Manila Standard - 2018 May 30 - Wednesday

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Wage hike in June seen

Bello upbeat on gov’t meet with workers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo

W

ORKERS can expect an increase in their salaries in June to cushion the impact of rising costs of goods and services, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Tuesday.

BUT WAGES ARE LOW. Militants stage a protest in front of Shell’s main office in Makati City on Tuesday, calling attention to what they call the ‘triple whammy’ the people are made to suffer—price hikes, low wages and continuing contractualization. They say that with the weekly oil price increases and the implementation of the Tax Reform For Acceleration and Inclusion Law, workers suffer the brunt in prices of basic commodities while wages have not flicked. Norman Cruz

Jobs portal to go with infra buildup

By Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

VOL. XXXII • NO. 104 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

THE Department of Public Works and Highways has launched a portal that will consolidate job opportunities under the government’s Build Build Build program, where at least 11,000 job openings have been posted.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the online jobs site aims to merge all employment opportunities from all concessionaires and construction companies involved in the government’s flagship infrastructure program.

“The ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ Portal will serve as a job matching platform between potential employers and employees as the government moves to complement its “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure initiatives with more job opportunities for Filipinos,” Villar said.

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Lawmaker sues ex-lawmaker for theft Auditors on a roll, target lawyers of OGCC this time

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja

AKBAYAN Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin has filed a theft complaint against Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly stealing his iPhone X worth P74,000 in March.

Paras has denied the allegation.

In his complaint, Villarin said video footage would show Paras, a former congressman from Negros Oriental, snatched his phone during a congressional inquiry on March 20.

On that day, Villarin said, his cellphone

was on top of his table when Paras approached him and placed his cellphone on top of it, then “picked up both cellular phones from the table and left De Venecia Hall and proceeded to Zulueta Hall on the second floor of the building.”

A day after, the Legislative Security Bureau sent Villarin a memo to inform him that his phone was found.

“One of the pictures in the memorandum clearly shows that respondent holding two cellular phones,” Villarin’s complaint read.

At a press conference, a smiling Villarin said, “We should not let things like this pass.”

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Warriors odds-on bet vs Cavaliers

Curry

THE Golden State Warriors arranged a repeat NBA Finals’ showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers following a 101-92 Game 7 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Their best-of-seven playoff starts 9 am, June 1, Friday (Manila time) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland which is the homecourt of the defending champion Warriors.

And if you are betting man, you may have to put your money on the Warriors winning against the Cavaliers.

According to OddsShark, the Warriors’ title odds have jumped to -1100 (bet $1,100 to win $100), making them the overwhelming picks to repeat as champions.

ESPN’s David Payne Purdum said the Cavaliers are the biggest NBA Finals underdogs since at least 2002.

That the Cavaliers are underdogs is understandable as LeBron James and Co. were beaten by the Warriors in five games in last year’s Finals. Making matters worse is that the Cavs are without Kyrie Irving this time around.

This season, the Cavs were also crushed by the Dubs in the only two times they met, 118-108 and 99-92.

Another concern is the playing time of James, who is averaging 41.3 minutes per game in the postseason.

The four-time MVP appeared burned out at times during finals and it will take another superhuman effort from him for Cleveland to pull off an upset in the NBA Finals.

Moreover, the Cavs don’t have an answer to the Warriors’ Triple Threat of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the finals.

(Full story on A8)

“The instructions of the President were very clear, to address the issue of rising prices,” Bello said in Filipino.

He said, however, that the wage hike might not be as high as the P750 sought by labor groups, because that could result in fewer jobs as employers might be unable to absorb the higher cost.

Noting the urgency of the situation, Bello said the regional wage boards have been ordered to speed up discussions on the wage adjustments.

He said representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic and Development Authority, and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board will meet with labor groups on June 5 to tackle their demand for higher pay.

He said demands for a higher national minimum wage must go through Congress.

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BTS makes K-Pop history ENTERTAINMENT C4

By Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo THE Commission on Audit has called the attention of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel for exceeding the 50-percent limit for an annual basic salary of a lawyer.

In an audit report, CoA said OGCC violated its circular when it granted excessive allowances for its five lawyers.

“Allowances received by the OGCC lawyers for legal services rendered to various client government corporations for 2017 exceeded the 50-percent limitation based on their annual basic salary amounting to P621,717.72, which is contrary to CoA Circular No. 85-25-E dated April 25, 1985,” the audit agency said.

The OCGG, an attached agency of the Department of Justice, was headed by government corporate counsel Philip Jurado, who was sacked by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday for issuing a legal opinion justifying the grant of a 75-year gaming franchise to a free port locator in Aurora province.

The CoA identified the five lawyers—Elpidio Vega with an excess of P300,982, Medardo Devera, P96,322; Manuel Santos, P119,362; Efren Gonzales, P82,598, and Aniceto Calubaquib, P22,452.

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Yellow alert for Luzon grid

By Alena Mae S. Flores GRID operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines has issued a yellow alert for the Luzon power grid for two hours Tuesday due to thin reserves following high demand and plant outage.

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CAR DONATION. South Korean donation of patrol cars for the Philippine National Police, received by Director General Oscar Albayalde who got the symbolic key Tuesday of the 49 units of Hyundai Elantra and 81 units of Starex Van from Lee Chul-Sung of the Korean National Police Academy and Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han DongMan. Manny Palmero

Justice head vouches for embattled SolGen

By Rey E. Requejo

James

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday gave his “vote of confidence” to Solicitor General Jose Calida and defended him from the allegations of conflict of interest as a result of the contract of his family’s security agency with the Justice department.

Guevarra said there was nothing irregular with his department’s contract with Calida’s Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc., which became the basis of a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“It’s a private security agency, not the OSG [Office of the Solicitor General] Next page

News

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Finally, BBL certified as urgent bill

By Nathaniel Mariano and Maricel V. Cruz

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday certified the House and Senate bills on the Bangsamoro Basic Law as urgent.

“The passage of this measure is a manifestation of the government’s commitment to address the diverse needs of the people in Bangsamoro, and all communities and constituents of Mindanao, towards a just and lasting peace in Mindanao and in the Philippines as a whole,” Duterte said.

In other developments: • The House of Representatives on Tuesday opened plenary deliberations on

the proposed BBL. House Bill 6475, principally authored

by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, was sponsored in the plenary by Representatives Pedro Acharon of South Cotabato, chairman of the committee on local governments; Mauyag Papandayan of Lanao del Sur, chairman of the committee on Muslim affairs; Ruby Sahali of Tawi-Tawi, and chairwoman of the peace, reconciliation and unity committee.

