powder, Babyflo Talc Powder, Carrie Talcum Powder, Cherub Baby Powder, Lucky Talcum Powder, Snake Brand Prickly Heat Cooling Powder and Young’s Face and Body Powder.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said it will evaluate the separate bids of the Philippine Stock Exchange and Land Bank of the Philippines to acquire Philippine Dealing System and Holdings Corp., the owner and operator of the country’s fixed income exchange SEC chairman Teresita Herbosa said in an interview she was surprised with the move of LandBank to acquire PDS and compete with the PSE. Herbosa said LandBank had not yet filed an “exemptive relief” from the SEC. “... in the capital markets especially when it comes to functions like providing platform for an exchange buying and selling stock and fixed income securities, there are really a lot of public interest involved,” Herbosa said.

“The more there are entities interested in going into the business, the better for us and the investing public,” she said.

The SEC will assess which proposal will benefit the investing public, especially in terms of lower fees.

Herbosa noted that 98 percent of the country’s fixed income securities were government securities and two percent were corporate debts.

“If ever it would be coming to the point both PSE and LandBank were applying for exemptive relief, assuming they have the same go signal with PDS shareholders to acquire PDS, we have to consider a lot of these factors,” Herbosa said.

The PSE and Landbank must obtain exemptive relief from the SEC regarding their planned acquisition of PDS. Under the Securities Regulation Code, no single industry should own more than 20 percent of an exchange.

LandBank last month announced its plan to acquire PDS. The PSE, which has been working on PDS acquisition for the past several years, has signed several share purchase agreements with several PDS shareholders, including Bankers Association of the Philippines, Whistler Technologies Services Inc., San Miguel Corp., Investment Houses Association of the Philippines and Financial Executives Association of the Philippines.

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Business

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks fall; index dips below 8,500 T HE stock market fell Friday on lingering concerns on a possible rate increase by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas next month to address inflationary pressures.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 48.01 points, or 0.6 percent, to 8,467.56 on a value turnover of P9.2 billion. Losers beat gainers, 122 to 91, with 39 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, dropped 2 percent to P147, while JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei declined 2.8 percent to P72.50.

Now Corp., which is bidding to become the country’s third major telecommunications company, advanced 4.4 percent to P15.70, while Golden Haven Inc. of the Villar Group climbed 3.4 per-

cent to P300.

The rest of Asian markets, meanwhile, ended the week on a positive note following the lead from Wall Street, with energy firms lifted by a rally in oil prices.

While the volatility that greeted the start of February has subsided for now, traders continue to fret over the prospect that US borrowing costs are likely to rise further as the world’s top economy powers ahead.

“Investors are just nervous about interest rates,” Paul Nolte, a portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago, told Bloomberg News.

“Everybody is waiting for more economic data to confirm or deny whatever the Fed position is. It’s a big case of the nerves.”

Most equities in Asia sank on Thursday after the Fed released minutes pointing towards a number of rate hikes this

year owing to an expected surge in inflation as Donald Trump’s tax cuts kick in and economic growth improves.

However, Friday saw a bounce-back as investors tracked their New York counterparts.

“The minutes were far more balanced than the equity market sell-off suggested,” said Stephen Innes, head of AsiaPacific trading at OANDA. “The discussions about their inflation target being symmetric indicate that the Feds are less concerned about the updraft from inflationary pressures than current market pricing.”

Tokyo ended 0.7 percent higher, helped by a weaker yen. Hong Kong climbed more than one percent, Shanghai added 0.6 percent and Sydney put on 0.8 percent. Seoul and Singapore each jumped 1.5 percent, while Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta were also well in the green.

Energy firms across the region were higher, recovering some of Thursday’s losses, after oil prices jumped on the back of data showing US stockpiles fell last week. Forecasts had been for a rise.

The news sent crude sharply higher on Thursday as it eased worries about a pick-up in US production, which was threatening to negate the output cap by Opec and Russia. Both main oil contracts continued to rise in Asia.

“The market’s been concerned about US production ramping, so as long as you still have these healthy inventory reports, it helps ease some of the fears,” Craig Bethune, a senior portfolio manager at Manulife Asset Management, said.

On forex markets the dollar climbed against the euro, recovering some losses after European Central Bank minutes showed a cautious move towards an exit from crisis-era stimulus. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.6 2,970 119.6 1,175,460 3.7 86,000 147 2,307,030 1.68 222,000 35 244,900 15.3 168,100 27 622,800 3.7 88,000 8.6 3,600 1.7 67,000 900 170 0.53 447,000 96.65 2,142,640 1.59 41,850,000 12.9 54,600 23.35 5,400 56.95 135,700 236.2 30,740 104 110 46.35 220,800 247.4 482,420 1,930 110 90 22,920

176,824 140,571,249 317,800 347,214,326 371,630 8,599,705 2,596,470 16,750,860 316,950 30,533 113,050 154,800 237,560 207,031,774.50 71,383,820 706,064 131,460 7,803,646.50 7,257,960 11,430 10,253,160 119,531,354 212,300 2,061,863.50

49,995 -21,914,927 -50,356,789 1,118,990 5,785,255 0 -47,767,159 1,593,590 7,421,776.50 10,390 -1,468,160 -70,184,794 -363,230.50

38.65 12.64 0.57 1.28 18.02 0.214 108 3.72 16 220 50.35 18.66 62 55.6 82.1 1.88 5.36 10.2 11.16 14 10.8 7.35 5.5 1.73 15.06 62 28.7 9.9 18.6 2.01 281.4 47.2 4.03 3.05 27.3 17.02 19.7 319 0.189 8.11 2.7 4.45 9.1 6.3 7.96 1.55 12.54 56.8 6 620 4.78 3.1 3.5 2.05 16.42 5.37 1.03 142 2.65 1.84 1.58

INDUSTRIAL 38.65 1,262,600 12.9 1,461,100 0.58 605,000 1.3 607,000 18.2 51,600 0.216 2,080,000 108 610 3.77 8,361,000 16 692,900 250 1,980 51.5 564,550 20 22,300 62.05 1,430 55.6 1,500 82.1 10 1.89 225,000 5.43 25,300 10.6 14,400 11.2 8,866,600 14.12 344,200 10.9 1,150,200 7.65 279,300 5.53 785,600 1.73 66,000 15.32 774,000 62.8 32,270 29.5 108,100 10 93,300 18.6 1,102,000 2.14 3,314,000 282 1,269,870 47.2 100 4.45 4,560,000 3.05 10,000 27.4 424,900 17.04 380,900 20.7 2,680,000 319.2 279,080 0.196 440,000 8.11 10,600 2.88 1,382,000 4.75 111,000 9.1 2,475,500 6.3 354,500 8 48,000 1.58 70,000 13 1,583,700 56.95 1,313,550 6.3 126,600 625 52,010 4.8 187,000 3.3 2,028,000 3.61 132,000 2.1 4,065,000 16.44 221,400 5.48 369,900 1.05 216,000 143 2,243,040 2.65 424,000 1.88 3,966,000 1.68 20,422,000

48,968,030(18 18,762,192 347,330 783,160 934,272 449,240 65,880 31,735,510 11,127,148 471,220 29,049,636.50 441,808 88,685 83,964 821 424,550 137,048 152,450 99,487,306 4,863,540 12,534,262 2,121,844 4,339,680 114,360 11,726,258 2,011,462 3,156,235 924,785 20,593,960 6,999,310 363,248,974 4,720 20,002,650 30,690 11,636,020 6,500,598 ( 53,830,367 89,372,792 83,330 88,752 3,921,910 516,790 22,571,163(12 2,281,015 383,036 110,210 20,576,930 74,812,150.5 ( 787,535 32,608,185 897,570 6,936,420 469,210 8,686,160 3,677,782 2,000,403 224,090 321,812,848 1,142,200 7,427,090 34,128,770

,337,544.9996) -4,668,276 29,000 -1,721,370 8,805,342 1,830,475.50 57,660 -4,240 22,807,540 1,835,744 -9,588,766 1,618,508 -503,254 -1,371,658 727,305 898,900 -6,022,074 1,592,960 190,840,044 33,900 3,050 -3,939,450 136,484.0001) 34,169,294 -40,276,334 820,190.00 51,000 ,434,727.0003) -156,806 11,918,735.5) 168,640 2,173,985 422,500 -2,404,090 55,000 -41,060 1,531,106 -84,520,108 643,500 -58,390 1,270,630

0.29 74.2 14.36 0.89 7.06 0.56 0.6 1,043 7.49 13.52 7.44 1,310 7.25 72.5 5.21 0.66 5.2 22.6 0.31 5.64 0.039 1.12 3.12 2.55 141 2.67 953 1.6 281.4 0.226 0.172 0.187

HOLDING FIRMS 0.3 650,000 75.8 1,003,220 14.5 10,514,500 0.89 827,000 7.23 417,000 0.63 27,331,000 0.64 7,748,000 1,060 419,980 7.54 322,700 13.6 3,591,300 7.5 31,900 1,326 124,055 7.25 500 72.5 3,131,660 5.21 26,000 0.68 631,000 5.21 752,500 23.25 1,072,600 0.325 30,000 5.75 25,489,500 0.039 14,300,000 1.13 248,000 3.34 9,004,000 2.55 23,000 141 416,680 2.67 14,000 960 297,580 1.64 2,886,000 284.8 6,570 0.233 830,000 0.172 720,000 0.188 50,000

