Manila Standard - 2018 May 20 - Sunday

VOL. XXXII • NO. 94 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

HARRY, MEGHAN GET MARRIED AS WORLD WATCHES

SEALED WITH A KISS. Britain’s Prince Harry, duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, duchess of Sussex, begin their carriage procession Saturday in the Ascot landau Carriage after their wedding ceremony at St. George’s Chapel at the Windsor Castle. At right, the duke kisses the duchess as they leave from the West Door of St. George’s Chapel. AFP

PRINCE Harry and US TV star Meghan Markle were married in Windsor Castle on Saturday in a star-studded and emotional ceremony watched live by cheering crowds and beamed into homes around the world.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, declared the couple husband and wife after they exchanged vows and rings.

Harry’s 92-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip were in attendance as Markle arrived in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, wearing a long white veil and a glittering tiara.

Guests at the ceremony included singer Elton John, Hollywood star George Clooney, footballer David Beckham, tennis star Serena Williams and US talkshow host Oprah Winfrey.

The 36-year-old bride walked up the aisle on her own before being joined half way by Harry’s father Prince Charles. Her own father pulled out amid a media row that overshadowed the meticulous palace preparations.

Tens of thousands of well-wishers cheered as Harry arrived at the church with his brother and best man Prince William, both wearing dark military uniforms.

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CHINA BOMBERS LAND ON SCS ISLE B

EIJING—China has for the first time landed several bombers on an island in the disputed South China Sea, a move that could provoke renewed tensions between countries bordering the strategically vital maritime region.

THEY HAVE LANDED. China has for the first time landed several bombers, including the long-range, nuclear strike capable H-6K on an island in the disputed South China Sea. Washington warned that Beijing would face unspecified 'consequences' over its militarization of the South China Sea, and said it had raised the issue with China. CSIS Photo This is particularly near the five military bases of the Philippines, according to official sources.

Several bombers of various types— including the long-range, nuclear strike capable H-6K—carried out landing and takeoff drills at an unidentified island airfield after carrying out simulated strike training on targets at sea, the Chinese airforce said in a statement Friday.

Wang Mingliang, a defense expert cited in the statement, said the takeoff and landing exercises on islands in the

South China Sea will help the air force “strengthen its combat capability to deal with maritime security threats.”

In a report, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center of Strategic and International Studies warned the H-6 aircraft or even China’s basic bombers taking off from Woody Island could cover the entire South China Sea where some Asean member countries have overlapping claims.

“Nearly all of the Philippines falls within the radius of the bombers, including Manila and all five Philippine military

bases earmarked for development under the US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement,” the AMTI warned.

The Xian H-6K, an updated version of the H-6 medium-range bomber, made its first flight in 2007 and entered service in 2009.

The long-range bombers are among estimated 15 bombers that China operates designed for long-range attacks and stand-off attacks.

The AMTI said Woody Island would be used as a blueprint for eventual deploy-

ments to the Spratly Islands farther south.

So far, the Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to comment on the issue, which said it had previously asked the public for “diplomatic space,” a new diplomatic phrase regularly used by the present non-career-foreign-chief expressing his way not commenting on the matter.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, on the other hand, also refused to comment and deferred to Cayetano.

Cayetano, however, is currently in Honolulu, Hawaii for an official visit.

Maritime expert and professor Jay Batongbacal said the Philippines’ continuing silence with respect to China’s actions means the country was allowing and accepting China’s control over the disputed South China Sea. “Impliedly, it is also surrendering any and all hope of pursuing any of its rights and claims in the South China Sea, both now and in the future,” Batongbacal said.

Batongbacal warned that China would keep on claiming the whole waters and its features.

“They will just keep going. Without unity within the region, they have no reason not to,” he said.

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JBC DECISION HINGES ON SC FINAL RULING

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Judicial and Bar Council will wait for the final ruling of the Supreme Court on the ouster of erstwhile Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno before starting the application and nomination process for aspirants to the top judiciary post.

“The JBC will wait for the finality of the quo warranto decision,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.

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SOTTO: MONDAY MEET TO DECIDE PIMENTEL FATE SENATOR Vicente Sotto III, the current majority leader of the 24-member body, said Saturday members of the upper chamber’s majority would decide when he would take the top post on Monday.

The 69-year-old Sotto said the majority, including him, would meet with Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III before deciding if he should take over the Senate leadership.

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DPWH ASEC IN A SPOT OVER 2% INFRA SHARE

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan REGION 10 head Zenaida Tan of the Department of Public Works and Highways has pinned down DPWH Assistant Secretary Tingagun Ampaso Umpa for demanding a “two-percent share” from infrastructure projects in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque had been prompted to release a two-page confidential report when Umpa refused to vacate his position and claimed he was a victim of the “demolition job” of some politicians he had supposedly angered.

Based from the letter addressed to DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain, DPWH Region 10 Director Zenaida Tan detailed instances of what took place during Umpa’s inspection to her region.

On April 25, Umpa called up Tan, requesting her to book him and three other individuals—ticket and hotel accommodations, specifically at Limketkai Lux Hotel, with a total P117,452 expenses.

“These, however could not be reimbursed in our office due to strict government accounting and regulating rules,” Tan lamented.

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SENATOR VICENTE SOTTO III

3 RESCUERS BACK FROM KUWAIT

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

READY FOR AY 2018. Students from the private and public schools are among the early shoppers Saturday looking

for cheaper school supplies at the Divisoria market in Manila’s Tondo area. The Department of Trade and Industry has announced that sellers of school supplies have increased their pegs from government-suggested retail prices. Norman Cruz

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THREE Filipino diplomats involved in illegal and uncoordinated rescue of the country’s household workers in Kuwait have returned to the country, official sources said Saturday.

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DPWH...

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“He also allegedly knew fully well the ‘kalakaran’ of the office being a contractor himself before entering the government service,” she added.

Tan then told Umpa to spare her from the said “kalakaran” issue.

“Because I am just weeks old in my new directorial post. Nevertheless, I told him I will be hospitable enough to cater [to] his officerelated requests,” she added.

When Umpa arrived, Tan alleged that he was being accompanied by eight Philippine National Police officers and other close-in escorts.

During the emergency meeting presided

by Umpa on May 2 in her office, attended

by Division chiefs and Task Force Bangon Marawi members, he “emphasized that he was sent by Malacañang to stop corruption in DPWH.” “He said there were demolition moves against him, but quoted Malacañang as saying ‘hindi ka nila mapapatanggal, sila ang tatanggalin mo’ (they cannot remove you, you remove them (the corrupt),” Tan related.

After the meeting, Umpa requested for a closed-door meeting with Tan, giving her several instructions, some of which are “insinuating to earn extra money.”

“Everytime Asec. Umpa gives ‘unusual’ instructions, I readily inform him that I do give updates to the higher-ups and that delicate management matters...should not be a secret to the top management,” she said.

But Umpa said that “he will work it out” in the Central Office.

On May 4, Umpa advised Tan to wait for him in her office to get some documents and discuss with her his findings on four projects at Lanao del Sur directly implemented by Region X under the supervision of Project Engineer Micunug Macabantog.

“When Asec. Umpa arrived,he immediately informed me that he will remove Engr.

Macabantog from TFBM because he wants a new set-up,” she said.

“I was puzzled when he [Umpa] instructed me to let other engineers supervise our regional projects in Lanao del Sur as a replacement of Engr. Macabantog because according to him the latter should learn his lesson for not following his instruction and for not giving him full attention during his field inspection,” Tan said.

3FromRESCUERS...

A1 Although the Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to confirm the issue, Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o met with the three diplomats at the airport. “...it’s not appropriate for me to be giving statements, regarding this issue,” Mama-o said in a report over GMA7’s “State of the Nation Address.”

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano is currently in Honolulu for an official visit while his staff had never returned calls from media.

In an earlier report, a Foreign Affairs insider identified the three senior officials, who had limited movement and could only stay within the premise of the Philippine Embassy, as DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs executive director Raul Dado; DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations officer Muammar Hassan; and DFA-Assistance-toNationals officer Francis Baquiran.

The three were part of the Rapid Response Team, headed by DFA-OUMWA Sarah Lou Arriola, who were able to left Kuwait via Riyadh before the Kuwaiti government filed warrants of arrest against officials involved in the alleged “uncoordinated” rescue operation.

The RRT was formed by the office of the Secretary and OUMWA to augment the team of the Philippine Embassy in any conflict areas.

“He [Cayetano] selected the top minion for that office who put together the RRT. Considering rank, his office should be dealing with the irascible spin doctors,” said the insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“It is this aspect of operations that shows the weakness in the command and control protocol that they were observing,” the insider said.

But a foreign affairs official, who spoke under confidence of anonymity, said the RRT instead led the said rescue mission where videos were uploaded by some DFA officials.

SOTTO:...

TERROR GROUPS STEP UP RECRUITMENT, TARGET KIDS

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ERRORIST groups have continued their “massive, discreet, and decisive” recruitment in Mindanao, nearly one year after their debilitating siege of Marawi City, a professor of a think tank devoted to peace efforts said Saturday.

Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research said these recruitment efforts have only strengthened as terrorists have taken advantage of the “desperate condition” of Marawi’s displaced residents.

He told radio station dzBB that these violent extremists have been

aggressively recruiting young people in tent cities, schools and communities, exploiting the siege victims’ grievances against the slow rebuilding efforts of the government.

The terrorists are enlisting children even as young as nine years old, especially those who can already handle a gun, Banlaoi added.

Memories of the siege, which began May 23 last year, are still fresh in their minds, he said.

The Duterte administration, which declared martial law in Mindanao considering the Marawi siege, should also rebuild the Marawi residents’ “spirit and sense of hope” and not just restoring their destroyed homes, the professor said.

Banlaoi said the displaced residents of Central Mindanao only want the government’s assurance that they will get a chance to till their land and, quoting a local teacher or Ustadz, said they can take care of their rest of their needs, such as education, health, and peace and order, among others.

To counter the enticements of extremists, the Duterte administration must “plant the seeds of peace and hope” in the hearts and minds of the internally displaced people in Central Mindanao and elsewhere, he added.

Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research was created to better integrate peace studies with research on political violence and terrorism.

The group is an independent organization that is divided into two centers: The Center for Intelligence and National Security Studies, and The Center for Transnational Crimes Research and Non-Traditional Security Studies.

NO PINOY AMONG TEXAS SHOOTING VICTIMS

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan NO FILIPINOS were hurt in the latest school shooting in the United States, which killed 10 students and injured more than 10 others in Santa Fe, Texas, Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Adelio Angelito Cruz said Saturday.

Cruz said in a statement that as

soon as the incident was reported, his office coordinated with members of the Filipino community there to determine if there were any casualties among the 1,994 Filipino members in Galveston County, where Santa Fe is located.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who is currently in Honolulu, Hawaii on an official visit, expressed the country’s

sympathies to the American families and the United States.

“We join the American people in grieving over the loss of so many young innocent lives in the school tragedy in Sante Fe, Texas,”Cayetano said.

He then offered prayers for the speedy recovery of the 10 people who were wounded in the school shooting. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims,”

he added.

On Friday evening (Manila time), a 17-year-old gunman, identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, barged into his high school classroom and started shooting his fellow students with a shotgun and a .38 revolver smuggled under his coat.

Pagourtzis, an 11th grader at the school, is being held on capital murder charges.

The South China Sea issue has been brewing for years, with China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam making competing claims in waters with vital global shipping routes and what are The AMTI said that China had built believed to be significant oil and natural large hangars at all three of its “Big 3” gas deposits.

China has engaged in years of land-recoutposts in the Spratlys, particularly Subi, Mischief, and Fiery Cross Reefs, that could lamation efforts on reefs it controls in the accommodate bombers like the H-6 se- region and built both civilian and military ries, as well as the large transport, patrol, facilities in the contested area.

Chinese military facilities include air and refueling aircraft.

The American think tank said that bases, radar and communications sysfuture deployments to the Big 3 in the tems, naval facilities and defensive weapSpratlys would bring Singapore and onry including landing strips able to acmuch of Indonesia within range of even commodate military planes.

The bombers, according to experts, China’s lower-end bombers, while the H6Ks could reach northern Australia or US can at least each carry 6 air-launcher cruise missiles under its wings. defense facilities on Guam.

One bomber can carry CJ-10A cruise H-6K, which has nuclear strike capability, is capable of attacking US carrier missiles with conventional or nuclear battle groups and priority targets in Asia. warheads; and YL-12 anti-ship missiles.

It can reach a range of 2000 to 2200 kiChinese long-range bomber consists of new engines, can carry more fuel for lometers and 400 km, respectively.

The CJ-10 missile was “specially delonger range, and contains revised forsigned to counter the US Navy’s carrier ward fuselage.

The H-6K has rear 23 mm guns and battle groups”, the expert said.

The CJ-10 is the first long-range land gunner which is made of electronic comattack missile, developed in China. It was ponents.

The bombers’ landing comes weeks af- specially designed to counter the US Nater US network CNBC reported that China vy’s carrier battle groups.

The air-launcher CJ-10A has a range had installed anti-ship and air-to-air defenses on outposts in the Spratly Islands of 2 000-2 200 km. It can also carry YL-12 that are also claimed by Vietnam and the anti-ship missiles with a range of around Philippines, citing sources close to US in- 400 km.

This news comes on the heels of other telligence.

Washington warned that Beijing would recent deployments of Chinese military face unspecified “consequences” over its platforms in the South China Sea, includmilitarization of the South China Sea, and ing Y-8 military transport planes, YJ-12B cruise missiles, and HQ-9B surface-to-air said it had raised the issue with China.

“I believe this is the first time a bomber missile systems on each of the Big 3.

This development comes two days afhas landed in the #SouthChinaSea,” Bonnieh Glaser, a China expert at the Centre ter President Rodrigo Duterte said he was for Strategic and International Studies, aware of China’s missiles deployment and military assets on its built-up islands in tweeted.

In an analysis published on its website, the disputed sea.

But he said there was no point in quesCSIS said the location of the runway was believed to be Woody Island, China’s larg- tioning China’s actions there.

“There is an airport. There are missiles est base in the Paracel Islands, which is there installed. There are military equipalso claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

ment already in place. So what’s the point of questioning whether the planes land there or not? There’s an airstrip,” Duterte said.

International observers, however, said the landing of H-6K bomber on Woody Island was another recent move by China that further escalates the tension in the region.

Over the past years, China has claimed some of the features of the disputed South China Sea particularly the Philippine-owned-reefs-turned-islands in the Kalayaan Group of Islands (Spratlys) where Beijing has installed weapon system in the region.

The reclamation in the South China Sea started when a standoff happened between the Philippines and China after Manila caught Beijing for catching live turtles and other resources within the country’s territory.

China’s activities over the disputed sea became more visible when the Philippines filed a case before the Arbitral Tribunal and ruled in favor of Manila three years after declaring Beijing’s 9-dash line claim as excessive and illegal.

The Philippines has won an arbitration case against China on July 12, 2016 invalidating Beijing’s nine dash line of its so-called Chinese ancient map.

China, on the other hand, slammed the order and said it would not recognize the Tribunal ruling, stressing its claim to the sea was “indisputable.”

Manila’s arbitration case is limited to determining the role of historic rights and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea and did not tackle territorial ownership.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s mandate is limited to the interpretation or application of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea. Duterte set aside the ruling to forge better ties with China, but vowed to raise it at a proper time during his presidency which ends in 2022. AFP, Sara Susanne Fabunan

her grandson Prince Harry, meaning Markle will be known as the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry’s ex-girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas were also among the guests, along with singer James Blunt, US talkshow host James Corden and Markle’s former co-stars from US television series “Suits.”

Windsor was decked out with flags and bunting, and there was a carnival area on the Long Walk, the sweeping tree-lined avenue down which the royal couple will drive.

Thousands of fans arrived at dawn, bearing rugs and picnics, Union Jack flags and royalist paraphernalia, and the prosecco was flowing freely well before the first guests arrived.

“We planned to stay in a hotel but we got caught up in all the excitement and we stayed here last night, unprepared,” said Karen Long, from Texas.

She said the fact that Markle was mixed-race was a huge moment, saying: “We all wanted to be a princess, we

thought we couldn’t and there she is, breaking all the barriers!”

Before they retired for the night in separate hotels, Harry, 33, met fans outside Windsor Castle where he said he was feeling “great” while Markle said she felt “wonderful.”

The couple met on a blind date in July 2016 and had a whirlwind romance, criss-crossing the Atlantic as she continued filming in Toronto.