The House has has yet to receive a copy of the President’s certification declaring the bill an urgent measure, as of press time.

The bill was expected to have approved HB 6475 on second reading Tuesday night.

• House majority leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas on Tuesday

said he saw no need to amend the 1987 Constitution to establish a Bangsamoro region in Mindanao.

Fariñas made the statement even as he reiterated that the House leadership will pass the constitutional Bangsamoro Basic Law. Critics feel that the proposed BBL will not pass constitutional the test as the bill calls for the abolition of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that the Constitution itself created.

“There is no need to amend the 1987 Constitution. Another option would be to wait for the Con-Ass [constituent assembly] to accommodate the BBL,” Fariñas said.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman had earlier assailed the BBL proposal, saying it was unconstitutional.

New Tourism chief breezes through CA

Jobs...

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By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan NEWLY installed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo-Puyat on Tuesday breezed through the Commission on Appointment’s confirmation hearing that approved her appointment.

Upon the motion of Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the commission’s committee on tourism and economic development recommended RomuloPuyat’s confirmation and Senator Cynthia Villar immediately seconded his motion.

Meanwhile, Romulo-Puyat guaranteed that the Filipinos’ contagious love for their country would make foreign visitors fall in love with the Philippines and its people as she accepted the challenge of boosting the tourism industry as a key economic driver.She made the assertion in her introductory remarks before the Commission on Appointments committee on tourism, leading to the rousing approval of her appointment at the Senate.

Romulo-Puyat’s father, former senator and current chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines Alberto Romulo, and her elder sister Monserrat Romulo were present during the proceedings presided by Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas.

Interviewed after the hearing, Romulo-Puyat said she did not expect her fast approval.

“You should have seen me in the room. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect that it was going to be fast,” RomuloPuyat told reporters.

Her first order of the day? “Get back to work. Just work, work, work because we have a lot to do.”

Romulo-Puyat said President Rodrigo Duterte’s marching order to her was “No corruption.”

Commission on Elections Commissioner Socorro Inting also got the nod of the CA along with the following foreign affairs officials: Sulpicio Miguel Confiado, Chief of Mission Class II, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotnetiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Djibouti, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the State of Eritrea, and the Republic of Sudan, and Akmad Atlah Sakkam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with concurrent jurisdiction over the State of Palestine, with the salary and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class I.

Yellow...

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NGCP issued the yellow alert from 1pm to 2 pm as available power generation capacity was placed at 11,637 megawatts versus peak demand of 10,794 MW. “Luzon grid is on yellow alert due to the unexpected shutdown and limited generation of some power plants, and high power demand,” NGCP said.

The yellow alert was lifted at 2:56 pm yesterday due to sufficient generating capacity and no brownouts occurred.

Among the power plants that went offline were Calaca 2 (300MW), Malaya 2 (320 MW), Makban 5 (55 MW), SLPGC 1 (150 MW) totaling 525 MW. Power plants derated or not running at full capacity included Calaca 1 (230 MW) and SCPC 2 (75 MW).

NGCP said highest peak demand occurred at 1:53 pm Monday at 10,876 MW for the Luzon grid.

Monday’s peak demand surpassed the peak demand last May 22 of 10,750 MW. This year’s Luzon peak demand of 10,876 MW was higher by more than 800 MW than the peak demand of 10,054 MW in May 9, 2017 , reflecting a strong demand for electricity.

The peak demand of 10,054 MW last year represented a 3.4-percent increase from 9,726 MW in 2016.

Power consumption in Luzon also went up by 3.57 percent in 2017 to 69,623,603 megawatthours from 67,220,596 mWh in 2018.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza earlier said Duterte had held separate meetings with all the leaders of the House and the Senate and with the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front led by its chairman Murad Ibrahim.

“The President initially expressed his own personal views and initial assessments which resonated well to all,” said Dureza who was optimistic on the passage of the bill.

“The meeting adjourned with a general consensus that the two chambers conclude their work at the earliest possible time and if there are varying versions, that the mandated bicameral committees of both chambers meet to come up with a joint reconciled and accepted version,” Dureza said.

Newly installed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat with her father, former DFA secretary Alberto Romulo, after her appointment was recommended for confirmation by a committee of the Commission on Appointments.

Wage...

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“The President said the immediate need can be met by the wage boards. In the long term, Congress can address the issue of the minimum wage,” Bello said.

The biggest labor federation on Tuesday rejected the P18 to P23 wage increase proposed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Employers Confederation of the Philippines.

Alan Tanjusay, spokesman for the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said that while labor groups are asking for P800 across-the-board daily minimum wage for all workers nationwide, the P1,200 a day is the right amount needed by a family to live above poverty line.

The labor group said it welcomed President Duterte’s move to order the 17 regional wage boards to hold emergency

Justice...

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or the SolGen who entered into the contracts with the DoJ,” Guevarra said.

“Let’s presume that the contracts were validly entered into unless it could be shown that it violated the procurement law.

“From the viewpoint of the DoJ, what is important is that all procurement laws, rules and regulations were observed when it entered into these contracts.”

Guevarra said there was no need to order an internal inquiry on the matter “unless there’s a challenge to the validity of the contracts.”

He made his statement after opposition senators demanded Calida’s resignation over the P150-million contracts bagged by VISAI in at least 10 government agencies including the Justice department.

Apart from DoJ, Calida’s security agency also bagged contracts with the National Parks Development Committee, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the National Economic and Development Authority and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Calida said he did not violate R.A. 6713 after resigning from his post as president and chairman of VISAI before to his appointment as Solicitor General in 2016.

But he said he had not divested his 60-percent share in the family business.

“To reiterate, the Office of the Solicitor General is not the approving authority for the subject contracts, which were all obtained through public bidding in accordance with the law. Neither is the OSG in the business of licensing, regulating or supervising security agencies such as Vigilant,” Calida said.

He said his company did not earn P150 million from the contracts as insinuated in the media, saying “only a small percentage is left as agency fee” as the bulk of the payments went to the salaries of guards and mandatory contributions to the Social Security System and Pag-IBIG. Malacañang had defended Calida earlier, believing that the allegations against him came from his enemies who were trying to get back at him after securing the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno from the Supreme Court.

meetings amid extraordinary increases in the prices of commodities and surges in the cost of services.

“We urge the businessmen and the government to desist from pre-empting the wage board process by issuing statements as to how much the wage board can decide. We urge employers and business owners to listen to poor’s appeal for equality and do not disrespect their struggle for better lives. Let us not provoke them with these unnecessary and uncalled for statements,” Tanjusay said in a statement.