191,550 75,880,599 152,254,406 764,250 3,063,414 16,680,160 4,848,090 444,972,300 2,422,095 48,829,964 238,632 164,518,945 3,631 228,227,813.50 136,324 421,920 3,921,208 24,802,330 9,450 146,012,057 560,000 288,500 29,465,560 58,720 59,304,316 37,380 285,443,140 4,637,190 1,864,626 188,930 125,840 9,400

-30,758,486 -67,143,308 13,610 -4,589,795 344,283 -34,620,032 -52,061,040 -167,644,665 1,172,834 -8,733,655 -33,213,344 80,120 -4,207,428 -46,536,770 49,730 5,660 87,500 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

58.15 119.3 3.7 151 1.68 35.4 15.4 27.5 3.7 8.55 1.67 930 0.54 96.65 1.89 12.98 23.35 57.6 236 103 46.4 250.6 1,930 89.9

59.6 120 3.7 152.9 1.7 35.5 15.52 28 3.77 8.6 1.7 930 0.54 97.15 1.93 13 24.8 57.9 240 104 46.6 254 1,930 90

58.15 119.3 3.68 147 1.67 34.8 15.22 26.4 3.58 8.31 1.63 900 0.53 96 1.58 12.9 23.35 56.7 236 103 46.3 247 1,930 89.85

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 PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

39.05 12.68 0.58 1.28 18.12 0.216 108 3.86 16.16 230 51 19.8 62.05 56 82.1 1.89 5.4 10.6 11.64 14.36 10.8 7.6 5.5 1.74 15.14 62.9 28.9 10 19 2.02 285 47.2 4.03 3.05 27.7 17.4 19.7 319 0.19 8.39 2.79 4.71 9.33 6.8 7.96 1.6 13 57.35 6 628 4.8 3.85 3.75 2.15 16.92 5.48 1.03 146 2.7 1.85 1.65

39.6 12.92 0.58 1.3 18.56 0.22 108 3.86 16.16 263 52 20 62.05 56 82.1 1.92 5.43 10.6 11.64 14.36 10.98 7.68 5.55 1.74 15.32 62.9 29.5 10 19 2.15 289.4 47.2 4.65 3.24 27.7 17.5 20.7 324 0.196 8.39 2.88 4.75 9.33 6.8 8 1.6 13 57.95 6.3 640 4.81 3.85 3.75 2.25 16.92 5.5 1.07 146.2 2.75 1.92 1.73

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 HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.305 76.5 14.62 0.93 7.75 0.58 0.6 1,053 7.5 13.72 7.44 1,320 7.27 74.5 5.31 0.66 5.22 22.85 0.31 5.66 0.039 1.2 3.35 2.56 143 2.67 961.5 1.65 281.4 0.239 0.178 0.187

0.305 76.9 14.64 0.96 7.77 0.63 0.64 1,063 7.54 13.74 7.5 1,338 7.27 74.5 5.31 0.68 5.25 23.25 0.325 5.78 0.04 1.23 3.35 2.56 144 2.67 967.5 1.68 285.4 0.239 0.178 0.191

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

7 0.95 15.6 2.18 0.85 44.25 3.73 4.33 6.14 6.03 0.43 1.08 1.06 0.255 0.46 34.2 0.62 0.135 1.77 1.33 0.7 4.75 0.39 0.3

7 1 15.6 2.18 0.88 44.3 3.75 4.5 6.14 6.03 0.43 1.08 1.06 0.29 0.46 34.2 0.63 0.135 1.79 1.35 0.72 4.76 0.58 0.315

6.8 0.94 15.1 2.06 0.85 43.7 3.64 4.21 5.95 6 0.42 1.08 1.04 0.249 0.45 32.75 0.62 0.134 1.77 1.31 0.69 4.71 0.39 0.3

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.5 4.6 35.6 19.94 1.91 3.17 35.8 1.03 25 0.81 6.5

0.52 4.6 35.6 20.1 2.06 3.21 36.2 1.03 29.5 0.83 6.5

0.495 4.31 35.6 19.9 1.9 3.16 35.4 1 23.1 0.81 6.36

0.51 4.52 35.6 19.9 2 3.2 35.4 1.01 25.1 0.81 6.5

6,220,000 1,525,000 300 1,780,600 1,419,000 495,000 7,340,800 305,000 2,519,100 33,000 3,648,800

3,145,205 6,725,650 10,680 35,504,045 2,818,280 1,576,630 262,974,225 308,090 68,488,725 26,790 23,544,365

-61,620 -10,186,892 202,600 -8,958,865 544,635 -6,665,328

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN 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 SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

18.1 31.95 1.3 0.435 0.056 11.58 5.24 14.1 0.065 99.8 8.9 7.61 7.85 2.36 45 1,761 6.2 270 5.41 2.93 109.9 13.5 8.2 0.134 1.53 3.18 14.98 3.91 1.05 28.1 0.5 5.5 7.51 3.31 17.48 17.02 10.16 11.22 3.05 109.4 7.82 1,555 1.19 0.345 50.4 94.15 5.9 2.89 1.45 0.5 3.45 0.91 10.7

18.4 32 1.31 0.44 0.061 11.58 5.24 14.28 0.067 99.9 8.9 7.61 8.5 2.45 45 1,762 6.24 358 5.7 2.98 110.3 13.5 8.31 0.135 1.57 3.3 14.98 4 1.05 28.7 0.5 5.83 7.88 3.41 18 17.3 10.5 11.22 3.1 113.6 7.82 1,568 1.19 0.345 50.5 94.2 6.05 2.93 1.46 0.53 3.48 0.92 10.78

17.82 31.85 1.3 0.435 0.055 11.54 4.85 13.9 0.065 99.5 8.9 7 7.85 2.36 38.1 1,740 6.18 225 4.94 2.82 109.8 12.88 8.2 0.133 1.46 3.18 14.3 3.9 1.03 27.7 0.5 5.02 7.5 3.31 17.42 15.3 10.16 10.2 2.9 108.3 6.98 1,555 1.18 0.345 49 93 5.85 2.83 1.43 0.5 3.45 0.9 10.52

SERVICES 17.98 31.85 1.3 0.44 0.059 11.54 4.87 14 0.067 99.5 8.9 7.6 8.26 2.45 40 1,743 6.21 300 5.69 2.95 110 13 8.3 0.135 1.52 3.3 14.38 3.99 1.04 28.7 0.5 5.12 7.85 3.38 18 15.7 10.2 11 2.9 113.6 7.2 1,566 1.19 0.345 49 94 6.05 2.93 1.44 0.51 3.45 0.91 10.6

56,500 61,400 77,000 160,000 450,570,000 22,900 3,600 13,702,300 10,740,000 146,830 1,300 3,538,800 289,700 44,000 244,900 47,715 79,500 434,660 22,925,400 172,000 1,427,190 2,400 19,100 4,680,000 787,000 25,000 7,800 1,021,000 312,000 1,782,800 49,000 3,451,700 1,118,200 638,000 3,000 53,149,200 8,100 21,700 74,000 23,040 6,786,100 60,620 1,188,000 440,000 2,253,430 696,600 184,400 597,000 12,763,000 54,300,000 179,000 5,318,000 5,867,200

1,021,414 1,958,470 100,210 70,150 26,375,600 264,278 17,815 192,363,902 703,290 14,636,616 11,570 26,323,506 2,315,033 104,940 10,195,870 83,289,530 493,426 135,776,374 121,195,009 496,690 156,997,396 31,680 158,540 624,780 1,166,840 79,620 113,666 4,004,450 323,060 50,594,275 24,500 18,717,020 8,645,505 2,150,880 53,012 861,309,300 83,186 236,426 221,230 2,553,687 49,529,041 94,770,520 1,410,270 151,800 111,718,835.5 ( 65,517,514 ( 1,098,430 1,727,400 18,470,980 27,895,040 618,720 4,816,270 62,405,088(3,

-413,820 -33,478.00 4,716 79,313,108 -4,158,335.50 -3,720,900 81,669 4,495 -21,769,040 -400,126 -6,718,656 -22,339,214 2,600 13,400 11,680 -493,980 5,736,210 -158,504 348,300 -111,540 -3,114,932 1,472,532 -3,579,046 -10,384,460 -41,440 66,840,980.5) 30,316,863.5) 580,850 28,810 16,289,230 403,950 -207,210 350,070 907,892.0004)

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

0.0025 1.7 4.99 17.52 1.67 1.85 0.31 7.45 2.4 0.227 0.146 0.152 0.009 0.0096 1.45 6.19 1.41 0.435 0.93 0.011 0.011 2.27 6.38 15.82 36.5 0.0068

0.0025 1.83 5.01 18.98 1.67 1.86 0.31 7.45 2.4 0.227 0.146 0.153 0.0093 0.0096 1.45 6.19 1.41 0.435 0.93 0.013 0.012 2.27 6.38 17.64 37.3 0.0069

0.0024 1.69 4.95 17.5 1.61 1.67 0.305 7.18 2.32 0.212 0.145 0.152 0.009 0.0096 1.41 6.12 1.35 0.435 0.87 0.011 0.011 2.15 6.22 15.5 36.5 0.0068