Archbishop Welby said they were “very sensible” and “self-possessed.”

“There’s profound affection between them which is wonderful and a deep understanding and mutual support,” he said.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who was not invited to the wedding, offered her “very best wishes” in a message on Twitter.

Prince Harry, the youngest son of the late Princess Diana, is one of the most popular royals, while Markle, a divorcee, is seen as a breath of fresh air for the monarchy. AFP

CHINA...

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“The majority will decide when on Monday after we meet together with Koko,” Sotto said, replying to a question.

The former TV host, who was once vice mayor of Quezon City, was in the Senate for two terms from 1992 to 2004. In 2010, he was reelected.

Pimentel himself on Thursday belied reports that Sotto would take over the top Senate post on Monday.

“Nothing will happen on Monday,” Pimentel said, when asked about the leadership change amid a report that 14 senators have signed a resolution installing Sotto as the new Senate President.

The 54-year-old Pimentel had said that he would not cling on to the Senate presidency if his colleagues wanted him replaced.

“We should not be too attached to the position,” he said.

Pimentel III, son of former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., is the 28th and current leader of the Senate and is also the current president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

Pimentel, who will seek a reelection, admitted he would be busy preparing the PDP-Laban for the 2019 midterm national elections.

HARRY,...

From A1 Well-wishers camped overnight to secure the best spots to watch the newlyweds, who will take a ride in an open-topped carriage around Windsor after the ceremony.

Many in the crowds offered particular good wishes to the bride after her father had to miss the wedding due to health problems and a scandal over staged paparazzi pictures.

“After the week she’s had, she needs some support,” said Karen Wallace, 53, from Chicago, one of an estimated 100,000 members of the public attending the event.

Markle’s ring has been made with Welsh gold, as is traditional for royal weddings, while Harry’s will be made of platinum.

Queen Elizabeth before the wedding conferred the title Duke of Sussex on

JBC...

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Sereno was ousted last week as chief justice after the Supreme Court voted 8-6 to grant the quo warranto petition against her, finding her unqualified for the position because she failed to file her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth—a failure that nine justices believed was a violation of the Constitution.

Her camp said Sereno would file a motion for reconsideration to appeal the SC decision on her quo warranto case.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, also a JBC member, also confirmed the information.

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, one of Sereno’s counsel, said the latter could file a quo warranto to unseat her successor if “the political environment changes.”

In a related development: • Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman on Saturday said the Supreme Court’s 8-6 vote to oust Sereno through a quo warranto petition had aggrieved the nation and ignited a “widespread” and “collective” condemnation never seen before in the high court’s 117-year history.

In a statement, Lagman said the public— including some citizens, legislators, lawyers, law deans and the clergy—has actively condemned the “unconstitutional” decision.

“Never in the 117-year history of the Supreme Court has any of its decisions ignited such a widespread and collective condemnation from an aggrieved nation than the 8-6 decision ousting Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in an improvident and unwarranted quo warranto petition,” Lagman said.

In a forum on Saturday, Hilbay said filing a quo warranto was one of the possible actions Sereno might take against her successor if “she truly believes she is unlawfully removed.”

“We have to realize [that] Sereno would have stayed chief justice until 2030 and you have presidential elections in 2022,” the former solicitor general said.

He also suggested that when President Rodrigo Duterte’s successor agreed that the Supreme Court ruled incorrectly, the ball may change in favor of Sereno.

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.

Sereno was ousted last week after the Supreme Court found her unqualified for the position because she failed to file her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth— a failure that nine justices believed was a violation of the Constitution.

Hilbay is Calida’s predecessor at the Office of the Solicitor General.

Those who voted against this recourse were Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Marvic Leonen, Benjamin Caguioa, Estela Perlas Bernabe, Presbitero Velasco Jr., and Mariano del Castillo.

Hilbay said Sereno might likely file a motion for reconsideration next week seeking to reverse her colleague’s decision to unseat her as the Supreme Court chief.

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NEDA TO POUR P3B TO DEVELOP DAVAO DISTRICT

RESCUED.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte meets the two kidnapped policewomen who were presented to the President at the Tactical Operations Group (TOG)-11 in Davao City on May 19, 2018 following their rescue.

Police officers PO3 Benierose Alvarez and PO1 Dinah Gumahad were presented to the President after they were rescued through joint efforts by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and the Moro National Liberation Front. The two were kidnapped last April 30 by a certain Adiang Adiang whom investigators suspect is connected with the Abu Sayyaf Group. Joining the President during the presentation of the rescued police officers were Secretary Bong Go of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde, Joint Task Force Sulu Commander Brigadier General Cirilito Sobejana, Moro National Liberation Front Chairman Nur Misuari and his wife Tarhata.

Presidential Photo

CIMATU GIVES UPDATES ON BORACAY CLEANUP THE government is making headway in addressing Boracay Island’s woes on encroachment in wetlands, forest land, and easements nearly a month after the shutdown of this top tourist destination began.

“Wetlands and forest land are being monitored with the relocation of boundaries almost completed,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said in his Boracay cleanup and rehabilitation update released Friday.

Cimatu said about 40 percent of the 842 forest land occupants in the island had been given notice to vacate their areas.

He said the interagency task force assigned to clean up Boracay is also recovering the monuments previously placed there by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority to mark the 30-meter no-building easement guide and, thus, identify the structures to be affected by the cleanup.

“There were also 206 establishments issued with show-cause orders,” the environment chief added.

A show-cause order requires a party to explain why the government must not take certain action against it.

Marking boundaries of wetlands, forest land, and easements aims to define these areas to prevent encroachment in the future.

Cimatu said the clearing operations of the Public Works department and the Aklan provincial government have also begun along Boracay’s main road.

“Road easements are being monitored,” he said. “Some of the updates include demolishing 100 percent of structures from Cagban to Rotonda Road. There’s ongoing demolition along the main road.”

Cimatu noted that some owners of structures encroaching on road easements had opted to demolish these themselves.

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

PAL DOMESTIC FLIGHTS NOW AT NAIA 2

By Joel E. Zurbano

L

EGACY carrier Philippine Airlines has started operating domestic flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in line with the government’s rationalization plan of airport services to decongest terminals and improve passenger convenience.

PAL corporate communications chief and spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said effective last Wednesday (May 16), all flights to and from Cagayan de Oro and Puerto Princesa will depart and arrive at Naia Terminal 2.

“Passengers arriving in Naia Terminal 2 with connecting flights in Naia Terminal 3 may avail of the inter-terminal transfer service to get to their next terminal assignment.

For information on transfers from T2 to T3, passengers may approach the Transfer Desk located in the T2 arrival/ carousel area,” said Villaluna.

Under the rationalization plan, the Manila International Airport Authority will utilize terminals 1 and 3 for international flights only while terminals 2 and 4 will be used exclusively for domestic flights.

Only five out of the more than 20 airlines will be left serving Naia Terminal 1 once the government fully implemented on Aug. 31 the program.

These five airlines are Thai Airways, Saudia Airlines, Japan Airlines, Etihad Airlines and legacy carrier Philippine Airlines.

The other foreign airlines operating at the Naia Terminal 1 that will be transferred to Naia Terminal 3

include China Southern, China Airlines, China Eastern, Xiamen Air, Oman Air, Eva Air, Kuwait Air, Jetstar, Gulf Air, Korean Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Qantas Air, Malaysian Airlines, Qatar Air, Royal Brunei, Tiger Air, Jeju Air, Air Nugini and Air China.

Terminal 2 will be used only for PAL and Cebu Pacific Air domestic flights operations while Terminal 4 will handle other domestic flights service.

Under the present setup, Naia Terminal 2, which is currently being used by PAL, operates for both domestic and international flight services. But according to MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal, the said terminal was originally designed as a domestic terminal.

The Naia Terminal 3, on the other hand, was designed for international flights, but it is also being operated for both domestic and international flight services by several airlines.

Monreal explained that using these terminals for both domestic and international flights caused air traffic congestion and inconvenience for air travelers.

MIAA records showed that Terminal 1 was completed in 1981 to accommodate the country’s growing international passenger traffic levels during the 1970s. The 16-gate facility with 78 check-in counters and 24 immigration stations was designed by Leandro Locsin, a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture.

Terminal 2 began operations in 1999. Originally envisioned as a domestic hub, the facility now houses both the international and domestic operations of the country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines.

PH NURSES JOB-HUNTING IN U.S. INCREASES BY 23% A TOTAL of 7,791 Filipino nurses hoping to practice their profession in America took the US licensure examination for the first time in 2017, ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto ‘John’ Bertiz said on Saturday.

The figure is up 23 percent versus the 6,322 Philippine-educated nurses that took America’s eligibility test, or the NCLEX, for the first time in 2016, according to Bertiz.

Citing newly released statistics from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., Bertiz said a total of 1,305 Indians, 820 Puerto Ricans, 749 South Koreans and 586 Jamaicans also took the NCLEX for the first time in 2017.

Bertiz said Nigerians and Cubans also compete with Filipinos in the US nursing labor market.

“Without question, among foreigneducated nurses, Filipinos remain the

most persistent job hunters in America,” Bertiz said.

“Compared to other countries, many Filipino nurses still prefer the US because, apart from the superior hourly pay, they also find it easier to work and live there, considering our cultural affinity with America,” Bertiz said.

The median pay of registered nurses in America was $70,000 per annum, or $33.65 per hour in 2017, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since 1995, Bertiz said a total of 176,801 Filipino nurses have taken the NCLEX for the first time, without counting repeaters.

The NCLEX refers to the NCSBN’s National Council Licensure Examination, and the number of foreigners taking the eligibility test for the first time is regarded a strong indicator as to how

many of them are trying to obtain gainful employment in America.

Nurses in America work in hospitals, physician’s offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities, while others work in outpatient clinics and schools, or serve in the military, the BLS said.

Overall, the BLS said job opportunities for nurses in America are expected to be good because of employment growth and the need to replace workers who retire over the coming decade.

“However, the supply of new nurses entering the labor market has increased in recent years. This increase has resulted in competition for jobs in some areas of the country. Employers also may prefer candidates who have some related work experience or certification in a specialty area,” the BLS said.

RETIRED ENVOY, HK CONSUL GENERAL CASTAÑO, 77, PASSES AWAY

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday the passing of retired Ambassador Ofelia Barcelona Castaño, remembering her 41 years of foreign service.

In a statement released on Saturday, the DFA said Castaño died on Friday.

She was 77 years old. In her long and remarkable career that spanned 41 years, Castaño is remembered as Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong from 1993 to 1995 and as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Turkey from 1999 to 2005.

She also served as Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Services from 1995 to 1999.

Castaño joined the DFA in 1964 as a clerk at the Office of Consular Affairs.

She passed the Foreign Service Officer

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SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Examinations in 1973 and began her stint as a career officer of the Department as Principal Assistant at OCA. Since then, her Foreign Service career brought Castaño to numerous Home Office and foreign assignments.

At DFA Manila, Castaño served as Executive Director of the Office of Personnel and Administrative Services from 1985 to 1988 and as Special Assistant of the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration from 2005 to 2006.

Outside the country, Castaño served in various capacities at Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Austria from 1977 to 1982, the Netherlands from 1982 to 1985 and Singapore from 1988 to 1993.

The wake of Ambassador Castaño will start on May 19, 2018 at the Dao Room of La Funeraria Paz Sucat in Parañaque City, and will tentatively end on May 21, 2018.

Other details, including the interment, will be announced at a later date.

GARBAGE CREEK. This photo taken on May 12, 2018 shows a garbage-filled creek in Manila. AFP

NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority XI Director Maria Lourdes Lim said that over P3 billion worth of projects will be allocated to Paquibato District, Davao City.

During the Serbisyo Caravan of the Local and National agencies in Sitio Panaca, Barangay Colosas, Paquibato District, Lim laid the plans of the different government agencies to help improve Paquibato District.

“The Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] will pour their efforts to improve the roads of Paquibato while other agencies, including the Department of Agriculture [CA], City Agriculture Office [CAO] will provide for the needs of the farmers,” Lim said.

She said that the government is doing its best to give a better life for the residents of Paquibato especially that it is known to be a conflict area due to the presence of the New People’s Army.

“We are lucky that the City Government of Davao is cooperating well with our project, recently they launched the Peace 911 here aiming to help the community achieve peace and a sustainable livelihood for the residents here,” Lim added.

Mayor Inday Sara Duterte also vowed to continue to extend the services of the city government to Paquibato District through the Peace 911.

“The Peace 911 will be the city’s bridge to the people of Paquibato so that we can attend to their needs,” Mayor Inday said.

She said that the city will look closely to the concerns of the residents of Paquibato to bring development and economy in the area.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino said that they will replicate the serbisyo caravan established by the Association of the Regional Executives of National Agencies XI. Tolentino, who represented President Rodrigo Duterte, lauded the efforts of the ARENA XI to extend the government services to far flung areas.

“This is a good example that we should replicate in the entire country, through this activity, it will be easier for those who lives far from the city to receive the services of the government,” he said.

SALCEDA SEEKS ‘BRGY OFFICIAL ELIGIBILITY’ FOR SK KAGAWADS A LEGISLATIVE measure that seeks to grant Barangay Official Eligibiity, the equivalent of basic professional civil service eligibility, to elected and appointed Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan officials who have served their terms of office as such, has recently been filed in Congress.

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who authored House Bill 7719, said the BOE granted to qualified SK officials shall be “considered appropriate for appointment to first level positions in the career service, except for positions covered by board laws and/or those that require other special eligibilities as determined by the Commission, or those that require licenses.”

Salceda said the measure “espouses the higher purpose of fortifying the participation of the youth in nation building which promotes and protects physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being, and inculcate patriotism, nationalism and other desirable values, and encourages their involvement in public and civic affairs.”

He noted that the age requirement for both Barangay and SK candidates is now virtually the same—18 years old and above for barangay officials and 18 to 24 for Sangguniang Kabataan Kagawads.

The measure amends certain provisions of RA 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, to include SK Kagawads in the BOE program, When enacted into law, the measure shall be known as Sangguniang Kabataan Barangay Official Eligibility Act, said Salceda.

Presently, the BOE is granted only to elected Barangay Chairmen (Captains), regular Sangguniang Barangay Members, Sangguniang Kabataan Chairmen; and Barangay Treasurers and Barangay Secretaries who are appointed by the duly elected Punong Barangay. The BOE grant is strictly based on their having fully completed their mandated terms of office as defined by prevailing law.

The enactment of Republic Act 10742 on Jan. 15, 2016, more known as the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015, has retained the Barangay SK chairman and seven members, who must be aged 18 to 24 on election day.

They are elected at large by the youth residents in the community for a 3-year term.

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Opinion

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

NEVER LIE TO CHILDREN, SAYS JAPANESE ANIMATION MASTER

EDITORIAL

By Fiachra Gibbons CANNES, France—Mamoru Hosoda is one of the greats of Japanese animation, whose films like “The Boy and the Beast” and “The Girl who Leapt Through Time” are seen as modern classics.

But he admits he wasn’t the greatest father in the world to his first child. And his wife told him so.

“When my son was born I was working on ‘The Boy and the Beast’ and I was hardly at home. I relied an awful lot on my wife,” Hosoda told AFP as he premiered his charming new movie “Mirai, My Little Sister” at the Cannes film festival.

“My wife still says that she brought my son up on her own. So she said to me, ‘Are you going to be the same for the second child?’ That really made me think. I wanted to bring up the children, so I changed,” said the director whose films regularly top the box office in Japan and beyond.

The result is “Mirai,” an often hilarious study of overstretched parents and toddler temper tantrums that came out of the time Hosoda tried to work at home after the birth of his daughter.

“A lot of what you see in the film really happened,” Hosoda admitted, “especially after our second child was born. The stuff between the children and the conversations between the couple are very close to our experience.”

Indeed, the antics of the film’s four-year-old hero, Kun, who is sent into a spiral of jealousy by the arrival of his little sister, will ring bells with most parents.

Hapless ‘new man’ As will the strains parenthood can put on couples, the architect father agrees to work from home while the busy executive mother tries to make up for lost time at work.

Failing completely to balance the household chores, the father further irritates his wife by pretending to be the perfect new man in front of their admiring neighbors.

Trying not to fight in front of the children is one thing, but we should not lie to them either, Hosoda believes.

“If in the film you see the parents saying what they really think in some situations, it is because I did not want to lie to children. I wanted them to know what adults think.

Maybe that is why it amuses the grown-ups so much,” he said.