“Let us stop insulting these aspirations and avoid making jokes to the poor,” he said.

The group is urging employers and business owners to respect the proposed P800 and P750 wage hike proposals because it is the aspirations of the millions of impoverished Filipinos left behind by economic growth to live decent lives.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said the wage board can only grant P18-20 increase in daily minimum wage.

Ecop’s Edgardo Lacson, on one hand, also said employers can only afford P23.

The ALU-TUCP supports House Bill 7787 which proposes a uniform P750 national minimum wage.

Tanjusay said they are throwing their support behind the bill because it needs an additional push, since many lawmakers represent the vested interests of employers.

“The new portal will enhance our goal of reaching Filipinos here and abroad to join the government’s infrastructure push,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade added.

The online portal aims to create more jobs for Filipinos, address the demand for workers to ensure fast and timely delivery of BBB projects, encourage returning overseas Filipino workers to remain in the country and encourage more overseas workers to return home.

Before the launch, NLEX Corp. senior vice president for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio and vice president for Project Management Nemesio Castillo led the inspection of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, one of the projects under the BBB program.

Castillo said the “project’s progress at the Karuhatan to C3 section now stands at 70 percent, with projected completion seen by October 2018, while the C3 to R10 section is expected to open by the fourth quarter of 2019.”

“NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-kilometer elevated expressway traversing the NLEX from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City, Caloocan City and extending to R-10 in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City,” Villar added.

In the House, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte expressed hope that Congress will soon enact a law that will encourage employers to allow their employees to work from home.

House Bill 7402, also known as the telecommuting bill, was consolidated and approved on third and final reading on Monday by a vote of 239-0.

Villafuerte, principal author of the bill, said the telecommuting bill that will also help ease the worsening traffic congestion in urban centers as this would clear the way for flexi-work that is fast becoming the norm in many business process outsourcing companies.

“This is the future of work. As we enter the era of rapid technology-driven innovations, we should be prepared to take advantage of its many positive benefits. Implementing flexible work schedules that allow work-from-home arrangements is among these benefits,” said Villafuerte.

The consolidated measure incorporates Villafuerte’s original bill, HB 5630, which institutes such work-fromhome arrangements.

Villafuerte said another advantage of work-from-home arrangements is that it will boost the capability of employers to hire talent that they could otherwise not tap because of location restrictions.

Auditors...

From A1

property and venue, preference should be publicly owned real property or venue. In the instant case, management did not consider leasing first from publicly-owned real property before considering the privately-owned real estate property which [is] obviously more economical and beneficial to the government,” the report said.

Jurado on Tuesday said he respected the decision of President Duterte to fire him for allegedly approving a gambling permit to a casino operator inside the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone.

“As an appointee who serves under his pleasure, I am honored to have been given a chance to serve under his administration,” Jurado said in a statement.

Jurado has been accused of issuing a legal opinion that led to the approval of a 75-year permit to a casino operator inside the Apeco, an allegation he earlier denied.

“I really do not know what the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel [OGCC] lawyers were referring to when they alleged a supposed corruption in approving a 75year casino permit, because the OGCC has no power to approve casino permits or grant gambling franchises,” Jurado said.

Lawmaker...

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recognition security feature.

Paras on Tuesday denied Villarin’s accusations.

“Why would I steal his cellphone?

Would I risk my whole reputation and my life just to steal his cellphone?” he said in Filipino.

Paras said he was in a hurry at that time to move to another room for another congressional hearing and might have accidentally lifted Villarin’s phone.

“I did not know I had his cellpone. I moved to another room. So probably I left it there. If I had intended to steal his phone, why were they able to recover it and why was it left in Congress. If I were a thief, then I’d bring his cellphone home,” Paras added.

But the OGCC told CoA that its circular was “misapplied” on its lawyers, citing a 1983 executive order authorizing its lawyers to perform special tasks and “to receive additional compensation and privileges” without any stated limit on the honoraria they may receive.

State auditors, however, advised OGCC to strictly comply with the CoA circular setting a 50-percent ceiling on allowances and refund of the excess amount received by the lawyers, and that it must remit the P2.8-million balance of the agency’s special assessments and allowances from 2016.

“This is a follow-up finding to the 2016 observations since the agency has not fully remitted the remaining balance of P2,806,315.29 to the Bureau of Treasury,” the report read.

CoA assailed OGCC’s expenses of P622,950 for its team-building and corporate planning session at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan from April 20 to April 22, 2017.

“It bears stressing that under lease of real

“The incident was caught on CCTV. And the guards told me they will testify once they are summoned. The footage now forms part of the attachment I filed before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office,” he said.

Villarin said his phone had gone “missing for more than an hour” since he attended the committee hearing, and that Villarin and his colleagues called it up and rang it for about 10 times, but the calls remained unanswered.

Villarin said he suspected Paras would have wanted to extract information from his phone, but said he could not have turned on his phone because of its face

PSG chief among 30 new appointees

By Nathaniel A. Mariano MALACAÑANG on Tuesday announced President Rodrigo Duterte’s 30 new appointees including a new Presidential Security Group commander and three undersecretaries of different government departments.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque confirmed through a text message that Col. Jose Eriel Niembra, deputy commander of the PSG, will replace Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy who assumed command of the Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade in Leyte.

Niembra was a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1991 and once served under Task Force Davao when Duterte was mayor there.

He will assume the PSG’s top post in ceremony to be attended by Duterte on Wednesday.

Malacañang has also appointed three undersecretaries: Epimaco Verano Densing III, Undersecretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Renato Lariego Ebarle, Undersecretary, Department of Labor and Employment.

Alexander Soria Lopez, Undersecretary, Department of Energy.

Malacañang also released the appointment papers of the following newly appointed officials: Cesar Gaba Dela Fuente III, Director IV, Department of Energy.

Cherrie Melanie Ancheta Diego, Director IV, Commission on Higher Education.

Tarhata Sumayan Mapandi, Director IV, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Samuel Cervantes Danganan, Director III, Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Paul McCudal Villaluz, Director II, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Department of Labor and Employment Jude Constantine Solier Jaugan, Provincial Trade and Industry Officer, Department of Trade and Industry.

Estrelita Sindo Hizon, Member, Representing the Private Sector, Governing Board, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Department of Labor and Employment, for a term of two years.

Melinda Lopez Garcia, Member, Professional Regulatory Board of Dentistry, Professional Regulation Commission, for a term of three years.

