Manila Standard - 2018 February 27 - Tuesday

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VOL. XXXII • NO. 16 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Xi president for life? China sets return to lifetime rule BEIJING—China’s Communist Party has handed President Xi Jinping an open path to indefinite rule—a move analysts warn carries enormous risks by abandoning a succession model that brought stability after turbulent decades under Mao. Xi, who has concentrated power, accumulated titles and purged potential rivals since becoming head of state in 2013, could remain president for life after the

party proposed abolishing a rule limiting the top leader to two five-year terms.

But giving all the levers of power to one man could further erode human rights, unsettle other nations and even set up traps for Xi’s rule at home, analysts warn.

“The two-term limit was supposed to increase stability. By ruling beyond the standard 10-year tenure, Xi will be subject

‘‘

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“It is not fake news.

We honor the Edsa Revolution.”

—Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque

Aquino facing double whammy Charged for Dengvaxia deal along with Garin

Deemed liable for graft over choice of Sereno as CJ

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rey E. Requejo

By Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

A

FORMER President Benigno Aquino III and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno were charged with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman Monday.

Eligio Mallari, a suspended lawyer affiliated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, led the filing of the graft complaints before the Ombudsman together with VACC lawyer Manuelito Luna.

The complaints were based on the claims of two Supreme Court associate justices that Sereno should not have been included in the list of nominees for the position of chief justice in 2012 for not being able to fully comply with all the requirements for the application to the position.

During the last hearing of the House committee on justice on the impeachment complaint against Sereno, the two justices said the top magistrate did not submit to the Judicial and

PANEL of Justice department prosecutors will investigate the criminal charges filed against former President Benigno Aquino III and 19 others over the reported deaths of children inoculated with the anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine as leftist lawmakers said those who rushed the vaccination of more than 800,000 schoolchildren should answer for their crimes.

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Representatives Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela party-list said Aquino and his officials who rushed the approval Next page

A Filipino touch in Black Panther

By Nickie Wang SO MUCH has been written about the Dora Milaje, the all-female military group that protects the King and the fictional nation of Wakanda in the worldwide hit movie Black Panther.

While their origin is debatable, there are two things we can be certain about these Amazons-like women: The film trains the spotlight on their special force to highlight women empowerment, and the group’s costumes in the blockbuster movie were inspired by a Philippine tribe.

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Grooms, guests for hire in Hanoi

By Tran Thi Minh Ha HANOI —Kha’s wedding day looked perfect from the outside but she was hiding a dark secret: The 27-year-old was three months pregnant and her husband was fake, hired for a staged wedding to avoid the social stigma of becoming a single mother.

“My parents would have been the first to be filled with shame if I was pregnant and without a husband,” Kha, Next page

Police detect 40 terror suspects on radar; alert up

By Francisco Tuyay SECURITY forces have spotted on their radar screen some 40 suspected terrorists reported to have entered the country’s porous archipelagic shoreline in the southern back door although they projected no imminent threat to replicate the Marawi City siege in other key cities in Mindanao.

But National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said they were closely watching the moves of the suspects while still verifying if indeed the militants had entered Mindanao.

“We are closely watching if the 40 terrorists have already entered [the country]. We will be tracking them if they are inside the country and we will be having manhunt operations,” Dela Rosa declared.

At present, Dela Rosa revealed the PNP, the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard and all other intelligence agencies of government were in constant communication on the government campaign against terrorism.

In related developments: • President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his apprehension over the growing threat of terrorism as rebel groups might regroup and unite as an affiliate of ISIS in the country.

“These terrorists, the New People’s Army and the rebellious factions in the Moro land are affiliated with ISIS,” the President said.

“At the end of the day, they would regroup,” Duterte told his audience, adding “I would not speculate about the MI, [referring to Moro Islamic] and MN [Moro National] but there is really a problem in the horizon, the darkening clouds of terrorism.”

• The AFP, while verifying the reported regrouping of the Islamic State-inspired terrorists Maute group responsible for the siege of Marawi City, admitted there would always be a gap in terms of security meaNext page sures.

IN CONSULTATION. Former President Benigno Aquino III and erstwhile Health secretary Janette Garin, in a huddle during the continuation of the House hearing on the Dengvaxia issue on Monday. The Department of Justice at the same time has formed a team of prosecutors to investigate the criminal charges against Aquino and 19 others for the reported deaths and serious illnesses of children injected with the anti-dengue vaccine. Manny Palmero

China’s ‘illegal’ research in Benham Rise bared

By Macon Ramos-Araneta A CHINESE ship conducted the first “illegal” research in Benham Rise, also known as Philippine Rise, in 2004, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said Monday.

Speaking during the Senate science and technology hearing on the Philippine

Rise, Esperon said the government failed to know what the Chinese were researching at the time because of the lack of capabilities.

Esperon said the unauthorized 2004 research was even used by China to support its request to officially name five underwater features in the Philippine Rise.

“For one, they conducted marine sci-

entific research in 2004. It did not go through the process, they had no permits,” Esperon said.

The research was done during the time of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

While he was concerned with this development, Esperon said they did not have sufficient capabilities to address it. Next page

Mocha tags Edsa fake news, stirs Palace denial

By Vito Barcelo

SLAIN BROKER. Law enforcement authorities are looking into the possible motive in the ambush-slay Monday of 26-year-old Customs broker Raymond Aniceto, a resident of Parañaque City, but gunned down in 4th Avenue corner D. Aquino Street in Caloocan City by a riding-in-tandemn gunmen who, according to witnesses, had chased the victim’s vehicle until it stopped after crashing against a wall. Andrew Rabulan

MALACAÑANG on Monday disowned an online poll ran by Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux ‘Mocha’ Uson that the Edsa Revolution was a product of fake news, adding it was Uson’s undertaking and did not represent the government views.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque denied that Uson was under the Presidential Spokesperson’s office but appointed as Presidential Communications and Operations Office assistant secretary.

“She’s not my Asec, because she is a PCOO Asec,” Roque said in a press briefing in Malacañang, when asked regarding Mocha’s Facebook poll asking the public whether Edsa was a product of “fake news.”

“According to the law, it is not fake news. We honor the Edsa Revolution having declared it as a public holiday.

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News

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Pump prices on upswing: P1.15 per liter

By Alena Mae S. Flores PUMP prices went up by as much as P1.15 per liter this week, reversing the price rollback the previous week to reflect the movement of oil prices in the world market.

The oil firms raised the price of kerosene

by P1.15 per liter, diesel by P0.85 per liter and gasoline by P0.65 per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday.

“PTT Philippines to implement the following price hikes effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018: gasoline, increase of P0.65 per liter and diesel, increase of P0.85 per liter,” PTT said in its advisory.

Aside from PTT Philippines, Eastern Petroleum, Seaoil Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines also raised prices while other oil players are expected to follow suit.

World oil prices reacted to reports that the global equities market is now on a rebound and tensions in the Middle East which could affect oil production, is tempered by growing US production.

Oil prices also increased due to forecasted increase in crude inventories and strengthening of the US dollar.

Analysts are also looking at the impact of the recent statements from Saudi Arabian oil minister Khalid al-Falih that Saudi Arabia wants to continue to stabilize oil prices after the agreed oil output cut among Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-Opec members ends this year.

Last Feb. 17, the oil firms implementing a hefty price rollback of as much as P1.30 per liter ahead of the weekly Tuesday implementation.

The oil firms cut gasoline by P1.15 to P1.25 per liter and diesel by P1.20 to P1.30 per liter and kerosene by P1.20 per liter, the second weekly consecutive price rollback after the oil firms cut the price of diesel by P1.30 per liter, gasoline by P1 per liter and kerosene P0.85 per liter last Feb. 13.

Xi...

From A1 to much closer scrutiny by Chinese citizens and

the political elite,” said Simone van Nieuwenhuizen, Sydney-based co-author of “China and the New Maoists”.

The announcement made abruptly on Sunday further chips away at the era of “collective” leadership that was championed by reform leader Deng Xiaoping to prevent the return of another Mao-like cult figure.

Xi’s two predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, both served two five-year terms, providing a smooth succession that accompanied China’s rise to become the world’s second-largest economy.

But Xi, 64, has adopted Mao’s playbook, tightening his grip with a relentless crackdown on civil society and corruption, enshrining his name in the party constitution and building his own personality cult.

Remaining in power beyond 2023 gives Xi a chance to push through his vision of a rejuvenated China with global clout, a prosperous society, a revived Silk Road trade route and a powerful military.

China’s rubber-stamp legislature is expected to give Xi his second term and remove the 10-year limit at its annual meeting opening on March 5.

“Term limits were a crucial part of the institutionalisation of the leadership transition, something that has plagued Communist parties leading to both tyrannical reigns and catastrophic party decline,” said Jonathan Sullivan, director of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University.

The rule enabled smooth transitions and preserved party unity, he said.

“The removal of term limits is a rejection of all this and it comes with real risks for stability in the long term.” AFP

Grooms,...

From A1 barely showing, told AFP a month after the $1,500 fake marriage, which was quietly paid for by her baby’s father who is married to another woman.

The wedding-guests-for-hire business is growing in Vietnam—where some 70 percent of people over 15 are married—and not just among pregnant women like Kha looking for stand-in husbands.

Young couples are shelling out thousands of dollars to rent parents, aunts, uncles, godparents and friends to appease familial pressure to tie the knot or avoid clashes between in-laws who disapprove of the union.

Kha and her fake husband were never legally married—a formality often overshadowed by lavish wedding parties in Vietnam—but she is forever grateful to him for playing the part in front of her friends and relatives.

“I felt like I was about to drown but I grabbed a life jacket,” said a smiling Kha, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

Her parents were in on the secret but Kha plans to tell the rest of her family that her ‘husband’ left her—preferring to be a divorced single mother than having a baby out of wedlock.

AFromFilipino...

A1 In an interview with Buzzfeed, Anthony Francisco, one of Marvel’s senior visual development illustrators and the one who did the concept art for the badass team of women, revealed that the now iconic red and gold costumes of the Dora Milaje were partly inspired by Filipino artifacts.

The interview also revealed that the Dora Milaje costumes also drew inspiration from the designs from African artifacts, samurai armor, ninja shoes and friendship bracelets.

Francisco, who grew up in the Philippines, said one of his relatives had many African artifacts and Filipino tribal decor in his house, so he considers the Dora Milaje’s design very personal.

Francisco is a concept artist and illustrator.

Apart from Black Panther, his list of work includes the feature films Thor, Ragnarok, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and Chronicles of Riddick.

Cops hunt down OFW recruiter

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta Demafelis’ recruiters would be held accountable for tion and case buildup [on] the possible liabilities of

T

HE Justice Department on Monday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the local recruiters of Joanna Demafelis, the maid who was killed in Kuwait allegedly by her employers and then stuffed in a freezer.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered the agency to determine the liabilities of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Global E-Human Resources Inc., the agency that recruited Demafelis.

He gave his order even as Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa said they already had a lead on the whereabouts of Demafelis’ recruiters.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had earlier said

negligence.

Demafelis had been missing for more than a year before her body was found in an apartment in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said he was supporting the Labor Department’s recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte to form an anti-illegal recruitment task force.

He said he would be backing that move “if such would improve the conviction rate on illegal recruitment cases, which in 2016 was a dismal 5.3 percent.”

Recto said of the 736 cases disposed by state prosecutors that year, only 39 ended in a conviction while 211 were dismissed, 438 were archived, 23 resulted in acquittals and 25 were resolved through mediation.

“Six in 10 were archived and three in 10 were dismissed. Not exactly a good record,” Recto said.

Aguirre required the NBI to “conduct an investiga-

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Global E-Human Resources Inc. in relation to the death of Demafelis.”

He also ordered the bureau to file the appropriate charges against the company “if the evidence so warrants.”

Mona Hassoun, a Syrian, and her Lebanese husband Nader Essam Assaf are the principal suspects in the murder of Demafelis, 29, an Iloilo native who had served as their maid.

Both are said to have been arrested.

The discovery of Demafelis’ body in an apartment in Kuwait City, where it had reportedly been kept for more than a year, sparked outrage and refocused attention on the plight of the poor Filipinas working mainly as maids abroad.

The case prompted President Duterte to ban the deployment of new Filipino workers to Kuwait, where many abuses have been reported.

SECURITY ISSUE.

Senator Paolo Benigno 'Bam' Aquino, chairman of the commitee on science and technology, is all ears as National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. expounds on the Exploration Studies in the Benham Rise during a Senate hearing held at the Senate office in Pasay City. Lino Santos

Aquino...

From A1 of the P3.5-billion purchase of the vaccine from

Sanofi Pasteur of France should be the ones answerable.

“But it should not stop there. Charges should also be filed against the officials of the present Duterte administration who continued the Dengvaxia program despite questions already raised by health professionals and advocates. This lack of concern and prudence also caused the mass vaccination of many more children even under the present administration,” Zarate said.

De Jesus hit the current administration for failing until now to produce a master list of the children who were inoculated with Dengvaxia.

“How can we expect this regime to live up to its overemphasized concern for the affected children?” she said.

The two lawmakers spoke as Aquino testified at the joint hearing of the House committees on good government and public accountability, and on health, about the controversial vaccination program that began under his administration.

During the hearing, Aquino said the Sanofi Pasteur fed him the misleading information on Dengvaxia.

“There was a briefer that was given to me on this issue, and there it was written that they developed this vaccine that was good for all serotypes because of the possibility of a more serious infection if you had been infected by another strain before that,” Aquino said in Filipino.

“Sanofi’s promise was if you administer the vaccine four times, there is no longer the risk of a more serious infection,” he added.

But in November 2017, Aquino said, Sanofi Pasteur released an advisory against the use of Dengvaxia on patients who had not been exposed to the dengue virus, as they could develop a more serious infection in the long run.

“That’s the opposite of what they said at first,” Aquino said, adding that he, too, would have suspended the dengue vaccination program had he known Sanofi would change its tune.

Aquino is facing a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman, along with were former Health secretary Janette Garin, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad, former executive secretary Paquito Ochoa, Sanofi Pasteur vice president Guillaume Leroy, Sanofi Pasteur chief executive officer Olivier Brandicourt, Sanofi Pasteur medical director Ruby Dizon, Sanofi Pasteur Asia-Pacific head Thomas Triomphe, and Sanofi-Aventis Philippines Country head Carlito Realuyo.

The complainants—parents De Jesus, Arlene Brosas, and Joan May Salvador of Gabriela, and Madella Santiago—accused the respondents of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The complainants — parents, Gabriela Women’s Party Representatives Emerenciana de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Joan May Salvador of Gabriela and Madella Santiago—accused the respondents of “As former president, respondent Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, had power and control over the affairs of the state and the acts and decisions of his Cabinet members and other executive officials. He cannot feign ignorance and claim that he made the decision to unburden his ‘bosses’ from the dreaded disease.

The fact remains that whether he acted in conspiracy with Sanofi officials or miserably failed to exercise sound judgment or discretion, the lives of more

Deemed...

From A1 Bar Council her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) from 1986 to 2006, when she was a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law. Then President Aquino appointed Sereno on Aug. 16, 2010 as the 169th Supreme Court Justice and as the 24th Chief Justice on Aug. 24, 2012.

Also named respondents were JBC executive officer Annaliza Capacite and former chief of office selection and nomination Richard Pascual.

During the House hearings, Capacite said

China‘s...

From A1 “If we look at the resources that we had, we have sufficient but limited capabilities. The Northern Luzon Command is also like that,” Esperon said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of naval staff Rear Adm. Erick Kagaoan said the Philippine Navy has monitored foreign ships with no diplomatic clearance, but did not divulge the countries. He also said that they have monitored

than 800,000 children are now at risk because of his acts,” the complainants said.

The Justice department panel, meanwhile, will conduct a preliminary investigation on the complaint filed earlier this month by anti-corruption groups Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. The panel, headed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rossane Balauag, will conduct the probe and determine the existence of evidence to pin down Aquino and other respondents in the Dengvaxia mess.

The members of the panel include Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Hazel Decena Valdez and Asst. State Prosecutors Consuelo Corazon Pazziuagan and Gino Paolo Santiago.

The VACC and VPCI filed their complaint for multiple homicide and physical injuries, malversation of public funds, and violations of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Government Procurement Reform Act against Aquino, former and incumbent officials of the Department of Health, and pharmaceutical firms Sanofi Pasteur and Zuellig, ahead of conclusive findings by government agencies on whether the reported deaths of children inoculated with Dengvaxia were caused by the vaccine.

The complaint also named as respondents Abad; Garin; incumbent DoH undersecretaries Carol Tanio, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David and Mario Villaverde; retired undersecretaries Nemesio Gako, Vicente Belizario Jr. and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; assistant secretaries Lyndon Lee Suy and Nestor Santiago; former financial management service director Laureano Cruz; incumbent DOH directors Joyce Ducusin, May Wynn Belo, Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia and Julius Lecciones; and Garin’s former executive assistant Yolanda Oliveros.

Also in the charge sheet were the senior executives of French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the developer and manufacturer of Dengvaxia; and Zuellig Pharma, DoH’s supplier of the vaccine.

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

The DOH suspended the implementation of the controversial P3.5-billion dengue vaccine program in December 2017 after Sanofi announced that those who had not been exposed to dengue before could develop more severe infections if they were injected with the drug.

Before the House panels, Aquino said the Dengvaxia issue should be best left with experts to avoid unfounded fear and panic among the public even as he appealed to critics to stop politicizing the issue.

Aquino attended the congressional hearing with Abad and Garin.

Also present during the hearing were former Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares, ex-Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles, and former Social Welfare secretary Corazon Soliman.

Without naming names, Aquino assailed a forensic expert who keeps on talking on the issue to the point of politicizing it.

“We know that politics has entered the picture,” Aquino said in Filipino.

“This is painful. Everybody has an opinion, qualified or not, especially someone who makes a lot of noise but whose certification is just one level above a diploma you can buy on Recto Avenue,” he said, apparently referring to the Public Attorneys

Office forensics chief, Dr. Erwin Erfe, who has been conducting autopsies on Dengvaxia recipients who later died.

At the same hearing, PAO chief Persida RuedaAcosta took up the cudgels for Erfe, who was appointed to her office in 2004, noting that Erfe obtained his certification in public financial management from John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University.

Aquino said President Rodrigo Duterte was right to suspend the vaccination program after the November 2017 advisory from Sanofi. He said he would have done the same thing were he still president.

Abad, meanwhile, said the release of P3.5 billion to buy Dengvaxia from Sanofi was aboveboard.

“The use of savings is a constitutional provision,” Abad said. “When you declare savings, you’ll need to secure the approval of president,” he told the joint hearing, noting that the fund came from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund.

The funding for Dengvaxia was not included in the 2015 General Appropriations Act, and came from savings.

Abad said the savings could be used to augment a “deficient” item in the appropriations program. It means “there has to be an existing [budgetary] item [for a particular program],” Abad said.

Abad pointed out that the use of MPBF complies with the Supreme Court’s decision in the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program which provided for the appropriate use of annual savings.

“Based on the GAA of 2015 and the Supreme Court decision, the MPBF is recognized as a legitimate source of savings,” he said.

Aquino told lawmakers said that his administration had to exercise the authority given to him

by Congress to tap the savings to fund the dengue program since it would have taken too long had he asked Congress to approve a supplemental budget.

“Can we just turn our backs and tell the people, ‘Sorry but you just have to wait for the next administration [for the vaccines to be funded], just wait for the next [annual] budget. That’s what we couldn’t stomach,” Aquino said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who suspended the program in December, said it was time to stop pointing fingers in the Dengvaxia controversy, and said a prolonged congressional probe could hurt the government’s overall vaccination program.

“We have to be mindful of the implications of a very prolonged investigation on this... Let’s not add to the confusion and the divide. No issue has divided the public as much as Dengvaxia,” Duque said.

Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, who filed a House resolution to relaunch the Dengvaxia probe, echoed Duque’s sentiments, saying that it is better to let the courts hear the case considering that criminal complaints had already been lodged against Aquino and several of his former officials.

“We are here to pinpoint responsibility and accountability of public officials. But based on the statements being issued by the officials involved, it is clear that this is going nowhere. We will just argue,” Atienza said.

“Let’s give them a chance to get heard in court.

Rather than spend time in this hearing, let us listen to them answer the charges in court,” Atienza added.

Atienza said there was “clear conspiracy” during the Aquino administration in the procurement of the Dengvaxia vaccines made by Sanofi Pasteur. With PNA

Sereno only submitted her SALNs from 2009 to 2011.

In his complaint, Mallari called Sereno a de facto chief justice for being appointed without being able to accomplish all the needed requirements to be included in the list of nominees.

Aquino on Monday said he stood by his decision to appoint Sereno.

While he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, Aquino said he merely followed the process and that the appointment of Sereno was based on criteria set by the Judicial and Bar Council for candidates for the position of chief justice.

Aquino said the President could not change or even alter the JBC list and that he merely abided

by the JBC process.

The JBC is in the best position to respond to the accusation, he added.

According to the Rules of Court, the government can initiate quo warranto proceedings against a person who usurps, intrudes into, or unlawfully holds or exercises a public office; a public person who commits an act that serves as a ground for the forfeiture of the position; or an association which acts as a corporation in the Philippines without being legally incorporated or without lawful authority to act.

A quo warranto proceeding is a legal proceeding, where someone’s right to hold an office or governmental privilege is challenged.

unauthorized ships that were anchored while in Philippine waters.

In 2017, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana aired his concern after a Chinese survey ship was spotted crisscrossing the underwater plateau for a period of up to three months.

Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal said it was found that the ship was surveying, not Benham Rise, but the east of Surigao province, which he said was worse because it was closer to the Philippine coast.

“After some digging, we found out they did not do research, but that’s the good news. But

they did research on Philippine EEZ, east of Sigurao. It’s worse, it’s even closer,” said Batongbacal.

Esperon also acknowledged this was done without permit. He said there was, this time, a research ship.