“If you want children to trust you, you should not lie to them. Long ago parents played the role of being the parent. Today that game no longer works, because the family has changed a lot. Japan may seem like a conservative country but the roles within a couple, and what constitutes a family, are changing.”

Hosoda said the family has become the big theme of his work, particularly since his fantastical “The Boy and the Beast” became a worldwide hit.

TOO GOOD AN IDEA

I

T WAS a historic moment, that meeting between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea, on April 27. Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in clasped hands and stepped over the border into the other’s territory. They pledged to hold regular meetings and direct telephone conversations as they work out a deal that would finally bring peace to their countries. All of a sudden there was hope again as people wondered what could be done so that this time would be different from earlier attempts that had failed.

That meeting was supposed to pave the way for another summit, between Kim and United States President Donald Trump. This was something the world awaited, especially since the two leaders have traded insults and threats over the past few months.

Now, however, it is unclear whether the summit will push through at all. Both sides doubt the other’s good faith. Trump continues to portray the summit as his personal success, disregarding the fact that events of the previous years have been leading up to this moment.

Then again, even if the summit did push through, it would not mean peace is finally on hand. Whether or not North Korea will even agree to denuclearize is a testy issue. The help of South Korea will also be indispensable—without it, and with all these questions, a meeting will at best be a photo opportunity.

What will decide the North Korea issue will not be the tough talk and the empty boasts. Heads of state who are obsessed with their public image and who believe that developments are their individual victories will not be in a position to contemplate the long-term impact of any deals they would negotiate. Sadly, both Trump and Kim appear to be interested in boosting their own stock than in the welfare of those they should be speaking for.

The world can always hope.

Peace is more attainable when cool heads prevail and when parties do not try to make the issues about themselves.

Turn to A5

FAREWELL, ED MARANAN THE world of Philippine letters lost some of its brightest luminaries recently when three eminent writers passed away in quick succession— National Artist Cirilo F. Bautista, architect Augusto Villalon, and 35time Palanca Awardee Ed Maranan.

I did not have the honor of knowing the first two, but I did know Ed. I first

met him in September 2015, on the occasion of the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards night of Philippines Graphic magazine. Ed had won first place in the short fiction contest, veteran US and Philippine journalist Beting Laygo Dolor second, and myself third.

Ed was the winningest Palanca Awardee and he garnered many other recognitions as well. I didn’t know the first time I met him, being a comparative newbie to the creative

writers’ community. But he was warm, humble, and friendly, and he and Beting made it a point to reach out to me, something I’d not experienced from other NJLA co-winners in the other years I’d placed.

Ed made sure to add me on Facebook, and from then on shared interesting news about books and travel. He sent books he’d written. He was there at the launch of my book of short stories, “Fictionary,” in April 2016, and his presence was a great

surprise and a huge honor.

In the short time that I knew him, he blessed me and many other folks with his wisdom and friendship. He is very much missed. *** The National Committee on Historical Research Executive Council of the National Commission for Culture and Arts is seeking nominations for the 2017 Young Historian’s Prize.

The award recognizes young scholars on the basis of a single work

in the field of history. Winners will receive a certificate of recognition and P50,000 cash.

Nominees must be aged between 21 and 40 and submit an original work, written in proper academic style and using primary sources “that can contribute to the enrichment of Philippine history and historiography.”

Here are some works that have previously won: in 2014, “The Turn to A5

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Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

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Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

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Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Gulle City Editor Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

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FAREWELL,...

From A4

Pulahan Movement in Leyte, 1902-1907” by George Emmanuel R. Borrinaga, University of San Carlos Cebu; “Sakdal: Kasaysayang Pangkalinangan ng Isang Kilusang Panlipunan, 1930-1938” by Marlon Delupio, De La Salle UniversityManila; and “History of the Filipino History Book” by Vernon Totanes, Ateneo de Manila University; In 2015, “Observatorio de Manila: Institusyong Pang-agham at ang Ambag nito sa Pagsusulong ng Meteorolohiya sa Pilipinas, 18661933” by Kerby C. Alvarez, University of the Philippines Diliman; And in 2016, “Epizootics, Veterinary Science and the Filipinos, 1899-1939” by Arleigh Ross D. Dela Cruz, DLSU-Manila.

For details and requirements, visit ncca.gov.ph. *** The National Book Development Board is giving travel grants to would-be participants of the 70th Frankfurt Book Fair to be held from Oct. 10 to 14 this year in Frankfurt, Germany.

The NBDB is a government agency under the Department of Education tasked with developing, supporting, and promoting the Philippine book publishing industry.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest trade fair of books.

NBDB and many Philippine authors, publishers, and book industry experts have been participating in the yearly fair for quite some time.

NBDB has invited NBDBregistered publishers to participate in the Philippine stand at the fair, where they can display their books and meet with industry professionals from foreign markets.

Being invited to apply for travel grants are NBDB-registered authors, illustrators, independent publishers, and other industry experts to talk at Philippine-hosted events. The deadline for sending in travel grant applications is May 30, 2018. *** Meanwhile, to make existing works written in Filipino or other Philippine languages accessible to the global market, NBDB is offering a Translation Subsidy Program.

Registered publishers may apply for translation of their books into English or other foreign languages.

The deadline for application to the program is June 29, 2018.

For requirements and details, visit nbdb.gov.ph, e-mail bookfairs@ nbdb.gov.ph, or call Ryan or Camille at (02) 929-3887 loc. 801/812.

Dr. Ortuoste is a writer and communication consultant. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

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HOW THE BRITISH EMPIRE TRANSFORMED THE WORLD

From A4

The family is changing “It asked how you become a father. My first child had just been born and it shows someone who does not know how to be a father.

I have made some progress since,” Hosoda laughed. “This film is how to be one...”

“The family has become my subject because it is changing and we don’t know where we are going. That is why I wanted to tell these stories.”

Fatherhood has also changed Hosoda’s approach to storytelling.

“My son never stops asking us to read to him—though it was mostly my wife who does it. When we run out of books from the library we just open our hands as if they were a book and make up a story.

“We call it the ‘Books of the Hands’.

And it’s been good and fun for me to have to improvise like this.”

Just as in “The Boy and The Beast,” Hosoda uses fantasy sequences and time travel in “Mirai” to flit the little boy up and down his family tree to his own parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods.

“I wanted to tell a big story from a little one,” he told AFP, recounting the recent history of Japan through the shared experiences of one family.

“It’s the big cycle of life. Spending time with my children made me remember my own childhood. It is almost as if I am reliving it,” he said.

AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018

YESTERDAY, British time, viewers across the world of every race and religion tuned in to marvel at the pomp and pageantry of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with the queen, the rest of the royal family, and top celebrities providing a high-profile backdrop.

Beyond the glitz and glamour of royal weddings, the world’s fascination with them is actually rooted in the legacy of British Empire.

Over the last 400 years, the British Empire has done the most to spread the ideals of limited government, an independent judiciary, certain inalienable rights, and free markets.

It was Britain that gave these ideals to the United States, which, in turn, gave these to the Philippines. It was the British Empire, the largest empire the world has ever known, which made these ideals global aspirations.

It was the British Empire, along with America, that defended these ideals in two colossal world wars.

Freedom was an Englishman’s right—and wherever he went, he took that right with him. Whether he was an English colonist in America, governing himself through a locally-elected assembly; or an English adventurer, like Sir Stamford Raffles, creating the free-market city-state of Singapore; or an English officer, like T.E. Lawrence, leading Arab tribesmen against the Turks, the British always thought of themselves as liberators, as bringers of freedom.

The British believed the final and necessary justification of their empire was a moral one.

The British kept the peace; they brought sound, honest administration; and they insisted that basic moral standards were honored.

The British did not try to nation-build in the way we think of it now. They were under no illusions about making Arabs or Afghans or Zulus into Englishmen. They were more than content to leave people alone, to let them be themselves, to govern them with the lightest possible hand.

In history, we remember this when we think of the British Empire’s so-called “benign neglect.” We can see it throughout the history of the British Empire. Think about the vast territory of the Sudan—it was governed by 140 British civil-servants. Even Mahatma Gandhi praised the British Empire, paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson, saying that he believed that the best government was the government that governed least, and that he found that the British Empire guaranteed his freedom and governed him least of all.In the defense of freedom, the empire drew moral lines. No power did more to abolish slavery and the slave trade in the modern world than did the British Empire. The British treasury spent enormous sums to liberate slaves and compensate slave-owners in the Caribbean.

The Royal Navy had, as a primary duty, the eradication of the slave-trade—and, in fact, abolishing the slave trade become a major factor driving the expansion of the British Empire.

The British enforced a Pax Britannica, putting down pirates, taming headhunters, and keeping the peace between previously warring tribes and religions. While respecting – and often ruling through—local leaders, the British still insisted on certain Judeo-Christian moral standards. They were not, in that respect, multiculturalists. They had a firm sense of right and wrong. When Sir Charles Napier was confronted by the practice of suttee—widowburning—in India, he told the Brahmin priests

involved that he understood it was their custom. But the British had a custom, too: They hanged men who burned women alive, and their goods were confiscated. So, if the Brahmins insisted on continuing their tradition of widow-burning, then he would insist on following his British tradition of hanging the murderers of widows. Widow-burning in India soon ceased.

But we don’t have to dig far into history, into the abolition of slavery and widow-burning, to find the British Empire on the side of moral right and freedom. We can think of events within our own lifetimes or those of our parents and grandparents. When we think of the two deadliest threats to freedom in the twentieth century, we generally think of Communism and Nazism. But how many remember that in 1940, after the Hitler-Stalin pact, and after the fall of France, one power, the British Empire, stood alone in mortal combat against the combined tyrannies of the world.

Even where the British have merited criticism, as in Ireland, there is more to the imperial story.

During negotiations to create the Irish Republic, for instance, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who could speak Welsh, reminded the Irish nationalist and Gaelic extremist Eamon de Valera that the Celts never had a word for “republic.” It was an idea given to them by the English.

This is our own history, too. If you love the Philippines, you should also love the power that gave us our sense of inalienable human rights—rights traceable back to Magna Carta.

It all started with the British Empire, a great, liberty-loving empire, which gave it to America, and, in turn, gave it to us. It is the empire’s legacy—the English-speaking world—that remains the great global guardian of freedom today.

LURID TALE OF BRIBERY AND MURDER LOOMS ANEW FOR MALAYSIA’S NAJIB

By Dan Martin KUALA LUMPUR—Ousted Malaysian premier Najib Razak is already in hot water over allegations he looted state funds, but his legal woes could worsen as calls grow for a fresh look at an even darker past scandal involving the grisly slaying of a young model.

The lurid earlier affair centered on allegations that Malaysian officials took huge kickbacks in the 2002 purchase of Scorpene submarines from France when Najib was defense minister.

The sensational saga transfixed Malaysia for years until the authoritarian former regime used its leverage to eventually bury it, though whispers persist that Najib, 64, and his wife Rosmah Mansor were deeply involved.

But Najib was trounced in a stunning May 9 election and Malaysia’s new government has vowed to investigate not only current allegations that Najib stole billions from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, but also lift the lid on other unresolved scandals under the graft-plagued former government.

“We are very encouraged by the quick moves so far on [1MDB] and that the government is taking previous corruption seriously,” said Cynthia Gabriel, who heads the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), a Malaysian NGO. “In this regard, scandals like Scorpene cannot be ignored. Pressure is building and its going to get more interesting.”

Najib’s immediate concern is allegations that he, his family, and cronies pillaged billions from 1MDB. He is barred from leaving Malaysia and police have seized large amounts of cash, jewels and luxury items from his home and other sites.

Alleged cover-up But 1MDB pales in many ways to the Scorpene affair, which has sex, submarines, assassins on the run, and an unfortunate Mongolian model and translator.

It centers on allegations that French submarine maker DCNS paid “commissions” of more than 114 million euros ($134 million) to a shell company linked to Abdul Razak Baginda, a close Najib associate who brokered the $1.1-billion submarine deal.

Najib’s opponents said the payments were kickbacks.

Abdul Razak’s Mongolian mistress Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was said to have demanded a payoff for working as a translator in negotiations, was shot dead, her body blown up with militarygrade plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

Allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the killing—carried out by two

government bodyguards—were steadfastly denied by Najib. He also was forced to publicly deny having had an affair with Altantuya.

The case sank off the radar after a Malaysian court in 2008 cleared Abdul Razak of abetting the murder, sparking allegations of a huge coverup to protect Najib, promoted to deputy prime minister by then.

But a key figure now looms as a potential gamechanger.

Sirul Azhar Umar was convicted along with another police bodyguard in the killing, but he has said they were patsies for “important people” who ordered the murder, and has previously threatened to tell all.

Before he could be jailed, Sirul somehow managed to flee in 2015 to Australia, where he is believed to be in custody.

Calls for new trial Leading Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim, released from jail last week in the wake of the election and who is expected to eventually become prime minister, told AFP on Thursday that Sirul and his accomplice Azilah Hadri should be granted fresh trials.

“At that time, the judiciary was compromised,” Anwar, 70, said in an interview.

“I don’t know to what extent Najib was involved or not, but he’s certainly implicated in some way,” he added.

He noted that all traces of Altantuya entering Malaysia before her murder were eliminated, saying that “had to be a higher-up decision.”

Also looming is a slow-moving effort in French courts that could reveal more.

French judicial sources last year told AFP that investigators there had indicted two former top French executives linked to the Scorpene deal, as well as Abdul Razak.

Following Malaysia’s election, C4 publicly called for an immediate investigation of Najib and others over the submarines and Altantuya’s murder, calling the affair “one of the [previous] government’s greatest robberies.”

Gabriel admits that the sheer backlog of scandals under the former government, including dodgy land deals, looting of timber resources, and numerous suspicious deaths of government critics while in police custody, could delay justice for Altantuya.

Powerful vested interests also remain, including former establishment figures now aligned with the new government.

“It might be tricky. But if they truly are now behind the rule of law, no stone should be unturned,” she said.

Dredging up the truth in the Scorpene case can be risky.

In 2008, a private investigator deeply involved in the affair, P. Balasubramaniam, implicated several government officials, including Najib, in the murder. He quickly recanted, later saying he had been threatened, and fled to India.

He returned in 2013 vowing to tell all in the scandal, just as Najib was facing crucial elections, but died two weeks later. Authorities blamed a sudden heart attack. AFP

World

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8 DEAD, 45 WOUNDED IN ATTACK ON AFGHAN CRICKET STADIUM JALALABAD, Afghanistan— Eight people were killed and 45 wounded in a series of explosions targeting a cricket match in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, officials said Saturday, the first attack since the holy month of Ramadan began.

The blasts exploded among spectators crowded into the stadium at around 11pm (1830 GMT) on Friday evening as they watched the local “Ramadan Cup”, the provincial governor’s office said.

No group has yet claimed the murders but the Taliban said they were not responsible in a WhatsApp message.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, on the border with Pakistan, has a Taliban presence and is also a stronghold of the Islamic State group.

In September 2017 IS claimed a suicide bombing on a cricket

match in Kabul which left three dead and five injured.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack in Jalalabad.

“The terrorists did not stop killing our people even during the holy month of Ramadan ... by carrying out a terrorist attack in a populated sport stadium, once again they have proved that they are not bound to any creed or religion, and they are the enemy of humanity,” a statement from his office said.

Cricket in Afghanistan struggled under the hardline Islamist Taliban regime in the late 1990s, which viewed sports as a distraction from religious duties.

But its popularity has surged in the years since the US invasion, a dizzying rise which saw Afghanistan become part of the elite group of Test nations last year. AFP

YONHAP: NOKOR MILITARY OFFICER DEFECTS TO SOKOR SEOUL —A North Korean military officer, accompanied by a civilian, defected to the South across the Yellow Sea on Saturday, a South Korean news report said, citing a government source.

“A small boat was spotted in waters off the north of Baengnyeong Island” near the inter-Korean border, the source told Yonhap news agency, adding that the officer, who holds the rank of major, and a civilian were aboard the vessel.

“They expressed willingness to defect,” he said.

A Korea Coast Guard official said relevant authorities were investigating the case, declining to give details.

The defection was the 14th involving a North Korean soldier since 2000.

The last defection by a North Korean military officer took place in 2008, YTN TV said.

It is the first defection by any North Korean since a historic summit between the two Koreas which saw their leaders agree to pursue the denuclearization of the peninsula and a permanent peace.

In November last year, a North Korean soldier drove to the heavily-guarded border at speed and ran across under a hail of bullets from his own side.