Albert P. Dela Cruz, Member, Board of Directors, North Luzon Railways Corporation, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Andrew Chio Kong, Member, Board of Directors, DBP Leasing Corporation, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Edgar Crisanto Ranario Violan, Member, Board of Directors, Philippine Mining Development Corporation, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Carmen M. Solinap, Member, Representing the Labor Sector, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Board, for a long term of three years.

Rogelio Javen Chavez Jr., Member, Representing the Labor Sector, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Board, for a term of three years.

Rene Luis M. Tadle, Member, Representing the Labor Sector, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Board, for a term of three years.

Ramon R. De Leon, Member, Representing the Labor Sector, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Board, for a term of three years.

Marivic Hernandez del Pilar, Member, Board of Trustees, Cultural Center of the Philippines, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Charisse Marie Vergara-Uyengco, Member, Board of Directors, Food Terminal Inc., to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Porferio Ebao Mah, Member, Board of Directors, Food Terminal Inc., to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Marites Correa Tamayo, Register of Deeds II, Land Registration Authority, Department of Justice.

Yasmin Mapua-Tang, Member, Representing the Child-focused non-government organizations, National Council for Children’s Television, Department of Education, for a term of three years.

Edwin Galindo Espejo, Member, Board of Directors, IRC Group of Companies (Independent Reality Corp. and Mid-Pasig Land Development Corp.).

Ralph Lauren Ancheta Du, Member, Representing the Commercial Milk Processors’ Group, Dairy Industry Board, National Dairy Authority, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Julius N. Raboca, Member, Board of Directors, Clark International Airport Corp., to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

William De Jesus Lima, Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China, from July 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018.

Michael Braganza Peloton, Member, Board of Directors, Philippine Reclamation Authority, to serve the unexpired Term of Office that began on July 1, 2017 and will end on June 30, 2018.

Fernando Selim Borja, Special Envoy to the People’s Republic of China, July 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018.

Dante Arevalo Ang, Special Envoy of the President for International Public Relations, from May 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2018.

News Diversion of P10.6b for seniors ‘disturbing’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Health committee, described as “disturbing” the diversion of P10.6 billion intended for senior citizens’ premium for 2015 during the time of former Health secretary Janette Garin and PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander Padilla under the previous administration.

“It’s sort of disturbing. Perhaps, it’s one of the reasons for PhilHealth’s ‘unhealthy finances,” said Ejercito.

“They inherited this condition from the previous administration. This revelation is disturbing that the P10.6 billion came from GAA [General Appropriations Act] for the funds for the senior citizens which had been lost,” Ejercito also told reporters afer his committee hearing on the performance and obligations of PhilHeallth.

The amount, he said, could be used to fund the expanded Senior Citizens Act, but was diverted by the DoH to fund its health facilities enhancement program including the rural health units.

“This diversion of P10.6 billion fund for PhilHealth intended for the benefits of senior citizens for CY 2015 to the DoH, for me, is a heinous act three times cruel than the Dengvaxia fiasco,” stressed Ejercito.

“I can only describe this act as an utterly heartless and insensitive to the condition of our senior citizens,” said Ejercito.

Ejercito’s committee also tackled the fraudulent acts committed by some doctors involving funds from PhilHealth.

Dr. Anthony Leachon, PhilHealth independent director as representative of the Monetary Board, recommended to Ejercito’s panel to punish only the doctor who committed any irregularity and spare the hospital to which was connected unless collusion could be proven.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cimatu promises to recover Boracay’s missing wetlands

By Rio N. Araja

E

NVIRONMENT Secretary Roy Cimatu on Tuesday vowed to recover the missing wetlands in Aklan’s Boracay Island.

At least four of the nine existing wetlands of Boracay make up the priority recovery list of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources since they contribute to the pollution to the beach waters.

Cimatu said residential structures and commercial buildings sit on these four wetlands.

The wastes generated from these structures figure in the wetlands and, in turn, are transferred to the main beach when high tide occurs.

“We have to find a place for them to be relocated. We will recover the wetlands because this is like the kidneys of the island. But before we ask them to leave the wetlands, of course we have to find a relocation site for them. This is one of

the things that we are going to do after the six-month closure,” Cimatu said.

According to the DENR, one of the remaining wetlands sits inside a titled property while another has been turned into a lagoon, while another one is in a forest.

Two others are within residential communities.

The DENR chief said he was looking for a good relocation site for the residents who would be uprooted from their houses situated in either one of the nine wetlands of Boracay.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay due to environmental woes to pave the way for the “healing” of the island from the excesses of unbridled tourism ranging from its erratic sewerage systems to the

illegal settlers in its wetlands, considered the “kidneys” of the island.

On Monday, Duterte reiterated his plan to declare the “entire” Boracay Island as land reform area after its rehabilitation.

“I do not mean to lord it over but as I have promised, I will declare the entire island a land reform area,” Duterte said in a speech during the signing of the Ease of Doing Business Act in Malacañang.

Duterte said only the coastal area would be used by tourists while the land area would be given back to the natives of the island.

“I will leave that option to you to preserve the coastal area. I have no interest there. I will just convey to you now that my predilection, if you want to call it, is to declare it a land reform area,” he said.

The President said he has no idea why Boracay became commercial when in fact, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed a proclamation in 2006, classifying the island into forest land and agricultural land.

Malacañang nixes idea legalizing growing marijuana

By Vito Barcelo MALACAÑANG on Tuesday thumbed down the idea of legalizing growing of marijuana plants in Mountain Province for medicinal purposes to provide income to indigenous people in the region.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte was committed to eradicate illegal drugs in the country and said the government was continuing to wage a war on illegal drugs in the country where more than 4,000 have reportedly been killed.

Duterte, who won the presidency on a campaign promise that he would rid the

country’s drug problems in six months, said drug users were inclined to commit different crimes.

In a press briefing, Roque said the government had launched alternative agricultural programs to uplift the lives of farmers, particularly the indigenous people in Mountain Province and in Mindanao.

“We have plenty of programs provided by the Department of Agriculture, where they introduced different crops to plants. Many were given livestock to stop them from growing marijuana,” Roque said.

Asked if the President was willing to legalize planting of marijuana by some indigenous people because it is

part of their culture to smoke and use it as their medicines, the Palace official said the President was against legalizing this because that would create more problems.

The government, he said, is fully aware that marijuana is being used to manufacture as a component for certain medicines, but once marijuana is legalized, Roque feared that it might go out of control.

For the farmers, the Palace official said there were alternative plants for the farmers to grow.

“Don’t wait to be arrested and jailed because illegal possession of drugs, including marijuana, is penalized with life imprisonment,” he warned.