“I remember the controversy over that around April last year, that’s why we named the area Philippine Rise, because we got angry,” he said.

Aside from that, Esperon said there have been ships spotted, which initially looked like they are just exercising their freedom of navigation.

No-el scenario rejected; village polls on sked

By Vito Barcelo, Macon RamosAraneta and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan PRESIDENTIAL Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday that the coming village and Sangguninag Kabataan elections and the 2019 local elections will push through, denying Senator Franklin Drilon’s allegation of a no-elections scenario.

Drilon earlier announced an alleged plot by the allies of President Rodrigo Duterte in Congress to railroad the amendment to the 1987 Constitution for a shift to federalism.

He said that would be done so they could cancel the barangay and SK elections this October and next year’s midterm elections in order to extend their terms.

“Find that comment from Senator Drilon strange because only last Friday, I was in a forum together with Senate President [Aquilino] Pimentel [III], and he declared to an audience of about 4,000 members of the Liga ng Barangay of Leyte that the barangay elections will push through,” Roque said.

He made the statement even as former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal assailed those pushing for another postponement of the barangay and SK elections.

“It’s unfortunate how some seem to trivialize and devalue the democratic process by belittling and toying around with the barangay elections,” Larrazabal said.

“The problem here is if you keep postponing the elections, you are actually devaluing the electoral process, you are trivializing the democratic process.”

Senator Panfilo Lacson said he was not inclined to support yet another postponement of the barangay elections, and espe-

cially if the sole purpose was to accommodate a plebiscite for Charter change.

Mocha...

From A1 We even have appropriate funds to commemorate the event,” Roque said.

Roque said the Duterte administration would continue to recognize Edsa Revolution because “it is already a part of the Philippine history.”

“We will always recognize Edsa not only as an important historical event, but it was the first bloodless people power revolution in the whole entire planet earth; and it remains significant,” he said.

Asked why President Rodrigo Duterte did not attend the Edsa celebration, the Malacañang official said the President had to attend to his constituents in Mindanao.

“The absence of Duterte in Edsa is not attempt to diminish the significance of Edsa revolution, since the ceremonies are being spearheaded by the National Historical Commission no less,” he said.

This was the second time that Duterte skipped the Edsa celebration.

Roque, however, defended the absence of Duterte as having to do with with politics, claiming that in the past, not all Presidents showed up.

“The Edsa revolution remains. It remains in our statute books. As in fact, the ceremonies are being, well, spearheaded by the National Historical Commission no less,” he added.

Police...

From A1 In a statement, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin said they were “continuously monitoring and verifying every information related to any alleged movements of terror groups,” adding the AFP was in “constant coordination” with its foreign and local counterparts “to address the scourge of terrorism.”

“The main concern of the security sector is not only to address the armed component but the financial and logistics line of terrorist organizations,” Datuin said.

• Dela Rosa said the police officer who was arrested along with the widow of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan had been dismissed from service.

Dela Rosa said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would conduct a thorough investigation on the possible involvement of Senior Police Officer 4 Andy Atta in terrorism.

Juromee Dongon was arrested along with her relatives, including her sisters Lorelie Atta and Norein, in Lanao del Norte on Sunday. Atta is reported to be Lorelie’s husband.

They were arrested in Juromee’s home for allegedly supporting extremist groups and possessing firearms and explosives.

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A3

‘Govt must ensure stable price of rice’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

“G

OVERNMENT should see to it that rice prices will not spike by flooding the market with the fourth quarter bumper palay harvest, because that is the only way to calm the public that TRAIN has not triggered an uptick in the prices of goods,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said today. Recto said people are using rice as a price barometer.

“No matter how many graphs government economists will show, the people will use rice price tags as the gauge of inflation,” he said.

He said a stable rice price will ensure the P200 monthly “TRAIN subsidy” that government will be giving to 10 million households will not be eroded by any hike in the price of the country’s food staple. “’Yang P200 na yan, pambili lang ng bigas para sa tatlong araw na konsumo ng isang pamilya,” Recto

said, using the government’s official survey that well-milled price is being retailed at an average P42.83 per kilo last Feb. 18, and regular milled rice at P39.01.

“Good for ten meals lang yung P200. Kung tataas ang presyo ng bigas na kahit kaunti, baka mabawasan ng isang meal, at ang kabawasan na ‘yan ay may malaking epekto sa mga mahihirap,” Recto said.

He said poor households spend 22 percent of their income on rice. “For

the poorest 30 percent, rice eats up a big chunk of their budget.”

Recto said rice has registered the highest retail price hike since 2010, increasing by 25 percent for wellmilled rice and 27 percent for regular-milled rice—the two types which the poor consume.

But prices of two other kinds of rice—the “rice special” and “rice premium”—have gone up as well, with the former increasing from an average P43.22 per kilo in 2010 to

P50.92 in 2016.

The senator said government must always be on its toes and be sensitive to price movements “of what is viewed as a political commodity.”

“Kung mayroong distribution bottlenecks, i-unclog ang mga ‘yan, para maganda ang daloy sa merkado. Maganda rin yung programa ng Department of Agriculture na maglabas ng rolling stores na magtitinda ng NFA rice doon sa lugar na maraming mahihirap,” Recto said.

CA upholds bail bid for accused cops in ‘massacre’

By Rey E. Requejo

PRIORITY LANE. Nurses at the San Lazaro Hospital check children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia for any signs of illnesses at a Dengvaxia victims Priority Lane set up to accommodate around 50-100 children arriving for check-up everyday. Norman Cruz

DoT urges public to join efforts to clean Boracay

By Sara Susanne Fabunan THE Department of Tourism on Monday enjoined the public in a comprehensive intra-agency effort to save Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan from further degradation caused by seawater pollution in some of its areas, and restore it to its natural condition that earned it the accolade as the “World’s Best Island.”

This early, the DoT expressed gratitude stakeholders who have extended support

and cooperation to the clean-up program (#saveboracay), a joint action between the DoT, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte.

To prevent continued harmful disposal of wastewater into the seas surrounding the island’s three barangays (Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapac), the DOT is imposing a six-month moratorium on ac-

creditation during which resorts and other establishments must acquire and maintain individual water treatment facility, as well as connect to the centralized sewerage system.

The DOT, in coordination with the DENR and DILG, is determined to press appropriate criminal and administrative charges against those establishments/operators responsible for seawater contamination in violation of environmental and tourism laws.

PCSO upbeat on lottery tech systems upgrade PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan on Monday said the agency is confident it can bid out this year the P10.906 billion Nationwide Online Lottery System project to upgrade the more than 20-year-old equipment being used for the Lotto games draws by a provider.

Balutan said the bidding for the project was stalled since last year by court cases filed by the Philippine Gaming Management Corp., a Malaysian-controlled firm,

but he said there’s a “light at the end of the tunnel” after the provider expressed to cooperate.

“I’ve been informed that PGMC will withdraw all their cases in the courts, also at the request of the PCSO so that we can proceed with the bidding for the NOLS,” Balutan said.

The project aims for a centralized technology systems for PCSO’s lottery games draws for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

At present, PGMC is the service provider

for Luzon, while the Pacific Online Systems Corp. conducts draws for Visayas and Mindanao. Both firms are listed in the Philippines Stock Exchange.

But their Equipment Lease Agreements are going to expire in the middle of this year.

In July 2017, presiding judge Maximo de Leon of the Makati City Regional Trial Court, Branch 143 granted temporary restraining order in favor of PGMC against the NOLS bidding participated by at least 17 firms who bought bid documents.

Solon: Congress must prioritize BBL ahead of Cha-Cha COTABATO CITY—Congress should pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law ahead of any bicameral proposal for a shift to federal form of government, House Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra Sema said Monday.

Sema said a sub-committee has been formed by the House of Representatives JointCommittee on the BBL to consolidate House Bill (HB) 6575 authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez; HB 92 which she sponsored; HB 6121 written by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; and HB 6263 the one filed by Lanao del Norte Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo.

The congresswoman from the First District of Maguindanao, who also represents Cotabato City, said “there should be no compromise to that,” referring to enacting a BBL into law ahead of any plans for a shift to federal form of government.

She said her version of the BBL HB proposes for providing a Bangsamoro Government with a block grant fund from the national government.

A similar system of bock grant is prevalent in Northern Ireland, where peace settlement resulted from long years of negotiations that ended with the Good Friday Agreement (a multi-party pact entered into mainly by the British and Irish governments) on April 10, 1998, Sema said.

‘PH must overturn China’s renaming of PH Rise features’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

JAIL RIOT. Armed with a high-powered rifle, members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology guard inmates that were asked to leave their cells after they were involved in a riot inside the Quezon City Jail, Feb. 26, 2018. The riot left nine inmates and one policeman wounded. Members of jail gang Commando and Sigue-Sigue were involved in the riot. Manny Palmero

SENATOR Bam Aquino on Monday said that the Philippine government must explore all channels to overturn China’s move to name the five undersea features in the Philippine Rise or the Benham Rise violated the country’s sovereign rights.

During the hearing of the Committee on Science and Technology on the Benham Rise, Aquino said they found out that in previous years, China violated the country’s sovereign rights when it conducted hydrographic surveys in the Benham Rise without required consent of the Philippine government.

He said the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority noted that in the previous violation, alongside the ongoing dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine government can call on the International hydrogrophic Organizatio to nullify its approval of the Chinese names.

THE Court of Appeals has rejected the appeal of the government prosecutors seeking to reverse its earlier decision upholding the grant of bail by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to 16 policemen who were among the 198 accused in the 2009 massacre of 58 people, including 32 journalists in Maguindanao.

In a three-page decision, the CA’s Former Tenth Division through Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez ruled that government prosecutors failed to raise new grounds and arguments that would warrant the reversal of its decision issued on July 28, 2017.

The CA’s July 28, 2017 decision affirmed the order issued by Presiding judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Quezon City RTC, Branch 22, on Oct. 13, 2014, which granted the petition for bail filed by the 16 accused police officers who are members of the 1508th Provincial Mobile Group.

Granted bail were Po1 Heirich Amaba, Po3 Rasid Anton, PO3 Felix Enate, PO1 Esprielito Lejarso, PO1 Narkouk Mascud, SPO1 Eduardo Hong, PO2 Saudi Pasuta, PO1 Arnulfo Soriano, PO1 Pia Kamidon, PO3 Abibudin Abdulgani, PO2 Hamad Nana, PO1 Esmael Guilal, SPO1 Oscar Donato, PO1 Abdullah Baguadatu, PO2 Saudiar Ulah, and P/Insp.

Michael Joy Macaraeg.

In granting their bail applications, Judge Reyes said that none of the testimonies or exhibits presented by the prosecution had particularly linked and identified the police officers to the relevant times and places surrounding the alleged killing of the victims.

“After a careful calibration of the parties’ perspective arguments, the Court is convinced that no new and legitimate ground was raised to reverse or set aside the Court’s earlier finding,” the appellate court ruled.

Villar wants coco levy fund bill amended

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar has proposed amendments to the bill creating the coconut levy trust fund to ensure that the benefits for the 3.5 million farmers are protected and maximized.

During the period of individual amendments on Senate Bill 1233 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act at the plenary session of the Senate, Villar introduced measures to safeguard the P100billion coconut levy funds and to ensure increased income for all coconut farmers.

“In my consultation with industry stakeholders, there was strong support for the safeguarding of the coconut levy funds and making its earnings available to support the livelihoods of small coconut farmers,” Villar said.

The chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food asked Sen. Francis Pangilinan, sponsor of the bill, to include a provision that will mandate “the investment of the trust fund only in Philippine government securities to ensure the safety of the fund and for assured returns.”

“In terms of the deployment of the trust fund for investment purposes, this representation strongly feels that as a business woman, investing in stocks, commodities, futures and options would be very risky for a trust fund that is endowed with public interest, even where the services of fund managers are engaged,” she added.

She also pushed for the earmarking of the yearly income of the coco levy trust fund with the following: a.Shared facilities program, 35 percent; b. Health assistance and scholarship program, 15 percent; c.

Empowerment of coconut farmer organizations and their cooperatives, 15 percent; d. Credit (thru LandBank and Development Bank of the Philippines), 20 percent; and e. Farm improvements (to encourage self-sufficiency), 15 percent.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Edsa revolution aftermath Part 1 AS MANY had expected, the 32nd anniversary of the so-called February 1986 Edsa Revolution, which installed Corazon Cojuangco Aquino to the presidency, was hardly celebrated. Only a handful of people opposed to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte were seen at the socalled Edsa shrines—one at the corner of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue and the other at the corner of Edsa and White Plains Avenue. If there were any pro-Aquino groups which celebrated the occasion at those locations, they were hardly noticeable.

Two of the principal players of that event, namely, Aquino and her favorite friar, Jaime Cardinal Sin, the highly politicized archbishop of Manila, have long passed away. The others—former President Fidel Ramos (who was the constabulary chief under his cousin, President Ferdinand Marcos) and ex-Senator Juan Ponce Enrile (who was defense minister likewise under Marcos) are still around. Only Ramos was seen in the affair.

Truth to tell, the so-called 1986 Edsa Revolution has become meaningless to almost everyone in the country, particularly on the youth.

For many, the event is nothing more than another marker in the long history of the nation, and no amount of television propaganda to the contrary can change that.

Where we are

I

F THERE were a place that so aptly describes where we are as a nation, that has got to be Edsa.

Thirty-two years ago, Edsa was Ground Zero for a revolution that, as the term suggested, promised to overhaul the way Filipinos lived.

The world took notice of the absence of violence that attended the change. We have enduring, powerful images of civilians talking and offering food to soldiers beside tanks.

However the current assistant secretary of communications dismisses it as “drama,” we know it was not drama. Those were stories and images that had great human interest value.

They were most definitely not fake news.

Other societies, in their own contexts, effected their own transformations after Edsa.

Between then and now, the avenue has seen numerous changes. A church and a statue have been erected on one corner; on the next corner now stands a monument where people still gather to protest various causes.

Buildings, infrastructure, even billboards have been put up.

Over the decades, the avenue has seen immensely more vehicles, heavier traffic—and much exasperation.

These days when one mentions Edsa, what comes to mind is the chaos in public and private transport. Edsa has come to mean the Metro Rail Transit 3, a bungled rail system that runs on as few as seven trains for hundreds of thousands of passengers, and that encounters glitches with alarming regularity.

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Edsa has also become notorious for congestion, not just on weekends or rush hours, but at any time and at any day.

What this points to is several administrations of poor urban planning, the turf wars and lack of coordination among the little kingdoms that are the local government units comprising the metro.

Edsa has become associated with partisan politics, and depending on the political color of the people who are in power, is either cause for a big celebration or just another day in February.

It is a stark reminder that while change can take place on the surface, some ills persist. The change we so badly want and deserve has become just another selling point for politicians who want to capitalize on our perennial frustration.

Truth to tell, it has become meaningless to almost everyone in the country.

One reason the 1986 EDSA event has become meaningless is that Aquino’s regime is historically viewed as nothing better than the authoritarian administration of President Marcos it had replaced. Worse, the Aquino regime portrayed itself as an honest and benevolent administration when its actions and policies revealed otherwise. Adding to the horror and dissatisfaction was the fact that it was an incompetent administration.

For starters, Aquino did not carry out the promises she made during the political campaign.

Take the case of organized gambling. While campaigning in January 1986, candidate Aquino promised to ban gambling casinos in the country because they promote vice and discourage industry among Filipinos.

As president, however, Aquino did the opposite∏—she expanded casino operations all over the archipelago.

Land reform is also in point. Candidate Aquino promised to institute a national comprehensive agrarian reform program, ostensibly to uplift the plight of farmers and plantation workers all over the country. Although Aquino’s lapdog Congress eventually enacted an agrarian reform program, Hacienda Luisita—her family’s vast sugar estate in Tarlac—was, to all intents and purposes, exempted. It would take several administrations and Supreme Court rulings decades later for the hacienda to be actually subjected to land reform.

In December 1985, and upon the urging of President Marcos, the Batasang Pambansa enacted a law calling for a special election for president and vice president in February 1986.

Soon thereafter, Salvador “Doy” Laurel, the leader of the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO)—acknowledged by the Turn to A5

Tragic distortions THE real tragedy of the 1986 People Power Revolution, the 32nd anniversary of which we marked last Sunday, is the fact that nothing has changed in the lives of common Filipinos.

There also has been much distortion of our history.

We all know that it was the late Jaime Cardinal Sin who called people to Edsa so they can protect the breakaway group of Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, Armed Forces Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos and Col. Gringo Honasan from possible retaliation from the forces of AFP Chief of Staff Fabian Ver. We also know that as a result, Enrile, Ramos and Honasan went on to have Corazon Aquino sworn in as president at Club Filipino, with Doy Laurel as Vice President.

I asked Enrile what he, Ramos and Honasan why they did that when they were already in power. He told me that the main objective of the breakaway group was not to hold on to power. It was a tactical move against the possibility that Ver, having already formed a junta, would take power in the event Marcos died.

Enrile and Ramos already had a military junta, and they decided to pass on the power to somebody representing the opposition. In that case, it was Cory Aquino—even though she was never at Edsa.

Enrile said it was a gamble on their part, because they did not know whether what they did would in fact mean the ouster and exile of Marcos.

The rest is now history. During the Aquino presidency, she was hounded by nine coup attempts because the expected reforms did not come about.

Nothing much has changed, really.

North Korea takes gold for Olympic diplomacy—analysts

By Sunghee Hwang WHILE its athletes are returning home empty-handed from the Winter Olympics, analysts say nuclear-armed North Korea deserves a gold medal for its diplomatic skills—but that the Gamesdriven detente will be short-lived.

An intense rapprochement saw the two Koreas march into the opening ceremony together behind a unification flag, and South Korea’s president shared a historic handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visiting sister.

North Korea sent 22 athletes to the Games, most of whom had humiliating finishes, and a hastily-assembled joint women’s ice hockey team lost every one of its five matches, scoring just twice while conceding 28 goals.

But analysts say the Winter Olympics was never about winning medals for the North.

“It was all about image-making,” said Koo Kab-woo, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

“They proved they are not a ‘rogue state’ and also got around sanctions.”

Tensions between the two soared last year as Pyongyang tested missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and its most powerful nuclear device to date, while Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump traded personal insults and threats of war.

The North is subject to multiple rounds of UN Security Council sanctions over its banned weapons programs.

After prevaricating for years over whether it would take part, North Korea sent its athletes and 200-plus female

cheerleaders who roamed the Games venue with big smiles and friendly waves, becoming a focus for many spectators.

The sight of North and South Korean hockey players hugging and tearing up after the unified team’s final match touched many fans, despite initial opposition in the South to the formation of the team.

But it was the trip to the South for the opening ceremony by Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong—the first member of the North’s ruling dynasty to visit since the 1953 end of the Korean War —that was the highlight of Pyongyang’s charm offensive.

“She was a perfect person to give a message and that is exactly what she has done,” said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University.

I asked Enrile if he knew for sure that the people, belonging mostly from the middle class, would gather at Edsa to protect them. He said no.

I doubt whether the People Power Revolution could really be called that, because it occurred only in Metro Manila.

What I was told was that it was more of the move of the US government to get the Marcoses out of Malacañang.

Thus, Marcos and his family were taken not to Paoay in Ilocos Norte but to Hawaii.

When people started massing at Edsa upon the call of Cardinal Sin, Ver sought the approval of Marcos to bomb Camp Crame. Marcos objected because it would mean killing Filipinos. *** If the issue of Rappler reporter Pia Ranada has become as big as it is now, even being cited as an example of suppression of press freedom, people from Malacañang only have themselves to blame.

Rappler is still a member of the Malacañang Press Corps and thus is still allowed to attend press briefings. The order of the Securities and Exchange Commission to cancel Rappler’s certificate of registration is not yet final and executory, because there is a motion filed before the Court of Appeals.

But President Duterte said he had had enough of Rappler’s peddling of fake news, and that Ranada should be banned from the Palace complex.

It only got worse when the Presidential Security Group said Ranada should be thankful they did not hit her after she had insulted them. Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo even said there was nothing wrong with what the PSG said. *** President Duterte should not Turn to A5

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Opinion Tragic...

From A4

dismiss the protests of those who object to the administration’s plan of amending the Constitution for a federal form of government. The protests were held last Sunday; Cardinal Luis Tagle led the rally against divorce and extrajudicial killings.

Protest movements have a way of getting bigger. The problem is that we Filipinos do not have a leader like the late Cardinal Sin. Cardinal Tagle is a very soft leader.

This is another tragedy for the nation. We cannot rely on noisy legislators from the opposition. But who knows? Crises bring out leaders in men and women.

I don’t know how far these rallies would go. Among the voices are those of the relatives of those killed in the socalled war on drugs.

It may appear at the moment that only the students are doing their share —rallying, walking out of their classrooms. But soon, sectoral groups will be protesting. *** The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which is now on top of efforts to prevent the island paradise of Boracay from being a cesspool, does not need seven senators to conduct an ocular of the place.

The senators plan to go to Boracay on Friday.

Edsa...

From A4

Commission on Elections as the dominant political opposition party of the period—launched his campaign to challenge Marcos for the presidency.

Upon the instigation, however, of opposition figures marginalized by the UNIDO like Joaquin Roces, Lorenzo Tañada and Jose Diokno, Aquino announced her intention to run for the presidency. That meant a three-way fight for Malacañang, with the votes for the political opposition divided.

Unification talks between the Laurel and Aquino camps quickly ensued.

After Aquino assured Laurel that her only objective is to unseat Marcos, she promised to Laurel that she would resign the presidency after holding it for two years. Withal, Laurel agreed to run for vice president with Aquino as UNIDO standard bearer. Upon Laurel’s instructions, the entire UNIDO political campaign machinery nationwide was mobilized to support Aquino’s presidential bid.

However, after seizing power in the aftermath of the February 1986 Edsa uprising, relatives and friends of Mrs. Aquino began dominating the political scene. Although Laurel was vice president and foreign affairs secretary, Aquino’s new oligarchs saw Laurel as a threat and a limitation to their newly-acquired political power and influence. Soon enough, Aquino began treating Laurel as an outsider in the corridors of power.