He was hit multiple times in the dramatic defection at Panmunjom truce village.

In 2012 a North Korean soldier walked unchecked through rows of electrified fencing and surveillance cameras, prompting Seoul to sack three field commanders for a security lapse.

In June last year, two of four crew members on a North Korean fishing boat which drifted to the South refused to return home and they were allowed resettle in the South.

A month later, five North Koreans in another small boat crossed the sea border into South Korean waters and expressed their wish to live in the South.

More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have fled their homeland, but it is very rare for them to cross the closely guarded inter-Korean border, which is fortified with minefields and barbed wire. AFP

H

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

CUBA PLANE CRASH LEAVES 107 DEAD

AVANA—Cuba begins two days of national mourning Saturday for victims of the crash of a state airways plane that killed all but three of its 110 passengers and crew.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said an investigation was under way into Friday’s crash of the nearly 40-year-old Boeing 737, leased to the national carrier Cubana de Aviacion by a Mexican company.

Three women pulled alive from the mangled wreckage are the only known survivors.

The Boeing crashed shortly after taking off from Jose Marti airport, coming down in a field near the airport and sending a thick column of acrid smoke into the air.

The mourning period is to last from 6 a.m. (1000 GMT) Saturday to midnight on Sunday, the Communist Party leader and former president Raul Castro said. Flags are to be flown at half-mast throughout the country.

The plane was on an internal flight from Havana to the eastern city of Holguin.

Most of the passengers were Cuban, with five foreigners, including two Argentines, among them.

The plane—carrying 104 passengers—was almost completely destroyed in the crash and subsequent fire. Firefighters raced to the scene put out the blaze along with a fleet of ambulances to assist any survivors.

What appeared to be one of the wings of the plane was wedged among scorched tree trunks, but the main fuselage was almost entirely destroyed.

Built in 1979, the plane was leased from a small Mexican company, Global Air, also known as Aerolineas

Damoj.

Mexico said it was sending two civil aviation specialists to help in the investigation.

The six crew members were Mexican nationals.

A press conference is scheduled for 1900 GMT. The 58-year-old Diaz-Canel, who succeeded Castro as the communist island’s leader only last month, appeared aghast as he surveyed the recovery efforts, wearing a short-sleeved green shirt and surrounded by officials.

Castro sent condolences to families of the victims of the “catastrophic accident,” a statement read, as Russian President Vladimir Putin and a string of Latin American leaders also expressed sympathy.

The plane took off from Havana at 12:08 p.m. (1608 GMT) Friday heading for Holguin, 670 kilometers (415 miles) to the east.

From the supermarket where he works near the airport, Jose Luis, 49, said he could see the plane tak-

ing off before it banked and plunged to the ground.

“I saw it taking off. All of a sudden, it made a turn, and went down. We were all amazed,” he said.

Yasniel Diaz, a 21-year-old musician, said the pilot appeared to attempt an emergency landing, but crashed instead.

“The explosion shook everything,” he said. “I started running, I was so afraid.”

Images from Cuban television showed rescue workers at the scene removing what appeared to be a survivor on a stretcher as rain began to fall.

Global Air said the plane was flying with a crew of six Mexicans—the pilot, copilot, three flight attendants and a maintenance technician.

In Mexico City, anguished relatives and colleagues of the crew gathered outside the company’s offices demanding information— some of them hugging and crying. AFP

BEFORE DRIVING BAN LIFT, SAUDIS DETAIN WOMEN’S BACKERS DUBAI—Saudi authorities have arrested seven prominent women’s rights advocates, just weeks before the kingdom’s longstanding driving ban on women is set to be lifted, Human Rights Watch said Saturday.

Without identifying those detained, Saudi Arabia’s state security apparatus said seven people had been arrested for “attempting to undermine the security and stability of the kingdom... and to erode national unity”.

“Work is still underway to identify everyone involved” and take legal measures against them, a security spokesman said in a statement published Saturday by state news agency SPA. Those arrested are facing accusations including making “suspicious contact with foreign parties”, providing financial support to “hostile elements abroad” and recruiting government workers.

The crackdown comes even as the kingdom breaks with longheld restrictions on women, with Manila

Standard

TODAY

the driving ban slated to end June 24.

But there were warnings that Riyadh would not tolerate those pushing for change outside its authority.

Activists told HRW that in September 2017, “the royal court had called the country’s prominent activists... and warned them not to speak to the media.”

“The calls were made the same day the authorities announced that they would lift the driving ban on women,” the watchdog said.

The detainees rounded up since May 15 include Loujain al-Hathloul, Aziza al-Yousef and Eman al-Nafjan, women who have long opposed the driving ban and who continue to oppose the kingdom’s enduring guardianship laws.

Saudi Arabia’s guardianship system requires women to obtain permission from their fathers, brothers, husbands or even sons for a host of life decisions. AFP

Republic of the Philippines Province of Laguna CITY GOVERNMENT OF CALAMBA Office of the City Mayor Market Management Division

SAVING A LIFE. This handout picture released by Cuban News Agency (ACN) shows doctors attending a survivor of a plane crash, at a hospital in Havana, after a Cubana de Aviacion aircraft crashed after taking off from the Jose Marti international airport on Friday. A Boeing 737 operated by Cuban state airways with 113 people on board crashed shortly after taking off from Havana, leaving a wreck of smoldering fuselage, as the country’s president warned many people were feared dead. AFP

STUDENTS REEL FROM LATEST TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING SANTA FE, Texas—Evan San Miguel, a freshman at Santa Fe High School, said he was in his art class early Friday when a fellow student burst in and yelled “Surprise!”

Then the shooting started.

“It was terrifying, terrifying,” Evan recalled hours later. “I didn’t even know if I was going to make it home or not.”

The 15-year-old was among hundreds of students, distraught parents, residents, grief counsellors, and politicians who gathered for a sunset vigil in this tight-knit rural community near Houston that became the scene of the latest US school massacre.

Just hours after a teen gunman killed 10 people, mostly fellow classmates, and wounded 10 others, they came together near the school to light candles, pray for strength, weep for their fallen friends, and recall the morning’s horror.

Evan and friends were startled when a fellow student, identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, burst into the class, then they recoiled at the carnage that unfolded.

“When he opened the door to shoot Kyle, he was like ‘Surprise!’ and then he shot him in the chest area,” said Evan, who described how a bullet grazed his left shoulder. His knee, cut by broken glass,

was also bandaged.

Having experienced a school When the shooter left their lockdown just three months classroom, Evan and other sur- earlier, she said she wasted no vivors barricaded the door and time running across the street to waited for police, who eventu- a nearby gas station. ally helped them evacuate to “I still don’t feel safe,” the safety.

16-year-old told AFP after the Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old 11th vigil, acknowledging she was grader at the school, is being likely in shock from the tragedy. held on capital murder charges.

“I feel like this will really rock At the vigil, Texas Governor the community, and it’ll be hard Greg Abbott and US Senator Ted to ever go back to any type of Cruz hugged grieving family normal again.” members, comfort dogs sat with Sobnosky said she did not students, and ministers offered know the shooter, but had seen prayers. him around school.

“He seemed CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Sophomore Bailee Sobnosky like a nice kid,” she said, although was at the back of the school she believed he did not have when she heard the gunshots. many friends. AFP

Mercado de Calamba, Pabalan St., Barangay 5, Calamba City

NOTICE This is to inform the public that in exercise of the powers given under Ordinance No. 10-480, s. 2010, specifically, Chapter IV - A, Article A, The Market Awards Committee of the New Pamilihang Panglungsod ng Calamba (Mercado De Calamba) shall award Lease Certificates to all previously recognized and validated stall holders as February 8, 2013.

The awarding of Certificates of Leasehold Rights will be held at the 2nd Floor, Building 5, Mercado De Calamba, Brgy. 5, Calamba City, Laguna on May 28, 2018 at 10:00am. The stallholders or their duly authorized representatives must present themselves on the date and place above given.

Failure of the stall holders or their duly authorized representatives to appear will be considered as waiver of their rights in favor of the City Government of Calamba.

OLIVE B. NATIVIDAD Market Supervisor III Mercado De Calamba (MS-MAY 6,13 & 20, 2018)

NOT AGAIN. Lucretia Martinez, 7, stands before various mementos people have left during a candlelight vigil in Santa Fe, Texas for the victims of the mass shooting on Friday. The gunman, arrested on murder charges, was identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old junior at Santa Fe High School.

He is being held on capital murder charges, meaning he could face the death penalty. AFP

Sports

A7

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

F

ORMER ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang returned to his winning ways with a dominant unanimous decision victory against previouslyunbeaten Russian dynamo Kharun “The Predator” Atlangeriev last Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Folayang kept the Russian at bay with his cobra quick hands and powerful side kicks to the body. Folayang landed the more telling blows and stuffed every takedown attempt to grab the unanimous decision victory.

Mindful of his shock defeat when he lost his world title to Martin Nguyen last November 2017 Folayang was cautious and stayed away from his trademark spinning wheel kicks.

Nguyen exploited his familiarity with Folayang’s style and knocked out the then champion with a right hand straight to the jaw after Folayang spun around attempting a dangerous spinning wheel kick.

Folayang was more conservative this time around and was content to deliver sidekicks to great effect to grab the easy victory by decision.

In the main event of ONE: Unstoppable Dream, Angela “Unstoppable” Lee of Singapore continued her reign as the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion by notching a unanimous decision victory over Japan’s Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi.

Lee and Yamaguchi traded heavy blows and showcased high-level, tactical grappling skills all throughout the bout to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd.

Yamaguchi started out very strong in the early going, but Lee came close with several near-submissions.

Throughout five grueling rounds, Lee dug deep to show the heart of a champion, doing just enough to earn the unanimous decision win.

In the another championship fight Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia successfully defended the ONE Featherweight World Championship title, defeating Singaporean rival Christian “The Warrior” Lee by way of closely-contested split decision.

Neither fighter gave any quarter for five whole rounds in the championship clash. Although Nguyen would have his moments on his feet

Filipino Eduard ‘Landslide’ Folayang unloads a darting right hand against previously-unbeaten Russian Kharun ‘The Predator’ Atlangeriev. Folayang relied on his superior striking skills to post a unanimous decision victory. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

FOLAYANG RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS

in the first two rounds, most of the action took place on the mat as the two grappled.

Nguyen bombarded Lee with a barrage of solid punches midway in the third round. With lesser activity from Lee, Nguyen continued to press the action up to the final round to emerge victorious on two of the three judges’ scorecards, earning him the split decision win.

In the co-main event of the evening, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao of Thailand exhibited his stellar and fearsome form against Dutch kickboxer Sergio Wielzen to become the firstever ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight World Champion.

Sam-A hammered hard elbows to score a knockdown in the fourth round. Wielzen failed to beat the count of ten, compelling the referee to declare Sam-A the winner via knockout.

Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex of Thailand aced his maiden ONE Super Series assignment with flying colors, toppling

ONE Strawweight Women’s World Champion Angela Lee (left) blocks the punches of challenger Mei Yamaguchi. Lee retained her title with a unanimous decision victory. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen (left) kicks challenger Christian Lee at bay with his kicks to the leg and body. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

ELASTO PAINTERS TRY TO STAY IN FRONT OF PACK UNDERRATED Rain or Shine Elasto Painters try to stay on top of the standings of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup when they battle the GlobalPort Batang Pier 4:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel takes on the Phoenix Petroleum Fuelmasters at 6:45 p.m.

The Elasto Painters (4 wins, 1 loss) have surprised all the experts by grabbing the overall lead this conference. Trailing them closely are the Alaska Aces (3-1), the TNT Rain or Shine Elasto Painters guard Gabe Norwood (5) tries to dribble past GlobalPort Batang Pier defender Jonathan Grey (14) while GlobalPort big man Yousef Taha (behind) chases after him.

KaTropa (3-1), the Meralco Bolts (3-1) and the Magnolia Hotshots (2-1).

The other teams include the Globalport Batang Pier (3-2), Columbian Dyip (3-3) and the Phoenix Petroleum Fuelmasters (2-2). Bringing up the rear are Barangay Ginebra (1-2), the NLEX Road Warriors (14), San Miguel Beer (0-2) and the Blackwater Elite (0-5).

The Elasto Painters have vaulted to the top of the standings thanks to the inspired play of their local players led by Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu,

Dutch-Congolese powerhouse Chris Ngimbi in their three-round kickboxing catchweight collision.

Japanese martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki made quick work of Rasul Yakhyaev, submitting the grizzled Russian combatant in the very first round. The former ONE Lightweight World Champion got the job done by compelling Yakhyaev to wave the white flag, courtesy of a wrenching triangle choke submission.

Singaporean lightweight contender Amir Khan placed himself back on the winning track by routing Sung Jong Lee of South Korea via secondround technical knockout victory.

Gabe Norwood and big men Raymond Almazan and Beau Belga.

They also have a fat and overweight import in Reggie Johnson who has skills to make up for his ponderous girth. But don’t underestimate the Elasto Painters because of their import. The last PBA title they won was the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup when they paraded a similarly pudgy import in Pierre Henderson-Niles.

But the big story for Rain or Shine is its locals. Almazan stepped up for the Elasto Painters when they beat the defending champion San Miguel Beer in overtime, 123-119, last Sunday.

Rested the entire fourth quarter, Almazan scored eight of his 25 points in extra period as Rain or Shine humbled the SMB super team which included four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, former MVP Arwind Santos and PBA number 1 draft pick Christian Standhardinger.

Almazan had a productive game with a double-double including 14 rebounds that went with his 8-of-12 field shooting and 9-of-16 free throws.

And Johnson, Tiu, Ahanmisi and Norwood had their moments as they bounced back from their loss to Columbian Dyip to wrest the solo league leadership with a 4-1 win-loss mark.

The Beermen suffered a second loss in the tourney even with the addition of Standhardinger who finished with 17 markers and 15 boards. SMB earlier lost to Meralco.

Rain or Shine lost an early 12-point lead and had to rally from an 18-point deficit in fashioning out the victory.

Making his ONE Super Series debut, celebrated Muay Thai legend Singtongnoi Por Telakun authored a spectacular performance to the delight of the crowd, outclassing WBC Muay Thai Super Bantamweight World Champion Joseph Lasiri.

Xie Chao of China showcased incredible grit and toughness as he overcame a furious start from Cambodia’s Meas Meul, winning by technical knockout in the third round.

China’s Xie Bin spoiled the ONE Championship debut of Huang Shi Hao, thwarting the Singaporean newcomer by way of second-round technical knockout.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova celebrates after winning the quarter final match against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko at Rome’s WTA Tennis Open tournament. AFP

SHARAPOVA SUPPORTS SEEDING FOR SERENA ROME, Italy—Maria Sharapova says she supports a Grand Slam seeding for longtime rival Serena Williams as the American tries to rebuild her career after giving birth nine months ago.

The Russian, who reached the semifinals of the Italian Open on Friday with a 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 7-5 defeat of reigning Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko, showed a noticeably softer attitude towards the 36-year-old Williams with whom she has often endured a bitter, public rivalry.

Wimbledon officials are currently debating whether or not to award a wild card to the former world number one American who has won the grass court major seven times but is currently ranked 454th after playing only four tour matches since winning the Australian Open in 2017.

“It’s a tough call, I would like to see that change,” Sharapova, 31, said. “I think that would be nice.”

The five-time Grand Slam winner said it took “such an incredible effort” for Williams to return to the court after pregnancy.

“For a woman to come back on tour, having a child (is great).

“It’s just another whole dimension to the travel, to the experiences, to the emotions, to the physicality of every single day.”

The Russian added: “Tennis is such a selfish sport. But I think when there’s a child in your life, you lose a little bit of that because there’s something that’s so much more important.”

Williams stands an overwhelming 19-2 in her head-tohead series against Sharapova with the Russian’s only two victories coming in 2004. AFP

PNP, AFP CLASH IN UNTV TILT Games Today

(Pasig City Sports Center) 2 p.m. - GSIS vs Senate 3:30 p.m, - Ombudsman vs PNP 5 p.m. - Judiciary vs AFP

ANOTHER action-filled battle on the hard court is in the offing as the PNP Responders face off with the Ombudsman Graft Busters today (Sunday) at 3:30 p.m. in the UNTV Cup Off Season Executive Face-Off at the Pasig City Sports Center) Both teams displayed their high-octane offense in their respective first games, with the PNP Responders routing reigning champion AFP Cavaliers, 90-62, and the Graft Busters clipping Malacañang-PSC Kamao, 76-57.