MINING & OIL 0.0025 176,000,000 1.77 23,746,000 5.01 345,000 18.98 5,300 1.62 209,000 1.7 10,245,000 0.305 60,000 7.3 71,400 2.35 4,599,000 0.225 780,000 0.146 5,840,000 0.153 2,110,000 0.0093 31,000,000 0.0096 4,000,000 1.45 383,000 6.19 875,700 1.4 120,000 0.435 170,000 0.92 63,000 0.012 85,300,000 0.011 57,800,000 2.18 167,000 6.22 879,400 17.12 25,941,400 37.3 2,177,900 0.0069 15,000,000

424,500 41,843,140 1,722,390 97,220 339,080 17,820,360 18,350 515,934 10,777,350 168,150 849,200 320,820 282,200 38,400 548,870 5,390,506 165,330 73,950 57,410 1,022,100 655,200 371,700 5,484,692 431,221,784 80,508,815 103,100

-32,640 -14,930 -306,230 -18,130 275,020 -171,759 7,518,712 -17,885,250 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2H

31.5 508 103.6 6.17 1,005 1,009 101.6 108.4 1,101 1,000 102 2.27 80.5 77 78

31.65 508 103.6 6.17 1,005 1,009 101.6 108.4 1,101 1,000 102 2.27 80.5 77 78

31.3 501 103.6 6.16 1,000 1,005 101.6 108.4 1,100 1,000 102 2.27 79 77 78

PREFERRED 31.45 81,800 501 780 103.6 60 6.16 4,500 1,000 34,140 1,005 595 101.6 62,040 108.4 60 1,100 60 1,000 810 102 10 2.27 34,000 80 62,930 77 19,900 78 160

2,572,725 394,030 6,216 27,728 34,183,520 598,955 6,303,264 6,504 66,020 810,000 1,020 77,180 5,035,605 1,532,300 12,480

-1,019,125 -388,970 5,552 -1,594,400 -

LR WARRANT

2.27

2.3

2.24

WARRANTS 2.28 614,000

1,384,670

-

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

6.35 4 3.7

6.35 4.1 3.72

6.01 3.82 3.62

6.1 3.98 3.63

30,396,054 1,155,990 4,978,880

-665,197 -2,222,770

FIRST METRO ETF

129.9

129.9

129.3

412,107

-5,196

26,250

-

MS

PROPERTY 6.88 0.98 15.12 2.18 0.88 43.9 3.75 4.5 6.1 6 0.425 1.08 1.04 0.29 0.455 32.95 0.62 0.134 1.79 1.32 0.7 4.75 0.58 0.315

631,000 6,129,000 45,600 544,000 2,945,000 11,734,800 1,372,000 2,310,000 67,900 40,200 4,340,000 68,000 173,000 332,950,000 1,100,000 1,098,900 491,000 160,000 1,848,000 3,542,000 1,068,000 26,554,000 1,459,560,000 2,000,000

4,339,813 5,921,550 691,146 1,141,420 2,562,390 515,520,010 5,030,280 10,083,560 409,670 242,400 1,850,550 73,440 181,430 91,581,040 501,050 36,339,925 305,120 21,510 3,297,590 4,667,910 743,040 125,808,620 728,979,950 620,100

101,178 -54,770 62,100.00 85,000 -249,504,830 -195,810 535,160 3,908 4,300 2,634,700 -16,607,830 -133,920 259,690 -911,760 -17,951,220 615,950 -

USD DMPL A1

10.5

10.5

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

51,219,824

INDUSTRIAL

84,803,222

HOLDING FIRMS

113,385,697

PROPERTY

1,887,058,214

SERVICES

668,738,339

MINING & OIL

449,256,672

GRAND TOTAL

3,261,066,693

10.5

SME

4,935,500 297,000 1,363,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 129.5 3,180 10.5

DDS

2,500

VALUE 2,177.06 (down) 24.39 1,069,163,994.19 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,151.25 (down) 93.84 1,406,106,667.36 HOLDING FIRMS 8,621.77 (down) 1.28 1,810,169,838.588 PROPERTY 3,825.42 (down) 36.77 1,744.07 (down) 1.53 1,986,091,354.595 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,238.06 (up) 139.52 2,327,013,451.29 PSEI 8,467.56 (down) 48.01 600,868,606.511 All Shares Index 5,063.56 (down) 23.63 9,236,381,572.55 Gainers: 91; Losers: 122; Unchanged: 39; Total: 252

PSBank’s net income up by 8% to P2.7b

By Julito G. Rada PHILIPPINE Savings Bank, the thrift banking unit of the Metrobank Group, registered a net profit of P2.7 billion in 2017, up 8.3 percent from P2.5 billion in 2016, driven primarily by the strong performance of net interest and fee-based incomes.

The bank said in a statement Friday net interest profit grew 14.6 percent, while fee-based income increased 19.9 percent.

“We are pleased to see that the results of our efforts in digitization and customer service are becoming evident with the year in and year out strong performance of our core business, making our growth stable and sustainable” PSBank president Vicente Cuna said.

Loan portfolio rose 13.3 percent to P146.3 billion from P129.2 billion in 2016. Auto and mortgage loans remained the main contributors for growth in consumer lending, while an increase in SME loans reinforced growth in commercial lending.

Despite the expansion of its loan portfolio, the bank managed to keep non-performing loans in check, with net NPL ratio at 1.2 percent as of end-2017.

Deposits increased 19.3 percent to P188.9 billion from P158.4 billion in 2016, with low-cost funds expanding 16.3 percent.

PSBank ended 2017 with P223.3 billion in total assets, up 13.4 percent on year. Total equity reached P22.4 billion, up 11.8 percent.

The bank’s Tier 1 and total capital adequacy ratios stood at 11.1 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively. Both are above the minimum requirement set by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Return on equity stood at 12.5 percent while earnings per share increased to P11.05 from P10.20 on year.

PSBank earlier received an issuer rating of PRS Aaa (Corp.) from Philippine Ratings Services Corp.

(PhilRatings).

An issuer rating is an opinion on the general and overall creditworthiness of the issuer, evaluating its ability to meet all its financial obligations within a time horizon of one year. A PRS Aaa (Corp.) is the highest corporate credit rating assigned on the PRS scale.

Lotto operator registered 2017 profit of P493m

By Jenniffer B. Austria LOTTO operator Pacific Online Systems Corp. posted a net income of P493 million in 2017, up 23 percent from P400 million in 2016.

POSC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the growth in net income was driven by the lottery equipment leasing business units for both lotto and keno.

The two business units combined delivered a total net income of P429 million, comprising about 87 percent of the total consolidated net income, or an increase of 30 percent over the prior year’s net profit.

Total lotto and keno terminals installed nationwide by POSC and its subsidiary Total Gaming and Technologies Inc. reached 6,615 at the end of 2017, up seven percent from 6,177 in 2016.

The installations generated gross revenues of P1.8 billion in 2017, or a 16-percent growth over the P1.6-billion gross revenues in 2016.

Total consolidated assets of POSC and its subsidiaries amounted to P2.6 billion, a 4.5-percent increase over last year’s assets of P2.4 billion.

Total consolidated liabilities of P613 million accounted just 30 percent of the company’s total equity at P2 billion.

POSC has an equipment lease agreement with Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for its lotto operations, mainly in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, while TGTI has an ELA with PCSO for its keno operations nationwide.

PSCO is a unit of Belle Corp., which in turn is the real estate and gaming unit the family family of retail tycoon Henry Sy.

World

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

B3

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Delegate’s execution demanded SEOUL―South Korean lawmakers protested Friday over a visit by a top North Korean general for the Pyeongchang Olympics, labeling him a war criminal over the 2010 sinking of a warship and calling for his execution.

Kim Yong Chol will head an eight-member delegation to arrive on Sunday for the Games’ closing ceremony―which will also be attended by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, creating protocol headaches for Seoul officials.

Kim is widely blamed for a spate of attacks against the South, including the torpedoing nearly eight years ago of the Seoul’s Cheonan corvette, with the loss of 46 lives.

Some 70 lawmakers of the conservative Liberty Korea Party staged a protest outside the presidential Blue House, urging President Moon Jae-in to scrap the visit.

“Kim Yong Chol is a diabolical war criminal who attacked the South... He deserves death by hanging in the street,” the party’s parliamentary floor leader Kim Sung-tae said in a statement.

“Even if the heavens split in two, we cannot allow such a heinous criminal― who must be sliced to death―to be invited to the Olympics closing ceremony,” he said.

Unification ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said the South Korean government was aware of the widespread misgivings about Kim Yong Chol’s visit to the South, but accepted it as the “chances for improving inter-Korean ties and a peace settlement might be improved.” AFP

COLD SNAP. A woman walks in a forest covered by snow with a colorfull umbrella as a wave of cold weather hits France, on February 22, 2018. AFP

Myanmar condemned over Rohingya villages Y

ANGON―Satellite imagery shows Myanmar authorities have bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine in recent months, Human Rights Watch said Friday, condemning the government for erasing evidence at the sites where troops are accused of atrocities.

PRESS CONFERENCE. Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy speaks to journalists as he arrives to attend a High Level Conference on the Sahel at the European Commission in Brussels. AFP

Bullfighting in Colombia under pressure BOGOTA―With his tight trousers and boots, Luis Miguel Castrillon is dressed to kill as he prances, feints and pirouettes around a charging bull. The crowd applauds, but for animal rights campaigners in Colombia, the bullfighter is a cruel killer.

Applause swelled around Bogota’s arena for the past month as Castrillon and other matadors taunted and dispatched bulls during the city’s annual bullfighting festival.