The first step in neutralizing Laurel was for Aquino to declare a revolutionary government. In doing so, Aquino gave herself the power to abolish the 1973 Constitution (which was then in force)—which she did. By abolishing the charter, Aquino concentrated in herself both the executive and the legislative powers of the government—no

North...

From A4

“She invited President Moon Jae-in for a summit and she smiled broadly,” he added. She created a good impression, which was “exactly what North Koreans wanted.”

“They are brilliant diplomats, they are highly rational, some are cynical, very Machiavellian and usually very, very successful.”

Dead end The Olympic-driven detente between the two Koreas has prompted a flurry of cross-border exchanges, although Moon did not immediately accept the invitation to a summit with Kim Jong Un. But Lankov said: “The major problem is not between North and South Korea. The major problem is between North Korea and the United States.

“Therefore, no amount of talks between North and the South Korea is going to change anything significantly.”

The dovish South Korean president who advocates engagement over pressure has been trying to broker talks between the US and North Korea.

Moon met for an hour on Sunday with visiting North Korean general Kim Yong Chol, who according to Seoul expressed Pyongyang’s willingness to hold discussions with Washington.

The North has long expressed its desire to talk to Washington without preconditions, and its stance on nuclear arms—the “treasured sword” it says it

What the DENR and the Departments of Tourism and the Interior and Local Government need to do is suspend the entry of tourists for at least three months so the government can do what needs to be done.

Such a suspension would enable the government to enact facilities in compliance to the Clean Water Act and to demolish establishments that violate laws. How can the government do this when there are tourists around?

The government should also look at other tourist destinations like Bohol, Palawan, Mindoro and even Siargao.

The sooner this is done, the better. *** My primo, Carlos Agatep, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Grupo Agatep, sent me a book called Winning the Anvils.

While Grupo Agatep is in public relations, it is also an advertising agency.

The book is a guide for professionals in the PR trade.

Anvils is like the Oscars in PR. Charlie’s group has won no less than 137 Anvils—more than enough credentials for him to write from experience. *** I got a big surprise when Wilson Lee Flores, a columnist of another newspaper, sent me a box of tikoy last week.

Flores is the chairman of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. media and public information committee.

I don’t know Wilson personally but I thank him nonetheless. different from how President Marcos ran the nation from 1972 until 1986.

Obviously, the abolition of the 1973 Constitution carried with it the abolition of the Batasang Pambansa. The abolition of the Batasang Pambansa meant that all the assemblymen under Laurel’s UNIDO found themselves devoid of power. With Laurel himself out of the corridors of power, the UNIDO assemblymen soon aligned themselves with Aquino.

Almost overnight, Aquino destroyed Laurel’s political power base.

To add insult to injury, Aquino abolished the office of the prime minister soon after appointing Laurel to it.

When Laurel finally asked Aquino about her promise to eventually hand over political power to him, Aquino flatly told Laurel that “the revolution erased all her political pledges.” That forced Laurel to join the ranks of the political opposition anew.

It was a difficult decision for Laurel to turn against Aquino. After all, Laurel had a big role in President Marcos’ ouster from power. Laurel openly aligned himself with Ninoy Aquino (Mrs. Aquino’s husband) during the darkest years of martial law—when many Filipinos avoided being associated with the Aquino family. Almost single-handedly, Laurel organized the hopelessly fragmented political opposition in the country under the banner of the UNIDO. Most importantly, Laurel was the childhood friend, bosom buddy and fraternity brother of Ninoy Aquino.

Prior to her leaving office, Aquino had one more blow to deliver to Laurel when the latter ran for president in 1992. Aquino supported the presidential run of Fidel Ramos, her own husband’s jailer during the martial law period. Her all-out support for Ramos ensured the defeat of Laurel, the statesman whom she conveniently forgot gave way to her in the February 1986 elections. To be continued needs to defend itself against the risk of US invasion—has not changed.

In response to the general’s comments, the White House reiterated Pyongyang must first take concrete steps towards disarming.

“In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a dead end,” it said in a statement.

Kim Yo Jong had no interaction with US Vice President Mike Pence at the opening ceremony, though they were just a few seats apart. According to the US, a planned meeting between the delegations from Washington and Pyongyang the following day was cancelled at short notice by the North Koreans.

Similarly US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka did not communicate with general Kim at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Friday, with Trump describing them as the heaviest ever.

With the two sides unwilling to make concessions on “the most important issue” and the fundamentals unchanged, Lankov said: “It’s just a short kind of relaxation, which is likely to be followed by another escalation, another period of tensions very soon, probably from early April.”

After the Paralympics end in March, South Korea and the US are due to hold delayed large-scale joint military exercises which always infuriate Pyongyang.

Koo told AFP: “The problem is what happens after Pyeongchang.” AFP

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Our mothers, our heroines I USUALLY write about heroes and heroines during this time of the year when we celebrate the 1986 People Power Revolution. For this column, I write about our mothers. They are heroines.

In the Philippine revolution of 1896, several mothers stand out.

There is of course Teodora Alonso, mother of Jose Rizal. She was herself persecuted, was made to walk 50 kilometers for not using her Hispanic last name “Realonda de Rizal” and her family forced to leave Calamba after losing a land dispute against the Dominicans. She was faithful to her son, accompanying him to Hong Kong and Vatican. She lived up to 1911, long enough to see his son declared our national hero.

Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio, was likewise a heroine of the revolution. She had one child by Bonifacio and five by Julio Nakpil, her second husband. As described by Dr. Robert Yoder: “In periods of danger, Gregoria, wife of the Supremo, sought to hide important documents from the soldiers. Sometimes she sought shelter in the homes of friends. Knowing that this exposed them to danger she also often rode in a carriage all day returning home only when she felt it was safe.’

Melchora Aquino, a mother of six children, stands out because of her age. For this reason, we know her through her alias, Tandang Sora, and for her bravery in providing material support to the Katipunan. The eminent historian Ambeth Ocampo in his Philippine Inquirer column once described how she offered refuge and hospitality to the Bonifacio and his comrades during the Cry of Balintawak, feeding hundreds of them in her farm before they marched out to declare the start of the revolution. Arrested by the Spaniards, Tandang Sora was exiled to Guam. She was able to come home to the Philippines and die here in 1919, at 107 years old.

In the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship, several mothers stand out. One of the most famous is Lorena Barros, mother to one son, who was killed by the military. She represents many mothers in the anti-Marcos struggle who made great sacrifices leaving their children to their families, including to their mothers who raised their children for them.

One such mother was Paula Carolina Malay, among others co-founder with her husband Dean Armando Malay of Kapatid, an organization of families of political prisoners. Bantayog ng mga Bayani describes what Paula, also known as Ayi, did during the Marcos years: “She visited jails, raised funds, and distributed news bulletins from the underground and alternative press. She

marched in the streets, waved placards and signed petitions.She wrote letters of appeal to friends abroad, prompting them to pressure their own governments to oppose Marcos’ repressive rule . . . Likewise, she tried to do what she could for the families of imprisoned peasants and workers. All of them could come any time and unburden themselves for a while—and Ayi would cry along with them, sharing her own worries and problems.”

One must not of course forget the mothers Ninoy Aquino left behind: Doña Aurora Aquino, his mother, and Corazon C. Aquino, the mother of Ninoy’s five children and the country’s first post-Marcos President. The nation will always be grateful for the grace and strength of these mothers in the days following Ninoy’s assassination when the country could have descended into chaos.

Going to the present, I would like to honor the mothers of the two missing University of the Philippines students—Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. Erlinda Cadapan and Concepcion Empeño have been unrelenting in their search for their daughters, including making sure that

This week, and every day, I am grateful for them.

ing from the military, many of them on the way to the mountains of Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental to join the New People’s Army. To this day, those activists who survived those times come to me to thank our family for what our parents did.

My mother, in the early years of martial law, was also courageous enough to go every week to the Philippine Constabulary headquarters in our city, Camp Alagar, to visit a political detainee who was the nephew of one of her best friends.

A mother does not have to be in politics to be a heroine. The life long dedication of mothers is enough for us to honor our mothers.

Recently, for example, Tita Mely Malferari, passed into eternal life.

Everyone who knew her would agree that Tita Mely was an awesome mother. Widowed early, she raised her six children alone while working as a music teacher. She could play anything in the piano, as she did for me when I auditioned for the Xavier University High School Glee Club requesting that she play Pilate’s Dream from Jesus Christ Superstar. The late Fr. Tony Cuna, with whom she is now probably playing for again in heaven, was surprised at my choice but not Tita Mely.

Later, Tita Mely immigrated to the US and became the pianist/organist for a Catholic Church in Queens, New York. She came back to Cagayan de Oro and continued to teach music to the end of her life. That’s a heroine’s life for me.

My mother-in-law Teresita Sto. Tomas Bonto is also a heroine. Her devotion to her husband and children, her faithfulness to the Lord, her persistence in following the adult itinerary of faith provided by the NeoCatechumenal Way and her loyalty to the Church, and yes her sense of humor are big testimonials of a loving God. These past five years, I have had the good fortune of having a meal with my mother once a week when I teach constitutional law in Xavier University. I discover new things about her, like how she usually voted for Gabriela as her party list choice or that this and that person from Saint Scholastica or Saint Theresa’s College was her contemporary. Sometimes, we fight—over politics (I supported Grace Poe, she is an original Duterte supporter, and we disagree on the war against drugs) or my schedule (she thinks I travel too much). We worry together—about my siblings and her grandchildren. Most of the time, I just listen to her, always learning, knowing that these moments of dialogue and presence will not be forever.

On Thursday, March 1, my mother celebrates her 88th birthday. I am grateful that she has reached this day.

I promised a big celebration for her when she reaches 90.

This week, every day, I am grateful for all mothers, our heroines.

General Jovito Palparan, accused of being responsible for their abduction, is brought to justice. In the same way, Edita Burgos is also to be praised for her determination and persistence in looking for her son Jonas.

During these times, I definitely honor Senator Leila de Lima, mother of two sons. She does not deserve to be in prison. I am sure she will be vindicated soon.

Finally, I will be remiss if I don’t recognize my own mother, Lourdes Maestrado La Viña. Known as Inday in Cagayan de Oro, she was the first woman kagawad of Cagayan de Oro. She ran in 1980 as councilor in the Mindanao Alliance slate led by former Senate President Nene Pimentel running as mayor.

Later, my mother became active in the anti-dictatorship movement, participating in all the major mobilizations against Marcos. She was assigned because of her status to the “negotiation panel” that would deal with the police and the military that were sent to deal with the marchees, rallies, and the welgang bayans of that time.

Less known to people is the active support my mother (and father) gave to young activists when martial law was declared. My father allowed our house (then being constructed) to be the half-way house for KM and SDK Facebook page: Professor Tony La members being pursued by and escap- Viña (deantonylavs) Twitter: tonylavs

Chinese billionaire sees baguette goldmine in French fields

By Sandra Laffont IN THE peaceful French village of Thiel-sur-Acolin, retired farmer Marc Bernardet is ambivalent about having a Chinese billionaire for a neighbor.

Over the past four years Hu Keqin has quietly snapped up 3,000 hectares of wheat fields in the central Indre and Allier regions, including next door to Bernardet.

His purchases are part of a Chinese buying spree in recent years stretching from the US to Australia. And in France, struggling farmers fear a landgrab.

“It’s a piece of French heritage that is being taken, but that’s globalization and that’s the trend at the moment,” Bernardet told AFP. “If it wasn’t the Chinese, it would be someone else.”

The fields may be bare for winter, but Hu has big dreams: eventually they’ll provide some of the flour for 1,500 French bakeries in China, catering to a burgeoning middle class.

But he is keenly aware of the suspicions his project faces in France, where farmers say their traditional family ownership model is under threat from a huge rise in investor purchases.

“We take extremely good care of our land, and we’re using only French people to cultivate it,” the 57-year-old insisted in an interview at his Beijing offices.

“Many foreign investors are buying land in France,” added the understated businessman with a net worth estimated at $1.22 billion (1 billion euros)

by Forbes magazine.

“Are we so different from the Germans or the English? Shouldn’t we, like the others, encourage the local economy to develop?”

Macron vows crackdown Hu cannily used legal loopholes— buying almost all of each farm rather than the entirety—to skirt rules that can allow the French government to block sales of farmland.

But President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday vowed to crack down on foreign investors buying up swathes of French land.

“French agricultural lands are strategic investments on which our sovereignty depends,” he told a crowd of young farmers at the presidential palace.

“We can’t allow hundreds of hectares of land to be bought by foreign powers without us knowing the aims of these purchases.”

Hu, who has spent 11 million euros on land in Allier alone, stressed that his plan is moving ahead with “solid support” from the French government.

His Reward Group is exploring a slew of tie-ups with French firms which, despite their suspicions, come as welcome news for a government that has prioritised kickstarting the economy.

Central to Hu’s plans to conquer China with baguettes is a partnership with France’s biggest cereal cooperative Axereal to supply flour as well as bread-making know-how.

‘Huge potential’ And that’s just one of several potential French deals for Reward, which

since 1995 has built an empire of everything from cleaning products to powdered milk.

It is exploring a possible import deal with Bel, the maker of Laughing Cow cheese, and France’s biggest meat producer Bigard ahead of the lifting of an embargo on French beef.

Reward took control last summer of a lavender soap maker in the south of France, Le Chatelard 1802, and has held further talks with a bakery chain, grain processor and soy company.

As it looks to diversify and grow its foreign assets, the conglomerate is also eyeing land in Romania and has bought a US cosmetics factory.

As far as the bakeries are concerned, having ingredients imported from France is particularly reassuring for Chinese consumers after a series of food scandals.

The first, Chez Blandine, just opened in a chic Beijing shopping centre designed by star architect Zaha Hadid.

Bread is rarely served with meals in a country of rice and dumplings, and the Chinese bakery scene remains dominated by chains offering filled buns adapted to local tastes.

But Hu is banking on China getting hooked on the crunch of a traditional French baguette as more and more of its middle classes take European holidays.

“I’m counting on the young generation born in the 1980s and 1990s— keen travelers—and on children, but also the older generation whose eating habits are changing,” he said.

“The potential is huge.” With Julien Girault, AFP

News

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BI deports Korean who blackmailed via call center

FISHER'S PROTEST.

Fisherfolk belonging to the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda gather at the Manila Bay to protest the reclamation in Cavite where a planned international seaport is to be built. They also called attention to the illegal fishers in the area who employ dynamite fishing, especially during the summer.

Norman Cruz

By Vito Barcelo IMMIGRATION authorities have ordered the deportation of a South Korean fugitive wanted in Seoul for allegedly operating a call center that blackmails its victims by threatening to kill their families and illegally earning more than US$8 million (P400 million).

The Korean, identified as Jung Hyojin, fled to the Philippines three years ago after victimizing hundreds of his compatriots, the Bureau of Immigration said.

Jung was arrested in Malate by the bureau’s fugitive search unit and is now detained at the BI facility in Bicutan, Taguig City.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Jung, who is the subject of an Interpol red notice, was issued three arrest warrants by the Seoul central district court, where he was indicted for organizing a fraud syndicate, an offense that carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.

“Like all the other wanted foreign criminals that we caught after hiding here to avoid prosecution, Jung will be deported to face trial in his homeland and receive punishment for his crimes,” Morente said. “His presence here poses a threat to public safety and security.”

Jung was also an overstaying and undocumented alien, as his passport was canceled by the Korean government, the immigration chief added.

BI intelligence officer and FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said Jung headed a criminal group from February 2013 to 2015 that defrauded its victims. The group operated a fraudulent call center, which made phone calls to victims who were coerced to give their money after being harassed and intimidated by callers who pretended to be police investigators.

MIAA brings relief goods to Daraga THE Manila International Airport Authority distributed relief goods and conducted a medical mission, including free haircuts, to some 1,500 families affected by the eruption of Mayon Volcano on Saturday in Anislag, Daraga, Albay, one of the evacuation sites.

MIAA general manager Ed Monreal and other officials took the opportunity to distribute four kilos of rice, two gallons of distilled water, five pieces of assorted canned goods, one blanket and a mat including a plastic pail to each of the families affected, a statement released Monday by the agency said.

Monreal said the relief distribution and medical mission was part of the 36th year anniversary of MIAA in partnership with Air 21, Cargohaus, Philippine Army, Manila Chinatown, Lionsclub, Radio Emergency Communication Operations Network Philippines Inc., and other local government units.

The event is also part of MIAA’s corporate social responsibility in line with its anniversary, he added.

Monreal said some 6,000 kilos of rice, 3,000 gallons of distilled water, 7,500 pieces of assorted canned goods, 1,500 blankets, 1,500 mats and 1,500 plastic pails were loaded in two Air 21 delivery trucks that left Friday afternoon for Anislag.

Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Duterte cousin Durano heads to Sandigan trial A

COUSIN of President Rodrigo Duterte will be arraigned by the Sandiganbayan on March 2 over his alleged ignorance and “willful, unlawful and criminal” neglect in executing a Civil Service Commission order four years ago.

The special appellate court’s Fifth Division, in a five-page resolution promulgated on Feb. 20, denied Danao City Mayor Ramonito Duterte Durano III’s motion to hold his arraignment and maintained its original schedule for the pretrial conference for this Friday.

Associate Justice Maryann CorpusManalac penned the resolution concurred

by Associate Justices Rafael Lagos and Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque has confirmed that Durano is a second cousin of Duterte, but that the two have had a falling out over the Danao mayor’s decision to support Senator Grace Poe instead of his relative in the 2016 national elections.

Durano was charged for violating Section 67, Book V of Executive Order No. 292 in relation to Section 121 of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.

The Ombudsman had accused the mayor of disregarding to implement a CSC order on Aug. 14, 2014 to reinstate certain Danao city government employees and pay their back wages, leave credits, and other benefits.

Durano failed to execute the commission’s decision “despite the fact that the decision and order had become final and executory, to the prejudice of the employees and detriment of public service,” the Ombudsman alleged.

The mayor moved to ask the Sandigan-

bayan to suspend the proceedings pending his petition for certiorari at the Supreme Court and application for a writ of preliminary injunction at the Court of Appeals.

In opposing the motion, the Ombudsman said the trial must proceed since Durano's arguments are not covered under Section 11, Rule 116 of the Revised Rules of Court.

The Sandiganbayan said that based on the Rules of Court, it can only suspend the proceedings if Durano is "suffering from an unsound mental condition," if there is an existing prejudicial question, or if a petition for review is pending at either the Department of Justice or Office of the President.

"Necessarily, thus, the intended deferment of the proceedings if granted will run counter to the afore-cited rules of procedure, including the general prohibition on postponements designed to expeditiously disposed of criminal cases," the special court said.

REMINISCING. Former senator Heherson Alvarez and former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim discuss the Edsa Revolution after 32 years and politics in Manila at the Samahang Plaridel Kapihan sa Manila Hotel on Monday.

Lino Santos

Rehab centers for child PWDs pushed in House

By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has approved a bill that address the costly rehabilitation of children and youth with disabilities or CYWDs. The House committee on welfare of children approved a substitute bill establishing rehabilitation centers for CYWDs nationwide, initially in every region, then in every province, cluster of municipalities, and eventually in every city or municipality.

The proposed act “Establishing Rehabilitation Centers for Children and Youth with Disabilities Nationwide” provides that satellite facilities may also be established in barangays, as may be necessary, to assist community-based rehabilitation programs.

AASENSO Party-list Rep. Teodoro Montoro, principal author of the bill, said the measure aims to help indigent persons in nurturing their relatives who are disabled or who are still in the stage of childhood or “batang isip” to rehabilitate their physical and mental condition to be able to connect to society.

The bill is co-authored by Reresentatives Bernadette Herrera-Dy of Bagong Henerasyon party-list and Cristina Roa-

Puno of Antipolo City.

The term children and youth with disabilities refers to persons 30 years and younger, or those over that age but are unable to fully take care of themselves because of a long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment, which an interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Rehabilitation center refers to an accessibility-compliant facility that undertakes an integrated approach to physical, psychosocial, cultural, spiritual, educational and vocational measures that create conditions for the individual to attain the highest possible level of functional ability.

The bill mandates the Department of Health, in coordination with the host local government unit, to put up rehabilitation centers to serve the CYWDs. Under the measure, the rehabilitation centers shall provide assessment and diagnosis; physical and social rehabilitation; support for family members, caregivers, center staff, and community workers; information on disability and the rights and incentives accorded to CYWDs; and training of teachers and mentors of CYWDs.

The rehabilitation centers shall offer its services for free to indigent CYWDs. It shall collect fees for its services from the CYWDs who do not qualify as indigent; and cities and families other than the host LGU, for every CYWD that it refers to the rehabilitation center for diagnosis or therapy services.

The DoH, for its part shall extend funding for infrastructure development. Once the rehabilitation center is established, the department shall turn this over to the host LGU for operation and management.

The DoH shall also provide technical support to the host LGU in its operation of the rehabilitation center, including building the capacity of its personnel and volunteers through trainings and information dissemination.

The department shall prescribe the service fees that may be charged by the rehabilitation centers as well as institute a monitoring system, considering the type of services delivered, data on the recipient CYWDs, and gaps in program implementation.

The bill tasks the host LGU, in coordination with its Persons with Disability Affairs Office, to supervise and exercise oversight over the rehabilitation center and satellite center within its territorial jurisdiction.

Maynilad adds 53k connections, 1.4-m customers

By Rio N. Araja CLOSE to 53,000 water service connections have been installed in the distribution network of the west water zone concessionaire, Maynilad Water Services Inc., in 2017.

Over 1.4-million customers benefited from the new connections in the cities of Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Quezon, Valenzuela and Caloocan as well some parts of Cavite, Maynilad said Monday.

The water concessionaire is currently providing 9.4-million people with safe and potable water, an increase of 54 percent from the 6.1-million customers it served 11 years ago before the water system’s re-privatization in 2007.