The Graft Busters vowed to step up their offense even more with the high endurance levels of play by their police generals and colonels, headed by PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde himself.

“I just tell the guys to continue to improve, especially ‘yung stamina namin kasi nga next game namin, PNP. Sa nakita ko, sila ang pinakamalakas talaga. So every game, maasahan niyo kami na if there’s the opportunity, takbo lang kami ng takbo,” said Graft Busters’ coach Ricky Alcatara.

The PNP Responders’ main man Albayalde said: “Kami ay nag-practice, pinaghandaan namin ito.

Hopefully, manalo kami this year. But then again of course, winning the game is only second to the love of game itself. Ang importante dito ay makapaglaro tayo ng mabuti and everyone will enjoy the game.”

PNP Chief PDG Oscar Albayalde in action during the game between PNP Responders and AFP Cavaliers at the Pasig City Sports Center

A8

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor

Sports

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO PLAY BASKETBALL

By Peter Atencio

W

HEN the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training Center’s summer clinics started last month, organizers were delighted to find one participant different from the rest.

Nope, he wasn’t the kid who was tallest, or the bulkiest or even the smallest. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t a kid at all.

Johnny Roa, a 56-year-old seaman, still found the time to learn how to play basketball the right way.

While waiting for a call to board his next ship, Roa did the “unthinkable” and signed up at the BEST Center clinics at Xavier School in San Juan.

“Dati ko pang plano na maghanap at mag-clinic sa basketball,” said Johnny as he enjoyed an afternoon of drills and scrimmages with his son Carlos and nephew Kimchu, both students of La Salle Greenhills.

Roa has 30 years of experience as a seaman manning cargo vessels going to Europe.

Three years ago, he became a captain of a cargo vessel.

Since then, he found the need to stay in shape in order for him to be able to keep up with the younger generation of seafarers.

“Happy ako dahil habang bakasyon, may ginagawa ako,” added Roa, who played while his wife Liberty watched on the sidelines.

Roa is set to board his vessel again for another tour of duty soon.

His best friend Edwin Pena even came and watched. Both are buddies, who play streetball in their

Johnny Roa mixing it up with the young ones at the Best Center.

neighborhood in Mandaluyong.

He had the privilege being under the wings of retired Jose Rizal University coach Boy de Vera, who gamely let him join drills that were meant to be for kids, mostly in their teens.

“Normally, mga bata ang tinuturuan

namin. They love basketball kasi,”said De Vera. “Kakaiba ito. But I think, he’s up to the task of running with the young ones.”

The basketball clinics started last month, one is set Malate Catholic School and another in Alabang, Muntinlupa.

BEST Center founder and president Nic Jorge and his wife Marl e n e were among those w h o quietly watched as Roa went on with the Level 1 drills, which are meant for beginners.

Throughout the next three months, listups for the basketball clinics, sponsored by Milo, are available for Levels 2, 3 and 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. in different venues.

Four more provincial venues will be opened this summer, while new sessions are set at the Ateneo covered courts starting June 4.

The Ateneo clinics will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. They will be held on June 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 and 19.

The provincial schedules begin May 21 to 26 in various venues such as Tagaytay City; Valencia, Bukidnon; Laoag, Ilocos Norte; and Balagtas, Bulacan.

The Best Center is a recipient of the Olympism Award from the Philippine Olympic Committee and is a Hall of Fame awardee by the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

“We have been the leading basketball training platform for kids, and in this case, not-so-young ones, for the past 40 years. For us to have lasted this long, then we must be doing something right,” said Jorge.

ALCERA DREAMING BIG DREAMS SAN Beda University junior coach Manu Inigo was given a tough task to form a champion caliber team to represent the country in a prestigious school-based, under-14 basketball competition that drew 16 nations in the Asia and Pacific region.

At that time, San Beda University was entered in four age categories in the Manila Brotherhood Basketball League, where coach Inigo handled the U-17 and U-14 SBU teams.

Speed, accuracy, determination, ceiling and patriotism were the primary characteristics he looked for in order to form a powerhouse cage team in an international arena.

These characteristics were shown by his San Beda University-Taytay Under 14 team, which reigned supreme in the MBBL of Erick Kirong. The team was composed of promising kids, slasher Prince Alao, playmaker Lanze Ronquillo, power forward Nathan Manarang, shooter Jomel Yap and young bigman

Marion Glenn Alcera, among others.

With the core of this U-14 team and the help of Coach Inigo’s deputies VL Sandalo and Andy Memos, he was able to form Team Pilipinas SBU for the 2018 Pacific Rim NCAA Basketball Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. That team was completed with the selection of towering Alcera to man the paint The young Alcera, whose father Glenn was a varsitarian in Samar Province during his prime, took the rare opportunity to play for the country by heart and the result was an amazing performance that proved to be one of the keys in the team’s successful title run.

Alcera, who will be a sophomore next year, gave his best during the training up to the actual competitions in Bangkok, Thailand and played well beyond what was expected of him. Team Pilipinas faced tough opposition in their division from the elimination round en route to finals against home team team

Thailand Chulalongkorn University.

Unfazed by the physical game of the Thai big men and the hostile crowd, Alcera ably faced the challenge defensively and offensively by shooting elegantly at the perimeter, even as tournament MVP Alao, Ronquillo, Manarang,Yap and other Team Pilipinas’ role players did the rest in outplaying the Thais, 50-40, for the crown.

“It’s really different playing for the country for the first time. I’m very proud I delivered and gave my share in honor for our country. Masarap po palang maglaro at magtagumpay para sa bansa natin,” said Alcera, who is on track with his dream of playing in the NCAA and UAAP, and eventually the Philippine Basketball Association and even Gilas Pilipinas in the future.

And with the support of his parents, coaches and trainers, the 14-year-old Alcera, who first played for Sienna College in Quezon City, could very well fulfill his dream.

Marion Glenn Alcera

Clyde Mondilla

PH MASTERS HIKES PRIZE FUND TO P3M INSPIRED by the success of its last year’s revival, the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters will now be a P3 million event, easily lining it up as one of the major championships on the Philippine Golf Tour calendar when it is held beginning May 23 at the Villamor Golf Club.

An elite roster boosted by a slew of international players is all geared up for what used to be one of local version’s four majors, which made its long awaited return to its home at VGC last year after the sponsoring ICTSI and host Villamor agreed to finally staged the fabled event after a 17-year wait.

Clyde Mondilla joined the elite circle of Masters winners when he edged local aces Tony Lascuña and Jhonnel Ababa and American Nicolas Paez by one on a six-under 282 aggregate last year, pocketing the top P360,000 purse from the total pot of P2 million.

With another million added up to this year’s prize fund, expect the battle for the top P550,000 prize to be fiercer, to go down to the last shot or putt.

“The increase in prize money only doubles the thrill. Coming off a long break, everybody is hungry, raring to go not only for the bounty but for the prestige and honor of being a Masters champ,” said Lascuña.

The men of the tour last played at Luisita in Tarlac for the PGT Asia last month with Aussie David Gleeson fighting back from four down in the last four holes in regulation then nipping unheralded Erwin Arcillas in a playoff to end a long title spell.

The same finish is expected in next week’s Phl Masters, which continues to build up interest and excitement as the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized event draws near.

“The playing condition will be as tough as usual as Villamor has never been regarded as an easy one,” said VGC general manager Guillermo Molina Jr. “The important thing is to keep the ball in play, always.”

Premium will also be on accuracy, given the tree-lined layout’s tight fairways and the roughs that were grown to at least three inches to make it at par with international standards.

Joining the hunt in the event backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT, are two-time PGT Asia leg winner Ababa, veteran campaigners Jay Bayron, Michael Bibat, Elmer Salvador, Marvin Dumandan, Ferdie Aunzo, Mars Pucay, Joenard Rates, Gerald Rosales, Elmer Saban and many-time Masters champion Robert Pactolerin.

SLALOM CHAMPION RIVERA UNSTOPPABLE

Milo Rivera is shown alongside his green Toyota Starlet after topping the 3rd Leg of the Philippine Autocross Championship Series.

REIGNING four-time National Slalom Champion Milo Rivera of Team Federal Tyres - Tough Gear continued his hot streak of victories this 2018 after dominating the 3rd Leg of the 2018 Philippine Autocross Championship Series in SM Sta. Rosa last May 13.

Rivera clocked in an overall best time of 35.57 seconds, a good 0.53 seconds ahead of teammate and brother Estefano Rivera, who finished second with a time of 36.10.

Living legend Carlos Anton, multiple Autocross title-holder Danby Yaptinchay, and 13-year old sensation Iñigo Anton completed the Top 5.

As a result, the PPC Asia Corp., United Auctioneers Inc., and AutoPerformance PH-Brembo-backed Rivera established solo leadership

in the 2018 Philippine Autocross Championship standings with 29 points. Carlos Anton is currently second with 22, and Yaptichay 3rd with 20 points, with six races to go.

Prior to his recent Autocross win, Milo also emerged victorious the weekend before during the 3rd Leg of the Phoenix Pulse National Slalom Series, where he maintained his perfect form. His victory further stretched his lead in this championship as well and extended his National Slalom Series winning streak to 33 races which has been active since 2015.

“Our car has been in tip top shape all this time and I’m very thankful to our guys for making it so. They have worked day and night to keep the car ahead of the rest and in my opinion, they deserve way more credit than I

do,” said Rivera, who continues to wow the crowd in his trusty old-school Toyota Starlet. “We have a long way to go to achieve our ultimate goal for the year but we’re happy with how things are at the moment. We just have to keep on pushing,” added Rivera, who does not only aim to win a record-breaking 5th straight National Slalom Championship, he is also in the hunt for his first Philippine Autocross Crown on his first year of actual participation.

Rivera will also be seen in action in several races in and out of the country. Among others, his sight is set on the 2018 Philippine Endurance Championship races and the 2018 FIA Asia Pacific Auto Gymkhana Championship, where he aims to win it for a third straight year.

Rivera with PPC Asia Corp. president Ronnie Co after signing a one-year partnership deal with Federal Tyres.

B1

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

CEBU SOCIAL ENTERPRISE UPLIFTS FISHERMEN’S LIVES Senior business intelligence analyst Mary Joy Tagle

RECRUITMENT FIRM BRINGS OFWS HOME

Nestlé S.A. CEO Mark Schneider (second from right) with Fishers and Changemakers Inc. founderS (from left) Jet Ong, Noi Quesada and DhangTecson.

A

SOCIAL enterprise in Cebu called Fishers and Changemakers Inc. which works with fisher folk is the joint winner of Nestlé’s global Creating Shared Value Prize for 2018, along with “Mumm” from Egypt, an online platform and delivery service offering healthy homemade food while empowering women.

Established in 2014, FCI is a social enterprise that teams up with fishing communities to produce and distribute high-quality Balangay’s Best Seafood Products.

The two winning social entrepreneurs have been awarded CHF 150,000 (over P8 million) each for their outstanding work in rural development and nutrition.The prize will enable the winners to help scale up their projects, making them viable business initiatives with a lasting impact on people’s lives.

Some 1,072 entries from 106 countries were received for the 2018 competition, with 56 applicants shortlisted and six finalists selected to pitch their ideas at the 2018 Creating Shared Value Forum in Brazilia, Brazil. The winners were announced during the prize ceremony at the CSV Forum, with Nestlé S.A. chief executive Marck Schneider presenting the prize to the winners.

FCI empowers fishermen to build sustainable seafood businesses through savings clubs, aiming to increase the income of fishing families by enabling them to produce sustainably-sourced goods.

With the help of the NGO Rare, fishermen are trained in sustainable fishing practices. Further, they are trained to process dried seafood. FCI assists in marketing, distributing and selling the packed food to consumer markets.

The enterprise works with 150 fishing families in seven municipalities in Cebu, Occidental Mindoro, Negros Oriental and Surigao del Sur. FCI does not only offer fisher folk a higher price for their catch, thereby improving their economic situation and social conditions; it also encourages them to save through savings clubs.

Furthermore, with the help of NGOs like Rare, the

program facilitates efforts to care for the marine environment.

CSV is defined as harnessing the power of private enterprise to address social challenges with business solutions, a philosophy that drives decision-making at Nestlé and is reflected in the company’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future.

In line with this philosophy, Nestlé S.A. devotes time and effort to find and support entrepreneurs who exemplify CSV through their business ideas and actions. Harnessing these innovations will put new solutions on the table while helping to spread wealth and prosperity. To recognize and promote the work of pioneers in this field, the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Prize was first launched in 2010.

Through the CSV Prize, Nestlé hopes to profile the power of innovation, showing how the right approach to business can deliver commercial success along with greater returns for society as a whole.

In order to deepen engagement with social entrepreneurs, this year, Nestlé teamed up with Ashoka, the world’s leading network of systemschanging social entrepreneurs.

OVERSEAS Filipino workers are known for hard work and dedication across the world—whether they are vworking as skilled laborers or professionals.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that there were around 2.3 million OFWs around the world as of 2017. Many of these Filipinos in the middle or senior management job levels are motivated to pursue careers abroad because of the international corporate culture, better career opportunities and lucrative pay and benefits.

However, given the chance, these modern-day heroes would opt to come home and work in their home country.

This was the case of Mary Joy Tagle who worked as a professional in Singapore for the last seven years. Her husband recently set up a business in the Philippines, which motivated her to return to the Philippines.

Ta g l e co u l d n’t h e l p b u t b e concerned though of the stigma among OFWs that coming back home would mean settling for less.

“One of the top concerns I had upon moving back home was whether I’d be able to earn sufficiently to maintain my current standard of living,” she said.

“Being unaware of the salary trends in the Philippines, I was worried that the salary I would be offered in my new role in Manila would be too low, compared to what I was receiving in Singapore.”

Arlene Magsombol, an accounting and finance specialist in Dubai for 11 years, shared the same sentiments.

Magsombol and her husband decided to start their own family, which was her motivation to start anew.

“I had reservations of coming back—I was afraid of not getting a comparable compensation package to the one I was getting in Dubai,” she said.

While the local government created programs and packages to help repatriated OFWs get settled and start livelihood anew, support to drive local talent back in the Philippines is also being pushed by Robert Walters Philippines.

Turn to B2

ODYSSEY FOUNDATION HELPS MORE THAN 7,700 STUDENTS O DY S S E Y Fo u n d a t i o n I n c. , t h e corporate social responsibility arm of CDO-Foodsphere Inc., has extended assistance to more than 7,700 students nationwide under its Gabay Edukasyon program.

Gabay Edukasyon is one of the five pillars of OFI’s Neels advocacy campaign which refers to nutrition, education, environment, livelihood and service to humanity. Neels represents the commitment of OFI to help uplift the lives of those who are in need.

“Odyssey Foundation believes that education is one of the long-term solutions to alleviate poverty. It is a strong foundation for an individual to have the opportunity to improve and uplift his quality of life and contribute to nation building at the same time,” said Odyssey Foundation president Jerome Ong. The Gabay Edukasyon or Educational Assistance Program aims to help elementary and high students and students with special needs through proper instruction and encouragement.

OFI provides the needed resources to existing institutions to enhance their educational assistance programs and widen their reach.

The program has so far reached out to 19 schools and institutions as beneficiaries, with students of Pinalagad

Elementary School in Valenzuela City as the latest recipients.

“This program also aims to help children with special needs of our community to live engaged, alert and physically active lives as long as possible and they will never be considered as excess baggage, but valued members of our community as long as they live,” Ong said.

OFI said that as of April 13, 2018, Gabay Education has helped 7,700 students across 19 schools and institutions that include Valenzuela City Disaster Risk Reduction Management O ffice; Philippine Advocates of Neighborhood Development Inc.;

Resources for the Blind Inc.; Valenzuela Special Education Center; Department of Education-National Capital Region, Division of City Schools-Valenzuela Central District; Paso de Blas High School in Valenzuela City; Canumay East National High School also in Valenzuela City; Malvar Central School in Batangas; and Bulihan Elementary School also in Batangas.

“The whole staff and the stakeholders of the Valenzuela Special Education Center would like to express our deepest gratitude to CDO-Odyssey Foundation for donating assistive devices and trampoline. Thank you for investing in our organization. Your generous gifts

are of immense help in the intervention and assessment of children with special needs,” said Valenzuela City Sped coordinator Teresita Pangan.