But animal rights activists, whose campaign is taking hold in a traditional bullfighting stronghold, point to the sparse attendances in the arena -- well short of the 10,000 clamoring aficionados that once filled it for the month-long festival.

Castrillon is left feeling like a frustrated and misunderstood artist.

“You put your life on the line against the bull―the animal can die and so can I―so that in the end, society sees me as a murderer,” lamented the 25-year old.

Increasingly, Castrillon is protected outside the arena for what he does inside it, as bullfighting’s popularity wanes and campaigners grow bolder.

Two thousand police officers were on hand to protect the festival, more than is usually mobilized for a high-risk football match.

Bogota’s city hall justified the extra security by pointing to violent demonstrations that greeted the return of the festival to Bogota last year after a fouryear absence, when it was banned by a leftist mayor.

The festival has been held in Bogota’s Santamaria bullring since 1931.

But now it’s under so much criticism that there are increasing concerns among aficionados that bullfighting could be banned altogether. AFP

Northern Rakhine has been nearly emptied of its Rohingya population since last August, when a military crackdown drove some 700,000 of the persecuted group across the border to Bangladesh.

The UN has accused Myanmar of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, who face acute discrimination in the mainly Buddhist nation.

Myanmar denies the charge but has blocked UN investigators from investigating an area where thousands of Rohingya are believed to have been killed.

Hundreds of Rohingya villages were already damaged by fire during the initial months of violence last year, when soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes terrorized communities with arson, gunfire and rape, according to refugees.

Since November Myanmar authorities

have further demolished at least 55 villages with heavy machinery, clearing out all structures and vegetation, satellite images obtained by Human Rights Watch showed.

At least two of the flattened villages were previously undamaged by fires, the watchdog said.

“Many of these villages were scenes of atrocities against Rohingya and should be preserved so that the experts appointed by the UN to document these abuses can properly evaluate the evidence to identify those responsible,” said HRW’s Asia director Brad Adams.

“Bulldozing these areas threatens to erase both the memory and the legal claims of the Rohingya who lived there,” he added.

Haunting images of leveled villages

first circulated on social media earlier this month after they were posted by an EU diplomat.

At the time Myanmar’s Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye told AFP the demolition was part of a plan to “build back” villages to a higher standard than before.

Myanmar has trumpeted a government effort to rebuild violence-gutted Rakhine and welcome back refugees under a repatriation agreement with Dhaka that was supposed to commence in January.

But many Rohingya refuse to return without the guarantee of basic rights and safety.

Analysts have also sounded the alarm over the government’s rehabilitation projects, calling the sweeping destruction of villages, mosques and property only the latest move to erase the Rohingya’s ties to their ancestral lands, and prevent them returning.

Members of the Muslim minority have been systematically stripped of their legal rights in Myanmar in recent decades. AFP

Five-day assault on enclave in Syria kills more than 400 DOUMA, Syria―Fresh bombardment on Eastern Ghouta killed dozens Thursday, bringing the number of dead civilians in a five-day assault by the Syrian government to more than 400.

Mounting calls for a humanitarian truce in one of the bloodiest episodes of Syria’s seven-year conflict failed to stop 46 more people being killed by air strikes and rocket fire.

Regime backer Russia said there was “no agreement” at the UN Security Council on a 30-day ceasefire for Syria and

presented amendments to a draft resolution that would allow aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians from besieged Eastern Ghouta.

As diplomats wrangled over a UN vote, which could take place on Friday, people huddled in basements while government forces pounded the enclave with rockets and bombs, turning towns into fields of ruins and even hitting hospitals.

Aid group Doctors Without Borders said 13 of the facilities it supports in Eastern Ghouta were damaged or destroyed in

three days, leaving remaining staff with very little to save the hundreds of wounded brought to them every day.

In the hospital mortuary in Douma, the main town in the enclave just east of Damascus, bodies wrapped in white shrouds were already lined up on the floor, two of them children.

“Five days of air strikes and intense artillery fire by the regime and its Russian ally have killed 403 civilians, including 95 children,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. AFP

Scandal-hit Australian leader quits SYDNEY―Australia’s scandal-hit deputy leader Barnaby Joyce announced Friday he was quitting and moving to the backbench amid claims of sexual harassment and controversy over an affair with a now-pregnant former aide.

Joyce, whose National Party rules alongside Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberals, has been front-page news in Australia for two weeks since it emerged he had left his wife of 24 years for his younger former media adviser, who is now expecting their baby boy.

The 50-year-old had insisted he would ride out the storm but his position became untenable on Friday when a sexual harassment complaint against him, which he denies, was lodged with the party by an unnamed woman.

Joyce said at a press conference in Armidale, his rural New South Wales seat, that he would step down as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister at a party meeting on Monday.

“It’s incredibly important that there be a circuit-breaker, not just for the parliament, but more importantly, a circuitbreaker for Vikki (his lover), for my unborn child, my daughters and for Nat (his wife),” he said.

“This has got to stop. It’s not fair on them. It’s just completely and utterly unwarranted, the sort of observation that’s happened.”

Joyce, who has also been criticized for living in an apartment rent-free with now partner Vikki Campion after splitting with his wife, was due to be the acting prime minister this week with Turnbull meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington.

But he opted to take leave.

With Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also out of the country, the role has been assumed by Senate leader Mathias Cormann, who said ahead of Joyce’s decision that any harassment claim must be taken seriously. AFP

Exiled lawmaker demands ‘justice’ GENEVA―Anna Gabriel, a pro-independence former member of the Catalan parliament, says she has not sought to flee justice in choosing Swiss exile, but on the contrary wants to see justice done.

“I have not abandoned the Spanish state by choice. I have not fled justice, I want justice ... even if it comes at a personal cost,” Gabriel told AFP in an interview in Geneva Thursday.

“If I could choose, I would choose to be a free citizen who could return home now,” added the 42-year-old ex-spokeswoman for the far-left CUP party, who is one of several secessionist politicians wanted by Madrid on charges of sedition and rebellion.

Following last October’s referendum that Madrid judged illegal, Spain jailed several of her fellow pro-independence politicians while others, notably former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, have chosen exile, Belgium in his case. AFP

PARTICIPATORY HOUSING PROJECT. This picture taken on February 1, 2018 shows the construction site of the Cartoucherie eco-district in Toulouse, the largest participatory housing project in France. AFP

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Saving the bay, one community at a time Multi-stakeholder efforts beefed up to rid Subic coast of garbage, flotsam

S

UBIC BAY FREEPORT — The deep creases on Resty Del Rosario’s sun-burned face tell the story of years of going out to sea — from dawn till dusk — ravaged by harsh rays and the relentless wind, as a fisherman and trader off the coast of Subic bay, along Morong, Bataan.

LOOKING SOUTH. Last year saw Filinvest City boost its position as a garden central business district (CBD) south of Metro Manila. Thanks to a masterplan by AECOM of Singapore, Filinvest City currently brings together a residential haven, a business central, a leisure destination, learning and education zones, and a medical and wellness hub. At the heart is an innovative “green belt”, spanning north to south, dubbed the Spectrum linear park, a foliage-canopied walkway that encourages outdoor and leisure activities. At the18.7-hectare Northgate Cyberzone, the largest district cooling system (DCS) in the country that can serve 20 office buildings, was completed. The plant, a joint undertaking with French firm ENGIE, reduces electricity consumption by 40 percent along with reduced emission of air pollution, greenhouse gases, and ozone-depleting refrigerants. This year, Filinvest City aims to get LEED certification for neighborhood development for its masterplan. The construction of bike lanes for all streets will likewise continue in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, a water treatment plant and the opening of Far Eastern University-Alabang, are on deck.

WORKING THE COAST. Police volunteers scour the Subic boardwalk for refuse.

The volunteers included students from Kinabuksan, members of the Calapandayan Fisherfolks Association, personnel from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Olongapo City, Philippine Coast Guard, the SBMA ecology center and public relations department, and representatives of the RPE. In the past, youth volunteers, in cooperation with the coast guard and diver groups, would go as far as don masks and flippers in search of underwater garbage and flotsam.

This particular event, held last weekend, focused on working the long Subic shoreline for marine, household and tourism-related debris.

OLD MAN AND THE SEA. Kap Hefty catch Resty Del Rosario explains how RPE’s At the end of the day, the “clean up he‘Protect the Bay’ ropes in volunteers roes” weighed in with more than 50 kilos and organizations to promote of collected waste. This included 35.5 kienvironmental stewardship in the Subic los of trash found along the shore and 22 Bay communities. kilos of garbage from the water.

The shoreline haul consisted of 7 kilos Del Rosario, now a grizzled barangay of nets, 9 kilos of ropes, 10 kilos of plascaptain of four towns along the Bataan tic, 3 kilos of styrofor packaging, 1.5 kilos coast, namely, San Antonio, Subic, Olongaof plastic bottle and 5 kilos of plastic. po and Morong, remembers when the fish The trash brought in volunteers in fishcatch was plentiful off these waters. “We ermen’s boats, after 40 minutes of search didn’t have to go too far to net fish 20 years at the nearby reef areas, included 6 kilos ago,” he told the Manila Standard. “But as of rubber slippers, 5 kilos of plastic and factories, business and housing subdivisions 11 kilos of bottles. crept through the coastline, we noticed that “In the past, our clean-up efforts, which fishermen had to go further out every year. we started in 2002, were haphazard,” adThat’s the price of progress, I suppose,” he mitted Del Rosario. “But with the help of said, grinning ruefully.