At the end of 2017, around 98 percent of Maynilad customers have 24-hour water supply, up from only 32 percent who enjoyed the same service level before 2007.

Moreover, 100 percent of Maynilad customers receive their water at the average pressure of 7 psi (pounds per square inch), enough to bring water up to the second floor of a house.

The company is now aiming to boost water pressure to 16 psi, as it managed to provide this level of water pressure to 70.52 percent of its concession area.

Regalado highway portion closed for MRT 7 pile testing works

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan A PORTION of Regalado Highway in Quezon City was closed to vehicular traffic from 11 p.m. on Monday to 4 a.m.

Tuesday, the Metro Manila Development Authority said in an advisory.

Jojo Garcia, Acting MMDA general manager, said the five-hour road closure was implemented from Bristol Street to Commonwealth Avenue, both northbound and southbound lanes.

“This is to give way to pile testing activities that private contractor EEI Corp. will conduct in line with the construction of the Metro Rail Transit [MRT] 7,” said Garcia.

Motorists were advised to take the following alternative routes: • Vehicles going to Quezon Memorial Circle may take Quirino Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue or may take Belfast Street and Mindanao Avenue.

• Vehicles going to San Jose Del Monte City may take Mindanao Avenue and Regalado Avenue.

Moreover, Garcia said EEI also conducted lane marking activities starting Monday on Commonwealth Avenue, from University Avenue to Philcoa area, from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Garcia said no roads will be closed for the contractor’s activity, but it will constrict the lanes available for motorists.

“The contractors need to expand their work area in the middle, but seven lanes will remain for motorists use,” said Garcia.

The MRT 7 is a 23-kilometer railway system with 14 stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

It will have 14 stations, starting with North Avenue Station on Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa), passing through Commonwealth Avenue, Regalado Avenue, and Quirino Highway up to Bulacan.

Sports

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Baulete, Tangub score net double ERIC Tangub pulled off a pair of reversals while Rovie Baulete lived up to her top billing as they swept the top two divisions in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Oroquieta leg age-group tennis tournament in Misamis Occidental yesterday.

Ranked third in the boys’ 16-and-under class, Tangub repelled top seed Brent Cortes in the semis, 7-5, 6-2, then foiled No. 7 Lex Estillore, 6-2, 6-2. As No. 5, the rising star from Tucuran, Zambo del Sur later nailed the 18-U crown with a 6-2, 6-1 romp over Roji Baulete.

Rovie Baulete, on the other hand, stamped her class in the girls’ side, clipping Didaiah Gupit, 6-2, 6-3, in the 16-U finals then blasting Daniela Ramirez, 6-2, 6-2, to run away with the 18-U diadem in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop, presented by Slazenger and backed by Asiatraders Corp. and Dunlop as official ball.

They actually made it a three-title feat as the former teamed up with Ella Ramirez to bag the 18-U doubles title via an 8-4 win over Jastine Lim and Alessandra Quimbo.

Tangub partnered with Cortes to edge Estillore and Gabriel Catane, 8-5.

“Tangub and Baulete’s feats only underscored their hard work and dedication in training and their achievements should inspire the other youngsters competing in our nationwide circuit,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Second seed Nash Agustines delivered the lone victory for the local bets, turning back the No. 1 Cortes, 6-4, 6-4, while Kristine Bandolis from Tubod, Lanao took the girls’ plum with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Judy Padilla from Ozamiz City.

Other singles winners were Maranding, Lanao’s Aslan Carbonilla (boys’ 12U), Padilla (girls’ 12-U), Ivory Malinis of Maramag, Bukidnon, (10-unisex), while joining the doubles winners roster were Mailinis- Garlanson Ardiente (10-U), Guia Bandolis and Judidah Gupit (girls’ 14-U), Agustines and Malachi Jamal (boys’ 14-U),

Rider Omega tops TRI 1 tilt TEAM members of Rider Omega Tri Team emerged as the champions at the Bike King TRI 1 standard distance triathlon held last Sunday at the Acea Resort in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The team’s Banjo Norte and Maria Hodges won the titles of fastest finisher overall for male and female, respectively.

Norte topped the grueling triathlon composed of a 1.5kilometer swim—40 Km bike—10 Km run event in a blistering time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds, and placed first as well in his age group of 25-29.

Hodges, also of Rider Omega Tri Team, clocked in as the fastest female at 2:28:35, and took 1st honors as well in the 30-34 age group.

Each of them took home a special prize from Bike King Tri1’s official timekeeper TAG Heuer.

Other fastest overall finishers, among the men were Jorry Yncong also of Rider Omega Tri in 2nd place, 25-29) with 2:19:39 and Kristiane Lim 3rd place (also 30-34 men’s age group 1st placer) of Organique Triathlon with 2:21:34.

On the distaff side of the event sponsored by official timekeeper TAG Heuer, Standard Insurance, official skin care Neutrogena, Vittoria, Nestlé, Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Smart, NLEX-SCTEX, Prohealth Sports and Spinal, hydration partner Nuun, ON shoes, Robinsons Supermarket, Gardenia, Acea Subic Bay, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Court Meridian Hotel & Suites and Subic Holiday Villas, the second fastest finisher was Ines Santiago (women’s 35-39 champion) of WU Crew at 2:46:16 and Petro Kuiper (female 50-above champion) of Fitness First with 2:47:11.

Other age-group champions declared were Rue Panibon and Neil Adrian Aynera (18-24), Cianyl Gonzalez (female 25-29), Ronald Molit (male 35-39), Jefferson Valdez and Amanda Carpo (40-44), Elaine Holmes and Peter Gonzalez (45-49), Jose Leal (male 50-54), Dean Recupero (male 55-59) and Killy Kunimoto (male 60-above).

Centennial III reigns in Subic regatta race

Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers is hounded by San Antonio Spurs Pau Gasol (left) and Danny Green during their teams’ NBA encounter at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Spurs won, 110-94. AFP

Aldridge, Green lift Spurs past Cavaliers

L

OS ANGELES—LaMarcus Aldridge led the offensive attack in the paint and Danny Green shot the lights out from long distance as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 11094 on Sunday.

Aldridge finished with 27 points and Green chipped in 22 as the Spurs snapped a four-game losing skid.

Green missed Friday’s loss to Denver with food poisoning but on Sunday he delivered the perfect side dish to Aldridge’s dynamic inside game with his five three-pointers.

“Every win is a big one for us,” Green said. “But this month we’ve had some ups and downs. This is a really good team, especially with the best player in the world over there.”

Indeed, Cavs’ superstar LeBron James flirted with a triple double by finishing with 33 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists but that’s not what James wanted to talk about after the loss.

The reigning All-Star Game MVP slammed officials after the game, saying they are not calling enough fouls on him.

“There’s no reason I should be going to the line four times in a game when I drive 100 times to the paint and I’m getting hit and slapped and grabbed and whatever and what not,” James said.

James thinks the officials are protecting players that shoot a lot of three-point

Cantada, PVF hold spikefest JOE Cantada Sports and the Philippine Volleyball Federation will be holding an Under-18 beach volleyball championship on March 4 at the indoor and outdoor sand courts of the Cantada Sports Center in Taguig City.

There will be boys’ and girls’ divisions and open to players born not earlier than March 5, 2000. Members must be enrolled in the same school. Birth certificates and proof of enrollment (valid school ID or school certification) are required.

Competition is open to both public and private schools. Out of town school teams are most welcome.

Complimentary accommodation and full board will be extended to out-of-town participants starting Saturday afternoon till Monday morning.

Complimentary meals will be provided to all participants during competition. A chaperone or coach will be allowed each participating school and will be accorded complimentary meals as well. There will be no entry fees.

Trophies, medals and gift certificates will be awarded to the winners. The tournament deviates from giving cash prizes in its efforts to bring back the golden values in school sports competition.

Calamba hosts 2nd National Students Karate tilt THE Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines is formally designating the City of Calamba as the official host city of the 2nd National Students Karate Championship.

The NSKC, which serves as the international qualifying tournament, is being organized in partnership with the Philippine Inter-Schools Colleges and Universities Athletic Association and State Colleges Athletic Association, both of which belong to the FESSAP-affiliated Philippine Karate-do Federation Inc. The PKFI has been directed by the FESSAP to conduct the technical aspect of the championship.

As the competitions’ host city, Calamba Mayor Justin Marc Chipeco gave his stamp of approval for the staging of the event.

The 2nd NSKC will be held on April 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The venue for the one-day event is SM Mall-Calamba.

The National Students Championship will be the counterpart promotion of the World Karate University Championship

St. Jude turns back host Jubilee, regains title SAINT Jude Catholic School brought down host Jubilee Christian Academy, 67-55, in Game 3 of the Finals series to regain the Boys’ Juniors’ crown of the PCYAA men’s basketball tournament at the UNO High School Gym. It was a sweet victory for the Judenites, who reclaimed the title after losing last year to MGC New Life Christian Academy.

The Judenites got off off to a strong start, grabbing a commanding 19-point lead (37-18) at halftime, but found themselves threatened by the Jubileeans, who unloaded 10 unanswered points in the third period.

Jubilee Christian came close to within

shots and not calling enough fouls on players like him who like to drive to the basket.

‘Chicks dig long ball’ “Chicks dig the long ball and that’s what it’s about,” James said.

San Antonio was called for 12 personal fouls—only three in the second half—and shot 32 free throws compared to 14 for Cleveland.

Cleveland dropped to 3-2 since overhauling their roster before the all-star break with three trades.

Dejounte Murray added 13 points and nine rebounds for San Antonio, who are playing without injured star Kawhi Leonard.

Elsewhere, Jrue Holiday scored 28 of his 36 points after halftime to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 123-121 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Holiday chipped in nine rebounds and six assists for New Orleans, who won their season-high fifth straight game.

Milwaukee’s Jason Terry tossed up a potential game-winning three-pointer but the officials ruled it was after the buzzer.

Anthony Davis added 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who trailed by 18 early in the second half but outscored Milwaukee 38-19 in the third quarter.

James Harden scores 27 of his 41 points in the first half as the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Denver Nuggets 119-114. AFP

six, but that was the closest it could get as a putback by Charles Sy just before the third quarter buzzer sounded gave the Judenites a 45-37 edge.

In the final period, Saint Jude got its second wind as a triple from Josiah Filipino started things going for the squad.

Kiefe Chu’s left corner triple and Adrian Pe’s follow up shoved SJCS safely ahead, 63-50, with only 2:24 remaning.

Three players scored in double digits for Saint Jude, Josiah Filipino, who had 13, capped by two triples in the fourth quarter; Pe, who had 11 to go along with 19 rebounds; and Matthew Ang, who had 11, including a pair of treys.

that will be organized by in several weight categories the International Univerwith the winners to be invited sity Sports Federation, the to compete in the 11thWorld governing body for uniUniversity Karate Champiversity sports around the onship in Kobe, Japan from world.

July 19 to 22.

The FESSAP, which is Mayor Chipeco, to be the sole national univerassisted by his City Tourism sity sports association in and Sports Development ofthe country that has been fice headed by Ms. Larissa recognized by the FISU P. Malinao, and City Sports since 2009, welcomes the Director Officer-III Roel M. participation of the Local Torres, will be at hand to coGovernment Units, led by Mayor Chipeco ordinate with FESSAP-afMayor Chipeco. filiated member Philippine The FESSAP has a nationwide Karatedo Federation Inc. for the techniregistered membership of more than cal aspect of the tournament proper.

300 colleges and universities from the The Philippines Karatedo Federation various affiliated league-club organiza- Inc. is headed by Jose D. Manansala and tion and institutions such as State Col- Secretary-General Nestor C. Asido. leges Universities Athletic Association, The Karate competitions are being Leyte Amateur Athletic Association, organized in accordance with the current PRISAA, CAAP, PISCUAA, PICAA, World Karate Federation (WKF) rules.

CESAFI, and many others.

In case of disagreement in the interpretaThe 2nd National Students Karate tion of these rules, the English text shall Championship will feature competitions take precedence.

Members of the Saint Jude boys’ basketball team celebrate after winning over Jubilee Christian Academy in Game 3 of their PCYAA basketball tournament finals series at the UNO High School Gym.

SUBIC BAY—Subic Bay to Boracay Race winner Centennial III, skippered by sail master Judes Echauz, again defeated Hong Kong’s Antipodes, captained by Geoff Hill, in the first race of IRC Racing Class I of the inaugural Subic Bay around Verde Island Passage Race and the Subic Bay Cup Regatta on Sunday.

However, the champion boat was defeated by Hong Kong’s GTS 43 Mandrake, both helmed by Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns in the over-all title arriving in this Freeport zone with 30:42:53, with Centennial’s 30:59:11 or a difference of 9.82 minutes in the corrected time.

Antipodes placed second in the IRC I with a corrected time of 31:43: 12, with local entry Karakoa, helmed by Ray Ordoveza coming third with a corrected time of 54:57:59, according Zed Avecilla, one of the event administrators.

Centennial III’s perennial rival Hong Kong’s Jelik of magnate Frank Pong failed to participate this year for unknown reasons, Avacilla said. Another Hong Kong’s 100-foot Scallywag, formerly known as Ragamuffin 100 that was recently bought by Malaysian-born Seng Huang Leng, also begged off.

George Hackett’s Mills 43 custom Misty Mountain did not start and Jun Villanueva’s failed to repair Bellatrix mast in time in this 200-mile SBCR, presented by Standard Insurance Inc., and being supported by Tanduay Rum, Pepsi Cola, Broadwater Marine, Nano Fixit and JC. Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay in Quezon province and the Sibuyan Sea in Romblon, beyond.

It is one of the busiest sea lanes in the Philippines because it is the main shipping route between the Port of Manila and the Visayas and Mindanao in the south. Marine scientists declared the Verde Island Passage as “the center of the center of marine shorefish biodiversity in the world.”

For the IRC II, Bobby Benares’ Sabad grabbed second place with a corrected time of 31:51:22, followed by Jun Avecilla’s Selma Star with 32:45:49 corrected time.

SKYathon back in Bora SKYathon Beach Run is back and bigger on its ninth year with the opening of participation to international runners as it aims for greater awareness to raise funds that would help rehabilitate the reefs of Boracay.

Organizers of the first destination run in the country are excited with this development.

“Among the avid participants of the race are foreigners vacationing in the island. To open this to international delegates will elevate the race not just to a fun run but a race that the running communities around the world will look forward to each year,” said Delbert Santos, a senior marketing manager from SKY. Set to happen on April 21 at Epic Boracay, it features three categories for runners to choose from; 3K, 5K, and 10K. SKY plays its part in protecting nature by supporting this initiative. A portion of the proceeds from SKYathon will go to the coral reef rehabilitation program. Other than reef rehabilitation there is also a mangrove planting partnership with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the area.

This year SKYathon introduces #LoveBoracay, a call for a turn towards responsible tourism.

Santos said that with the current environmental troubles facing not only the island but also some major tourist spots in the country it’s important for vacationers to keep in mind preserving these natural resources.

“This year, besides pushing for the rehabilitation of the coral reefs in Boracay, we’d also like to send out a call to all tourists to take care of the places they are going to. We have to practice responsible tourism so that we can keep the beauty of nature not just for us but most especially for future generations,” added Santos.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Sports

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

A8

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Support for POC snowballs

By Peter Atencio

Solaire PH Open lures stellar cast THREE former champions, 30 mainstays of One Asia Tour and 45 others from PGT Asia and invited players make up the bulk of the foreign contingent gearing up for the grand Centennial Solaire Philippine Open beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 28) at The Country Club.

Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Marcus Both of Australia, who ruled the 2012 and 2014 editions, respectively, at Wack Wack, seek to become the first repeat winner since 2007 along with Englishman Steve Lewton, who nipped American Johannes Veerman in the playoff to capture the crown last year at TCC. Back at the dreaded Tom Weiskoph-designed layout and with a field teeming with talent, the same finish is seen on Saturday with a slew of players all primed up for a crack at the top $108,000 purse in the country’s premier championship sponsored by Solaire Resort and Casino.

Also at stake in the 72-hole event offering a record purse of $600,000 is the record tag as Centennial champion of Asia’s oldest National Open.

One Asia campaigners Sam Burrell, Ryan Carter, Oskar Arvidsson and Michael Choi of Australia, Malaysians Nicolas Fung, Kim Kwang and Keegan He Sen, Jazz Janewattananond, Thammanoon Sriroj and Natipong Srithong of Thailand, and Americans Matthew Negri, John Kelly and Blake Snyder of One Asia are also raring to slug it out with the best of the rest in the event, the first cosanctioned tournament of One Asia.

Others tipped to contend in the tournament co-organized by the National Golf Association of the Philippines and Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. are PGT Asia mainstays Guido Van der Valk of the Netherlands, American Nicolas Paez, Japanese Toru Nakajima, Macedonian Peter Stojanovski and Australian Nathan Park.

Eighteen countries, including one from Andorra, Macedonia, Sweden, Myanmar, Colombia, Great Britain and the Netherlands, are vying in the blue-ribbon event sponsored by ICTSI, Meralco, PLDT, Smart, Bulgari, Diamond Motor Corp., BDO, Central Azucarera de Tarlac, Amon Trading, Dynamic Sports and Custom Clubmakers.

Englishman Steve Lewton (inset) and Marcus Both of Australia try to become the first repeat winner since 1998 winner Frankie Miñoza nailed his second Solaire Phl Open in 2007.

PH’s best athletes to be feted today T

HE best of Philippine sports in 2017 gather in a grand celebration recognizing their exploits during the SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Night at the Maynila Hall of the historic Manila Hotel on Tuesday.

Three world champions in boxer Jerwin Ancajas, bowler Krizziah Lyn Tabora, and billiards player Carlo Biado are on top of the honor roll list as co-recipients of the PSA-Tapa King Athlete of the Year award handed out by the country’s oldest media organization in the yearly affair presented by MILO and Cignal TV. Ancajas, the pride of Panabo, Davao del Norte, made three successful defenses of his International Boxing Federation super-flyweight title last year; Tabora crowned herself the women’s champion of the 53rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, while Biado reigned as the new World 9-Ball king.

The country’s top sports officials led by Philippine Sports Commission chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez, newly elected Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas, and his predecessor former Congressman Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco are expected to lead the country’s sports community in honoring them and the rest of the year’s awardees - numbering 105 in all.

“On behalf of the PSA, we would like to congratulate all of our awardees. May they continue to inspire their fellow athletes in the hope of further uplifting the state of Philippine sports,” said president D o d o Catacutan of SPIN.ph.

Department of Agriculture Secretary

Manny Pinol, a former sportswriter, columnist, and boxing analyst before he ventured into public service, will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker.

The PSC serves as major sponsor of the formal rites which is also backed by the Philippine Basketball Association, Mighty Sports, Smart, Rain or Shine, and Globalport.

The Philippine bid team, led by sportsman-business man Manny V. Pangilinan, which successfully clinched the hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, also shares the limelight as the recipient of the President’s Award.

The Executive of the Year honor, meanwhile, will be shared by San Miguel Corp. big boss Ramon S. Ang and Standard Insurance’s Jude Echauz.

The Triathlon Association of the Philippines is the hands-down choice as the National Sports Association of the Year, while veteran newsman and former sports editor Augusto ‘Gus’ Villanueva will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Special awards will be given to June Mar Fajardo (Mighty Sports Mr. Basketball), Marck Espejo and Dawn Macandili (Mr and Ms. Volleyball), and Clyde Mondilla (Mr. Golf), along with basketball star Terrence Romeo, who is the choice for the Mr. Fan Favorite “Manok ng Bayan’Award.

Le Tour hits road in May THE ninth edition of the Le Tour de Filipinas kicks off May 20 to 29 in Central and Northern Luzon.

According to organizer Ube Media Inc., the International Cycling Union (UCI) and Asian Cycling Confederation have approved of the new dates of the race that was originally scheduled last Feb. 18 to 21 but was cancelled because of Mayon Volcano’s eruption.

The UCI emailed its confirmation of the new dates late Saturday.

The route has also been transferred from the Bicol Region—where it was suppose to kick off in Catanduanes to Quezon City, Central Luzon, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Baguio City.

The Le Tour de Filipinas is the only road race sanctioned by the UCI and the ACC. The organizer will announce soon the official route of the four-stage race which returns to the country’s cycling hotbed of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, Tarlac and Baguio City.

THE Philippine Army-Bicycology Shop composed of (from left) Cpl. Lord Anthony Del Rosario, Pfc. Marvin Tapic, Sgt. Alvin Benosa, Sgt. Alfie Catalan, Sgt. Reynaldo Navarro, Sgt. Merculio Ramos, Pfc. Cris Joven and Pfc. Kenneth Solis poses for their team profile.

The team is under Commanding Officer Col. John Divinagracia and guided by coach SSG Paterno Curran and crew Cpl. Arnold Mercado.

Joven tries to improve Ronda finish PFC. Cris Joven seeks to improve on his third-place finish last year as he rides for Army-Bicycology Shop in the Ronda Pilipinas 2018 presented

by LBC unfolding on March in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and ending on March 18 in Filinvest, Alabang.

Joven, 30, wound up third overall behind eventual champion Jan Paul Morales and Navy-Standard Insurance teammate Rudy Roque despite coming in with little preparation and will be come into the 12-stage race with a lot of optimism.

“Compared to last year, I’m better prepared now so hopefully I could contend and challenge them again,” said Joven, a proud son of Iriga, Camarines Sur, in Filipino.

Joven will also be backstopped by veteran campaigners Sgt. Alfie Catalan, Sgt. Merculio Ramos Jr., Pfc. Marvin Tapic, Sgt. Reynaldo Navarro and Sgt. Alvin Benosa as they challenge the big guns like Morales and former champions Santy Barnachea of Team Franzia and Iris Valenzuela of CCN Superteam.

The other members of the ArmyBicyclogy team are Cpl. Lord Anthony del Rosario and Pfc. Kenneth Solis 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.