Canumay East National H igh School principal Jaime De Vera Jr. also recognized the assistance extended

by OFI. “On behalf of the teachers, parents and students of Canumay East National High School, I would like to thank the CDO-Odyssey Foundation for providing our students a relevant and timely training on life saving and disaster risk reduction management. Capacitating our personnel and students for emergency response is one of our main concerns in our school and we are glad that CDO is there to help us and make it a reality,” De Vera said.

“We are also glad for the donated emergency kit for every classroom. It

is indeed an overwhelming support to our school. Rest assured that all those learnings will not just end after the training, but rather will be shared and applied in times of calamity and of service,” De Vera said.

Odyssey Foundation started Gabay Edukasyon program in 2012 when it supported the student scholars of Philippine Advocates of Neighborhood Development Inc. with their financial requirements in schools.

Since then, Gabay Edukasyon has become one of the pillars of OFI. Gabay Edukasyon aims to help more students in elementary and high school along with visually impaired students and children-with special-needs through assistive devices, school supplies, disaster preparedness kits, basic emergency response trainings and hygienic kits.

Business

B2

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 business@manilastandard.net

CONSUMER ADVOCATES WELCOME POWER RATE REDUCTION CONSUMER rights advocates welcomed the unexpected reduction in electricity rates announced recently by Manila Electric Co. at a time when rates traditionally skyrocket because of lean supply.

“Consumers will appreciate lower electric bills especially now that we are heavily burdened with rising cost of commodities and fuel,” said Dindo Manhit, president of independent think tank Stratbase ADR Institute.

Meralco announced a reduction in electricity rates amounting to P0.5436 per kilowatt hour for a typical household for the month of May. This is good news and this should be sustained to support the government’s development plans which would need more power plants to ensure stable power supply for increasing demand, Manhit said.

The adjustment is due to the P0.4212 per kWh decrease in generation charge to P5.0523 per kWh from P5.4735 per kWh in April, bringing the overall rate to P10.0041 per kWh, Meralco said in a statement.

This reduced rate translated into a decrease of P109 in the monthly bill of a typical household consuming 200 kWh. CitizenWatch Philippines convenor Hannah Viola said in a statement: “It is laudable that despite the increasing trend of commodities, the price of electricity has gone down, but to ensure that the concerns of the end-users to affordable and reliable power are fully addressed, CitizenWatch Philippines calls for the chain method of cutting down the costs of electricity,” “The challenge for the power industry is to not break this chain. Cooperation among government and private sectors is key to solving this issue,” she said.

To achieve this, streamlining regulatory procedures on the part of government should work hand in hand with the fast-tracking of the Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of pending power plant applications, the group said.

A positive step is the recent issuance of the implementing rules and regulations of Executive Order No. 30, which aims to streamline the regulatory procedures affecting energy projects of national significance. For the industry players, unwarranted increase of should always be tempered and the entry of new plants should be coupled with the maintenance and repair of the old ones, she said.

“While there is sense of solace in the decrease of electricity prices this month, the campaign for the lowering of power costs remains to be a long-term goal which requires continuance and consistency in action,” she said.

RECRUITMENT...

From B1

Rober t Walters Philippines is one of the world’s leading specialist professional recruitment consultancies, leveraging an international network of offices to connect with Filipinos overseas who may be interested to move back home.

Featuring the Balik Bayan outreach program, Robert Walters aims to target OFWs and share market research and insights on the possible careers available for them and assist them in securing a job back right here in the Philippines.

This outreach program provides a dedicated international candidate manager for Filipinos looking to come back home, providing advice on the current work situation in the country, and with opportunities for permanent roles in diverse industries, including accounting and finance; banking and financial services; human resources; information technology; and sales and marketing.

Tagle was thankful for this program that gave her a clear picture of the career opportunities that she can pursue coming back home. “I was highly impressed with the international candidate manager, especially with the way she addressed my concerns and of the vast amount of professionalism and knowledge she displayed with regards to the job market in the Philippines,” she said.

“While the first job offer I got via the Balik Bayan campaign didn’t pan out, the international candidate manager persisted in finding me another role, until two months later when I landed this role that was tailored to my skills, experiences and expectations.”

Tagle is now a senior business intelligence analyst at OLX, a global online marketplace which connects local people to buy, sell or exchange used goods and services.

Magsombol was just as thankful to her Robert Walters international candidate manager, especially since she didn’t have any idea on the salary trends and accounting processes of companies in the country after being away for quite some time.

Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence director and Henry & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin shares ideas on how to earn more out of planting coffee by fully utilizing and monetizing nature’s gift, the whole coffee tree.

ENTREPRENEUR PUSHES SUSTAINABLE COFFEE FARMING A

bout 280 individuals from Benguet’s coffee farming trade and neighboring coffee farming communities attended the recently concluded Kape Kabuhayan Kinabukasan Summit 2018, a conference held

by The Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence and Henry & Sons in partnership with the municipal government of La Trinidad.

FSCE director Emil Cuaresma said the foundation, as well as the platforms and programs under it, serve as avenues to establish shared prosperity among the coffee growers of Benguet.

Held at the Lednicky Hall of La Trinidad Municipal Building, the summit began with words of welcome from municipal agriculturist Felicitas Ticbaen, and featured a segment on Sustainable Coffee Farming by Arabica coffee scientist Prof.

Valentino Macanes of Benguet State University’s College of Agriculture.

Macanes noted the importance of a multisectoral approach where every stakeholder within the coffee value chain should do their part in maintaining the quality production of Arabica coffee—from coffee growers practicing what they learn, to state universities continuing their research and to government and private agencies giving their full support.

FSCE director and Henry & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin shared ideas on how to earn more out of planting coffee by fully utilizing and monetizing nature’s gift—the whole coffee tree.

With a live demo on how his signature beverage is made, one that’s inspired by his recent trip to Gesha Village in Ethiopia, Conlin said he used ingredients sourced from the coffee tree, and served as his entry in this year’s Philippine National Barista Championship.

Ingredients of Conlin’s signature beverage include tea made from dried coffee leaves for

complementing the tea-like finish, parchment syrup made from coffee parchment to enhance the brown sugar sweetness and give it a candy tamarind taste, cascara extract that was steeped overnight to complement the fruity taste and coffee flower oil extracts that add an aroma of Arabian jasmine to the drink.

Conlin, a coffee explorer, innovator and social entrepreneur also gave KKK Summit attendees an idea on how they could make ends meet while waiting for the harvest season.

FSCE director Emil Cuaresma also gave audiences a peek at the foundation’s 2018 calendar filled with programs lined up each month to help reach the goal of a more sustainable coffee farming landscape.

Apart from the launch of FSCE’s Barista Camp, a free barista training for interested coffee farming youth, the month of May will be spent in search of new scholars to be inducted into FSCE’s Coffee for Great Minds educational assistance program sponsored by its newest partner, Baguio-grown pizza parlor Amare La Cucina.

June will mark the second run of vaccination programs in partnership with luxury buffet restaurant Vikings Philippines under the Beans for the Little Ones program for coffee farming kids of a new barangay in La Trinidad.

Post harvesting facilities will then be awarded in July, while water gallons and filtrations will be awarded in September, as part of the Cup to Seed and The Giving Well programs, respectively.

July’s post-harvest facilities were purchased through funds generated from A Cup of Thankful, a campaign started by one of FSCE’s generous partners, 7 Eleven.

November holds the second installment of the summit with the announcement of financial aid recipients of the foundation’s Beans Within Reach pay-to-plant program.

All programs are in line with FSCE’s goal of empowering Benguet coffee growers into making coffee sustainable long into the future and bringing Philippines back into the global coffee spotlight.

FOODPANDA NOW DELIVERS FOOD TO MINDANAO FOODPANDA, the in-demand online food delivery service in the Philippines, has landed in Mindanao. The delivery service’s fleet of pink riders started delivering food from over 40 restaurant partners directly to customers’ doors in Davao City in May 2018.

With the foodpanda app, everyone can order the food from dozens of restaurants. The people of Davao can enjoy the same service and convenience as foodpanda now operates in the city.

“We are very excited to add Davao to the list of cities where we provide our delivery service,” said foodpanda Philippines chief executive Iacopo Rovere.

“Davao is one of the cities with great potential for food delivery, especially with its very colorful and tasty food culture. As always, we intend to give the best experience in the food delivery industry to our customers – we look forward to seeing eager and encouraging feedback from current and potential partner restaurants and customers,” said Rovere.

Founded in May 2012 with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, foodpanda is now operating in more

than 190 cities across five continents and has more than 25,000 partner restaurants onboard worldwide. In the Philippines, foodpanda started its business in 2014 and has been adding thousands of partner restaurants and

quarter of a million active users each year.

As foodpanda continues to gain ground in the Philippines, competition is also getting tougher every month.

However, Rovere said fooodpanda

Philippines would exert all efforts to stay present and on-topic to retain its market share dominance.

“After the city expansion, we’ll expect and continue to maintain our dominance in the market by achieving a 500-percent growth by end of the year and adding more restaurants on board,” he said.

Foodpanda’s delivery service started in Davao on May 16. The foodpanda app powered by the tech giants, Delivery Hero and Rocket Internet, is available on the App Store and Google Play Store for free.

Through the foodpanda website or via the new iOS and Android apps, customers can enter their address and view a curated list of restaurants serving their neighborhood. Once they have found their meal of choice, they can place an order in the comfort of their home or office, paying online or cash on delivery through foodpanda’s secure platform.

The order is then carefully prepared by the restaurant, picked up by the foodpanda rider and delivered straight to their doorstep.

Tech & Gadgets

SAMSUNG GALAXY S9, S9+: GREAT PHOTOS IN LOW LIGHT

S

AMSUNG continues to amaze the world with its latest innovations.

With the Galaxy S9 and S9+ enabling people to reimagine the way they see the world, the newest flagship phone sets the bar high with one of its newest features: the Dual Aperture camera. Allowing its consumers to express themselves with its revolutionary camera, this new feature is a standout from today’s top smartphone trends.

Quality photos in super low light

These days, we take a lot of photos be it a just woke-up selfie, an OOTD, or the food we’re eating. We aim for carefully captured images at the beach during sunsets, or on top of skyscrapers at night. The situation may differ, but the goal is the same - to capture that perfect shot.

However, conditions might not be ideal in every single instance; lighting can be a problem depending on your location and the time you take the photo. When this happens, you resort to editing tools and filters as your last resort.

By having the lowest aperture in the market, the Galaxy S9/S9+ Dual Aperture camera has a solution to this problem. It can capture extraordinary, crisp photos even low light conditions. Its lens adapts like the human eye, adjusting to any kind of available light.

Different lightings, different apertures

Just like an eye’s pupil, the aperture is responsible for capturing and assessing the lighting conditions of what you’re seeing. The Dual Aperture camera of the Galaxy S9 | S9+ comes with two f-stop modes: F/2.4 for bright conditions, and F/1.5 for low light.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ allow you

By having the lowest aperture in the market, the Galaxy S9/S9+ Dual Aperture camera has a solution to this problem. It can capture extraordinary, crisp photos even low light conditions.

Its lens adapts like the human eye, adjusting to any kind of available light.

to use the super low light feature in two modes, full Auto or PRO. The Auto mode is the key for those who don’t want to adjust to the camera settings. This device also has multiframe noise reduction. With this technology, images in low light are quickly captured in 12 successive pictures that are combined into a single shot.

For dark settings, the camera switches to the f/1.5 aperture to absorb as much light as possible giving it better quality. Meanwhile, you can do whatever you want with the camera by simply switching to PRO mode. This setting gives you the freedom to ad-

just the camera’s shutter speed, ISO, Focus, white balance, and exposure, just like using a DSLR. Additionally, the Galaxy S9+ comes with a secondary telephoto lens coming with 2x optical zoom and optical image stabilization (OIS).

The Dual Aperture is installed on the rear camera of the Galaxy S9. (It’s on the rear wide camera of the Galaxy S9+.) So no matter the time of day, whether it’s sunny or dark, you can toggle the aperture to create the desired mood for your photo.

Capture super low light photos using of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ which comes in Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and new color,

Lilac Purple. The newest flagship smartphones are also priced at a suggested retail price of P45,990 and P52,990, at standard 64GB respectively. The Galaxy S9+ is also available at 128GB at P55,990 and 256GB at P60,990.

For more information about the Galaxy S9 and S9+, you may visit http://samsung. com/ph/smar tphones/galax ys9/?cid=ph_03092018_s9flagshippdp_pr_articlelink or Samsung’s Facebook page, facebook.com/ SamsungPH . You may also visit the Samsung Galaxy Studio located at Bonifacio Global City or any Samsung Experience Stores near you.

B3

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

D-LINK LAUNCHES CCTV SOLUTIONS KEEN to expand its distribution channels, particularly for its latest line of CCTV solutions, leading global provider of networking products D-Link International Pte. Ltd. recently entered into a partnership with Nanotec Corporation, one of the leading ICT and security product distributors in the country.

Under the terms of the partnership, D-Link will tap Nanotec’s distribution network to market its line of consumer, small office/home office, and small to medium-sized business products, which includes routers, network switches, range extenders, Ethernet cables, access points, IP security cameras and CCTV security cameras.

“Rising security concerns pose a challenge to consumers, SOHOs and SMBs alike.

The new line of surveillance solutions from D-Link hopes to help users address security issues with convenience and reliability. Through this partnership with Nanotec, we hope to bring our security solutions closer to our target market,” said D-Link President Jacky Chang.

Being a new player in the CCTV industry, D-Link hopes to draw upon Nanotec’s expertise in marketing surveillance products to reach a wider audience. D-Link also hopes to leverage Nanotec’s experience in the CCTV sector to solidify its brand as a provider of complete IT solutions.

Following its motto “Building Networks for People,” D-Link is dedicated to making its products more available and accessible to the Filipino market through various partnerships with local and international distributors. This partnership with Nanotec serves as yet another step toward that goal.

“We are more than excited to be partnering with a leading networking company such as D-Link. With our expertise in the local CCTV market and strong relationship with resellers, retailers and systems integrators, we are confident that we can help grow D-Link’s CCTV business here in the Philippines,” said Nanotec General Manager Eason Cheng.

SM FOUNDATION’S TECH-VOC SCHOLARSHIP LAUDED

SM Foundation’s tech-voc scholars have the option to pursue specialization in the areas of Food and Beverage, Automobile Mechanic, Fitter Machinist, Electro-Mechanical Technician, Refrigeration and Airconditioning, Small Arc Welding and Electromechanics.

SM Foundation bagged the Gold Anvil Award for Public Relations Programs on a Sustained Basis Education from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines recently.

Its Tech-Voc Scholarship Grants for Gainful Employment Program was recognized for providing 1,000 technical-vocational scholarship grants, which was an 800% increase from previous years.

The technical vocational scholarship program of SM Foundation started in 2007.

In 2016, it took in 1,000 scholars with the implementation of the government’s K+12 education program to address an urgent need for the youth who cannot afford college education to acquire employable skills.

With the tech-voc scholarship, the youth are given the option to finish two-year technical-vocational courses in areas with great demand in the market, thus ensuring them better opportunities in life. Today, SM Foundation’s tech-voc scholarship program is benefitting 2,000 scholars.

SM Foundation’s tech-voc scholars have

the option to pursue specialization in the areas of Food and Beverage, Automobile Mechanic, Fitter Machinist, Electro-Mechanical Technician, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, Small Arc Welding and Electromechanics. They enjoy full tuition subsidy, on the job internship, referral to industry partners after course completion and activities to help improve their personalities.

SM Foundation has been partnering with Don Bosco systems since 2007. Today, its partner schools are located throughout the country.

Aside from the Don Bosco systems, SM Foundation has also partnered with Punlaan School in San Juan, Anihan Technical Institute (Calamba), Dualtech Training Center (Laguna), Baguio City School of Arts and Trades, MFI, Monark Foundation Institute (Laguna and Cagayan de Oro) and the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (Davao), School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor and Leadership and Service (Cebu) and the Banilad Center for Professional Development (Cebu), among others.

CEBU SCHOOLS SWEEP TOP AWARDS AT SMART INNOVATION TWO universities from Cebu bested schools from all over the Philippines, garnering top honors at the 14th Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program Innovation and Excellence Awards.

Ten student teams from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao pitched their proposals during the final judging for the SWEEP Awards, a technology competition that aims to provide college students with the platform to create innovative applications that solve consumer pain points. The finalists made their pitch before a live audience, a first in the competition’s 14-year run.

Team Eryl of University of San Carlos won first place or the Huawei Prize for Excellence, with P300,000 cash, for their online tutorial system. Eryl is a mobile platform that will enable students to join online classes or organize one. It will let them select from a teacher pool and negotiate for a schedule and fee.