RPE, we came up with a stratplan so our But while a dwindling catch is a cause efforts would be more scientific and thus, of concern for ‘Kap Resty’ and his ‘kasaeffective. For example, based on data mas’ in the barangay, nothing is more culled from fishermen who regularly go alarming to them than the spreading polout to sea, we are able to study weather lution along the bay, which includes unpatterns to pinpoint where garbage will sightly surface and underwater garbage, come from, and where they would end up and flotsam. along the coastline during various parts of “This we have the power to solve, the year.” and we intend to do this with the help of Said Meralco PowerGen VP for extervarious stakeholders such as the SBMA nal affairs Litz Santana: “We are happy (Subic Bay Management Authority), prithat the Protect the Bay Initiative has bevate sector partners, locators, and varicome a multi-sectoral effort and platform, ous community organizations,” said Del engaging volunteers from the governRosario, who is also the chairman of ment, from the youth, to parents, to fishthe Subic Bay Integrated Fisheries and erfolk. They’re the ones who will sustain Aquatic Resources Management Fisherthe success of this program.” folk Association (SBIFARMFA) in the “Beyond doing a clean-up, we want to four towns. instill environmental awareness among “We only have one home and this is our the communities here,” she explained. home. What you are trying to do here is Bitten by the bug a testament to what I am trying to say. I Various locators and employees within hope we’ll continue to get support to do the Subic Bay Freeport Zone have ostenit,” he said. sibly gotten bitten by the clean up bug as ‘Protect the Bay’ well.

Some 500 volunteers recently joined During last weekend’s event at the Del Rosario’s ‘Protect the Bay’ clean up, Subic Bay boardwalk, locators and their scouring the beachfronts and waters off employees from a myriad of business esSubic Bay to rid the popular tourism attablishments, namely restaurants, bars, traction and neighboing towns around it hotels and strip malls, joined the fisherof trash that had found its way here. folk of Subic and Olongapo to enthusiasThe one-day event, part of a series of tically scour the coastline for trash. clean-up events drummed up since two “Together, there’s a lot we can accomyears ago, was organized by various complish,” Del Rosario said, beaming at the munity groups and government agencies, accumulated trash that volunteers had including the SBMA and the Redondo collected after the event. “We want to Peninsula Energy Inc., or RP Energy give everybody in this community, and (RPE), at Sitio Kinabuksan in Barangay outside, a chance to extend their passion Cawag, Subic, Zambales. for the care of the environment.”

ALL ASHORE! Coast guard team having a field day with shoreline clutter.

‘HALL OF FAMER.’ Wilcon Depot Inc. founder and chairman Emeritus William Belo, a graduate of the University of Santo

Tomas (UST) class 1973, was recently inducted into the Thomasian engineer hall of fame for entrepreneurship by the UST faculty of engineering. A bachelor of science in electronics engineering graduate, Belo was recognized for “embodying the ideals of UST and showing the world what it means to be a Thomasian engineer from UST.” He established Wilcon Depot - the home improvement and construction supply retailer for industry professionals, home enthusiasts and homeowners nationwide. Shown in photo are Belo (5th from right) receiving the award from the UST faculty of engineering officials: Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon Jr., O.P., regent, (4th from right); professor and dean Philipina A. Marcelo, Ph.D. (2nd from right); asst. professor Rhoderick Asis; asst. dean (left); and engr.

Jerenato Alfante, president of the UST engineering alumni association Inc. (2nd from left) with Wilcon Depot Inc. officials: president and CEO Lorraine Belo- Cincochan (3rd from left); chief financial officer and treasurer Mark Andrew Belo (4th from left); and executive vice president and chief product officer Careen Belo (left).

Building homes from the heart

MYCITIHOMES Builder and DevelIt was envisioned almost two years opment Inc. (MyCitiHomes) recently ago through the provision of the widlaunched Sabella, a 47-hectare project est space that the company acquired. in General Trias, Cavite.

Sabella offers facilities such as swim-

ming pools, a clubhouse, covered court and playgrounds.

It also has a three-hectare Eco Park. MyCitiHomes has built 18 projects over the past 11 years in various locations near Metro Manila. These include MyCitiHomes Molino, Amaris Homes (Seen in photo) and Meadowpark in Bacoor, Cavite, Northgate Executive Park, Northgate Classica, Northgate at Sarmiento, Residencia de Muzon, and Lancaster Place in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

It likewise built Summerfield Subdivision in Trece Martires, Cavite, Amaris Homes Dasma in Dasmariñas, Cavite, IL Giardino Residences, Liora Homes, Natania Homes, and Kaia Homes in General Trias, Cavite, as well as Grand Plaza Subdivision, Sterling Manors, and Bali Hai Residences in Imus, Cavite.

MAKE MINE FIBR. PLDT recently partnered with Sta. Lucia Land to equip the latter’s residential condominiums and hotel suites with fiber technology, premium WiFi, products and services for offices and commercial establishments. At the signing of the agreement were (from left), PLDT key account manager Kate Medina Arevalo; Sta. Lucia Land VP purchasing Vincent Jose Santos; and PLDT AVP and head of building industry consultancy services (BICS) Ronaldo David Mendoza. Among the Sta. Lucia residences that will be served by the fiber facility are the Santorini Tower, located in the eastern part of Metro Manila – straddling the cities of Pasig, Marikina, Antipolo, and the town of Cainta; the Arterra Residences in Mactan, Cebu; the Sotogrande in Davao; and the Splendido Taal Towers in Batangas.

PUTTING ON A SHOW. Bosch recently unveiled

its newest solutions at Philconstruct Manila, held at the SMX Convention Hall, Mall of Asia, from power tools, security alarm and surveillance systems, automotive parts and accessories, drive and control systems, as well as industrial boiler technology for the construction industry.

Bosch exhibited the green laser measuring tool, one of the highlight products at the expo, as well as its cordless GSR 180 drill/driver and the GSB 180 impact drill. A recent innovation was the AVIOTEC, is a video-based fire detection system, which can identify smoke and flames at the source, even in inaccessible environments such as high ceilings or dusty and humid areas. Also featured were Bosch’s video surveillance cameras – Autodome IP 5000i, Flexidome IP indoor 5000i, Flexidome IP panoramic 7000 and the Dinion IP starlight 6000i IR. These cameras have video analytics built in as a standard (intelligent) feature.

An adventure like no other

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MstandardLIfe saturday, february 24, 2018

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Life travel and leisure

Intha leg-rowing fishermen regale guests of the Golden Island Cottage, one of several floating hotels on Inle Lake.

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

V

ISITING Myanmar is like chasing history on the run. Blink, and you’d miss something new – be that paved roads where none used to be, or a restaurant menu that is getting more and more extensive with international dishes on the list.

Still, its old world charm beckons – there is no dearth of the historical and the exotic in this Southeast Asian country which has been isolated for almost 50 years owing to a repressive military rule.

When I first visited Yangon almost five years ago, the most iconic reminder for me of Myanmar’s junta government was the $200 a piece sim card. And even if you had the money, there was no guarantee you could buy one as the sale was done via a lottery draw.

But in November last year, the things that greeted me upon arrival at Yangon’s international airport were billboards upon billboards of Samsung mobile phones. And if there are Samsung billboards, there must be – sim cards! These can now be had for only $1 a piece. And like a red beacon of modernization, there was a KFC branch at the airport (still no McDonald’s, though, but I am not complaining). o visit in Yangon is complete withNo out paying homage to the 2,500-yearold Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred and impressive of all, where strands of Buddha’s hair and other holy relics are enshrined. And if there is one thing that is characteristic of all pagodas and temples in Myanmar, it is that you are required to walk barefoot. The simple act of leaving your shoes behind and feeling the concrete beneath your feet is a gentle reminder that before Buddha and the universe, we were all equal, regardless of wealth or stature in life.

From Shwedagon, the next stop is the Chaukhtatgyi Temple which houses the colossal 215-foot long reclining Buddha. The statue’s face is placid but colorful, and has a diamond-encrusted crown. And if you feel like splurging some kyats (one dollar is about 1,350 kyat), head for Bogyoke Market where

you can buy beautiful longyi, a saronglike wrap-around cloth; thanakha, a natural sunblock made from ground tree bark; and precious and semi-precious jewelry, including Myanmar’s iconic jade bracelets.

The aweinspiring 215-foot long reclining Buddha at the Chaukhtatgyi Temple

About an hour and a half away by plane from Yangon is the ancient city of Bagan in Myanmar’s Mandalay region.

It was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom from the 9th to 13th centuries, and during the height of the kingdom, there were more than 10,000 temples and pagodas in Bagan, which is now down to about 3,000.

In Bagan, you can find the Ananda Temple, dubbed as the “Westminster Abbey of Burma” with its cruciform layout. The temple houses four standing

Buddhas, each one facing the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west.

The south-facing Buddha, in particular, has a unique architectural display.

Viewed from close quarters, the Buddha has a stern look. But, take a few steps back and the same statue exhibits a happy expression.

Riding a hot air balloon over the temples in Bagan at sunrise was one of the best things I did not do during my visit last year, no thanks to failing to wake up early. Perhaps, it is an excuse to return one day soon.

From Bagan, make a side trip to Inle Lake, Myanmar’s second largest freshwater lake dotted by marshes, floating gardens, stilt-house villag villages, and floating Buddhist temples.

Perhaps the first person to welcome you to the Inle Lake region will be an Intha fisherman. He will row his boat with his legs – one leg locked around a long oar and another gripping the stern of his teak boat.