A cool P1 million will be at stake in this 12-stage race that will be jumpstarted by the 40-kilometer Vigan criterium Stage 1 on March 3 and the 155.4km Vigan-Pagudpud Stage 2 the next day.

Blue Eaglets shoot for UAAP juniors’ cage crown THE Ateneo Blue Eaglets shoot for the title when they face the Nazareth SchoolNational Bullpups in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals series at 4 p.m. today at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Coach Joe Silva said the team had at least eight months to prepare for a possible finals’ showdown with the Bullpups in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines Junior Basketball Tournament.

“For the past 8 to 10 months, from the tryouts, we knew who to face already. So,

Game today

(Filoil Flying V Centre) 4 p.m. – NU vs Ateneo (Jrs Finals) Atencio/UAAP advancer

we are prepared for NU,” said Silva.

Seven-foot-one slotman Kai Sotto is expected to be at his best again.

And that’s after he came up with his best game ever, a triple-double effort of 22 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks, on top of an assist during Ateneo’s 86-70

win over NU in Game 1.

“Araw-araw naming pinaghahandaan iyan. Wala nang kaba-kaba,” said Sotto, a Grade 9 student.

The Blue Eaglets are on a roll with 15 straight wins, including a 14-game sweep of the elimination round.

The Bullpups will need to find ways how to contain Ateneo ace guard SJ Belangel, who produced a solid all-around game of 17 points, eight assists, seven boards and five steals.

NEWLY ELECTED Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas yesterday said that companies outside of the Manny Pangilinan Group are willing to come forward to raise funds for the Olympic body and the Filipino athletes.

Pangilinan has put a seed money of P20 million for the POC, but according to Vargas, that won’t be the only financial help that the committee will get.

Vargas said corporate backers like Ayala Corp. and San Miguel Corporation have also come forward and are also coming to lend a financial hand of assistance to the POC. After paying Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez a courtesy call yesterday, Vargas said he’s getting ready to work with the PSC on the needs of national athletes and the preparations for the 2018 Asian Games, and the hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

“After listening to the chairman, I know that we are of the same mind and we have a lot of things to do for the athletes,” said the POC chief.

Vargas, who heads the national sports association for boxing, said that the 2019 SEA Games and the 2020 Olympics are his primary concerns.

“It’s not only the Asian Games, but the SEA Games and the 2020 Olympics. We discussed the 2020 Olympics.

It’s a tough job for a new president,” added Ramirez.

Ramirez said a meeting with Vargas and SEA Games Organizing Committee Chairman Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayeteno is scheduled this week.

Vargas, who is still the chairman of the Philippine Basketball Association, revealed as the days progress, he is working on his timetable to get a new secretary general that will take the place of Steve Hontiveros and have a chief of staff in the POC. He added that there’s a need to get the membership committee up and running, aside from putting a new arbitration committee in place.

The new POC chief said he is thankful early preparations have been in place for the country’s preparations for the Asiad, with help from the PSC. He will be inducted this Saturday with POC Chairman Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of cycling in rites to be held at the Sheraton Hotel, in the presence of Cayetano, presidential adviser for sports Dennis Uy and possibly telecom chief Pangilinan.

PAL Interclub Srs champs to defend titles ASIDE from overall champion Luisita Golf Club, four other teams are returning to defend their division titles in the 32nd Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team championships which get under way on Thursday in Bacolod City.

Orchard Golf and Country Club is sending the same crew that posted a 20-point victory over Negros Occidental in the Founders division last year in Davao.

The team is composed of Ryan Abdon, Louie Garcia, Chito Servida, Anthony Ingalla, Luis Sajorda and Koreans Young Sook Kim, Jin Gon Lee and Jun Bai Lee. Unlike last year, however, Orchard non-playing captain Francis Montallana said he expects tough competition from the host club NOGCC, Manila Golf, Valley and Cebu Country Club.

“NOGCC should be favored because they’re playing at Marapara, their home course,” Montallana said. “But the team is ready to play well.”

Aside from Marapara, the Bacolod Golf and Country Club, popularly known as Binitin, is the other venue.

Orchard flew yesterday in Bacolod in time for the official practice rounds.

Also expected to fly in are Luisita and the other defending champions—Aviator’s Alta Vista GCC, Sportswriters’ Iligan GCC and Friendship’s Lumbia Golf Club.

The four-day team event uses the Molave scoring system wherein a par is worth 3 points. Regulation score is worth 54 points.

Each team is allowed to field four players per round, but only the best three scores count.

The event serves as a prelude to the 71st PAL Men’s Regular Interclub championships set next week.

The Interclub’s Platinum sponsors this year are Primax Broadcasting, RMN and Fox, while major sponsors are BusinessWorld Publishing, Rolls Royce, TV5, Philippine Standard.

IN BRIEF

Ayala acquires 78% of Merlin Solar of US

CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. acquired a 78.2-percent interest in US solar solutions provider Merlin Solar Technologies Inc. as it continues to expand its manufacturing portfolio.

Ayala said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday wholly-owned unit AC Industrials Technology Holdings Inc. bought a controlling stake in Merlin and plans to establish a manufacturing presence in the Philippines through Integrated Microelectronics Inc., a subsidiary of AC Industrials.

Based in San Jose, California with additional manufacturing facilities in Thailand, Merlin is an emerging company that is developing differentiated solar solutions resulting in products with high durability, flexibility and increased solar power output.

Ayala said the investment formed part of its strategy, through AC Industrials, to boost its presence in the global and domestic industrial technologies by capitalizing on opportunities arising from disruptive technological shifts, changing industry landscapes and increasing demand from end-users.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

DBP eyes 9% increase in profit to P5.5b in 2018

STATE-RUN Development Bank of the Philippines, the seventh-largest lender in terms of assets, is aiming to increase its net income this year by 9 percent to P5.55 billion from P5.10 billion in 2017, driven by increased lending to the infrastructure sector.

DBP president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo said in a briefing in Makati City Monday the goal was in line with the bank’s vision of becoming a one-trillion-peso bank by its diamond jubilee year in 2022.

“We are prepared to lend more to the infrastructure sector and we are looking forward to fund more new infra projects to sustain a more inclusive economic growth,” Borromeo said.

“We have enough financial muscle and we are ready to meet new challenges this year,” Borromeo said.

He said the bank was aiming for a 39-percent growth in total loan portfolio this year to P306.62 billion from P293.47 billion in 2016. Julito G. Rada

NLEX Corp. said Monday it may delay the implementation of new tollway projects because of the overdue tariff increase since January 2013.

“We needed some clarity on the toll rates issue. It’s difficult in making additional investments if you don’t have clarity on what’s going to happen to the toll rates,” NLEX chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters.

“If the situation continues not to be resolved and obviously we will be forced to slow down especially on those projects that have not yet started and that is why we are hoping we will have some clarity on what’s going to happen on the

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

B

By Alena Mae S. Flores

DIGITAL COMMERCE. The Department of Trade and Industry teams up with telecommunications giant PLDT Inc. and Go Negosyo to equip over 100,000 micro, small and medium enterprises with digital solutions and expand opportunities through e-commerce by 2020. Shown during the MSME e-commerce enablement program launch are (from left) PLDT SME Nation head Mitch Locsin, DTI-Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development director Jerry Clavesillas, DTI-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion assistant director Marievic Bonoan, PLDT Enterprise senior vice president and head Jovy Hernandez, League of Provinces of the Philippines executive director Sandra Tablan-Paredes, DTI-Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya, DTI-ROG assistant secretary Demphna Du-Naga, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Jose Ma. Concepcion, PLDT chief revenue officer Eric Alberto and Voyager and PayMaya president and chief executive Orlando Vea.

SMC gets nod to acquire local power units of AES

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Philippine Competition Commission said Monday it approved the acquisition by SMC Global Power Holdings Inc. of the power assets of American company AES Corp. in the Philippines.

PCC said its mergers and acquisitions office found that the transaction, involving SMC Global’s acquisition of Masin-AES Pte. Ltd., AES Transpower Pte. Ltd. and AES Philippines Inc., would not result in substantial lessening of competition in the power generation and retail electricity markets.

“There remains sufficient competitive restraints from competitors in the relevant markets after the acquisition,” the agency said in a decision.

“The transaction is not likely to substantially increase the likelihood that the parties will engage in a coordinated behavior,” it said.

AES owns a 51-percent equity interest

in the 630-megawatt Masinloc coal-fired power plant in operation, the 335-MW Masinloc 2 coal-fired power plant under construction and the 10-MW Masinloc energy storage project in operation.

San Miguel announced in December 2017 a plan to acquire AES’ 51-percent equity interest in Masinloc projects and the 49-percent stake held by Thailand’s Electricity Generating Public Company for $1.9 billion.

The antitrust body said its review found “neither increased ability nor incentive to engage in anti-competitive foreclosure after the transaction.”

The proposed transaction involves the acquisition of SMC Global Power

Delay in toll increase threatens NLEX’s new projects

By Darwin G. Amojelar

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

Higher power sales boosted Meralco’s 2017 income to 20b

Excise tax collections topped January target

THE government surpassed its excise tax collection target for the month of January, the Bureau of Internal Revenue said Monday.

Total actual excise tax collections reached P22.078 billion, or over 7.7 percent of the goal of P20.501 billion for January and 81.7 percent higher than the tax take of P12.152 billion in the same period last year.

BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay said in a report during the latest executive committee meeting of the Department of Finance the bureau collected P12.139 billion in excise taxes from tobacco companies in January, exceeding the target of P7.944 billion by 53 percent for the month.

Dulay said tobacco excise collections in January were also 95.9 percent or P5.942 billion higher than the tax take of P6.196 billion recorded in the same month last year.

Excise tax collections from automobiles reached P443.34 million, or 29.4 percent in excess of the target of P342.561 million for the month and 113.1 percent higher than last year’s collections of P208.010 million. Julito G. Rada

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

toll rates,” he said.

NLEX and Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. each issued a notice of arbitration and statement of claim to the government, through the Toll Regulatory Board un April 2016 to obtain compensation amounting to about P3 billion for North Luzon Expressways and P877 million for Cavitex.

The two tollway operators filed the notice of arbitration after TRB’s inaction on the toll adjustments which were due since January 2013 for NLEX and January 2012 for Cavitex.

NLEX said foregone revenues from failure to adjust tariff amounted to P7 billon since then, while Cavitex placed the amount at P1.5 billion.

NLEX earlier said it would spend P19 billion this year to build new expressways to help resolve Metro Manila’s traffic bottlenecks.

The company’s 2018 capital expenditure will be used to construct the urban portions of North Luzon Expressway such as Harbor Link Segment 10 (including the R10 Section in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City) and the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road project.

NLEX opened Monday the SubicClark-Tarlac Expressway Mabiga Interchange and NLEx Sta. Ines-Magalang Exit―two new projects aimed at improving motorists access with MacArthur Highway.

CEZA’S ISO CERTIFICATE. Officials of Cagayan Economic Zone Authority led by administrator and chief executive Raul Lambino (fourth from left) receive the certificate of registration from Ma. Melanie Olbita (third from left), general manager of the International Standard Certification Philippines Inc., after successfully establishing a Quality Management System using ISO 9001:2015 in compliance with Executive Order No. 605 in 2007. With Lambino in the ceremonies at the Ceza head office in Pasig City are (from left) special assistant to the administrator Leonardo Cruz, deputy administrator on planning, business development and investment Raymundo Roquero, senior deputy administrator Byron San Pedro, director Arturo Bautista, corporate secretary Percival Peralta and chief of staff Mike Gonzales.

Holdings Corp., the power arm of San Miguel, of 51-percent and 49-percent equity interests of AES Phil Investment Pte. Ltd. and Gen Plus B.V. respectively in Masin-AES Pte. Ltd. and 100-percent equity interest of AES Corp. in AES Transpower Pte. Ltd. and 100-percen of equity interest of AES Phil in AES Philippines Inc. It said that as a result of the transaction, SMC Global would become the 100-percent owner of each of MasinAES Pte. Ltd., AES Transpower Private Ltd. and AES Philippines Inc. SMC Global’s portfolio currently includes Sual Power Plant in Sual, Pangasinan; San Roque Hydroelectric Multipurpose Power Project in San Manuel, Pangasinan; Ilijan Power Plant in Ilijan, Batangas; Limay Greenfield Clean Coal Plant in Limay, Bataan; Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant in Angat, Bulacan; and Greenfield Powerplants in Malita, Davao del Sur and Limay, Bataan.

BDO’s net profit rose 7% in 2017 to record P28.1b

By Julito G. Rada BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest lender in terms of assets controlled by retail tycoon Henry Sy, said Monday net income in 2017 rose 7 percent to a record P28.1 billion from 2016 on strong lending and deposit growth.

BDO said in a statement Monday the 2017 performance matched the bank’s earnings guidance of P28 billion for the year. It said excluding the consolidation effects of life insurance business, this represented a 15-percent increase in core earnings on solid growth in loans, lowcost deposits and fee income.

“The sustained expansion in lending, deposit taking and fee-based businesses drove the bank’s solid performance last year,” BDO said.

Customer loans increased 18 percent to P1.8 trillion, on broad-based growth across all loan segments while total deposits went up by 11 percent to P2.1 trillion, led by the 12-percent growth in low-cost current-account, savingsaccount deposits, which comprised 73 percent of total deposits.

Net interest income rose 25 percent to P81.8 billion.

Non-interest income contributed P47.2 billion, up by 13 percent from 2016, with fee-based income accounting for P28.9 billion for a 30-percent expansion. Insurance premiums went up by 23 percent to P9.9 billion.

“These compensated for the expected 20-percent decline in trading and forex gains to P3.9 billion given the challenging market conditions,” BDO said. Gross operating income increased 20 percent to P129 billion.

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said consolidated core income grew 3 percent in 2017 to P20.2 billion from P19.583 billion in 2016 on higher electricity sales amid increased demand.

Meralco chief financial officer Betty Siy-Yap attributed the higher core income in 2017 to a “5-percent increase in energy distributed, higher financing income from funds deployed due to improved yields and the adjustment of provisions following the continuing resolution of legacy fiscal matters.”

Siy-Yap said the strong performance of Clark Electric Distribution Corp., a 65-percent subsidiary of Meralco, contributed close to P140 million in core net income.

Meralco said non-electric subsidiaries such as CIS Bayad Center Inc. and Radius Telecoms Inc. also provided “meaningful additions” to the core income of the company with income contribution of P260 million and P394 million, respectively.

Meralco’s consolidated reported net income reached P20.384 billion last year, up 6 percent from P19.176 billion in 2016. Reported net income is adjusted to exclude the effects of exchange gains or losses, impairment charges, mark-to-market adjustments, one-time and exceptional transactions, among others.

Meralco’s core income in the fourth quarter alone reached P4.843 billion in 2017, up 5 percent rom P4.617 billion in 2016 while reported net income went up 27 percent to P4.456 billion from P3.5 billion.

Sales volumes grew 5 percent in 2017 to 42,102 gigawatt-hours, on the back of a growing customer base, positive economic conditions , softening of the peso, stable power supply and low power plant outages.

Commercial sales volumes account-

NGCP declares ‘yellow alert’ on Luzon supply NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines declared the Luzon power grid under ‘yellow alert’ for several hours Monday, the first time this year, because of thin reserves arising from the forced and ongoing outage of several power plants with a combined capacity of over 3,000 megawatts.

National Grid issued an advisory that the Luzon grid was put on yellow alert from 11 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 26.

“This is the first yellow alert and it is not yet summer,” Meralco head of customer retail services and corporate communication Al Panilio said, noting that unplanned outages of power plans would be “very critical” as some of these plants were at least 15 to 20 years old.

Manila Electric Co. said there was a need for additional capacity not only for the dry months as demand continued to grow.

“We noticed that in the past five years from 2012 to 2017, first half of 2017, demand in the Luzon grid went up by around 2,900 MW but the capacity addition was only 2,600 MW. Demand growth has outpaced capacity addition. So we are not even considering potential replacement of old capacity. The grid needs new capacity not just for summer but moving forward as demand continues to grow,” Meralco head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said.

Luzon’s available power capacity hit 9,971 megawatts while peak demand reached 9,349 MW at 2 p.m. and 9,081 MW at 11 a.m. which showed that the reserve level fell below the required 647-MW. This prompoted NGCP to declare a yellow alert.

“Luzon grid is on yellow alert due to the unexpected shutdown and limited generation of some power plants,” NGCP, which operates the transmission grid, said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

B2

Business

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks up; MacroAsia, POPI rise

T

HE stock market rose Monday in late trading led by select blue chips and some second-liners, joining the rest of Asia and tracking a healthy lead from Wall Street over the weekend.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 32.42 points, or 0.4 percent, to 8,499.98 on a value turnover of P9.9 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 112 to 105, with 43 issues unchanged.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, advanced 3.6 percent to P292, while BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, gained 2 percent to P150.

MRC Allied Inc., which is into real estate development and mining and pursuing renewable energy projects, jumped 24.1 percent to P0.72, while MacroAsia

Corp., which provides aviation-related services, climbed 4.4 percent to a 52week high of P29.95.

Prime Orion Philippines Inc., a unit of major property developer Ayala Land Inc., surged 12 percent to P3.74. Ayala Land raised its stake in POPI to 55 percent last month, enabling it to get a hold of Tutuban Center, a bargain retail complex that sits on a 20-hectare property. The property will also be the location of the North South Railway Project Transfer Station that will interconnect with the LRT 2 West Station.

Asian markets, meanwhile, picked up Monday where they left off last week, with gains across the board.

The advances helped take another bite out of the big losses suffered at the start of February, sparked by concerns at the impact of rising inflation

that could lead to higher US interest rates.

Those worries were eased somewhat Friday when the Federal Reserve, in its semi-annual report to Congress, said inflation remains subdued globally and it expects to raise borrowing costs three times this year—tempering speculation of four increases.

However, analysts warn that equity valuations remain elevated and volatility could still return.

Monday’s positive start kicks off a busy week, with the release of key US data including economic growth, jobs creation and wages.

All three main Wall Street indexes powered higher Friday, with the Dow up 1.4 percent, S&P 500 up 1.6 percent and Nasdaq 1.8 percent up.

Those gains filtered through to Asia.

Tokyo ended 1.2 percent higher, Hong

Kong added 0.7 percent in the afternoon and Sydney closed 0.7 percent higher.

Shanghai rose more than one percent, Singapore put on 0.5 percent and Seoul was 0.2 percent higher.

Wellington and Taipei also climbed.

Also, new Fed boss Jerome Powell will speak before a key finance committee. Markets will pore over his comments for clues about plans for monetary policy—though many predict he will stick to the path of his predecessor Janet Yellen.

Powell “looks like he is on track to keep the Yellen strategy—so gradual rate rises this year”, Stephen Halmarick, head of global markets research at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, told Bloomberg TV. The dollar eased after climbing Friday on the back of the Fed comments, with the yen and pound rallying. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.65 4,640 122 1,235,530 3.68 30,000 150 2,255,380 1.62 593,000 35.05 86,400 8.52 500 15.3 133,000 27.8 799,700 3.75 168,000 8.66 1,100 1.62 63,000 900 300 0.58 14,507,000 98.6 1,592,150 1.62 13,785,000 12.7 174,600 24.5 7,100 56.95 23,710 248.8 44,640 89 160 47 69,100 248 318,790 1,935 100 89.9 5,120 1.2 57,000

275,635 149,214,266 110,700 335,807,418 966,960 3,027,330 4,650 2,025,470 22,057,710 617,160 9,526 102,640 270,000 8,822,730 155,086,153 21,911,460 2,250,350 166,025 1,345,085 11,105,616 14,294 3,221,475 78,851,626 193,500 460,655.50 71,150

166,549 -32,947,918 11,280 -161,922,579 185,790 11,601,340 -63,000 85,280 -46,385,418 251,650 -116,100 142,200 5,196 5,394 -909,250 -41,130,548 -23,276.50 -

38.7 12.82 0.57 1.25 18.2 0.216 108.3 3.57 15.94 198 50.65 19.2 65.35 55.55 82.1 1.89 5.3 10.4 11.08 13.82 10.52 7.4 5.52 1.72 14.4 62 28.7 9.91 18.5 2.18 281.6 47.05 4.25 3.04 27.2 16.8 20.7 319.2 0.19 8.11 2.81 4.68 9.1 6.3 7.82 1.56 12.6 56.8 6.12 616 4.7 3 3.34 2.06 15.84 5.37 0.131 1.02 140 2.65 1.84 24 1.58

INDUSTRIAL 38.95 1,052,400 12.98 1,375,900 0.58 286,000 1.28 1,488,000 18.3 41,800 0.222 10,320,000 108.3 30 3.64 7,854,000 16.1 543,800 210 740 52.5 528,960 22 76,700 65.4 10,160 55.55 120 82.1 10 1.9 103,000 5.43 3,700 10.58 12,800 11.18 2,594,100 13.9 850,100 10.66 453,000 7.48 238,600 5.55 505,200 1.72 15,000 14.8 3,006,600 62 36,290 29.5 98,800 9.91 62,300 18.7 1,195,000 2.38 9,547,000 292 839,100 55 11,800 4.43 483,000 3.05 34,000 27.25 298,900 16.84 499,800 21 3,607,600 320 263,340 0.19 210,000 8.11 13,300 2.87 1,650,000 4.72 33,000 9.1 2,970,100 6.78 712,900 7.82 15,700 1.56 368,000 12.62 1,325,000 56.95 318,820 6.2 122,000 620 46,450 4.71 5,016,000 3.1 1,739,000 3.34 66,000 2.29 3,099,000 15.86 2,054,000 5.37 192,700 0.132 1,600,000 1.02 188,000 145 1,325,770 2.65 227,000 1.84 8,776,000 24 2,400 1.67 12,628,000