Comelec warns vs ‘premature campaigning’

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ALTHOUGH premature campaigning is not considered illegal at this time, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez reminded officials to avoid campaigning less than a year before the senatorial elections in 2019.

“We don’t like premature campaigning—the Comelec doesn’t like premature campaigning—and, yes, it should be illegal. But it is not,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez’s statement came with posters bearing the face and name of Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go in footbridges, several electric posts, and even trees, in Malabon City, for instance.

Jimenez cited the loophole in Republic Act No. 9369, which provides that any person, who files a Certificate of Candidacy, was considered a candidate only at the start of the campaign period; and that acts or ommissions applicable to a candidate, such as premature campaigning, shall take effect only at the start of the campaign period.

In addition to Go’s face and name, the posters also bore the name of Malabon City Councilor Bernard dela Cruz, who said he supported “GO na Tayo.”

Go was also prominently featured in the recently held PBA All-Star 2018, which had three legs, namely in Davao City, Batangas City, and Iloilo City.

In particular, Go was among those who gave welcoming remarks in the event when it was held in Davao City and Iloilo City last week.

Go was also one of the participants in the special three-point shootout held during the Davao leg of the PBA AllStar event.

Not a few netizens balked at Go’s presence in the annual event of the PBA with many seeing it as a veil campaigning activity by President Duterte’s top aide.

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

What happened?

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

5,000 percent and Indonesia by 1,071 percent. Meanwhile, we have been struggling to grow at half of Indonesia’s pace—531 percent.

Per capita income is worse: Singapore’s grew 6,377 percent, Thailand’s PRESIDENT Duterte campaigned 2,973 percent, and Indonesia’s by 415 and won on his promise to launch a percent. We made do with 119 percent. war on illegal drugs, criminality and What happened—is it poor leadercorruption. ship or something else?

Upon his assumption to office, he Our economic managers see the issue immediately made good on his vow to as a matter of perception. That’s where eradicate the drug problem. There were the problem lies—they do not see it as between three million and four-million reality. Perception matters most when drug dependents, he said. investors decide where to place their Mr. Duterte’s mistake, however, money. was to see the drug problem as a lawIt may be said that the leaders of othand-order issue. But so long as there er Southeast Asian nations around us is demand for illegal drugs, the men- are mostly authoritarian. Here, we live ace will persist. Not until 2022 when in a democracy, So would it be better to Duterte’s term ends, but even beyond have an authoritarian leader? Will this that. Worse, the drugs war was targeted kind of rule enable us to catch up with against the poor. our neighbors?

Now the President is in the midst *** of his fight against corruption, which There’s a finding by the Commishas long been a problem in govern- sion on Audit that most of the lawment. Just like illegal drugs, corrup- yers in the Office of the Government tion is bound to outlast Duterte. After Corporate Counsel have been getting all, the menace allowances to the can only be minitune of more than mized, not eradihalf their salaries. cated. Even in The Office of other countries the Ombudsman Is our poor showing like the United should look into the result of a States or Singathis anomaly. It pore, corruption leadership problem, or does seem like exists. there are plenty of something else?

What has of shenanigans changed, for me, happening at the agency. is that at least we can say we have *** a President who is finally focusing on Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carthese problems. pio has been castigated by minions *** and apologists of President Duterte The Switzerland-based Institute of for proposing that the Philippines and Management Development, in part- other countries should, together, opnership with the Asian Institute of pose China’s increasingly aggressive Management, found that the Philip- actions in the South China Sea. This pines is perceived to be less com- makes me think—why has China petitive against other countries in all continued its militarization efforts? measures—economic performance, For instance, it recently built on three government efficiency, business effi- Philippine-claimed reefs in the Spratciency and infrastructure. We placed ly archipelago—Panganiban (Mislast among the five founding mem- chief), Zamora (Subi) and Kagitingan bers of Asean.

(Fiery Cross).

Santa Banana, what happened that Despite this, President Duterte and among Southeast Asian nations, the his minion, Foreign Affairs Secretary Philippines is now at the bottom of Alan Peter Cayetano, have preferred the totem pole? According to statis- to keep silent. Mr. Duterte even said tics, the gross national product of he would not go to war with China beSingapore grew 15,353 percent, Thai- cause it is certain we would lose. land by 5,637 percent, Malaysia by Turn to A5

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

I

War is not an option

N DEFENDING his policy of appeasing China, President Duterte likes to say that we could go to war with our giant neighbor to the north over our territorial disputes in the South China Sea, but many Filipinos would surely die and we would most likely lose the war against a far superior force.

Mr. Duterte’s protestations usually follow criticism of his administration’s failure to raise the alarm over Chinese actions, including the reported installation of missile defense systems on a reef claimed by the Philippines, and its refusal to demand immediate Chinese compliance with a 2016 arbitration ruling that has invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea and upheld Manila’s sovereign rights to exploit resources in vast stretches of water off its western coast—an area we refer to as the West Philippine Sea. “I cannot afford at this time to go to war,” the President said during a speech earlier this month on

the 120th anniversary of the Philippine Navy.

“I cannot go into a battle which I cannot win and would only result in destruction for our armed forces. I really want to do something to assert [our sovereignty]… [But] in my own estimation, it would be a great loss to the nation, and probably we will end up losing a war. All of these things I want to be made known to you.

Whether you accept it or not, that’s the reality on the ground.”

We completely agree with the President. War is certainly not an option, given the high price it would extract—and a constitutional provision that renounces war as an instrument of national policy.

Where we differ from the President is his implication that we must go to war to stand up for our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, who was part of the Philippine delegation that successfully argued the country’s case before the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, says there are many avenues open to the country that do not include war. These include filing a strong, diplomatic protest

just to remind the world that we have not forsaken our claim to the West Philippine Sea or that we accept China’s outrageous territorial overreach. We can also reach out to and cooperate with other South China Sea claimants, and pursue a diplomatic solution in the United Nations General Assembly.

Then, of course, there is the UN tribunal ruling in our favor.

Up until now, President Duterte has spoken very little of the tribunal’s ruling that invalidates China’s claims and upholds the Philippines’ sovereign rights. He has not used it openly in talks with Beijing, and barely mentioned it when the ruling was first handed down.

Has the President put the document in his back pocket, ready for use at some opportune time?

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano bristles when critics accuse his department of doing nothing about Chinese expansionism, saying many diplomatic initiatives are done in secret, behind closed doors.

We certainly hope that these “secret” initiatives pay off—before we lose all our territory in the West Philippine Sea in the name of friendly relations with Beijing.