Taking second place or the Ericsson Prize for Innovation, with P200,000 cash, was Team Sportify of University

of San Jose Recoletos. Their web and mobile application will link sports enthusiasts with each other so they can schedule games.

For their mental healthcare app, Team Salvar earned third place or the Wuhan Fiberhome Prize for Transformation, with P100,000 cash. Salvar is an app that will allow users to book appointments with mental healthcare professionals. Therapy sessions can also be done via video chat.

Schools of the top three teams will also receive a digital campus package from Smart Communications and parent company PLDT. It was a close fight, said PLDT-Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering Mar Tamayo, who was one of the judges during the final pitch. Eryl was chosen, he said, because it tackled an important issue.

“Eryl deals with education and learning, which is what SWEEP is about.

But as I said, it’s difficult to judge. The scores were tight, and the entries sub-

mitted this year were of high quality and had great potential,” said Tamayo.

Cebu is a fertile ground for innovation, according to Eryl’s project lead Cris Lawrence Militante.

“The tech community there is continuously growing,” he said. “All three winners are from Cebu. We have the talent and we cultivate it by joining competitions like SWEEP,” added Patrick Wilbur Aldueso, the team’s faculty mentor.

The remaining finalists took home P50,000 cash for their innovations: Croom of Adamson University; Hana Bot of Ateneo de Manila University; Ayuda of Ateneo de Zamboanga University; Saco of Aurora State College of Technology; iDisciple of Davao Central College; BuhayKomyuter of Gordon College; and Cacao Monitoring System of University of San Carlos.

For more information on SWEEP and the SWEEP Awards, please visit facebook.com/sweepschools and smartsweep.ph.

Jeremiah Valero Jr. (on stage) of Team Salvar presents their mental healthcare app before the judges and the audience.

D-Link President Jacky Chang (Left) and Nanotec General Manager Eason Cheng officially announce their partnership for D-Link’s newlylaunched surveillance solutions.

SURETAYO...

From D4 Plus, paying for an item is much more convenient as they can settle payments through over 15,000 physical partner locations, online banking and mobile payments, remittance centers, groceries and so much more.

For sellers, transactions are also made more secure as they will be paid on time after shipping products to their customers.

Customer trust and confidence will also rise for the seller as SureTayo gives them access to major industry players and commercial banks as payment channels. Along with credibility, these payment channels make their business more accessible and transactions more convenient.

SureTayo’s simple dashboard also allows sellers to track orders and payments, helping to streamline their operations.

And to top it all off, for a limited time, registration for SureTayo is completely free, along with the transaction fee!

Fantastic Sign Up Offer Aside from free registration, SureTayo is also offering online sellers an irresistible deal with the SureTayo Summer Getaway Promo, created in partnership with GetGo, Cebu Pacific’s Lifestyle Rewards Program.

At the SureTayo Summer Getaway Promo, each seller who signs up from April 25, 2018 – June 25, 2018 will get the chance to win 25,000 GetGo points. One lucky winner will get the chance to enjoy rewards like trips to local destinations like Cebu, Davao and Puerto Princesa.

For the full promo mechanics, please visit the SureTayo Facebook page at www. facebook.com/SureTayoPH. Raffle winner will be drawn on June 26, 2018.

For more information on SureTayo, visit www.suretayo.ph.

B4

TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

ACER, SAMSONITE ENCOURAGE MILLENNIALS TO #CARRYON A

CER Philippines, a leading tech and innovations company, has collaborated with American luggage and travel bag manufacturer Samsonite for its back-to-school promo.

The launch event was held last May at the Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall.

This year, Acer Philippines’ back-to-school promo is especially made for millennials. Seeing the world’s biggest generation’s constant thirst for adventure and new experiences, the tech giant uses travelling as a motivation to inspire the youth to do well, whether in school or in their professions. Aptly called “#CarryOn”, the Promo encourages the youth to power through the hurdles they encounter in pursuit of their dreams and goals.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned about millennials, it’s that they are very passionate individuals who are unstoppable if they are truly motivated,” said Sue Ong-Lim, Acer Philippines’ Sales and Marketing Director. “Travel is, without a doubt, one of their strongest motivations. This is why we’ve partnered with Samsonite, a household name when it comes to traveling, to help us propel this cause forward. Hand in hand, we are hopeful that we will be able to not only motivate our millennials, but also reward them for their hard work by fueling their wanderlust.”

Befitting a movement that advocates trying out different things and enjoying new experiences, Acer Philippines’ Back-to-School Promo was launched through a travel-inspired event, where guests filled out a passport by completing various activities.

The affair also saw the debut of the #CarryOn video, which shows what the back-to-school

FORD, WAZE TEAM UP

Aptly called “#CarryOn”, the Acer-Samsonite Promo encourages the youth to power through the hurdles they encounter in pursuit of their dreams and goals.

campaign is all about. Directed by Ms. Irene Villamor, known for her works in Camp Sawi and Meet Me In St. Gallen, the film depicts how the youth turn to travelling as a way to cope and reenergize in the face of the stresses of their daily lives. The full video may be seen in the Acer Facebook Page.

“Travel inspires a different form of education – it makes you learn about new environments, exposes you to different cultures, and gives you a clearer view of the world,” said Ciely Buenviaje, Country Head of Samsonite Philippines. “Samsonite could not be happier to be partnering

with Acer in promoting such a holistic growth for the millennial generation.”

The Acer Philippines #CarryOn Back-toSchool Promo will run until June 30, during which every purchase of qualified Acer and Predator laptops, Acer projectors, and Acer desktop will come with free Samsonite luggage.

For more information on the Promo, visit the Acer Philippines Facebook Page at www. facebook.com/AcerPH and the Acer Philippines website at www.acer.com.ph, and follow @acerphils on Twitter. You may also purchase online via http://ph-store.acer.com/.

NOKIA 6, ICONIC 8110 NOW AVAILABLE IN PH WHEN all else fails, rely on the tried and tested.

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, is happy to announce that the new Nokia 6 and Nokia 8110 4G are now officially available.

Because the brand listens to its fans, the new Nokia 6 is made even better to become more than just a smartphone that processes, clicks and communicates, but rather a companion you can trust, depend on and grow together with—a bond that’s built to last.

The new Nokia 6 is now available in Blue/Gold variants with a 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM configuration at an affordable price of P15,990.

The newest member of the Originals family, the Nokia 8110 4G is now available in a flashy black variant. It also offers the more playful

color, Banana Yellow, which will be available on May 30. It can be pre-ordered through MemoXpress and Argomall. This oldie but goodie Nokia 8110 4G may be relatively cheap, but it certainly does more than how much it costs at P3,990.

The flagship hero, Nokia 7 plus, which was released last April 27 can also be bought now in the color White/Copper.

To know more about these Nokia phones, please refer to the press kit here.

Following these exciting offers, HMD Global also went out on a road trip, bringing the latest in the new line of Nokia phones. The Nokia mobile caravan went to Southern Luzon in Laguna (SM Sta. Rosa and SM Calamba) and Batangas (SM Lipa and SM Batangas).

WAZE users around the world can now project the app’s real-time traffic and navigation service onto the touch screen in Ford vehicles via SYNC® AppLink® and control it through voice command.

For owners of Ford SYNC 3-equipped vehicles, this allows easier access to features including finding efficient traffic routes, locating cheaper fuel prices and reporting traffic accidents.

To use, customers simply connect their Waze-equipped iPhone to the USB port of their Ford vehicle and view the service as it is projected onto the vehicle touch screen. With Ford SYNC AppLink, users can now conveniently access the app’s features on a larger display and have voice guidance through their own vehicle speakers and microphone system.

“Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to access the smartphone features, apps and services they care about most in the car, without having to pick up their device,” said Don Butler, executive director, connected vehicle platform and product, Ford Motor Company. “With Waze, our customers get the benefits they’re accustomed to with the added luxury of experiencing them on a bigger screen.”

In addition to the ability to report on heavy traffic, accidents and fuel prices, Ford’s integration of Waze includes recent app updates such as talk to Waze, which lets you control the app via voice command. Features also include route support for high-occupancy vehicle lanes (carpool lanes), providing additional navigation options and more accurate arrival times.

“We’re excited drivers of Ford SYNC 3-enabled vehicles will now be able to use Waze for iOS right from their dashboard, getting access to features like planned drives, alternative routes, talk to Waze voice commands and more,” said Jens Baron, product lead, in-car applications, Waze. “They’ll also benefit from the best routes and most accurate ETAs, thanks to our global community of drivers on the go who update the map in real-time—helping our mission to one day eliminate traffic.”

SURETAYO MAKES ONLINE SHOPPING MORE SECURE, CONVENIENT HAVE you ever gone shopping online and worried that you may not receive your item after paying for it? Or if you are a seller, have you ever lost a customer because they didn’t want to pay before receiving their order?

Dragonpay Corporation, the pioneer and market leader in alternative payment solutions, recently launched SureTayo, an innovative person-toperson payment service that makes paying and receiving payments between individuals who do not know (or trust) each other safe and convenient.

Owned and operated by Dragonpay Corp., SureTayo performs the role of a trusted third party who will hold on to funds until both the buyer and seller are satisfied with their transaction.

How SureTayo Works An online merchant can sign up as a seller at www.suretayo.ph and after verifying their account, he will receive access to his online dashboard that allows him to issue an invoice to an interested customer.

Once a buyer receives the invoice, he can click the link and select his preferred payment method—and because SureTayo is powered by Dragonpay, the buyer now has access to over 15,000 physical partner locations, online banking and mo-

Dragonpay CEO Robertson ‘Dick’ Chiang explains how SureTayo works.

bile payment channels.

These include options like online banking at most of the major local commercial banks, physical ATM payments, over-the-counter (OTC) cash payments at banks and retail establishments (supermarkets, groceries, department stores, courier centers, remittance centers), and electronic wallets or credits (Dragonpay Credits, Coins.ph, PayPal, GCash).

After payment has been made, SureTayo will safeguard the money while notifying the seller, who can now deliver the item. Once the item has been received by the buyer, he or she can

notify SureTayo, who will now release the payment to the buyer.

This simple and secure process leads to TLC for both buyers and sellers—Transaksyong Legit at Convenient!

“SureTayo was created to address the concerns of online buyers and sellers in the Philippine setting. A lot of shoppers here don’t have credit cards or even bank accounts, so how do you get them to shop online? How do you ease their worries that their money might go to a fraudulent seller? And for online retailers, how do you gain the trust of buyers?

How do you make payment more convenient for potential customers?” said Robertson “Dick” Chiang, the founder and chief operating officer of Dragonpay.

“SureTayo offers the answer to these questions as it allows sellers to offer all these payment channels to their buyers while at the same time, acting like a third party for transactions to ensure that money is only released once the buyer and seller are happy with the transaction,” shared Mr. Chiang.

For buyers, they have peace of mind knowing that their money is secure until they get that much awaited shipment. They will not have to worry that their money might be going into the hands of a bogus online seller.

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Young Life sunday, may 20, 2018

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

What you should do

before summer ends

YOu might have gone on an Instagram-worthy vacation this summer or, maybe, all you did was chill, eat, and repeat and thought that was it. Well guess what? there’s still a ton of stuff you can do while the sunny season’s still here. If you’re still itching to get the most out of this break, then carpe diem the best you can with these ideas:

Do a physical activity that you actually like

When harry married meghan

InTeresTIng faCTs abouT The royal WeddIng 2018 ROYAL WEDDING. the sixth in line to the British throne, Prince harry, tied the knot with American actress Meghan Markle on May 19 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

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h, the royal bells are ringing! At noon on May 19, his Royal highness Prince henry of Wales tied the knot with American actress Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

No matter how little the marriage of the sixth in line to the British throne and the former Suits star affects our lives here in the Philippines, we, or at least many, couldn’t help but be excited about all things royal and wedding.

Now, we know that Meghan’s engagement ring was personally designed by Prince harry himself using two diamonds from his mother Princess Diana’s personal collection, no less. So here are other pretty interesting things about this year’s most-anticipated wedding.

ded on a thursday and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a Friday).

But the more interesting thing about their wedding date is that it was the same day, 482 years ago, when King henry VIII had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, beheaded.

Okay, while this fact is not fun, and this coincidence couldn’t be more eerie—considering that Prince harry’s real name is henry, too and that Meghan, just like Anne Boleyn, is known for being outspoken—historians agree that the royal family most likely did not consider this horrific anniversary in choosing the date.

“It would have just been based on what worked out best with the busy lives of the royal family,” royal historian and Anne Boleyn biographer Claire Ridgway said as reported in The Washington Post.

Besides, we believe, after the wedding, the British royal would have a more fond memory to remember that date by.

In addition, their wedding venue, St. George’s Chapel is where Prince harry was christened and where King henry VIII was buried, next to wife number 3, Jane Seymour.

Meghan Markle and Anne Boleyn are both known for being outspoken the invitations to Prince harry and Meghan's royal wedding

Their wedding falls on the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution

there are a few curious things about Prince harry and Meghan’s wedding: first it happened on a weekend, Saturday, which was against tradition as royal weddings usually take place on a weekday (the Queen wed-

The invitations are a combination of their heritage

the invitations for the royal wedding were made by London-based Barnard and Westwood, which have had been making royal wedding invitations since 1985.

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#WeAreForever21 brand ambassadors (from left) Joaquin Manansala, helen Payawal, Anton Asistio, Kamille Filoteo, and Maika Rivera.

They are Forever 21

FAShION label Forever 21 Philippines recently introthe campaign #WeAreForever21 celebrates individduced its new roster of brand ambassadors that rep- uality and inclusivity through the brand’s clothes and resents the unique personalities and varied styles of ambassadors. hence the latest group is composed of the millennial generation. young talents from different fields.

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Going to the gym isn’t the only way you can do to get in shape.

Don’t like running? Maybe you can try swimming. Dread walking the endless stair climber to nowhere? then go on a hike, let the view be your motivation.

Point is, there are plenty of ways to do something, and having fun while doing something good for your health should definitely be rewarding. Subscribe to a wellness program that gives you goals that are just right for you. Plus, word on the block is there’s a wellness program that rewards you with stuff and services every time you hit a goal.

Learn to do a little ‘adulting’

Aside from going to new places and discovering new things, vacation is also the best time to be a little more independent and try doing things yourself. From planning your budget without help from your parents, to doing DIY projects around the house, or Turn to C2

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sunday, may 20, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

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even taking a road trip on your own, there’s always something thrilling about doing things your way.

There’s a lot to gain by learning to be more mindful about taking care of your needs. you can start being more responsible by going for a health check-up, getting yourself insured, and doing more with your money by investing in your future.

Indulge in more great things

the 5 types oF Geeks

F

Or such a long time, being a geek has had a negative implication. movies and TV have often portrayed them as social outcasts and constant targets for bullies. Fast forward to today, many things have changed and everything geeky is celebrated. In celebration of “Geek Pride day” on may 25, concept store for authentic finds Headquarters lists down the five different types of geeks.

The next summer is literally a year away so why waste time on the “Oks” when you can enjoy the “Wows” this season can offer? Checking into a fancy hotel for a staycation or flying to your next local tourist spot may seem like a budget stretch but hotels and airlines usually partner with companies to give out sweet discounts and offers you wouldn’t want to miss. a great example is the Philam Vitality rewards you can get through BPI-Philam’s Wellness series wherein each product helps you live healthy and get more out of your money.

With the Philam Vitality wellness program you’ll be encouraged to start living an active, healthy life while being rewarded in the process. With it you get to know your health through a set of assessments, then improve it as you rise the ranks from a Bronze status to silver, Gold, and finally Platinum Philam Vitality member.

The higher your Philam Vitality status each year, the more rewards you get like 20 percent upfront additional insurance coverage, or discounts to hotel accommodation and even airfare. you’ll also get discounts on Gold’s gym membership, fitness devices, and apparel.

Visit www.bpi.philam.com to know more.

The Box Office Master They are infinitely fascinated by the styles of cinematic giants like stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, and Wong Kar-Wai. They cried while watching Ratatouille, and nearly lost it when andy let go of his beloved toys. up to this day, they celebrate star Wars day every may 4th. movie geeks are as diverse as the genres and subgenres in the cinematic universe. They make movie watching more exciting, giving insight into the inherent artistic value of a film you’re watching.

They even have a movie line apt for almost any occasion.