41,150,770 17,831,070 165,750 1,894,280 767,050 2,277,900 3,249 28,529,080 8,744,136 166,920 27,461,324 1,602,785 664,564 6,666 821 195,480 19,707 134,704 28,958,628 11,820,874 4,828,256 1,778,371 2,803,275 25,800 44,384,374 2,262,377.50 2,867,140 619,530 22,306,714 21,653,550 243,019,256 629,320 2,126,570 103,650 8,145,270 8,454,868 75,810,035 84,214,646 39,900 107,878 4,716,900 155,090 27,044,596 4,761,981 125,238 579,850 17,194,782 18,167,148.50 749,330 28,914,490 24,075,440 5,822,720 222,430 6,774,820 32,655,742 1,038,560 209,800 193,380 190,844,949 612,100 16,513,590 57,670 21,107,530

-13,354,705 -4,573,220 6,848,240 6,813,444 2,317,671 1,255.50 2,589,272 1,812,000 147,046 359,222 -59,263 303,652 197,222.50 402,005 49,750 1,315,414 -98,610 77,701,440 5,495 221,890 61,000 -2,936,830 -20,066 24,309,125 -37,249,684 1,587,350 37,760 3,484,264 12,130 -16,160 -62,810 -145,150 -4,909,977.50 -892,645 12,056,640 -2,447,330 150,870 -14,095,732 -59,098 -25,210,675 297,000 42,660 -670,000

0.29 74.25 14.36 0.89 7.23 0.61 0.64 1,040 7.32 13.5 7.41 0.185 1,300 7.25 70 5.15 0.67 5.19 22 0.305 5.64 3.27 0.038 1.1 3.38 2.55 138.1 936 1.56 285 0.225

HOLDING FIRMS 0.3 10,090,000 79 992,530 14.4 4,239,100 0.92 167,000 7.23 44,100 0.68 40,134,000 0.68 6,802,000 1,065 147,845 7.36 189,800 13.54 3,994,500 7.5 33,300 0.185 120,000 1,330 82,470 7.25 300 71 3,975,860 5.16 17,700 0.68 582,000 5.25 571,000 22.7 1,416,800 0.33 330,000 5.7 15,059,100 3.59 22,000 0.041 77,200,000 1.11 233,000 3.74 61,113,000 2.55 3,000 141.9 204,830 955 350,680 1.56 2,862,000 285 70 0.233 320,000

3,156,300 77,261,438.50 61,182,956 151,480 321,573 26,265,610 4,506,640 156,502,810 1,406,397 54,054,564 248,635 22,200 108,678,570 2,175 282,590,438 91,523 393,180 3,002,755 32,165,650 101,900 85,875,089 78,020 3,199,000 259,020 230,750,600 7,650 28,750,477 333,713,550 4,519,260 20,030 73,620

-12,744,103.50 14,325,938 4,458 -5,640 -93,731,880 240,941 -28,241,360 -54,516,485 -168,629,624.50 -6,700 2,889,025 -13,556,550 -22,150,636 4,800 -7,499,970 -3,467,635 -231,930,605 17,148 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59.7 119.6 3.76 148.5 1.68 35.1 9.99 15.3 27.15 3.59 8.66 1.69 900 0.53 96 1.59 12.9 23.4 56.95 259.8 89.9 46.35 247 1,935 89.85 1.25

59.7 122 3.76 150 1.68 35.2 9.99 15.3 28 3.83 8.66 1.69 900 0.7 98.6 1.67 12.9 24.5 57 259.8 89.9 47 249 1,935 90.45 1.25

59 119.5 3.68 147 1.62 35 8.52 15.2 27 3.57 8.66 1.61 900 0.52 95 1.53 12.7 23.1 56.65 240 89 46.35 246.6 1,935 89.85 1.2

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

39 12.92 0.58 1.28 19.18 0.216 108.3 3.75 16 250 51.5 20 66 55.55 82.1 1.91 5.44 10.4 11.18 14.14 10.9 7.65 5.53 1.72 15.28 62.8 29 10 18.5 2.19 282 54.95 4.56 3.05 27.4 17.02 20.7 319.4 0.19 8.12 2.85 4.74 9.14 6.46 8 1.58 13 56.95 6.35 620 4.83 3.4 3.4 2.1 16.44 5.48 0.131 1.04 141.8 2.75 1.87 24.05 1.73

39.5 13 0.59 1.3 19.18 0.226 108.3 3.75 16.1 250 52.5 22 66 55.55 82.1 1.91 5.44 10.58 11.3 14.16 10.92 7.65 5.56 1.72 15.28 62.8 29.5 10 19 2.38 292.8 55 4.6 3.05 27.8 17.1 21.35 321 0.19 8.12 2.89 4.74 9.2 6.86 8.08 1.6 13 57 6.35 630 4.83 4 3.42 2.29 16.6 5.48 0.132 1.04 146 2.75 1.9 24.05 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 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG

0.305 75.6 14.5 0.89 7.43 0.64 0.65 1,061 7.54 13.6 7.41 0.185 1,305 7.25 72.5 5.19 0.67 5.19 23.4 0.31 5.76 3.27 0.039 1.11 3.38 2.55 141 956 1.61 288.2 0.233

0.33 79 14.68 0.93 7.5 0.68 0.68 1,065 7.54 13.6 7.6 0.185 1,330 7.25 72.55 5.21 0.69 5.3 23.4 0.33 5.76 3.59 0.043 1.2 4.1 2.55 142 960 1.63 288.2 0.233

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CEBU PROP A CEBU PROP B 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 PHIL REALTY

6.85 1.02 15.12 2.1 0.88 43.25 3.78 4.5 6.13 6.1 6.09 0.425 1.11 1.04 0.3 0.465 32.95 0.62 0.134 1.78 1.32 0.7 4.75 0.65 0.315 0.51

6.98 1.06 16.5 2.1 0.88 43.5 3.88 4.52 6.14 6.1 6.15 0.43 1.11 1.09 0.385 0.48 32.95 0.65 0.134 1.79 1.34 0.71 4.75 0.83 0.32 0.51

6.5 1 15.02 2.06 0.84 42.5 3.77 4.33 6.02 6.1 5.92 0.42 1.08 1.02 0.27 0.44 29.8 0.62 0.125 1.75 1.29 0.66 4.5 0.6 0.31 0.495

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

4.48 32.2 19.96 2.01 3.26 35.5 1.02 25.8 0.81 6.5

4.48 34.5 19.96 2.01 3.26 36.25 1.02 26.8 0.82 6.5

4.15 32.2 19.68 1.93 3.18 35.1 1.01 22 0.8 6.33

4.2 34.5 19.74 1.98 3.18 36.25 1.01 22.5 0.82 6.4

1,639,000 1,900 2,288,900 577,000 49,000 7,797,300 112,000 946,400 1,017,000 5,519,000

6,994,430 62,995 45,266,676 1,128,750 155,900 279,418,525 114,120 22,566,970 818,060 35,244,869

210,600 43,675 7,056,766 213,490 3,260 -41,638,120 -563,115 -5,954,603

2GO GROUP ABS CBN 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 JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

17.98 31.9 0.46 0.063 11.5 4.89 14 0.066 99.9 8.89 7.62 8.26 2.45 39.05 1,741 6.21 300 5.76 2.82 110 13 8.31 0.134 1.46 3.31 15.48 3.99 1.02 29 5.27 7.85 3.3 16.16 15.96 10.52 11.5 2.83 8.21 116 7.2 1,551 1.22 0.34 49 93.5 5.87 2.95 1.43 0.52 3.45 0.92 10.5

18.02 32 0.66 0.068 11.5 4.89 14 0.068 100 8.9 7.68 8.3 2.59 39.5 1,787 6.22 310 5.85 2.9 110 13 8.31 0.135 1.55 3.34 15.48 4.21 1.03 29.95 6.44 7.85 3.35 17.2 15.96 10.52 11.5 2.83 8.44 118.3 7.2 1,561 1.25 0.355 50.25 94.3 5.87 3.29 1.43 0.56 3.45 0.93 11

17.54 31.8 0.46 0.062 11.5 4.89 13.62 0.064 99.5 8.71 7.4 8 2.45 35.5 1,735 6.18 290 5.5 2.78 108 13 8.3 0.134 1.46 3.3 14.3 3.99 1.02 28.8 5.14 7.56 3.25 16.16 12.6 10.52 11.2 2.81 8.2 114 6.75 1,533 1.21 0.34 48.85 93 5.85 2.85 1.36 0.51 3.4 0.91 10.3

SERVICES 17.96 31.8 0.66 0.063 11.5 4.89 13.88 0.066 99.5 8.71 7.42 8.26 2.5 36 1,735 6.22 300 5.6 2.78 109.9 13 8.3 0.134 1.54 3.33 14.78 4.1 1.02 29.95 6.3 7.61 3.27 16.26 13.7 10.52 11.2 2.81 8.2 114 6.86 1,552 1.22 0.355 49.5 94 5.87 3.02 1.4 0.53 3.41 0.93 10.86

104,800 148,100 66,110,000 617,940,000 1,200 4,000 8,348,200 38,020,000 67,750 12,500 1,407,100 41,400 50,000 153,000 28,300 249,100 123,220 6,503,300 150,000 919,930 8,100 4,500 3,190,000 681,000 17,000 4,000 9,645,000 725,000 4,746,900 6,350,900 1,199,900 2,661,000 7,500 53,097,800 200 1,000 31,000 9,300 10,800 4,121,200 88,470 7,153,000 380,000 2,719,300 387,540 52,800 2,511,000 4,866,000 71,596,000 556,000 4,920,000 8,827,900

1,881,770 4,726,995 41,539,100 39,929,270 13,800 19,560 114,850,220 2,489,230 6,755,366.50 111,019 10,612,259 340,542 124,260 5,574,000 49,395,090 1,542,365 36,540,326 36,697,884 421,490 100,989,962 105,300 37,365 430,080 1,008,670 56,510 59,100 39,739,600 740,330 140,640,810 38,255,240 9,166,170 8,760,690 122,038 742,758,708 2,104 11,230 87,450 76,780 1,258,167 28,482,790 137,294,300 8,823,640 131,900 134,478,920 36,306,233 309,922 7,583,800 6,765,350 38,142,370 1,895,550 4,509,520 94,128,980

-5,398 -8,473,100 41,300 -9,200 24,563,166 264,000 175,170.50 -214,808 57,700 87,170 -23,462,775 -3,117,860.00 -878,569 56,000 -11,617,171 105,300 269,780 14,600 4,644 856,660 35,005,255 -8,967,042 845,780 1,610,310 -7,962,936 58,500 28,528 -9,805,255 204,990 -30,415,355 -22,433,115 59,580 3,825,550 26,950 719,640 -7,360 -14,594,944

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

0.0025 1.81 5.01 17.52 1.68 1.61 1.69 0.305 7.19 2.33 0.225 0.146 0.153 0.0093 1.44 6.14 1.41 0.43 0.89 0.012 0.011 2.15 6.21 17.78 37.3 0.0069

0.0025 1.82 5.1 17.52 1.68 1.61 1.71 0.305 7.4 2.33 0.228 0.147 0.157 0.0093 1.44 6.21 1.41 0.435 0.9 0.013 0.012 2.33 6.25 18.4 38.2 0.0069

0.0024 1.73 4.94 16.68 1.66 1.61 1.63 0.305 7.19 2.31 0.215 0.145 0.152 0.0093 1.4 6.1 1.35 0.43 0.88 0.012 0.011 2.15 6.01 17.14 36.8 0.0069

MINING & OIL 0.0025 158,000,000 1.74 16,298,000 5 437,600 17.02 10,000 1.66 10,000 1.61 83,000 1.67 7,541,000 0.305 70,000 7.3 2,200 2.31 4,119,000 0.226 1,260,000 0.146 10,690,000 0.157 4,810,000 0.0093 3,000,000 1.4 2,686,000 6.1 1,439,400 1.39 71,000 0.435 1,010,000 0.9 31,000 0.013 97,900,000 0.011 2,700,000 2.2 36,000 6.02 1,337,400 17.26 17,383,000 38.2 1,826,100 0.0069 2,000,000

383,600 28,762,660 2,193,618 170,340 16,700 133,630 12,560,960 21,350 15,864 9,553,320 278,510 1,555,860 733,140 27,900 3,763,360 8,821,045 96,160 434,750 27,530 1,250,900 29,800 80,430 8,149,025 308,385,682 68,560,095 13,800

-10,680 7,243 -127,190 48,950.00 46,420 13,770 12,900 1,856,796 783,144 -1,401,442 -10,051,655 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF FGEN PREF F GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2I

31.6 502.5 104 103.5 6.16 1,010 1,005 101.6 1.03 108.3 1,035 990 102 2 76.1 80 76.3 78.85 78 78

31.6 502.5 104 103.5 6.17 1,010 1,009 101.6 1.05 108.3 1,035 990 102.5 2.27 77.25 80.25 76.3 78.85 78 79

31.4 502.5 103.8 103.5 6 1,010 1,005 101.6 1.03 108.3 1,035 990 102 2 76.1 80 76.3 78.85 78 78

PREFERRED 31.5 42,200 502.5 300 103.8 50,150 103.5 90 6.1 212,100 1,010 20 1,009 180 101.6 8,460 1.05 20,000 108.3 10 1,035 11,070 990 1,070 102.5 31,060 2.25 8,000 77.2 9,520 80.25 62,070 76.3 1,390 78.85 500 78 1,200 79 3,420

1,331,800 150,750 5,214,970 9,315 1,277,354 20,200 181,220 859,536 20,810 1,083 11,457,450 1,059,300 3,183,555 17,310 735,333.50 4,979,600 106,057 39,425 93,600 268,180

-1,110,800 2,070 15,962 0 -4,018,100 -

LR WARRANT

2.27

2.76

2.23

WARRANTS 2.74 5,873,000

15,158,430

-23,050

42,979,566 2,172,320 4,899,370

-80,923 -725,680

MS

PROPERTY 6.83 1.01 16.2 2.06 0.85 42.5 3.82 4.52 6.14 6.1 6.15 0.425 1.08 1.04 0.295 0.475 30.05 0.64 0.128 1.76 1.3 0.68 4.6 0.72 0.31 0.5

1,043,300 12,227,000 34,500 153,000 4,007,000 22,452,800 2,469,000 793,000 217,900 19,400 9,200 7,620,000 3,000 101,000 882,210,000 5,100,000 1,672,500 258,000 840,000 3,755,000 5,538,000 1,075,000 29,953,000 2,149,978,000 970,000 5,195,000

6,996,878 12,574,690 535,758 316,030 3,399,360 960,658,530 9,401,570 3,511,320 1,334,167 118,340 55,888 3,225,250 3,270 105,100 275,562,950 2,337,300 51,546,980 163,260 109,130 6,616,070 7,228,740 728,770 138,967,850 1,545,929,120 304,550 2,586,845

-106,798 220,180 -144,200 17,000 -579,379,300 265,640 326,320 -170,084 76,200 -1,080 -7,202,200.00 -45,000 -658,345 -3,422,830 -1,938,590 -50,477,840 1,171,880 -31,000 -

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

6.3 3.95 3.63

7.15 3.95 3.63

6.17 3.59 3.5

FIRST METRO ETF

129.5

129.5

128

USD DMPL A1

10.2

10.2

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

37,630,008

INDUSTRIAL

93,867,607

HOLDING FIRMS

232,612,625

PROPERTY

3,160,216,559

SERVICES

937,964,427

MINING & OIL

335,540,765

GRAND TOTAL

4,806,386,584

10.2

6.35 3.88 3.6

SME

6,548,000 580,000 1,374,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 129.3 44,440 10.2

DDS

8,000

5,712,187 81,600

1,280 -

VALUE 2,211.76 (up) 34.70 1,001,987,766.03 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,241.57 (up) 90.32 1,228,911,436.39 HOLDING FIRMS 8,622.18 (up) 0.41 1,679,384,475.732 PROPERTY 3,793.65 (down) 31.77 1,737.14 (down) 6.93 3,478,949,977.995 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,312.03 (up) 73.97 1,991,635,122.193 PSEI 8,499.98 (up) 32.42 456,060,446.787 All Shares Index 5,066.38 (up) 2.82 9,892,723,527.01 Gainers: 105; Losers: 112; Unchanged: 43; Total: 260

Maynilad, banks sign loan package worth P18.5b

By Jenniffer B. Austria MAYNILAD Water Services Inc., a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., is raising P18.5 billion through the issuance of a long-term notes facility to refinance debt and other corporate requirements.

Metro Pacific said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday Maynilad signed P18.5 billion in notes facility with several banks. The term loan will have a tenor of 7, 10 and 15 years.

“The proceeds of the facility will be used to refinance its existing peso-denominated loans it issued in 2013 and fund other general corporate requirements,” Metro Pacific said.

BDO Capital & Investment Corp., BPI Capital Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp. will serve as lead arrangers and book runners of the fundraising activity.

Maynilad, the water concessionaire in the west zone of Metro Manila, earlier reported that it allotted ₱9 billion in capital expenditure this year, with ₱6.5 billion earmarked for water infrastructure investments that include pipelaying projects to connect still-unserved areas.

The water utility said it would also continue to implement projects to further improve its water loss recovery or nonrevenue water management program.

It will also allot P1.7 billion for wastewater management projects to increase sewerage coverage and maintain network reliability.

Funding for Maynilad’s infrastructure investments will come from local and international bank loans, as well as from internally generated funds. The water company expects to generate over 26,000 jobs from the P9-billion capex program this year.

Maynilad remains aggressive with its capital spending plan, even as the government contested an arbitral ruling awarding the company P3.4 billion as payment over alleged losses due to a rate dispute.

Maynilad earlier reported that the Philippine government asked Singapore’s High Court to set aside an arbitration panel’s ruling in favor of the water utility firm.

2GO Group swung to a loss of P310m in ’17

By Darwin G. Amojelar 2GO GROUP Inc. said Monday it posted a net loss of P310 million in 2017, a reversal from a net profit of P344 million in 2016.

2GO’s revenues amounted to P21.6 billion in 2017, up 13 percent from 2016, driven by the strong performance of the group’s non-shipping business that expanded 30 percent.

The company’s non-shipping continued to increase as a proportion of its business and accounted for 61 percent of the total revenues in 2017, with shipping accounting for 39 percent.

“2017 was a year of continued good underlying performance for 2GO, with significant actions taken to strengthen the long term strategy and governance of the company,” 2GO president and chief executive Frederic Dybuncio said.

“Our focus on customer service and experience remained high and we continued to enhance our non-shipping business activities in particular, where we see significant long term opportunities for growth,” he added.

Management’s focus in 2017 centered on strengthening corporate governance and ensuring the proper internal controls and systems were in place and effective. The Group continues its corporate governance initiatives and aims to expand and further enhance its service offerings to its customers.

To simplify the corporate structure, the board also approved a plan to consolidate Negros Navigation Company Inc. and 2GO resources into one entity in line with efforts to streamline operations, reduce costs and increase shareholder value.

Earlier, the Philippine Competition Commission voided the purchase by Dennis Uy-led Udenna Corp. of KGL Investment B.V., which partly owns logistics and transport firm 2GO for failure to notify the anti-trust body of the deal.

Business/ World

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, World Editor

Ghouta reeling from assaults

SNOW IN THE CAPITAL. People walk in the snow near the Colosseum in Rome on February 26, 2018. AFP

Iran favors shift to Russia, China as patience with west runs out TEHRAN—Iran’s supreme leader has signaled a decisive shift in favor of relations with China and Russia, indicating that patience is running out with efforts to improve ties with the West.

One of the most popular slogans during the 1979 revolution was “Neither East nor West”, a defiant vow that Iran would no longer favor either of the world’s major forces at the time― American-style capitalism or Soviet Communism.

It was therefore striking to hear its current leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declare on February 19 that: “In foreign policy, the top priorities for us today include preferring East to West.”

Analysts say this does not change the basic idea that Iran refuses to fall under the sway of outside powers.

But it does suggest that the latest attempt at detente with the United States―represented by the 2015 nuclear deal in which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions―is running out of steam.

“Khamenei has repeatedly outlined that the 2015 nuclear deal was a test to see if negotiations with the West could yield positive results for Iran,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“The leadership perceives the US as acting in bad faith on the deal.

Khamenei’s statement signals a green light for the Iranian system to focus greater diplomatic effort on deepening ties with China and Russia,” she said.

Khamenei’s comments come at a critical moment, with US President Donald Trump threatening to tear up the deal and reimpose sanctions unless Iran

agrees to rein in its missile program and “destabilizing activities” in the Middle East.

Even before Trump, Iran felt Washington was violating its side of the bargain as it became clear that remaining US sanctions would still hamper banking ties and foreign investments, even blocking Iranian tech start-ups from sharing their products on app stores.

Tehran argues this violates a clause stating the US must “refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran”.

“From day one, the US, the Obama administration, started violating both the letter and the spirit of the agreement,” said Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst at the University of Tehran.

He said Khamenei’s latest statement recognized the simple fact that relations with eastern countries were much stronger, particularly since Iran and Russia allied over the Syrian war.

“It’s a very different world now. Iran’s relationship with Russia and China and an increasing number of Asian countries is much better than with the West because they treat us much better,” he said.

“We are partners with Russia in Syria.

We are not subordinate.”

Anger over foreign interference was a key driver of the 1979 revolution after more than a century of intrigues, coups and resource exploitation by the United States, Britain and Russia.

But despite being depicted by critics as dogmatic and uncompromising, the Islamic republic that emerged after the revolution has been surprisingly flexible in its foreign policy. AFP

DOUMA, Syria―Desperate civilians trapped in one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria’s civil war awaited aid and medical help Monday after regime air strikes pounded rebel-held Eastern Ghouta despite UN ceasefire demands.

More than 500 people have been killed in a major bombing campaign by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces that has hammered the enclave on the edge of Damascus for over a week.

After days of diplomatic wrangling, the United Nations Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria “without delay” to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations.

The resolution raised hopes of stemming the bloodshed, but after clashes continued on Sunday it was unclear when or how broadly the ceasefire would be implemented.

Russia is a key ally of Assad’s regime.