With his free hands, he uses a big traditional conical fishing net to haul in his catch. And for about 2,000 kyats, he will perform dif different poses to satisfy your need for IG-worthy photos.

Tourists will also find in the Inle region the Kayan women from the Kayah state. Dubbed as the giraffe women or longnecked women of Burma, they wear brass coils around their necks, giving the impression that these are stretched. A full set of the neck rings can weigh as much as 10 kilos, and these push down the muscles around the collarbone, thus making their necks appear longer.

For the adventurous foodies, a trip to the bustling once-every-five-days market behind the Hpaung Daw U Pagoda is a must. Locals come here to buy everything they need, from safety pins to traditional medicines to sarongs and longyis.

Here, local mountain dwellers also peddle a favorite snack of theirs – crunchy ants that are mildly sour to the taste.

As the British novelist Rudyard Kipling said in 1898, Myanmar is “quite unlike any land you know about.” And really, the best time to visit is now, while it still is.

A 72-year-old long-necked woman, Daw Nyunt Khin, has been weaving using lotus leaves since she was 14 years old.

The façade of the Kushida Shrine, with its symbolic décor above the main door.

Memories of Fukuoka

city with a serene, laid-back environment, I brought them there.

I was not mistaken. I got what I wanted, thanks to the city being a bastion of Shintoism, a religion based on nature worship. The trees, the clouds, and the sky are some of the elements of nature that are regarded as deities. The relaxmercury rising ing atmosphere of the city’s centrally located Ohori Park was the ambience

By BoB zozoBrado I wanted so much to experience during WHEN our “megaship” docked at the my previous visits to the country.

In fact, during that trip to Fukuoka, my port of Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu, which is at the southwestern tip of press group, whose members, I’m sure, Japan, two memorable events came to have been constantly harassed by deadmind. Both happened when I was still lines in their respective offices, wanted to spend the whole day in the park, just lazworking for an international airline.

My first visit to Japan was when I ing around on the carpet of green grass, or was still in college. I made a stopover adoring, from strategically placed benchin Tokyo for two days, while en route to es, the panorama of colorful blooms on trees with its the US. It was leaves rustling my first-ever with the wind trip across the blowing from Pacific. Being all directions. a first-time It was that traveler then, I visit which filimited myself nally made me to the places in enjoy Japan, Tokyo where “The Land our tour guide of the Rising brought us. I Sun.” This tag purposely did conjures imnot break away ages of calm from the group and serenity for fear that which usually I would have A typical Torii accompany a great difficulbeautiful sunty returning to rise, the relaxing scenario I wanted to my hotel due to the language barrier.

Being part of a tour group, that visit have in my previous trips to the country. was quite regimented, as the tour sched- That visit made Fukuoka memorable.

The other reason why this Japanese ule had to be adhered to. After that first time, all my succeeding visits to Tokyo city ranks high in my memory, is quite and Osaka were business trips. They funny. The International Air Transport took place during my stint with the in- Association (IATA), the governing body ternational airline and, later, with an in- of all scheduled airlines in the world, has assigned three-letter codes to all cities ternational chain hotel.

These business trips were all quick, served by airlines. All airline and travel overnight, meetings-filled “drop ins,” agency employees are familiar with these so I hardly felt the Japanese ambience, three-letter codes and, in fact, have to except when meals were served. I was memorize them. So, when airline emlonging for a time when I could better ployees talk to each other or when they appreciate Japan, by enjoying its relax- talk to travel agents, they use these threeing countryside atmosphere, or the se- letter codes when they mention a city.

I was still working for the airlines rene surroundings of a Japanese temple, when I learned of another international like what I see in the movies.

During the latter part of my airline airline which started to promote their career, I had an opportunity to bring a thrice-weekly flight from their home group of press VIPs to Japan, and I was base to Fukuoka, identified by its threefree to choose which city I could bring letter code, “FUK.” them to. Since I heard of Fukuoka as a Turn to C2

Life

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saturday, february 24, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

City of stars

Solaire Resort and Casino received the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award for the second consecutive time this year

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

The most beautiful

PH islands

according to a

Canadian traveler LOST IN THE PHILIPPINES. Canadian traveler Christian LeBlanc lists down his top 10 destinations here in the country.

T

RAVELER Christian LeBlanc only planned to stay in the Philippines for five days during his holiday tour around Asia. Like most Western travelers, he had his sights set on Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

The Philippines was that lovely gem by the wayside he stumbled upon.

“I came across a photo of the mesmerizing lagoons in Palawan on Instagram and (that was when) I decided it was time to go off the main tourist track,” recalls LeBlanc.

It was only when he saw the breadth of experience in that part of the world that he decided to stay adrift for months, scouting for beautiful, unspoiled destinations.

Since then, LeBlanc, the man behind the social media account Lost LeBlanc, has visited the Philippines multiple times and discovered off-beaten adventures nestled within the islands. He says, “I remember as I began to swim in a Romblon beach known as ‘Bonbon’,

the water started glowing around me.

As it turns out, the area was occupied by bioluminescent planktons!”

Just recently, LeBlanc’s off-beaten explorations went viral. “Top 10 Philippines: Dream Destination List” locked in more than four million viewers as swirling sandbars, panoramic beaches, and natural wonders played on screen.

The beach in Palawan is just one of the places in LeBlanc’s top 10. The traveler also raved about seeing places like Manjuyod Sandbar which he dubbed the “Maldives of the Philippines,” as well as emerging destinations like Romblon’s Cresta de Gallo Island and Tablas Island, Palawan’s Port Barton, Cebu’s Badian and Bantayan Islands, and Siargao’s Guyam and Naked Islands.

Popular destinations like El Nido, Coron, and Bohol also made it to LeBlanc’s favorites. “My recent trip was all about finding those hidden gems so it was definitely a relief to have Cebu Pacific there [as I was able to] choose from plenty of flight options offered, even for my remote island adventures.”

The backpacker says visiting the Philippines is a delight, because travel in the country can be very affordable and easy, with direct flights available

from major hubs like Manila and Cebu to nearby hangars, and both domestic and international flights available at reasonable prices.

LeBlanc charted his way from Luzon to Visayas, flying in and out of destinations, commissioning boats and private land transfers, and trudging through sand, gravel, and concrete.

“I have visited the Philippines on three separate occasions and it’s one of the safest countries I’ve traveled. (That makes the Philippines) 100 percent worth the visit.”

LeBlanc, who have visited the Philippines three times, said the country is worth the visit.

METRO Manila’s skyline sparkled even brighter this week as three Philippine-based hotels bagged the prestigious Forbes 2018 Travel Guide FiveStar Award.

Forbes Travel Guide chief executive officer Gerard Inzerillo said the “exceptional” awardees have “demonstrated a strong culture of service.”

“These properties have achieved an impeccable standard of excellence in hospitality, underscoring our overall mission of positively contributing to the international tourism industry as well as individual hotel experience,” he said.

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila and Solaire Resort and Casino’s Sky Tower secured the award for a second time in as many years—a difficult feat to accomplish as it requires consistency in luxurious service and personalized experience.

“It’s our second consecutive time to be on the list. We are very grateful to have been recognized once again as one of the finest. This really shows how we provide only the most exceptional service that create meaning with every encounter,” said Marco Polo Ortigas Manila general manager Frank Reichenbach.

Solaire senior vice president for Resort Operations Rajeh Jhingon said the coveted award affirms the hotel’s commitment to consistently provide top-ofthe-line services to each of its guests.

“We are delighted that our hard work to become one the Philippines’s premier luxury destinations is coming to fruition,” Jhingon added.

Nüwa City of Dreams Manila clinched the prestigious Five-Star rank-

Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

ing for the first time, joining the ranks of the world’s best hotels and resorts.

“Nüwa represents Melco’s DNA of sophistication, quality, and innovation,” said Geoff Andres, who, until recently served as property president of City of Dreams Manila prior to assuming the same position in Studio City Macau early this month.

Seven Philippine-based properties were also accorded a Four-Star rating, namely Fairmont Makati, Hyatt City of Dreams Manila, Nobu Hotel Manila, Nüwa Spa Manila, The Peninsula Manila, Raffles Makati, and Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

Makati Shangri-La Manila and Pan Pacific Manila, on the other hand, received a “Recommended” rating.

The Forbes Travel Guide Awards is considered the “Oscars” of the hotel industry. Setting the gold standard since 1958, its rating system is based on more than 900 objective standards for hotels, restaurants and spas worldwide, making it the most comprehensive and rigorous in the industry.