US, China warships in near clash will the United Nations step in to avert the incendiary situation from exploding into a third world war between the US and China?

The UN has been accused of just ALEJANDRO being a talk shop and one big bureauDEL ROSARIO cracy that employs thousands but does A NOT so prominently played up not really have the muscle of enforcenews item was a near clash between ment. Major issues of peace and interChinese and American warships in national security are handled by the the South China Sea last Monday. UN Security Council. Given that the First reported by the New Times and US and China are two of the council’s confirmed by the Chinese foreign permanent members with veto powers, ministry was an incident in the Para- a stalemate and standoff usually is the cels group of islands involving two US outcome of issues brought before the warships which were confronted by body. The other permanent members China’s navy. of the Security The guided Council are Rusmissile cruiser sia, United KingUSS Antietam dom and France.

The Chinese must and destroyer Thus invasions, USS Higgins have had something to territorial transwere conducting gressions such as freedom of really crow about. the US-led coan av igat ion lition force that operations in invaded Iraq and contested waters ousted Saddam when challenged by Chinese warships Hussein; the Russian takeover of 24 nautical miles near the Paracels Crimea and the expansion of its borders which is also being claimed by with Ukraine were committed without Vietnam. the UN having done anything about it.

The Chinese warships warned the Strident but smart Americans to stay away. The possibilSomewhere within President Rodity of miscalculation could have trig- rigo Duterte’s rant-and-rave public gered a bigger conflagration. Pride posture, is a man who is strident but and the issue of sailing in international smart. Some say he’s crazy like a fox. waters escalated the tense moments. I hope he and his spokesman do not The Americans sailed away, opted misunderstand the expression “crazy for prudence in place of valor. It must like a fox.” I suggest they look it up in have been something to crow about for the thesaurus instead of me explaining the Chinese—they made the world’s it to them. greatest navy retreat.

Duterte’s “love affair” with China These incidents are becoming more is, after all, a smart foreign policy frequent in the disputed South China maneuver. Cast aside the national Sea that Beijing has claimed in its security peril of China’s encroachment entirety despite conflicting claims to in the West Philippine Sea and focus parts of the SCS by Vietnam, the Phil- on the economic benefits the country ippines, Malaysia and Taiwan. When Turn to A5

BACK CHANNEL

Airports, food inflation By 2016, Hong Kong’s exports ($502.5 billion) were 8.9x those of the Philippines’ $56 billion, South Korea ($495.4 billion) 8.8x, and Taiwan ($280.3 billion) 5x.

Why did the Philippines lose the exIN THE late mid-1960s up to 1970, the ports war?

Philippines was an export powerhouse with export earnings 10 times those of South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

By 1981, Hong Kong ($21.8 billion) had 3.8x more exports than the PhilWhy are we losing ippines ($5.72 billion). South Korea the exports war? ($21.25 billion) had 3.7x more exports than the Philippines, and Taiwan ($22.6 billion), 3.9x.

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Simple answer: Poor and inadequate infra.

The country does not have enough good highways, ports and airports to attract tourists and entice investors. Today, out of 85 airports in an archipelago of 7,600 islands, only ten airports have night flying capability.

Outside of the ten night-rated airports, if you land in the 75 remaining airports before 5 pm, you cannot leave the place the same night.

You have to check into a hotel (our hotels are very expensive, by the way) and book an overbooked flight the following morning.

Turn to A5

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

SCS all over again CROSSROADS

JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ SCS is of course the South China Sea or, as the previous administration insisted, the WPS (West Philippine Sea) as if the renaming of that part of the world by us or any one of the five claimant countries would change the fact that not one can lay an internationally binding and implementable writ over it. Quite apart from the fact that the sea remains open to international commerce—thus satisfying the freedom-of-navigation clause of international treaties including Unclos— the reality is all the claimants save one occupy islands they call their own. In our case, it is the Kalayaan Islands Group (KIG) which we have occupied and fortified for years.

In our case, we have occupied and we continue occupying Pag-asa, the second-biggest natural island after Abu Ita, which is tightly held by Taiwan. On the other hand, China and Vietnam have their part of that group of islands with the Chinese expanding, reclaiming and lately, fortifying theirs.

Vietnam has a group of islets occupied and equally fortified like ours and Taiwan’s. It’s confounding how some quarters, including high-profile individuals who have served in public office and who should know better, continue to spread half truths, even downright lies, about the real situation in the area.

A good number of them, such as Vice President Leni Robredo and Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, have yet to correct themselves after wrongfully and vehemently suggesting that we file a protest over the landing of Chinese bombers in an island in the Paracels on which we have no claim and which is hundreds of kilometers away from Philippine shores.

In the process, they muddle the issue, inject a fair amount of venom and hysteria over some exaggerated, hegemonic Chinese operations—enhanced fortifications, expansion of the runway and accelerated Chinese migration flows into the area. The shrillness of the calls for President Duterte

Airports...

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With poor infra, the Philippines also missed three waves of foreign investments that flowed into Southeast Asia in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. These investments fueled the economic miracles of Thailand and Malaysia, today, the top two tourist destinations in Asean.

In 2017, Thailand hosted 35.38-million arrivals; Malaysia 25.9 million, and Singapore 17.4 million. In 2015, Thailand (with 29.9-million arrivals) overtook Malaysia (25.72 million) as Asean’s No. 1 tourist destination. Since then, Thailand has never relinquished its tourism leadership.

In the past 10 years, the Philippines has never improved its No. 6 ranking in arrivals among Asean countries. It was No. 6 in 2009 (with three-million arrivals). It was still No. 6 in 2017 (with 6.62 million), an increase of 106 percent.

During the same 10 years, Thailand’s arrivals increased from 14.15 million to 35.38 million, an escalation of 150 percent, almost 50 percent faster than the Philippines’.

The lesson then is: When you invest in tourism infrastructure as big as airports, you boost not just tourism.

You also boost investments. When the two go together, you have all-around prosperity.

No wonder, the per capita incomes of Thailand in purchasing parity US dollars is $16,070, while Malaysia’s is $26,900, far more than the Philippines’ $9,400 despite this country’s having been previously (until 1970 at least), Southeast Asia’s richest economy.

Thus, the San Miguel airport brings us back to a bygone era of greatness when Filipinos were builders of men, of economies, and of nations. We should think like the Vietnamese. In five years, Vietnam became the biggest rice exporter and biggest coffee exporter. It cut its unemployment to half of ours.

US, China...