In a phone call on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to reach a truce.

They called on Russia “to exercise maximum pressure on the Syrian regime to achieve an immediate suspension of air raids and fighting,” Merkel’s office said.

Students and teachers return to Florida school

M

IAMI―Students and teachers returned Sunday to a Florida school for the first time since 17 people were shot dead there, consoling each other even as they called for swift action to address gun violence.

“Imagine [being] in a plane crash and then having to get on the same plane every day and fly somewhere else―it’s never going to be the same,” David Hogg, a survivor of the February 14 shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, told ABC television’s “This Week.”

The school held a voluntary “orientation” Sunday, with teachers and staff due back starting Monday and classes resuming on Wednesday―a prospect described as “daunting” and “scary,” but which is also a step for survivors to move forward after the attack.

One teacher who had already been back told NPR radio that the shock of returning to a classroom left exactly as it had been during the carnage―notebooks still on desks, the calendar still set to February 14―made her so physically ill she had to leave.

But Cameron Kasky, a student who survived the slaughter, tweeted a picture of people on campus, saying: “It is GOOD TO BE HOME.” “I have all my friends here with me and it just makes me feel like I’m not alone in this situation,” student Michelle Dittmeier, who attended the orientation, told ABC. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School also received support from

so-called bump stocks, which can effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic firearms, but which were not used in the Parkland killings.

Speaking at the Governors’ Ball ahead of meetings with the top officials from all 50 states on Monday, Trump said school safety is a top priority: “I think we’ll make that first on our list.”

A new CNN poll, conducted a week after the Florida shooting, shows surging public support for stricter gun laws―surpassing the levels seen even after other horrific shootings in recent years―and for a ban on powerful semiautomatic weapons like the AR-15 used in Parkland. AFP

alumni, with previous graduating classes making banners to decorate the school, WSVN TV news reported.

In nearby Fort Lauderdale Sunday night, religious leaders gathered for an inter-faith vigil that left 17 chairs empty in memory of the victims, WSVN reported, after protesters gathered outside the Kalashnikov USA gun manufacturer in neighboring Pompano Beach.

“Gun reform now!” said one of the protesters’ signs, while another called for the “death Manila factory” to Republic of the Philippines Standard be shut.

Province of Bataan TODAY City of Balanga W i t h BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE ardent demands INVITATION TO BID by students NO. GOODS-013-2018 like Hogg The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the Special Educational Fund013intends for action, to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract President (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Donald Name of Project Approved Budget of Trump has the Contract (ABC) said he is 1. Supply & Delivery of sets of Notebook, Pencil and Ballpen =P=29,807,598.39 open to for Elementary, Secondary & raising the Senior High School Province of Bataan minimum The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement. age for gun 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. purchases The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in and to Section II. Instructions to Bidders. banning Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-

Boracay: A perfect test case for federalism FEDERALISM is a form of government that rests on the theory that the citizens of this country’s local government units – the provinces, cities and municipalities – are the best judges of what is best for their communities and are capable of responding, on their own authority and using their own resources, to the needs of their communities.

That is the theory underlying federalism. But the reality – the contemporary Philippine reality – is far from the truth. Consider the current turmoil over Boracay Island, which arguably is the best known tourist destination in this country.

When he recently called attention to the deplorable sewerage situation in Boracay and called the island a “cessfool” – in the process virtually destroying the decades-long effort to make Boracay a world tourism gem – President Rodrigo Duterte may have thought that he was blowing the whistle on a newly unearthed and longconcealed problem. This patently was not the case. Boracay’s sanitation problem has long been one of this country’s very open secrets. The health and environment authorities called attention to the problem many years ago, warning that something had to be done about the above-standards coliform levels before Boracay became a disgraced and to-be-avoided international tourist destination.

The warnings continued and the negative stories in the Philippine press kept appearing – some of the stories verging on the graphic – but the governments most closely involved did previous little.

Which are the governments I am referring to?

For starters there’s the municipality of Malay, three of whose barangays comprise the 1,000-hectares-plus area of Boracay. The government of the municipality cannot by any stretch of the imagination be said to be unaware of the countless violations of health, environmental and zoning regulations being committed on the once-pristine island.

Although they were in the frontline of the effort to safeguard Boracay’s beauty and security, the municipal authorities did nothing substantive in that direction. They were so busy levying and collecting fees on a growing number of things, all the while apparently

In Douma, the main town in Eastern Ghouta, fresh air raids and artillery strikes could be heard Sunday, an AFP correspondent said.

At least 14 civilians including three children were killed in strikes on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, bringing the total number of dead in the week to 530, among them over 130 children.

A child died and at least 13 other people suffered breathing difficulties after a suspected chemical attack on Sunday in a Syrian rebel enclave under intense regime bombardment, said the Observatory and a medic who treated those affected.

The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports a hospital in the besieged area, posted pictures on Twitter of small children using breathing apparatus.

“We confirm that 16 patients, including 6 children & 4 women, suffering from symptoms indicative to exposure to chemical compounds were treated” at the facility, it said.

Russia’s defense ministry said “leaders of armed groups are preparing a provocation to use toxic substances to accuse the regime of using chemical weapons”, in a statement that also said the situation in Eastern Ghouta “continued to worsen”. AFP

believing that the health, environmental and zoning problems were transitory and would eventually go away. More colossal inaction and negligence it is difficult to imagine.

At a higher level of government, there has been the province of Aklan, of which Malay was once an insignificant part. The government of the province – from the governor to the provincial sanggunian – have likewise long known about the increasingly bad problem of Malay, but I do not recall Aklan’s political leaders getting together with the Malay officials on Boracay’s problems and offering support and cooperation to the latter toward the solution of the problems.

At a still higher level of government, there has been the Regional Development Council (RDO) for Region VI, which encompasses the province of Aklan. The PDCs were created for the purpose of solving the socio-economic problems of this country on a regional basis. Again, I do not recall the Region VI RDC taking up the growing Boracay health-environment issue and proposing regionallydirected solution.

So here we had three levels of government, all with authority to deal with something about Boracay’s problems but doing nothing substantive about them. Together, they could have prevented Boracay’s problems from reaching the serious national – nay, international – level that they have. But they did not. It took the national government, in the person of President Duterte, to call attention to the “cesspool” situation in Boracay and take concrete actions to deal with it.

Would the situation have been didifferent if a federalist form of government were already in place and Aklan/Malay were part of one of the federated states? I am absolutely sure it would not.

Truly, the Boracay issue is a perfect test case for the success prospects of federalism.

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

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00 1,000.00

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

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 5, 2018 at 10:00 A.M atProvincial 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 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 26 – March 4, 2018 Refer to date of Opening of Bids February 26 – March 16, 2018 March 7, 2018 March 16, 2018

The Provincial Government of Bataanreserves 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

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

(SGD.) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN (MS-FEB. 27, 2018)

LGUs

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

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tuesday, february 27, 2018

LocaL government units

CURIOUS HEADDRESS. A student models a headdress made of what looks like an octopus’ arms, complete with beads, pearls, and sequins, as part of her performers’ outfit during the 32nd Caracol Festival staged by the City Government of Makati through the Museum and Cultural Affairs Office at the Globe Circuit Events Grounds in Barangay Olympia on Sunday. Lino Santos

Belmonte backs divorce bill, but only based on ‘solid grounds’

Police, Army nab NPA bombmaker in Cagayan

By Rio N. Araja

By Ben Moses Ebreo

QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday backed the approval of the divorce bill being proposed in Congress, but only if it is based on “sound grounds.”

“If the reasons for divorce are based on grounds enumerated in our annulment or legal separation laws, like physical abuse, bigamy, fraud, infidelity, homosexuality, drug addiction, [and] habitual alcoholism, I am okay with that,” she said.

She was referring to the Family Code’s Articles 45 and 55, enumerating the legal grounds for the annulment of marriage and grant of legal separation, respectively.

A women’s rights advocate and a devout Catholic, Belmonte however clarified she would not advocate the grant of divorce to married couples for “superficial reasons” because it violates the sanctity and commitment of marriage.

“There should be sound grounds before a married couple is allowed to divorce,” she said, citing she would not support a divorce law like other countries, such as the United States, where any couple could easily get one for the “simplest and meaningless” basis.

Moreover, she said, divorce is a no-no if the reason is just to get an alimony.

She said she would wait the House of Representatives to come up with a legal definition of what divorce is.

“The definition is important. We really need to study it first,” she stressed.

Last Feb. 21, Congress’ committee population and family relations approved a substitute bill consolidating all four proposals to legalize divorce and dissolution of marriage.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Council has passed a resolution urging the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to expand its skills training programs for out-of-school youth.

City Resolution 7125-2017 authored by Councilor Eric Z. Medina aims to improve the economic condition of the out-of-school youth in barangays by providing more relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical and skills development program from Tesda.

“There are potential and competitive out-of-school youth which need the support of the government to improve their economic condition,” the resolution read.

Cutting the ribbon to open the new laboratory are (from left, first row) Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. president and CEO Augusto P. Palisoc, Jr.; De Los Santos Medical Center president and CEO Raul C. Pagdanganan; Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III; DLSMC VP for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nilo C. De Los Santos; (second row, from left) DLSMC board member Dr. Efren V. de Los Santos; and DLSMC Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Unit head Dr. Danilo S. Santos.

B

AYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Military and police operatives in Cagayan Valley have arrested a suspected bomb maker of the New People’s Army rebels in the region.

Police Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, newly-installed police regional director for Cagayan Valley, identified the suspect as Kevin Bulayo, alias Ka Glen, of the remote upland barangay of Milo Jose Ancheta, a 45-minute ride from Maddela town in Quirino province.

Espino said Bulayo was arrested inside his house, which also yielded a cache of materials and accessories for improvised explosive devices.

Recovered materials and accessories were eight anti-tank bombs, 12 anti-personnel explosives, improvised switches, blasting cords and caps, four battery packs, 17 firing devices, cellphones—one of which contained the hotline of the Maddela Police Station— and laptop, a .45 pistol with ammunitions, and subversive documents.

“These materials confirmed our intelligence gathered that the communist rebels ae planning to conduct roadside bombings against our troops and the military. It is good that we prevented it due to the cooperation of our intelligence networks,” Espino said during a press briefing at the Provincial Police Office here.

He also tagged Bulayo as one of the communist rebels who raided a police station in Maddela last year, showing his picture printed from a recovered SB disk.

Espino said they are still conducting a background check on the membership of Bulayo to the NPA commands in Cagayan Valley.

The arrest of Bulayo, also tagged as “Blasterman” by the police and mili-

tary, and the recovery of the improvised explosives is considered a major gain of the government.

Espino said Bulayo was a former medical officer of the NPA and was promoted as a bombmaker after training in IED making somewhere in Mindanao.

Brig. Gen. Perfecto Rimando, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division based in Gamu, Isabel, said Bulayo’s arrest was a result of inter-agency intelligence networking.

Brig. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, commanding of the army’s 502nd Brigade based in Echague, Isabela, said similar IEDs recovered from Bulayo have been used in two landmine blasts in Nagtipunan town, also in Quirino province.

“We highly appreciate the help of our villagers who also contributed to the successful arrest of Bulayo and recovery of IEDs and other materials. Let us help each other in bringing peace to our communities,” he said.

Caloocan leads dental health Children’s Congress

By Jun David THE local government of Caloocan headed by Mayor Oscar Malapitan on Monday spearheaded the Children’s Congress that aimed to promote proper oral hygiene to achieve optimum dental health.

“Dental health is often neglected but in Caloocan, we want to instill its importance to the children, so they’ll grow up with adequate knowledge about it,” Malapitan said.

He added that good oral health “is a great factor in building a child’s confidence, so the local government is exerting effort to guide the children of Caloocan by providing information about dental health and conducting various activities to encourage children to practice good oral hygiene.”

This year’s congress was informative and fun-filled for all day care students in the city as Colgate also launched their Anti-Cavity Campaign during the event.

Caloocan is the only city in the country to initiate and continuously

Rizalino Rosales, Director of the Bureau of Learner Services, School Health Division of the Department of Education (left), sits with Arvind Sachdev, general manager, ColgatePalmolive Philippines Inc., Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan (right) and selected student beneficiaries during the launch of the dental health Children’s Congress held at Buena Park in Caloocan City. Andrew Rabulan

implement the Children’s Congress, Bright A1 Child and Best in Toothwhich is attended by 400 to 600 chil- brushing Skills were two of the awards dren every year. given during the event.

New cardiac cath lab at DLSMC DE LOS Santos Medical Center, a subsidiary of Manuel V. Pangilinan’s MVP Group of Companies under the Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. banner, has inaugurated its new Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Unit.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III served as one of the affair’s guests of honor.

“It is disheartening to know that many individuals with heart problems do not seek further diagnosis and treatment because they fear the financial implications that come with each procedure,” said Dr. Nilo C. De Los Santos, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of De Los Santos Med.

“That is why, to coincide with new apparatus, we have developed affordable allin packages for the procedures that will be done at our Cardiac Cath Lab,” he added.

On the advice of their cardiologists, people with narrowed or blocked heart arteries can now undergo life-altering procedures such as coronary angiogram and coronary angioplasty at the new facility.

Those who had experienced lifethreatening arrhythmia (when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or too irregularly) can also avail of a pacemaker insertion package to ensure that their heart rhythms will be normalized.

Australia, ARMM roll out P3.6-b Pathways K to 3 learning program COTABATO CITY—The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has rolled out its P3.6-billion Education Pathways to Peace in Mindanao, a program funded by the Australian Government.

Pathways is a nine-year program designed to improve the delivery of basic education and contribute to peacebuilding in the ARMM. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, together with Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza, and ARMM Regional Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Alamia launched Pathways in March 2017 in Davao City.

DepEd-ARMM secretary lawyer Rasol Mitmug Jr. said Pathways would support the Philippine Government’s effort to strengthen its core education services with a focus on institutional strengthening; curriculum, learning, and delivery; teacher management and teaching quality; and policy, planning, and data management.

“With support from Pathways, DepEd-ARMM will be investing heavily in evidence-based programs and approaches in our effort to improve the delivery of basic education in this part of the country,” Mitmug said.

The program’s emphasis is on the Kinder to Grade 3 levels, noting the significance of quality basic education as the foundation for life-long learning, he added.

“We believe that if we equip our grade-schoolers, they will be better prepared for intermediate, secondary, and tertiary education as well as technical and vocational training,” Mitmug said.

Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Mat Kimberley, who attended the program launch, highlighted the country’s continuing support to peace and development initiatives in the southern Philippines, especially in the ARMM. “Australia is committed to our partnership with the Philippines, a sevendecade-long bilateral relationship that has gone from strength to strength.

Australia remains the Philippines’ largest development partner in the education sector,” he said.

Kimberly said that Pathways will build on the gains of Australia’s previous programs in the ARMM, will closely engage education stakeholders, and promote innovation in education.

Australia’s support to education initiatives in the ARMM is longstanding. The 10-year Basic Education Assistance in Mindanao project was launched in 2002, succeeded by the Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao implemented from 2012 to 2017.

Gen. Trias City marks March as Investors’ Month GENERAL TRIAS, Cavite—The General Trias Sangguniang Panglungsod has enacted an ordinance declaring the month of March as “City of General Trias Investors’ Month.”

The ordinance’s purpose is to strengthen the partnership of the city government and the business community and to continually accelerate investment opportunities and buoy-up sustainable and environmental friendly businesses.

It also aims to promote a conducive and secure environment for business and social enterprises, and to recognize and pay tribute to investors as engine of economic prosperity and sustainable development of the city.

Vice Mayor and SP Presiding Officer Morit Sison and ordinance author Councilor Florencio Ayos, chairman of committee on commerce, trade and industry, together with councilors Constancia Felizardo, Mario Amante, Jowie Carampot, Hernando Granados, Kerby Salazar, Jonas Labuguen, Gary Grepo, Walter Martinez, Christopher Custodio and Vivencio Lozares Jr., sponsored the ordinance during a recent special session.

GenTri Investors’ Month will start this March and will constitute a onemonth celebration with activities related to local success stories on investment and business.

The Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office under Romel Olimpo, with the assistance of the Business Permit and Licensing Office and the SP committee on commerce on trade and industry, will be the lead offices to manage and administer the overall implementation of the celebration.

Life

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MstandardLIfe

health and environment

tuesday, february 27, 2018

C1

New Centers smart living

By Romolo V. Nati

EXERCISE FOR HEALTH.

Regular exercise has been proven to help individuals achieve a healthy mind and body and stave off life-threatening diseases.

5 diseases

When I left Italy to pursue studies in the United States, I befriended many Filipinos, some of whom would later lead me to visit, and then live and work in the Philippines. Among them, I would hear conversation about family ties, circles of friends, and planned visits home.

One thing that struck me then was the verbal habit of using the name “Manila” somewhat widely, as though using the name of the city when perhaps intending to refer to the country more generally. In a conversation about culture or society for example, the speaker might say, “…like in Manila,” or “…nowadays in Manila.” Or perhaps the specificity was intentional, referring to the big city on one hand, and “everywhere else” on the other.

In the Philippines, the word “province” is often used to refer to any place outside Metro Manila. Such usage, though, can be vague, as many communities outside Manila are far from “provincial” in the sense of being rural.

Cagayan de Oro City, for example, where IDC developed its first projects, is a vibrant and progressive place that forges its own path. Cities like Cagayan de Oro are the places that will make the Philippines a more multipolar country and multifaceted economy, offering opportunity and advancement throughout.

Our upcoming project, Miramonti, will be similarly located. To be built in Santo Tomas, Batangas, at the heart of the aggressively developing ManilaBatangas corridor, Miramonti again represents our belief in the great potential of regional centers.

In this, I see a parallel between the Philippines, my adoptive country, and Italy, my country of birth. In Italy, several cities throughout the country have also undergone their own development trajectories over time. The result is that there are now several commercial, industrial, and tourism centers, like Milan, Turin, Genoa, Florence, and not only the capital, Rome. As a result, it is not a foregone conclusion that people

you can avoid with an

active lifestyle

L

eADInG an active life holds so much promise for everyone. Regular exercise has been proven to help you achieve great physique, boost confidence, and uplift your mood—in short, a healthy mind and body.

But one of the most important effects of an effective exercise regimen is to stave off a few life-threatening diseases. now, allocating a few minutes or hours for exercise doesn’t seem much when you consider its benefits. here’s a list of five lifestyle diseases that you can say goodbye to when you choose to live an active life.

Heart disease

There are three major factors in preventing heart disease; normal blood pressure, ideal weight, and normal cholesterol level. These three things can simply be achieved by committing to a regular exercise routine. The fun part is, you only need moderate activity to get results. Perhaps, instead of riding an elevator, you can opt to take the stairs or try to walk at least 30 minutes every day.

Arthritis

Good news for those people suffering from arthritis. Regular passive exercise

Engaging in physical activities is now easier more than ever with the accessibility of equipment and exercise apps.

helps you reduce pain and stiffness, as well as improve range of motion and your overall strength. It also helps you lose weight as well, allowing your body to lessen the pressure on your joints.

Obesity

Researchers believe that there are multiple ways on how exercise can prevent obesity. But the most common explanation is that physical activity increases people’s total energy ex-

penditure, which can help you stay in good shape and achieve an ideal weight for your body type. Of course, aside from exercise, you still need to watch what you eat and how much you eat to achieve better results.

Diabetes

Studies show that lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise, can reduce incidence of type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). In the 2002 study conducted by the Diabetes Prevention Program, a research group found out that a weight loss of 5 percent to 7 percent lowered the incidence of diabetes by 58 percent.

In the Philippines, the name ‘Manila’ is often used to refer to the entire country.

(Photo from italpinas.com)

What began as an observation about the informal speech of new friends arose again in my work as a designer and developer in the Philippines.

The relationship between capital and periphery is now relevant to my work with Italpinas Development Corp. Our innovation is not only in architectural design, but also in its sentience and reactivity to highly prospective demographic niches. As a result, we focus ourselves on second and third tier cities outside the main metropolises. We believe that many of these cities represent individual booms within the broader story of Philippine growth.

Why have we always focused on these areas? Because the Philippines is becoming a more multipolar country, with regional centers developing into their own financial, commercial, and lifestyle hubs. Population centers throughout the country are advancing progressively, and will create new local demand for quality goods and services.

Many cultures have their own unique dynamics in the relationship between the capital and the rest of the country.

Some of these can be perceived through manners of speech. In the U.S., Americans refer to their Pacific coast as “Out” West and their Atlantic Coast as “Back” east, as though the origin were also the epicenter. Of course, there is the saying, “All roads lead to Rome,” which suggests the Italian peninsula, although it has now entered common usage in english and can refer to any metropole, whether literally or figuratively.

must gravitate towards the capital or largest city in order to capture opportunity for education, lifestyle, or career.

In the course of this development, Italy experienced what is now known to Italian historians and economists as il Miracolo Economico, or the Italian economic Miracle. This was a period in Italian development from the 1950s to the 1960s when significant economic growth transformed the country to become more modern and more prosperous than it had ever been. Interestingly, the quantitative parameters for the Italian economic Miracle are suggestive of those that we see in the Philippines today. According to nicholas Crafts and Gianni Toniolo, in their work Economic Growth in Europe Since 1945, Italy’s GDP growth was at an average of 5.8 percent per year from 1951 to 1963, which was the period that would later be known as the Italian economic Miracle. In the Philippines, more recently, GDP growth rates have been above 6.0 percent since 2012.

We are now living through a transformative period in the Philippines, just as Italy did in the 1950s. The transformation is proving to be not only economic, but also demographic, and the ongoing development of key cities throughout the country will be one effect. With growth will come the complexities of new demands in new locales. The story of the Philippines’ own transformative periods will play out across the archipelago, highlighting and activating potential wherever it lies.