The King/ Queen of TV They know what shows are generating buzz. They hold a treasure trove of TV trivia, from long drawn-out jokes in Arrested Development to the tropes explored in the Amazing World of Gumball. They can go into the lore and political theory behind Game of Thrones and even revel in the parodies of Rick and Morty. They even take pride in knowing every ‘80s reference in Stranger Things. They are incredibly obsessed with everything on television, making them the perfect partner when you just want to stay at home and chill.

The Comic Book Connoisseur do you know who Bill Finger is? Who are the original members of the avengers? Or maybe you find yourself asking what influenced the art of alex ross? If you know the answer to these questions you most certainly are a comic book geek. you’ve gone with countless reboots, powered through different timelines, and went with one-shots just to know what happened to your favorite superhero. you are the indisputable source of comic book information, you can recite the Green Lantern Oath, and even identify all members of the ever-expanding roster of the Justice League.

The Gamer Guru may it be the classics like super mario, starcraft, and street Fighter or current ones like I am setsuna, Overwatch, or Fire Emblem, you can bet that they’ve already played it. It’s no surprise that they’ve run through almost every console imaginable, from Playstation to switch. some idle time while on their daily commute? They’d spend it hunched over their mobile phones playing the latest game. Though they are the paragon of the techy gamer, they are still passionate about old school board and card games. They’re master tacticians whether in dungeons and dragons or magic: The Gathering, and they can handily defeat you or any foe in whatever battlefield you choose.

The Anime and Manga Hustler They’ve watched it all, from the classics like Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragonball Z, and Voltes V to the modern masterpieces like My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and Rakugo. They’re also enamored with the source materials, pouring countless hours to reading manga like Shingeki no Kyojin, One PunchMan, and One Piece. They know every trope and almost every subgenre of anime available. and best believe they’ve read almost all types of manga they can get their hands on. some even go as far as studying nihongo and traveling to Japan to visit some of the largest animation studios and manga publishers in the country.

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#WeAreForever21’s newest faces include model and newbie TV actor Joaquin manansala, model and Girl Trends member maika rivera, former PBB housemate and Girl Trends member Kamille Filoteo, model and entrepreneur Patricia Henson, makeup artist Helen Payawal, basketball player anton asistio, volleyball player Carly Hernandez, open spiker Jhoana maraguinot, and model arianna Cowper.

Get to know more about them on Forever 21 Philippines’ Facebook and Instagram accounts.

While this was not a first, this event only happens rarely, such as when Princess margaret’s was gave away at the altar by Prince Philip.

when...

From C1 Lottie small used die stamping to make the invitations using american ink printed in gold and black on English cards.

The invitations read: “His royal Highness The Prince of Wales KG KT requests the pleasure of the company of… at the marriage of His royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales with ms. meghan markle at st George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on saturday 19th may, 2018 at 12 noon followed by a reception at Windsor Castle.”

meghan speaks up for women at the un Women 2015

Meghan walks down the aisle with Prince Charles

despite having his suit fitted for her daughter’s special day, Thomas markle sr. told TMZ early last week that he wouldn’t be able to attend the royal wedding as doctors decided he needed to have a heart surgery and that he had to recuperate.

Before the wedding, meghan released a statement through the Kensington Palace confirming that his father won’t be able to attend. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health,” she said. a day before the wedding, Kensington Palace announced that the bride-to-be will walk down the aisle of the Quire of st. George’s Chapel with Prince Charles after meghan asked him to.

The announcement said: “The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome ms. markle to the royal Family this way.”

Meghan gives a speech at her wedding

Prince Charles

The Sunday Times first reported that meghan, an actress, a proud feminist, and an accomplished public speaker, is planning to make a speech after the ceremony.

In British tradition, wedding speeches were given only by the groom, father of the bride, and the best man.

Entertainment

#JULIE CROSSES DIFFERENT STAGES OF LOVE

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018

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Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in TLC’s one-off exclusive royal wedding review special, ‘Harry & Meghan Said Yes.’

HARRY AND MEGHAN SAY ‘I DO’ THE world holds its breath as the much-awaited royal wedding of the year rounds the corner this spring. For the first time ever, TLC’s top wedding experts come together in a one-off special to celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry to his American Princess, Meghan Markle, in an exclusive royal wedding review, Harry & Meghan Said Yes. Offering their expert opinions, unique insights and unrestrained reactions are; royal dress designer and host of Say Yes to the Dress UK, David Emanuel, Curvy Brides’ Boutique’s Jo Cooke and Alison Law, reality bride and groom to be, Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen, Say Yes to the Dress’ rockstar Randy Fenoli, and from Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Monte Durham and Lori Allen.

Get ready to talk about all things Royal—from the wedding ceremony, the guests, the royal hats, the dress, to their wedding vows. What will David Emanuel make of Markle’s sparkle? Who are Monte and Lori’s fashion ‘hits’ and ‘misses’? Who do Jo and Alison think stand out in the crowd, and what will send Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen into fits of giggles?

Celebrate the biggest of big days with TLC’s most outrageous and entertaining wedding-istas.

Get ready to take a closer look at the highly anticipated royal wedding of the year and witness the abundance of elegance, sparkle, and all-out royalty as the special airing of Harry & Meghan Said Yes airing tonight at 9:00 p.m., on TLC.

Julie Anne interacting with fans during the successful concert.

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SIA’S Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose delivers a sweet treat for her fans today as Sunday Night Box Office (SNBO) airs her recent concert entitled #Julie.

The special will showcase Julie’s take on what it is to fall in love through different heartfelt songs. For the honeymoon phase, Julie performs a stripped down version of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and then tells the story of being committed through a mash-up of today’s current favorites, James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” She belts out Air Supply’s “All Out of Love” for the break up stage, and shows a rather vindicating emotion through a mash up of Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” for the moving on stage.

Meanwhile, Julie Anne brings the house down with her sultry performance of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” and proves her calibre as a supreme vocalist with the ballads from her all-time favorite singers. Her fans can also sing along to “Nothing Left,” her recent single that topped the charts in both radio and music TV. Catch her captivating performance in #Julie, tonight on SNBO after Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho on GMA.

ELISSE, BOYBANDPH

IN ‘WANSAPANATAYM’ SNBO presents Julie Anne San Jose onstage at the Music Museum.

IT’S ALL ABOUT HALLYU SOUTH Korea and the Philippines may be miles apart, but the same love for music, romance, food, and beauty bring both countries together. That is what ABS-CBN reporter Marie Lozano learned while doing the ABS-CBN’s documentary Hallyu and I. Join Marie as she visits location shoots of various hit Korean drama series such as Goblin, which aired twice on ABS-CBN, that are now tourist attractions. She even gets to interview Korean superstar Lee Dong-Wook, who played Grim Reaper in the series.

Apart from enjoying the sights and sceneries of South Korea, like the winter wonderland province of Gangwon, Marie also relishes in the vibrant flavors of Korean cuisine from its traditional dishes that were served to the royal courts, to the more casual and modern chicken and beer pairing.

Meanwhile, viewers will also get to catch up on the latest beauty and fashion trends

through a shopping experience in the district of Myeongdong with Marie sampling the beauty products herself.

“Hallyu and I” is a production of DocuCentral, the documentary arm of ABS-CBN Integrated News, in partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization. The documentary aims to give an in-depth look into the “Hallyu” phenomenon and find out why K-dramas and K-Pop are well-loved by many Filipinos. The so-called “Korean invasion” of Korean culture and influence started in the late 1990s all over the world, with the love for Korean trends and the influx of the “Hallyu” infiltrating mainstream music, television dramas, food, and fashion consciousness.

Hallyu and I airs today on ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best after Gandang Gabi Vice and on May 23 at 8:00 p.m. on ANC.

Reporter Marie Lozano recreating a scene in 'Goblin.'

ELISSE Joson, and Joao Constancia, Tristan Ramirez, Russell Reyes, Niel Murillo, and Ford Valencia, or collectively known as BoybandPH, will fill viewers’ hearts with love and music as they team up for the first time in Wansapanataym Presents: Ofishially Yours, which airs tonight on ABS-CBN. Elisse plays Stella, a mesmerizing lady who is often looked up for her beauty but despised for her mean attitude.

Her character crosses paths with Jason (Joao), the leader of Darker Than Black band, which plays regularly at the club Stella owns.

Due to a disagreement between Stella and Jason, however, the band decides to leave the club, affecting its sales massively.

To win back her most priced performers, Stella tries to lure Jason with her beauty but fails to succeed as the bandleader discovers her true intentions. With so much hatred in his heart, Jason wishes for Stella to vanish from his life, which a powerful fairy grants that leads to Stella’s unfortunate fate of getting cursed as a mermaid.

Will Stella be able to break the spell cast on her?

Elisse Joson and the members of BoybandPH

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sunday, may 20, 2018

Desiree Carlos, Editor

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

CoMMon dog skin proBleMs

E sEE dogs with pet tales mange or galis By desiree carlos on the streets and inside the garage of our neighbors. We see dogs who have lost their fur. We see dogs who scratch a lot and end up with wounds on their bodies.

Knowing dogs can lose their fur or develop skin problems worry a responsible, loving owner no end.

“Dry, dull coat. incessant scratching and chewing. sound familiar? Dog skin problems are often the most common presenting complaints at the veterinarian, accounting for almost a quarter of the office visits a clinician sees in a typical day,“ says Jessica Vogelsang, DVM, in “5 Common Dog skin Problems” (PetMED). i hope tips from Dr. Vogelsang will help you and your dog. here are the common skin problems in dogs and what owners can do, according to Dr. Vogelsang:

3. Sores and Hot Spots

Other common causes of pruritus (itchy skin) are external parasites such as mites and fleas (in non-allergic dogs), and primary bacterial infections. hot spots, or moist dermatitis, are often seen in the dog and can spread very quickly. if you spot any red, sticky sores on your dog, get him evaluated before it worsens.

4. Hair Loss

(Left) This was how Cole looked when he was reported to save ALL. he really looked terrible, so beaten and sad. We learned he was kept in a bathroom when the owner would go to work. Who would have thought a very handsome doggy will emerge almost two years later? Please do not abandon or give up your pet just because of a skin problem. it is treatable. it can also be prevented by giving nutritious food, vitamins, and making the dog feel loved. Do give him/her lots of love and hugs. (Right) Cole is probably the worst case of demodectic mange with oil glands problem who save ALL rescued. Medical intervention, nutritious food, supplements, and of course, a lot of love, helped this rescued dog get back his handsome, healthy self. Please ask for help from your vet even if you thinks "it's just a skin problem."

2. Allergies

so what causes a dog to itch? Allergies are a very common cause of itchy skin, and can be further divided into three major categories: fleas, environment, and food. While flea bites cause a transient irritation to both pets and people, dogs with a true flea allergy are hypersensitive.

One bite can be enough to trigger a systemic bout of chewing and scratching. Fleas can be a challenge to manage, requiring treatment of all household pets as well as the environment, but the good news is once the fleas are under control, so is the itching.

Environmental allergy, or atopy, is another big category of dog allergies. The allergens can be inhaled, like pollen or mite dander; or absorbed directly through the skin, as sometimes happens with grass. Atopy is a

(From left) senior shih tzus Lucas, summer and shakti are given good dry dog food and natural food of boiled vegetables allowed by their vet. Twice a week, they are given lean meat in their boiled veggies.

Everyday, they are given multivitamins and coco nectar. Once a week, they are given a bath. These and other health care are provided for them to continue to live a full, happy life.

challenge to manage, and dogs may require allergy shots or regular medication to keep them comfortable during the allergy season.

Food allergies resulting in skin disease are, to the surprise of many owners, much less common than the first two allergies. Food allergies are usually triggered by a hypersensitivity reaction to a protein that the body misidentifies as a threat. The only way to diagnose a food allergy is through a strict elimination diet. Your veterinarian’s guidance is essential in sorting through a pet’s history for clues leading to a diagnosis of a food allergy. Once the specific allergen is identified, the pet can be transitioned to a dog food that does not contain the trigger.

1. Itchy Skin

Dogs with itchy skin, officially referred to as pruritus, are a very common sight in the clinic. in fact, dog itching is the primary complaint associated with up to 40% of all vet visits for a skin problem. Persistent scratching can consume a dog’s life, keeping both the pet and the owner up all night. Those who have suffered alongside their itchy dog are well versed in the sounds of a dog going to town on his own leg in the middle of the night. in addition to feeling miserable, itchy dogs can develop secondary skin lesions, infections, and hair loss from the trauma of teeth and nails on their skin.

Pets

Few things are sadder than the sight of a balding dog. Although it’s tempting to jump to conclusions about the cause, it can be very challenging to accurately diagnose hair loss in dogs without a veterinary exam and diagnostics such as a skin scraping to examine the skin cells under a microscope. hair loss in dogs is caused by a variety of problems, from parasites such as Demodex mites to thyroid disease to Cushing's disease, an adrenal disorder. Careful physical examination and history can give essential clues to help a veterinarian decide if the dog hair loss is occurring secondary to a systemic disorder.

My Furry Bestie

This corner features pets of animal lovers every week. We hope new owners and those thinking of getting a pet will be encouraged to be responsible “furparents” through these features.

We also hope more people will be moved to be kind to animals when they read about the great relationship that can be created between humans and animals.

For contributions, please email to daycarlos28@yahoo.com and put My Furry Bestie as subject.

hYPER, 10 months old, is a female aspin (asong pinoy) given by the sister of Alphaphi Gallano to her. hyper has been her baby girl ever since.

“Masarap sa pakiramdam na napalaki mo ang furbaby mo na masigla at malusog, “ she says. (it feels good to know that you have nurtured a pup into a vibrant, healthy dog.)

5. Dull Coats and the Role of Fatty Acids

in addition to medical management specifically for your pet’s diagnosed problem, most pets respond well to nutritional management. Dogs with dry skin or a dull coat, for example, often improve with diets or supplements containing optimized levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids, often sourced from fish oil, play an important role in reducing inflammation.

Omega-6 fatty acids play a key role in maintaining the integrity of your dog's skin as a barrier, reducing water loss and bolstering the strength of the skin cells. Linoleic is an essential omega-6 fatty acid, meaning the dog must obtain this from food sources as they cannot synthesize it on their own. successful management of skin disease in the dog is a collaborative effort between you and your veterinarian. With correct diagnosis and comprehensive management, many dogs with skin problems can eventually find their inner Fabio. “

MATThEW, human son of Mitch Canlas, rescues cats. he sleep with them in his room. says Mitch: “My son, Matthew, is a rescuer by heart. he sleeps well if cats sleep with him.”

“Cats take two-thirds of the bed, hooman, one-third,” Mitch adds.

The Breed doesn'T MaTTer When You're saving aniMals

By Christian “Nonoy” Parlade

Macky and Violet are now with their new mommy (adopter) and their own room.

WhEn you love animals, looks don't matter. Breed doesn't matter. none of the superficial things matter. it's one of the things i realized when it dawned on me that saving rabbits has become very important for me.

There was a funny, but meaningful barb in one of the adoption groups that posted a cat looking for an owner with a breed. how dare you demand a pet's breed. Are you a good breed as an owner?

For would be adopters, please keep this in mind. When i look for adopters, i will look for one who will save a rabbit, not a lion head or an nZ or a French Lop or a REW or whatever. if there's a rabbit available and you're a rabbit lover, the breed won't matter.

For those with one rabbit already, i do find it reasonable if you look for a rabbit of the opposite sex. however, even then, it will only mat-

ter if you've neutered / spayed your rabbit already. Otherwise , having you adopt a rabbit of the opposite sex will just further the risk of pregnancy. i guess it's a good reflection point even for existing owners. Do you care about your rabbits' breed or will you love them no matter what? if you're saving a rabbit (or any animal for that matter), why would the breed even matter?

And in my growth as a person, i am now also asking, "why does the species even matter?"

But that's a discussion for another time. #RabbitAdoption_saveRabbitsPh #Macky_saveRabbitsPh Christian Parlade is a director for finance in TaskUs. he facilitates rabbit adoption / rescue via the saveRabbitsPh FB page. he is also an informal educator for overall rabbit care and welfare.

TABBY, 8-10 months, was a stray puppy before Alex-Zandra Palmero adopted him. “i remember how excited he was when i was about to feed them (strays) outside of our house.” Alex-Zandra says. she adds,”Well, until now he's still excited during feeding time.” she describes Tabby as “a happy, energetic, hyper, super takaw na puppy. he's very friendly to other people and loves playing with my toddler too. One thing i can say: i will never regret adopting him.”