Nüwa City of Dreams Manila clinched the prestigious Five-Star ranking from Forbes Travel Guide Awards

Visit the traveler’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lostleblanc/ videos/1546617648767248/ for travel inspiration. Or get lost yourself by booking the next flight through www. cebupacificair.com.

side, above the main door, represent the A new addition to the city’s skyline clouds. The white zigzagging cut-out is the 768-foot Fukuoka Tower, the pieces above it depict lightning, while tallest seaside tower in Japan. Built From C1 the inverted bamboo baskets stand for at a cost of US$50 million, the tower Eager to get the word out on their new rain, elements of nature revered by holds the offices of the city’s electric flight to Fukuoka, the airline immedi- those who practice Shintoism. power company. It has an Observation ately distributed to its travel agents, leafFronting each shrine is always a gate, Deck halfway towards the top, and this lets which bannered: has a captivating 360-de“FUK, NOW 3 TIMES gree view of the city. The WEEKLY ON OUR steel-and-glass building is YOUR weekend CHUCkLe NEW 747s.” Of course, reputed to be strong enough Every day, at the coffee machine, a male employee walks by the time the airline to withstand typhoons with realized its seemingly up very close to a sexy mini-skirted female co-worker with as much as 63-miles-perscandalous “invitasecond winds, or Magnitude the best legs. He stops, presses his nose close to her, tion,” it had already be7 earthquakes. inhales quite deeply and says that her hair smells nice. come fodder for playAside from discovering After a week of this, the woman can’t stand it anymore. ful minds in the travel new attractions during this She takes her issue to the HR supervisor and files a sexual industry. I kid you not, latest visit, I also had more harassment grievance against the male employee. The this really happened. time to enjoy its many culisupervisor is puzzled and asks, “What’s wrong about a Of course, this renary specialties curated by co-worker telling you your hair smells nice?” She says, “It’s cent visit to Fukuoka honest-to-goodness JapaFrank, the midget.” was another relaxing nese chefs. I’m glad I was experience. I went able to visit Fukuoka again. back to the 1260-yearTo me, it will always be the old Kushida Shrine, the biggest Shinto a Torii, which, in Nihongo, actually city that made me appreciate the real shrine in the city, and learned the mean- means a bird house. It is very symbolic beauty of Japan. ing of the overhead décor at its entrance. because it represents one’s transition As seen in the photo on this page, from the mundane to the sacred, when For feedback, I’m at the fat twisted ropes, hung from side to one goes through it. bobzozobrado@gmail.com

Memories...

Pop idol Jackson Wang promotes Hong Kong’s diverse tourist attractions and experiences.

Jackson Wang named first Hong Kong Tourism Envoy THE Hong Kong Tourism Board has chosen rapper and dancer Jackson Wang as the first Hong Kong Tourism Envoy.

Hong Kong-born Wang, a member of South Korean boy group Got7, is tasked to promote the diverse tourist attractions and unique travel experiences in his hometown to visitors worldwide.

“I am honored to be invited by the HKTB to take up this role,” said Wang on his appointment. “As ‘Hong Kong Tourism Envoy’, I can now play a part in promoting my beloved home and birthplace to visitors from around the world.”

The pop idol will be featured in videos and photos to complement the HKTB’s marketing efforts in promoting HK’s diverse travel experiences.

As Hong Kong Tourism Envoy, he will introduce visitors to some of the many exciting aspects of the country, including arts, entertainment, sports, outdoor activities, gourmet food, and nightlife.

For his first assignment as tourism envoy, Wang joined HKTB’s International Chinese New Year Night Parade that marched along the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Street performances, lectures

by Benilde’s Mukhi

#WalangPasok is used year-round across the country to give timely notices to students and workers on suspension of classes or offices during floods and other disruptive events.

Dr. Sunita S. Mukhi performs Serpent Tempting Eve

DIGITAL MEDIA

Twitter preferred place for disaster response in PH S OCIAL media has now become an integral part of the Philippines’ efforts to raise the effectiveness of its disaster response and crisis preparedness strategies. Twitter has particularly emerged as a preferred channel for both government and its citizens to work together in securing Filipinos from the effects of climate change, conflict and other crises.

The latest example of how Twitter is valuable in crisis situations would be the current conversations on #MayonVolcano, which has primarily focused on ensuring the safety of those within the danger zone. Authorities and media have been actively sharing advisories on Twitter to provide updates on alert levels, and guidelines that help citizens understand health and safety procedures.

The Philippine government has been promoting the use of unified hashtags to monitor, track, and consolidate information before, during, and after a natural disaster strikes. Specific hashtags have been consistently used in all instances of natural or man-made calamities for relief operations and aid missions, such as #ReliefPH. Citizens also use Twitter to find

missing loved ones, and share stories and messages of survival and support. #RescuePH is used when victims need to be rescued, with users providing information on their exact location, name, and contact details; while #SafeNowPH is used to inform others that they had already been rescued or out of danger.

Hashtags relating to weather and disasters are also used, like #earthquakePH, which shares information about earthquakes, aftershocks, and evacuations related to earthquakes. #BagyoPH (stormPH) is used to provide information on storms and typhoons, like signal strength and path direction. #FloodPH is also used as an alert system for heavily flooded areas. Currently, #WalangPasok is used year-round across the country to give timely notices to students and

workers on suspension of classes or offices during floods and other disruptive events.

Media, citizens, non-government organizations (NGOs) and corporations have been using Twitter to help mobilize government agencies and speak on behalf of victims who needed aid, real-time.

At no point in the country’s history was this more evident than in the wake of #YolandaPH, when people from all over the world called for help and donations on Twitter. This interactive map shows every geotagged Tweet mentioning the word ‘help’ (in 22 different languages) combined with key terms around the disaster.

Filipinos have embraced Twitter as an effective means to communicate and collaborate during natural disasters. It has also become a tool for motivating Filipinos to take civic action by volunteering, donating or even simply sharing situation reports.

When disasters strike, networks and data connection go down. It’s important that people are able to stay connected and updated on what’s happening in the Philippines and around the world. This is where data-friendly platforms like Twitter Lite come into play.

Twitter Lite is a faster, data-friendly, and more accessible way for Filipinos to keep abreast of breaking news, or post live Twitter updates of emergency situations on-theground. Once loaded, the information on Twitter Lite can be accessed in offline mode as well. Twitter Lite is available at mobile. twitter.com — on smartphone or tablet in 42 languages including Tagalog.

AUDA-CITY to Perform, a reflection on shows which literally took to the streets, is set to be conducted on Feb. 28, 3 p.m. at the SDA Cinema of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB).

The seminar is inspired off a paper presented by Benilde Arts and Culture Cluster (BACC) Associate Dean Dr. Sunita S. Mukhi at the Performance Studies International Conference in Hamburg, Germany recently.

The lecture touches on Mukhi’s experiences in Love Gone Wrong, Love Redeemed: The Dante Project, Mga Misteryo ng Liwanag: Christ’s Luminous Mysteries, and Exploring Escolta, wherein the college’s student-artists claimed spaces that are not often used for dramatic purposes for their creative expression.

In her abstract, she explained: “ T h e s e productions w e r e massive, involving over 400

participants. They were long and demanding of both performers and audiences. Two out of three productions or ‘pilgrimages’ were based on Christian literary texts, while Exploring Escolta was bound by another albeit profane covenant, which included a memo of understanding with the Escolta Commercial Association Inc., comprised of building owners who wanted to revitalize the Queen of Streets as a lucrative cultural hub.”

Mukhi is a cultural producer, theater and performance artist, and an interdisciplinary performance scholar. She served as Program Coordinators at the Asia Society, Stony Brook University, and then at the Charles B. Wang Asian/ American Center.

Her book Doing the Desi Thing: Performing Indianness in New York City is based on her doctoral dissertation in Performance Studies from New York University.

The general public is most welcome to attend.

For interested parties, contact Cheng Villarosa at 2305100 local 3813 or email benildeartsandculturecluster@ benilde.edu.ph.

Guests need to pre-register at https://goo.gl/forms/ pT9TAGeoqQISWKS43, or at the venue.

The SDA Cinema is located at the 12th Floor of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo (Vito Cruz) Street, Malate, Manila.

DLS-CSB's Dr. Sunita S. Mukhi

Do you want to perform at Resorts World Manila?

Resorts World Manila is looking for acoustic talents that will perform at its new performance venue

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, February 24, 2018

ACROSS 1 Rounded projection 5 Beast 10 Drop heavily 14 Director — Reitman 15 Like some chests 16 Met role 17 Dweeb 18 See-through 19 Cornfield menace 20 Bows down 22 Junk food junkies 24 Kind of rain 26 Deep-dish dessert 27 Creepier 30 Indelible design 34 Auditory organ 35 Marinate 38 Japanese port 39 Make inquiry 40 Like some showers 42 College degs.

43 Running mates 46 Met celeb 47 Drain cleaner 48 Tribal council 50 Wow 53 Fem. saint 54 Satellite launcher 55 Case in point

60 Spice rack item 64 Snail — 65 Raw-fish delicacy 67 Smoke ham 68 Kitty starter 69 Rocker — John 70 Orchid-like blossom 71 We, in Le Havre 72 Informal speech 73 Song for two DOWN 1 Connect 2 Pizzeria must 3 Naked 4 Win over 5 Most domineering 6 Bleachers cry 7 Small guitars 8 Freshman, usually 9 Transported 10 Small bundles 11 Onetime Trevi Fountain coins 12 Smell 13 Clumsy hands 21 Digital watch readout 23 Hi or bye 25 Robot 27 Make baskets 28 Atelier item 29 Annoyed

31 Eating place 32 Rubber-stamps 33 Date palm locales 36 “Rope-a-dope” boxer 37 Costner or McHale 41 Injurious 44 Herb crushers 45 Young lady of Sp. 49 Picks up on 51 Chi follower 52 Like old butter

55 Model from Mogadishu 56 Prefix for second 57 In — (as found) 58 Sort out 59 This, in Havana 61 Hindu teacher 62 Cleveland’s waters 63 Others 66 Term of endearment

RESORTS World Manila (RWM) is set to open a new concept resto-entertainment venue this year and is looking for talented acoustic performers to shine onstage.