Cancer

Running a few minutes or hours everyday has a number of health benefits.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working out and quitting smoking may lower your risk of several cancers. Also, the US national Cancer Institute found out that patients with colon cancer can minimize the risk of recurrence or death by as much as 50 percent when they include working out in their lifestyle. exercise also may lower the recurrence rate for those with breast cancer, in part by regulating hormone levels. And in general, having an active lifestyle can lessen some side effects of treatment, including nausea and fatigue for all cancer patients.

To help people lead a healthy life, Rhea Generics offers vitamins to complement their exercise routine. Those who have been diagnosed with the aforementioned diseases, on the other hand, can avail of the brand’s high quality medicine.

Batangas is a province that has a huge potential to help the Philippines become a more multipolar country and multifaceted economy. (Photo from italpinas.com)

Life

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tuesday, february 27, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

More generic medicines in hospitals

The operating room of GAOC clinic at Ayala Vertis North features operating lights with camera that records 40k videos.

State-of the-art

dental clinics

GAOC SM Megamall

GAOC Ayala Vertis North

ity but affordable healthcare products to Filipinos.

“We’re so glad to be here to mark this momentous occasion. EuroMed is committed in growing the RiteMed business in the hospital sector and we look forward to a very long and fruitful partnership between the two companies,” shared Evidente.

Currently, RiteMed’s presence in hospitals, Ochave said, is very small. He estimates that the hospital segment accounts for around 15 percent of the total market of pharmaceutical products.

With this partnership, the brand sees that Filipino patients would be able to cut their hospital bills, as affordable and quality medicines are now within their reach.

“The objective of RiteMed is always focused on improving access by competing with the others to bring prices down. So, hopefully, this will be an opportunity for us to further advance our campaign for greater access to quality healthcare,” stressed Ochave.

Q

UALITy dentistry is now accessible to patients in the northern and eastern part of Metro Manila as Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center recently opened clinics at SM Megamall at Ayala Vertis North.

The SM Megamall clinic will be one of GAOC’s cosmetic centers, focusing on prosthodontic and cosmetic procedure such as crowns, bridges, dentures, and veneers. It will have a Consultation Room, an X-Ray Room, a Sterilization Room, four Treatment Rooms, and its very own dental laboratory for greater efficiencies and speedier processing of laboratory results.

Meanwhile, the Vertis North branch will have its own operating room, which features operating lights with camera that records 40k videos.

The opening of GAOC clinics at prime locations allows patients to experience superior dental services offered by a team of highly skilled and experienced dental practitioners who have completed their training in top-notch hospitals, universities, and global institutions in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Founded by Dr. Steve Mark Gan, GAOC takes pride in its unparalleled excellence in oral care including oral diagnostics, surgical procedures, dental implantology, and jaw reconstruction. His acumen for world-class dental treatments and top-notch customer service has led him to become the choice of celebrities, politicians, diplomats, and socialites.

Visit GAOC SM Megamall at Level 5 Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City; contact (02) 725-4262, 0917-158-4262, or email megamall@ gaocdental.com for inquiries. GAOC Ayala Vertis North is located at Level 3, Ayala Vertis North, Quezon Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City; contact (02) 292-4262, (02) 368-1838, 0917-157-4262, or email vertis@gaocdental.com for more details.

Visit www.gaocdental.com for more information.

Mall raises funds for breast cancer awareness FILINVEST-owned Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa, strengthens its ties with Asian Hospital Charities, Inc., ICanServe Foundation, and Project Pink Support Group to fight against breast cancer.

Festival Mall has been working with these groups for the past four years through the award-winning Pink October campaign. Pink October is a monthlong series of events that include forums by doctors and inspirational talks by survivors, wellness sessions, art and calligraphy classes, aiming to spread awareness and encourage early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Early in February, representatives from Asian Hospital Charities, Inc., ICanServe Foundation, and Project Pink Support Group received checks worth P75,266.67 from Festival Mall to aid in their projects in providing Filipinas with free support and treatment against the most common cancer in the Philippines.

ICanServe Foundation will earmark the amount to promote early detection with programs like Ating Dibdibin free screenings and educational forums.

Meanwhile, Asian Hospital Charities, the charity arm of Asian Hospital, will

A SIGNIFICANT chunk in every hospital bill goes to medicine expenses, but a new partnership aims to cut medical costs of Filipino patients’ by providing more affordable and quality medicines in health institutions.

The country’s leading generics company RiteMed Philippines Inc. recently inked a memorandum of agreement with Euro-Med Laboratories Philippines Inc., an intravenous-f luid manufacturer, for the delivery of quality and affordable medicines to hospitals nationwide.

Under the MOA, Euro-Med will be carrying and distributing all RiteMed pharmaceutical products to hospitals and healthcare facilities within its network across the country, according to Unilab, Inc. senior vice president for the RiteMed, Inc. Group, Jose Maria Ochave.

“Our vision is to provide access, not just to medicines, but to healthcare in general,” said Ochave.

For Euro-Med’s part, its president, Georgiana Evidente said the partnership will advance both companies’ advocacy of providing qual-

Present during the MOA signing are (from left): Greg Martin, corporate vice president for Sales and Channel Development, Unilab, Inc.; Georgiana Evidente, president, Euro-Med Laboratories Philippines, Inc.; Vince Guerrero, general manager, RiteMed Philippines, Inc.; Joey Ochave, senior vice president for RiteMed, Inc. Group; and Dr. Johnny Yap, executive vice president, Euro-Med Laboratories Philippines, Inc.

Insurance firm fights climate change LEADING global insurer AXA, reaffirms its commitment to sustainability as it joins the fight against climate change.

Its chief executive, Thomas Buberl announced several initiatives and decisions that are to be set in motion in the areas of investments, divestments, and insurance.

“As a global insurer and investor, we know that we have a key role to play and are proud to have taken these decisions and to have inspired others,” said Buberl. “In the spirit of the Paris Agreement, we want to accelerate our commitment and confirm our leadership in the fight against global warming.”

In the investments front, AXA aims to reach 12 billion euros in green investments by 2020, which is four times the 2015 achieved target of 3 billion euros. This accelerated target is twice as high as the recommendation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is to invest 1 percent of assets into green and clean technology by 2020.

In the area of Divestments, the insurance firm decided two years ago

to divest 500 million euros from the coal industry, targeting companies, which derive over 50 percent of their revenues from coal. Today, AXA has decided to increase its divestment to a record fivefold or 2.4 billion euros, this time targeting companies that derive more than 30 percent of their revenues from coal, have a coal-based energy mix that exceeds 30 percent, actively build new coal plants, or produce more than 20 million tons of coal per year.

Similarly, the company also announced the divestment of over 700 billion euros from the main oil sand producers and associated pipelines, signaling the discontinuation of investments in these businesses.

In the field of Insurance, AXA said that as a group, it would no longer be insuring new coal construction projects as well as main oil sands and associated pipelines.

It has also partnered recently with the International Finance Corporation in spearheading an innovative US$500 million fund to support climate related infrastructure projects in emerging countries.

Festival Mall turns over checks to three organizations in support of their breast cancer awareness and education campaigns. Present at the turnover of checks are (from left): Filinvest marketing manager Gina Abenoja; Victoria Arjona of ICanServe Foundation; Dr. Rolando Reyes of the Philippine Society of General Surgeons; Melissa De Leon-Joseph and Ninch Estrella, both of Project Pink Support Group; Rose Nuqui, vice president for marketing, exhibits and conventions, and amusement centers for Filinvest; Asian Hospital Charities, Inc.’s Lenny Mae Goc-ong; and Ricky Suarez, senior marketing manager for Filinvest.

use the money to provide the necessary medical treatment for underprivileged breast cancer patients. Project Pink, a cancer support group, will use the dona-

tion to further help patients and survivors receive emotional and psychological assistance as they go through their own breast cancer journeys.

A global insurance company strengthens its commitment to fight climate change

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Simply Red...

From C4

The cast of the Chinese drama 'Fighter of Destiny'

‘Fighter of Destiny,’ ‘The Other Kingdom’ premiere on GMA B ACK-TOBACK fantasy series Fighter of Destiny and The Other Kingdom premiered on GMA 7 yesterday.

who has the galaxy power in his blood that is able to cure all sorts of illnesses. But before he owned this power, he set an adventure to have a cure on his incurable disease. During his journey, he meets Xu Yourong (Guli Nazha), his childhood friend and the girl who is destined to be his wife. Will their love be enough for them to face the trials along their journey? Follow their story every weekday mornings at 9:15 a.m..

Fighter of Destiny tells the story Meanwhile, airing at 9:45 a.m. is The of Changsheng Chen (Lu Han), a prince Other Kingdom, a story about a fairy princess

who wants to live on Earth and experience human life. Princess Astral of Athenia has always admired the lives of humans and has dreamed of becoming one of them someday.

When given a chance to transport herself in the other world, she meets the people she was once looking at from afar. Will she still choose to stay in this world or go back to her own kingdom?

Follow Fighter of Destiny and The Other Kingdom every weekday mornings on GMA.

Kapuso...

From C4

Kapuso stars Glaiza de Castro and Jak Roberto in Baguio to promote their new series, 'Contessa' that will air on the network's afternoon block.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, February 27, 2018

ACROSS 1 Fanatic’s feeling 5 Frozen desserts 9 Pungent 14 Famed lioness 15 Firm grasp 16 Flatterer 17 Comic headliner (2 wds.)

19 Flood barrier 20 Chimpanzee 21 Close kin 22 Gawks 24 Puts into law 26 Painter — Chagall 27 Beluga product 28 Most tedious 31 Change gears 34 Barely move 35 Cabin 37 Opens the window 38 Helen of Troy’s lover 39 Adhesives 40 Three — — kind 41 Wall Street dread 42 Fruit dessert 43 Dull 45 Question starter 46 Playing cards 47 Was in a brawl 50 Rowboat seat 52 Decompose 53 Have a

mortgage 55 Makes like a mule 56 Skin 59 Wears a crown 60 Hourly fee 61 Rescue 62 Kind of rocket 63 Not barefoot 64 Busy European airport DOWN 1 Catherine — -Jones 2 Flee to the J.P. 3 Ski resort in Colorado 4 Chem room 5 Set on fire 6 Finds fault 7 Half of zwei 8 Given to bursts of excitement 9 On the loose (2 wds.)

10 Strong-arm 11 Carry on 12 Fateful date 13 Color 18 English racetrack 23 Perky flavors 25 Woofs 28 Sensational and shocking 29 Feng — 30 Antacid brand

31 — Paulo, Brazil 32 Stereo (hyph.)

33 Shah’s land 34 Staircase parts 36 Recipe meas.

38 Gazette 39 Shipboard quaff 41 “Guernica” painter 42 River rapids 44 Twain lad 45 Like the forest 47 Certain corn chip 48 Marge

Simpson’s hubby 49 Diagonal pattern 50 Choice on some quizzes 51 Guard’s cry 54 Catch sight of 55 Icy remark?

57 Cry of disgust 58 Sorority letter

GMANorth Central Luzon had a live coverage of the Panagbenga Float Parade beginning 7 a.m. The Kapuso sa Panagbenga: The Balitang Amianan Special Live Coverage was hosted by Balitang Amianan’s CJ Torida, Joanne Ponsoy, and Faye Centeno together with Balitang Amianan correspondents Alfie Tulagan, Russel Simorio, and Kim Banderlipe.

In the afternoon, the stars of the three programs had a Kapuso Fiesta at Sunshine Park. The Stepdaughters and Sirkus star Sef Cadayona hosted the event at 3:00 p.m..

“These Kapuso events are our way of giving-back to our loyal viewers,” says GMA Regional VP and Head Oliver Amoroso. “If The Clash’s Cebu-leg audition is any indication, we have a lot of great singers in our country. It’s just a matter of time for them to be discovered. We are happy that we are the ones discovering them through The Clash. On the same manner, we are proud to bring some of our Kapuso stars to Baguio to celebrate the Panagbenga Festival this year. We are very grateful for the support of our Kapuso viewers in the regions. They are the reason why we are here. We hope they continue to keep us number one nationwide,” he ends.

To know more about the Network’s regional events, follow GMA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmanetwork and GMA Regional TV atwww.facebook. com/ GMARegionalTV and on Twitter and Instagram via @GMARegionalTV.

If you’re the die-hard Kapuso kind, you must have seen The Stepdaughters in the network’s Afternoon Prime. This is the soap that took over the overwrought and over-the-top Kris Bernal doubleexposure melodrama Impostora.

This new series that premiered on Valentine week (Feb. 12) is about two women destined to be rivals.

Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Katrina Halili play the rival women, the stepdaughters, and the man in between is Megan’s off-screen beau, Mikael Daez.

Megan Young is Mayumi de la Rosa whose dream is to have her own makeup line.

Katrina Halili is Isabelle Salvador who manages her family’s makeup line, Coco Bella.

Mikael Daez is Francis Almeda, the head product engineer at Coco Bella.

He will be, as is usual in any Kapuso afternoon series, will be the bone of contention between Mayumi and Isabelle.

Mayumi and Isabelle never really liked each other, even more so when Mayumi’s mother, Luisa, and Isabelle’s father, Hernan, get married, thus legally making them stepsisters.

But no secret ever stays a secret, especially ones that are rooted within families. When Isabelle finds out what Hernan had done, she will do everything to keep everything they have, even if it means taking down Mayumi. But Mayumi will never let anyone hurt her or her loved ones. Now both Mayumi and Isabelle will fight for what is rightfully theirs—family, honor, and love.

If you liked Impostora, with its meandering plot, I suppose you will also like The Stepdaughters. *** Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan heats up the big screen again in his latest action / sci-fi movie, Bleeding Steel, in theaters now.

Directed by Leo Zhang, the movie tells the story of Special Agent Lin Dong (Chan) who gets torn between his family and his duty. He gets a phone call from the hospital informing him that his daughter who’s suffering from Leukemia is in critical condition. He rushes to the hospital, but on the way gets another phone call this time from a co-worker, informing him of an immediate and dangerous mission.

Lin’s co-worker informs him that Dr. James, a critical witness to a crime is in danger and needs protection from the police. But before the police can reach him, Dr. James injects himself with a chemical substance stored with a mechanical heart. And when the police arrive to escort him, they were ambushed by unknown men and almost all members of Lin’s team were killed.

Fast forward to 13 years, what happened to Agent Lin Dong, his daughter, and to the mysterious witness Dr. James who might be the key to an advanced but destructive technology?

Bleeding Steel is filled with zesty fights and goofy scenes that are trademarks of a Jackie Chan movie. He also mixes his well-known martial arts moves with new fighting styles that are suitable for a sci-fi action movie.

The film was shot in Taipei, Beijing and Australia and Jackie Chan’s intense fight scene on top of the Sydney Opera House is a definitely a mustsee.

Bleeding Steel is presented by

VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment. *** ABS-CBN, the country’s leading media and entertainment company, emerged as the top winner after bagging the Best TV Station for the second year running, as part of its 25-award haul at the Mindanao-based Young Educators’ Summit 2108’s Aral-Parangal Awards.

Meanwhile, TV Patrol, the country’s leading news broadcast program, won Best National News Program, while its anchors won awards for their work as Best Male National TV/News Anchor (Ted Failon), and Best Male National Radio News Anchor (Noli de Castro).

ABS-CBN News anchor Karen Davila also won Best Female National TV/ News Anchor.

The network’s music radio station MOR and news/ralk radio station DZMM were awarded as Best FM Radio Station and Best AM Station respectively.

Failon Ngayon won Best TV Documentary Program while scienceenvironmental educational program Matanglawin won Best Educational TV Program.

MMK, the longest-running drama anthology in Asia, won Best TV Drama Anthology, while the country’s most-watched TV program FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano took home the award for Best Primetime Teleserye.

The network’s top-rating variety programs also prevailed in their respective categories.

Top-rating noontime show It’s Showtime won Best Noontime Show for the second consecutive year while Sunday variety show ASAP Best TV Variety Show.

Comedy and reality TV were also recognized. Home Sweety Home, and comedy gag show Banana Split won best Comedy Drama and Best TV Comedy, respectively.

Reality TV singing competition The Voice won best TV Reality Show, while singing game show I Can See Your Voice won best TV Game Show.

Four of the network’s game show hosts also won awards: Luis Manzano (Best Male Game Show Host for I Can See Your Voice), Judy Ann Santos (Best Female Game Show Host for Bet on Your Baby), Robi Domingo (Best Male Reality TV Host for Pinoy Big Brother), and Toni Gonzaga (Best Female Reality TV host for Pinoy Big Brother).

Other Kapamilya winners include actors Joshua Garcia (Movie Actor of the Year), Julia Barretto (Movie Actress of the Year), and Awra Briguela (Child Actor of the Year), while hit romantic movie Vince, Kath and James won Movie of the Year.

The Aral Parangal Awards “aims to recognize media programs and personalities who embody the ideals of educating young minds, promoting peace and unity and preserving indigenous people’s cultures.”

Aral Parangal Awards Actor and Actress of the Year awardees Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

A gay man’s journey in a straight man’s world

Paolo Ballesteros and Yam Concepcion playing the lead roles in Viva Entertainment's 'Amnesia Love.'

ISAH V. RED

THIS is interesting. A gay man meets with an accident and becomes amnesiac. He forgets he is gay and falls for a pretty young woman like any straight guy. The woman is clueless the guy is gay. Will the relationship last? What if the guy wakes up from his amnesiac state and remembers he is gay?

That’s the premise of Viva Film’s new feature opening in theaters tomorrow. It’s aptly titled Amnesia Love. And who could better play the role of the amnesiac guy than MMFF 2016 Best Actor (Die Beautiful) Paolo Ballesteros?

This is how it goes in the film.

The character Ballesteros plays is found unconscious on the beach on a remote island in Zambales. A kind couple (Lander Vera-Perez and Maricel Morales) takes him and took care of him until he wakes up.

But he cannot remember his name or anything else. The couple’s daughter (Yam Concepcion) is skeptical about this guy’s condition, but is left with no choice but to let him stay in their house.

Romance starts to brew between the two, but this amnesiac displays some behavioral modes that are not exactly manly, and finds himself distracted by the sight of attractive men.

Ballesteros said in an interview that he wants to keep making movies that will make people think.

The film’s director Albert Langitan shares Ballesteros thoughts. A scriptwriter who became a TV director (Impostora and Super Ma’am) It would be interesting to see how Langitan’s creative eye and Ballesteros’ passion for his craft could work together to bring viewers a laugh-out-loud movie.

Adding spice to the film is VIVA’s versatile actress, Yam Concepcion who was first launched to stardom via Erik Matti’s adult drama Rigodon Amnesia Love is Paolo and Yam’s reunion film. They worked together in the 2016 blockbuster movie, Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo May Boyfriend?! with Dennis Trillo and Anne Curtis.

Joining Paolo, Yam, Lander and Maricel in the cast are Polo Ravales, Vandolph Quizon, Geleen Eugenio, and Sinon Loresca. Continued on C3

Kapuso stars (from left) Megan Young, Mikael Daez, Jak Roberto, Glaiza de Castro, Ruru Madrid, and Matt Evans aboard the float of GMA Regional TV as the network participate in the annual flower parade in Baguio City.

Kapuso stars join in

PANAGBENGA 2018 FESTIVITIES

Sylvia Sanchez in a scene from the Kapamilya afternoon drama, 'Hanggang Saan.'

Sylvia faces tougher battle in ‘Hanggang Saan’

Regine Velasquez with comedian Sef Cadayona at the Sunshine Park during the Baguio leg of 'The Clash' auditions.

O

VER the weekend, GMA Network again took part in Baguio City’s famous flower festival— the Panagbenga—this time with Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid joining the cast of hit TV series Sherlock Jr., and The Stepdaughters together with the upcoming afternoon prime soap Contessa.

Regine Velasquez talks about the new reality singing competition 'The Clash,' which she is hosting.

Through GMA Regional TV, the Kapuso Network brought to the City of Pines on Feb. 24 the second public auditions for the newest singing competition, The Clash.

The Clash is set to feature hopefuls who will compete against each other to be the country’s next solo singing superstar. Just last week, hundreds of hopefuls invaded the program’s Cebu-leg auditions where Regine was also present.

The Baguio-leg of the auditions, which was held at the Sunshine Park, accommodated aspirants beginning 10:00 a.m.. The competition welcomed all male and female Filipinos, amateur and professional, 16-years-old and above.

They also prepared two songs (English and Filipino) for the audition.

Additionally, as part of the Network’s treat to those in Baguio City, GMA Regional TV organized a ‘Kapuso Meet and Greet’ with Regine at 4:00 p.m. in

the same area.

Meanwhile, bannering the Kapuso Float during the muchawaited Panagbenga Float Parade on Feb. 25 were stars from three of GMA Network’s television offerings—Sherlock Jr., The Stepdaughters, and Contessa.

Kapuso actor and Sherlock Jr. himself Ruru Madrid led the celebration at 7:00 a.m.. He was joined by his co-star Matt Evans.

Real life couple Megan Young and Mikael Daez, who headline the latest Afternoon Prime offering The Stepdaughters, brought kilig to the event as well when they board the Kapuso Float.

Joining them as well were the stars of the upcoming Afternoon Prime program Contessa—multi- talented actress Glaiza de Castro, who will play Contessa in the series, and her leading man, Jak Roberto. Continued on C3

SONYA (Sylvia Sanchez) faces a tougher battle to prove her innocence after she was found guilty of homicide in the killing of Edward Lamoste (Eric Quizon) in the Kapamilya afternoon series Hanggang Saan.

She faces 15 years of imprisonment but was granted bail by the judge, giving her a chance to be with her family and find more proof that she is not the mastermind behind Edward’s death.

While her fight for justice is far from over, Jean (Teresa Loyzaga) will make sure that Sonya and her innocent sons suffer.

Despite this, Sonya is determined to prove that it is not her but Jacob (Ariel Rivera), Jean’s current husband, who sabotaged Edward’s business and eventually killed him.

Will Sonya get the justice she is fighting for? How can she protect her sons from danger?

Don’t miss the story that will show up to what extent a mother can sacrifice for her son. Hanggang Saan airs afterAsintado on ABSCBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).