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derives from our giant neighbor in the north. Our neighbors in the Association of Southeast Nations, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are all trading heavily with China —more than they are trading with the United

to rethink his position on the Chinese initiatives and file diplomatic protests every time China makes a move no matter how inconsequential has become such a robotic exercise. It makes one wonder whether they are really the ones issuing such statements, as their every call comes with threats of impeachment, not solutions to what they call as a crisis waiting to happen.

The frequency and inordinateness of these calls really takes our breath away. What are these people up to?

What’s drives their paroxysms of anger and threat?

It’s confounding how some quarters, including high-profile individuals who should know better, continue to spread half truths, even downright lies.

Is it fear of Chinese invasion? I cannot imagine how that can happen given the international attention this dispute has generated. Any misstep on the part of the Chinese, say forceful takeover of an occupied island, can blow up on their faces. Please note we are saying occupied not claimed. If the Chinese have as much as unduly overreached and abused their welcome as they unduly reclaimed, expanded and fortified their own set of islands and occupied some unoccupied ones within the claimed exclusive economic zones of each and every other claimant country, then a protest can very well be issued.

But, as President Duterte himself noted, what can a protest-every-Chinese initiative do except irritate them and put the same on the record in the UN archives? Should we not rather expand and fortify our own occupied islands like what we are now trying belatedly in Pag-asa? Should we not instead engage China and the other claimants in a multi-party dialogue and adopt a binding and internation-

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Making sense

ally acceptable code of conduct in the area? That would be a better use of our time, resources and goodwill. We can start with the Asean claimants, then engage China and Taiwan.

This incremental move is a lot better than the multi-party dialogues in the SCS/WPS which have been in and out of the Asean meetings with the UN and the expanded ones with each and every power bloc such as the ones we have annually within ourselves and our dialogue partners.

So, if not fear, what? *** Congratulations are in order for Lara Andrea Montales and Janelle Micaela Panganiban for having graduated summa cum laude at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and New York University, respectively.

They and a number of other Filipinos who also graduated from international schools, my son, Julian Rodrigo, who just got his Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University included deserve our applause and prayers.

They made not only their families and friends but the country proud.

Montales graduated with a BS Economics degree major in finance and business analytics while Panganiban had a BS degree major in sociology, global health and public policy.

Our appreciation goes as well to the founders of the College Admissions Mentors for Peers, Michi Ferreol (Harvard ‘15), Kimi Rodriguez (NYU Abu Dhabi ‘15) and Kaye Kagaoan (Hamilton College ‘15), who introduced international education to Montales and Panganiban and mentored them, as it were, in navigating the waters of entry into internationally recognized universities.

Indeed, getting Filipino students interested in and acquainted with the culture and ways of international education should be a must-do program of the CHED and our schools of higher learning, public or private. That will not only open the world of learning to the future generation but enhance our own capability to accept foreign students in our own campuses.

My only hope is that these graduates will somehow come back and make use of their talents to make the country a better place and a worthy member of the family of nations.

The San Miguel airport has many benefits. They include: • No-cost government. SMC will finance the whole P735-billion project cost. So taxpayers won’t be burdened with debt servicing. SMC can borrow six times its earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation. So far, the P1-trillion company (in sales) has borrowed only twice its EBITDA. • Increase in annual arrivals to 20 million • Generation of at least 30-million direct jobs. The airport’s job generation can solve the country’s unemployment in about three years (supposedly there are only 2.2-million unemployed Filipinos. At P2 million per job, providing jobs to 2.2-million jobless will cost P4.4 trillion).

• Decongestion of Metro Manila.

Traffic in the capital costs taxpayers P3 billion a year.

• Improvement of the image of the Philippines • Improvement Filipinos’ quality of life • Contribution of more than 8 percent of the country’s GDP or the total production of goods and services by the economy. At P17 billion, 8 percent is P1.36 trillion per year.

• Addition of one percentage point rate to the GDP growth rate. If the economy grows normally at 7 percent per year, growth with a new airport will be 8 percent.

• Fast and easy access via multiple expressways • Substantial multiplier effects • A drastic cut in cost of air travel.

A one-hour flight in the Philippines is about $300; in Vietnam it’s $50; in Europe it’s 60 euros.

• Cut in cargo cost by 90 percent, from $10 per kilo to $1. Electronics requires just in time assembly and delivery which an airport can provide.

• Revitalization of industry to make the Philippines an export powerhouse again (electronics and transport parts are our No. 1 export).

• Generation of P2 trillion, if the 625 hectares of old Naia are sold as a real estate deal. This will be enough to build Manila’s most modern business city (Makati’s Central Business District is only 100 hectares; that of Fort Boni 250 has.), and enough to jumpstart President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” and solve poverty almost overnight. His Free College costs only P60 billion a year. College education is the best way to lick poverty.

Additionally, • It will make Duterte a great president, and • It will make the Philippines truly a great nation, overhaul our culture of smallness, and make every Filipino proud of himself.

TRAIN. The Duterte administration has come to be hounded by the adverse effects of its major tax reform law called TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion). So far, what has accelerated is the spiral in prices, especially of food items, and not the inclusion part (which is giving cash dole to the poor).

The rise in prices of major food items in the price index has accounted for 43 percent of the 4.1 percent average inflation rate as of April 2018. These are: Fish 0.6, rice 0.3, Meat 0.4, Vegetables, 0.1.

That’s 1.4 points. Add the 0.2 of Catering Services (which is food-related), that’s 1.6 points, plus the 0.2 of Non-Alcoholic beverages (which is reckoned as food), you have 1.8 points, or a full 43.9 percent of the 4.1 percent inflation. For P100 pesos of inflation, P43.90 came from food and food-related expenses.

The 4.1-percent average JanuaryApril 2018 inflation rate is more than three times the 1.3-percent inflation rate when Duterte took office in July 2016.

TRAIN’s problem is that it is an esoteric policy that cannot be explained in plain language. In other words, it lacks common sense.

States.

The reason behind the Asia-Pacific region’s brisk trade with China is the destabilizing policy of US President Donald Trump. Since he came to power, Trump has been on a contentious protectionist trade policy with most of the countries in the world. Higher tariffs, even with traditional trade and political allies, have sent the US global

influence into a downward spin.

Why is Duterte closer to China than to long-time ally America? He must know something his critics do not. Or, he read Kent Harrington’s World View article which explains the rational, facts and figures on why a rising China is displacing the US as the top economic power.

Here are Harrington’s facts and figures : China is the economic core of

biznewsasia@gmail.com

tent of the law.

Banks find lending to farmers risky.

A good example, for those who still remember, are the Masagana 99 loans.