Auditions will be held today for solo, duo, and trio acts. Registration is at 4:00 p.m. at The Plaza, 2nd floor of Newport Mall. Audition proper starts at 7:00 p.m..

Aspiring performers should be 21 years old and above, with a wide range of musical influences, pleasing personality, are vibrant

and engaging to audiences. Hard copies of artist profiles and repertoires should also be presented during the audition and must prepare two songs.

Artist profiles may also be emailed ahead of the audition dates to tricilian. dionio@rwmanila.com or production. assistant@rwmanila.com. For inquiries, call or text JD Dionio 09178728401.

RWM’s new concept restoentertainment venue is being groomed

to be one of the preferred nightspots in the metro with its spacious floor space, cozy and casual designs, state-of-the-art acoustic technology, and a broad range of food and beverages choices.

Visit www.rwmanila.com or download the RWM Mobile App for more upcoming attractions at Resorts World Manila. Call the Tourist/Visitor Hotline at (632) 9088833 for show schedules, promos, and more information.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Today’s rising star prototype 'The Clash' host Regine Velasquez-Alcasid

YUGEL LOSORATA WHILE in a press conference featuring singer-songwriter TJ Monterde, I found out he’s 27 and by instinct asked him about his take on the “27 club” subject — that still-growing list of legendary musicians who died or killed themselves at age 27. I wasn’t really sure if he was into that intriguing detail in mainstream rock history. Yet, I liked his answer as he contemplated about his age being a “mid-life crisis in your 20s,” emotionally struggling if one has achieved enough in life or not. He somehow thought that such transition could have made it difficult for some 27-year-old celebrities to survive beyond it.

By his reply alone TJ came across as a guy who knows how to make something out of one seemingly senseless. Small wonder his star is rising steadily; he does things with a lot of sense.

“I’m so thrilled for this new chapter and continue making music for all,” he said after renewing his recording deal with Polyeast Records which has been his home label for six years.

If you watch him play live, you will notice that someone is backing him up vocally and the blending sounds good.

He’s actually using a gadget that allows his own voice to sing with him in a different pitch. It meant there’s no way the second voice will hit a wrong note.

TJ also makes use of an attractivelooking guitar. In another presscon, he let me borrow and play it myself in front of bloggers . He doesn’t settle to just appearing handsome himself; his equipment should go with the appeal.

Prior to his first major concert last June, he expressed with gratitude, “Not everyone is given a chance to express himself though music.”

By now it is known that A-lister KZ Tandingan is his girlfriend. Some will say merely the heart decides on the issue of romance, but falling for a co-artist is a decision that can affect one’s career to some extent. Not all fall for the right person. Many fans of Kurt Cobain, a 27 Club casualty, are likely to agree.

TJ just did a Valentine concert with KZ in Cagayan De Oro, his hometown.

Last month his single “Mahika” won “Pop Song of the Year” at the Wish Music Awards. Moments before winning he humbly told me, “A nomination is more than enough acknowledgment for me.”

The song’s music video has amassed more than a million views on YouTube. His latest single “Kahit Kunwari” stayed in the top ten of MYX Weekly Countdown for six consecutive weeks.

TJ has since released three albums. His hit songs include “Ikaw At Ako”, “Dating Tayo”, “Tulad Mo”, and “Imahinasyon.”

Singersongwriter TJ Monterde

‘THE CLASH’

draws hundreds of singing aspirants

'La Luna Sangre,' the last installment in the popular "Moonstone" trilogy about warring vampires and werewolves, has started counting down to its finale.

‘LA LUNA SANGRE’

finale branded apocalyptic A S THE dreaded apocalypse nears, can Tristan (Daniel Padilla) and Malia (Kathryn Berbardo) use love as their ultimate weapon to defeat Sandrino (Richard Gutierrez) in the upcoming finale of ABS-CBN’s hit fantasy action series La Luna Sangre?

Tension continues to rise in the show’s last two weeks especially after Sandrino discovered that Tristan had betrayed him and sided with Malia once more. Now, the Supremo must do everything he can to stop his brother from putting all his efforts in vain.

Tristan, meanwhile, remains confident that he will emerge victorious in the end together with his love, Malia.

Since the beginning, Malia has always had the heart to love and serve as the ‘bagong itinakda.’ She did her best for her family and for her kind and continued to fight in the name of justice and for peace. Malia defied fate when she still chose to love and be with Tristan, even if the prophecy said that he will become her arch enemy.

NAR CABICO wins at 34th PMPC Star Awards for Movies

'La Luna Sangre' lead stars Richard Gutierrez, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla arrive at the ABS-CBN building for the series' thanksgiving presscon.

Meanwhile, Tristan may have succumbed to bitterness and hate once, but his heart remains pure and loving.

Love has always motivated him to work hard and provide for his family.

It was also because of his love for his father that he joined the Moonchasers and completely entered the world of werewolves and vampires.

La Luna Sangre is the third installment of the hit Imortal trilogy.

The show is one of the most watched programs in the country on weeknights and one of the most talked about on social media. It even extended viewers experience online by creating a spin off

web series on iWant TV titled Youtopia, the Moonchasers.ph website, and the La Luna Sangre filter and game apps.

The show may be ending soon but fans can still keep the La Luna Sangre fever by buying exclusive merchandise at the ABS-CBN store.

Don’t miss the last two weeks La Luna Sangre, weeknights after FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano on ABS-CBN and on ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

Catch up on the show’s past episodes via iWant TV or skyondemand.com.ph for Sky subscribers. For more updates, follow @starcreatives on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

PAGEANT STAGE

Inaugural Turismo Filipina beauty tilt launched

Some of the candidates vying at the first edition of Turismo Filipina, which aims to train the spotlight on rural tourism, tourism sports, sustainable eco-tourism, religion tourism as well as women empowerment.

Hundreds of hopefuls from the Queen City of the South invaded the Cebu-leg auditions of GMA Network’s The Clash last Saturday.

Aspiring Cebuano singers flocked to the Gaisano Island Mall Mactan to take their chance in the first leg of auditions for the country’s much awaited superstar search.

Asia’s Songbird Regine VelasquezAlcasid travelled to the province to personally lead the auditions. She expressed her admiration to all the Cebuano aspirants.

“Magagaling talaga ang mga tagaCebu pagdating sa pagkanta. A lot of the singers I know came here kaya excited ako to welcome them,” she said.

The multitalented Kapuso star said she’s excited for the commencement of the singing competition because it is different from the previous contests the Network has produced.

“Kakaiba siya sa mga singing contests na ginawa ng GMA before.

Hindi siya parang through elimination lang or idedefend mo yung title mo.

Dito kasi may one-on-one and pipili ka ng makakalaban mo. And I am excited kasi bumabalik na kami ulit to find a new breed of singers kasi may ibang generation na eh. Although meron na dati na mas gumaling pa through experience and time,” Regine added.

Directors Bert de Leon and Louie Ignacio joined Regine in screening the Cebuano hopefuls.

TURISMO Filipina 2018, the newest addition to the ever growing beauty pageants, was launched recently introducing 25 official candidates representing the various regions in the country.

Turismo Filipina 2018, a tourismoriented national pageant, organized by Rex Rubio, aims to help promote the different local festivals held annually throughout the country. The winner of Turismo Filipina 2018 will earn the right to represent the Philippines at the first edition of the Turismo Filipina International 2018, with candidates from various Filipino communities abroad coming over in Manila to compete in December 2018.

Turismo Filipina 2018 will have her court of honor which will include Turismo Filipina Luzon, Turismo Filipina Visayas and Turismo Filipina Mindanao. Turismo Filipina Agri-Eco special award will also

be at stake.

“Let us help bring back a vibrant domestic tourism through this pageant,” said Rubio, also the national pageant director, at the launching of the pageant.

“We would give equal opportunity to all levels of local festivals, not just the major tourist festivals in the country. We want to help local government expose and promote to the international community other festivals as potential tourism attraction, to boost their products as well,” Rubio said.

Aiming to establish a name in the roster of national beauty pageants, Turismo Filipina 2018 hopes to play an important role in the country’s domestic campaign for rural tourism, tourism sports, environmental conservation, sustainable eco-tourism, religion tourism as well as women empowerment. The grant coronation of Turismo Filipinas 2018 will be held on June 9. Eton Concepcion

Kapuso talent Nar Cabico shares a snap of him during the 34th PMPC Star Awards for Movies.

GMA Artist Center star Nar Cabico is grateful to have his work recognized at the 34th Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards as the Movie Original Theme Song of the Year.

Following his chart-topping debut single and The One That Got Away theme song “Gaga,” Nar wrote “Natapos Tayo” as the official theme song for the film All Of You. Its message of longing and regret were gratified through his strong vocals, serving the finishing touch to the bittersweet narrative.

For his writing process, Nar shares that he likes getting inspiration from friends who have gone through different heartbreaks. “Maraming available na kwento kahit saan, at masayang gawan ng kanta ‘yon kasi masayang makarelate sa iba’t ibang tao,” Nar shares.

He also resigns to his love for music as the reason for creating relatable and heart-piercing songs. “When you finally find something na yun talaga yung calling mo, it’s easy to put your heart in it. And when it comes to music, I find it a passion na kailangan ko talagang pagsilbihan,” Nar justifies.

Nar admits to being a slave to his craft, and with his penchant for detail, completing an album requires him to focus on songs that build a story which people can relate to. Meanwhile, his singles “Gaga” and “Natapos Tayo” can be streamed and downloaded on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and various digital stores nationwide.