LITO Farmers borrowed; farmers failed to BANAYO pay. Many borrowed not to use in producing more and better crops, but in SECRETARY Art Tugade is right buying consumer goods (though that when he says bus rapid transit sys- did something good for the economy) tems will not work if they would trav- or worse, betting in cockfights. erse narrow or heavily utilized roads.

There’s a good idea I got in Sabah, I cannot for the life of me see what and it may be worth considering. Inlogic there is for a BRT traversing stead of government, through the the traffic-choked and often narrow LandBank, lending directly to farmthoroughfares of Cebu City. For in- ers, why not engage the private secstance, the proposed Cebu BRT will tor to do the lending and collecting? pass by Escario St. which connects It works like this: The Sabah Coopthe provincial capitol area and Fuente erative Fund is managed privately, Osmena to Banilad. Both are four- by bankers who know their business. lane roads.

Government lends to the fund, at a If you dedicate one lane coming low interest rate. They then re-lend and going for the BRT, you will have to farmers, making a little spread, and only one lane left on both sides. Un- strictly monitor farm performance. less you widen the roads, and this Micro-management works better, is difficult to do because this will provided the system is not corrupted. mean demolishIt’s like the ruing buildings ral banking sysalong the way and tem that we have will entail costly had for ages, but Putting political and lengthy road considerations above in Sabah, it works right-of-way negomarvelously, and tiations, you will good economics is is used to help upcreate more traffic nonsense. lift the lives of inbottlenecks. digenous peoples Imagine further left behind by the if there is a fire march of progress somewhere and fire trucks have to in the urban areas. rush. Or an ambulance. The problem *** with most of our cities is that these Let’s face it. Government is never were not planned with enough vision going to be good at running business. to foresee population growth and ve- There are so many bureaucratic prohicle multiplication. cedures; so many audit restrictions As we have said before, we cannot such that business decisions are slow seem capable of looking beyond the and ponderous. tips of our noses.

Take the Duty Free Philippines, In antediluvian Cebu, the coun- which ought to have been privatized try’s first known settlement when ages ago. the Spaniards came, roads were conWhen I was head of the Philippine structed since the 19th and 20th cen- Tourism Authority and vice-chairman turies, and about the only way you of the board, I wanted to initiate talks can solve the traffic nightmares that with the big duty free groups in Hong bedevil both locals and visitors alike Kong, Taiwan, and others to manage is a subway, or a light rail system, or our duty free airport outlets but the a suspended aerial tram system, even Erap presidency was too short-lived a monorail. for any major bureaucratic reorganiDon’t laugh at Sec. Art’s proposal zation. Besides, the DoT secretary to have cable cars. It’s not like what at the time and the appointed head of travelers have experienced in Hong Duty Free Philippines were not keen Kong’s Ocean Park, or even Disney- on privatizing. land. These days, cable car systems Look at our duty free outlets in are so efficient they can carry huge our international airports, and weep. loads, or dozens of passengers in each Don’t even try comparing these to car. And they take little land space for the duty free stores you see in Hong the posts from which the cables are Kong or Singapore. There are outsuspended. moded merchandise, brands forgotten It makes a lot of sense to think out a generation ago, and very few locally of the usual box. made quality items on display. *** Retail business, especially, is The country’s banking system is something that requires quick deciagriculture-averse, as DA Sec. Man- sions and creative thinking to be able ny Pinol rightly observes. There is an to compete. But because it is a moAgri-Agra Law that requires banks to nopoly, and a government monopoly set aside 20 percent of their loanable at that, neither creativity nor good funds for agriculture, but that is not business sense prevails. observed.

Making sense of things in governInstead, banks buy government ment is a difficult task. Making sense bonds or other instruments to comply of political considerations being above with and similarly circumvent the in- good economics is nonsense.

SO I SEE

What...

He seems to have the impression— a wrong one, of course—that the only way to stop China’s bullying is to go to war.

The President and Cayetano prefer to keep quiet despite calls from many sectors that we should instead file a diplomatic protest against China for its actions.

I agree with Carpio in that the failure to formally protest means that the Philippines is acquiescing to the militarization and, worse, to the claim of China that all the islands, waters and resources within the nine-dash line form part of its territory.

A formal diplomatic protest is recognized by the United Nations as a peaceful and legitimate course of action in a territorial dispute.

With all claimants of islets and reefs of the South China Sea registering dip-

lomatic protests, world opinion can be shaped against what China is doing.

Keeping silent just emboldens it to keep acting like a bully.

Mr. Duterte should be asked: Are China’s promises of aid, loans and investments worth it? Not by any stretch of the imagination. I say! *** For many years, people have been urging the government to do something about the sorry condition of Manila Bay. Environmentalist Antonio Oposa said during a Senate inquiry that bacteria levels in the bay have grown fivefold since 1990.

Indeed Manila Bay has been highly polluted. Squatters, because they do not have toilets in their homes, use the bay as their toilet instead. Worse, vessels entering the bay also dump their garbage there.

Rehabilitation of Manila Bay is a huge undertaking. Is the administration up to the challenge?

Southeast Asia, accounting for 21 percent of the region’s exports in 2015.

China is also the biggest importer with the bulk from neighboring countries comprising electronics and machineries. This has made China a processing hub. About 25 percent of South Korea’s exports go to China. Some 28 percent of Australia’s exports go to China, compared to just 7 percent going to the US.

The political implication is that a rising China has replaced the US as the global leader. Thanks to Trump’s misguided economic policy, most of Asia and the Pacific are turning to China for its survival in a competitive commercial world. These are just some of the hard facts cited by Harrington, which appeared May 19 in the Inquirer.

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News

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

South Korea donates patrol cars to PNP

By Francisco Tuyay

T

HE Philippine National Police anti-criminality campaign, particularly in illegal drugs war, is expected to be boosted with the addition of 130 patrol vehicles which Korean government has donated to the law enforcement agency.

The 130 patrol vehicles which was donated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency was turned over to PNP chief Oscar Albayalde by Korean Ambassador Han Dong-Man and Commissioner General of Korea National Police Agency Lee Chul-Sung.

The Korean vehicles consisting of 49 units of Hyundai Elantra and 81 units of Starex Van were personally witnessed

by Albayalde during a simple turnover rites held at Camp Tomas Karingal in

Quezon City.

Albayalde said the latest addition to police mobility will be equally distributed to the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management, Criminal Investigation and Detective Group, Anti-kidnapping Group, Anti-Cybercrime Group, and National Capital Region Police Office.

He said police offices in Angeles City, the cities in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Davao and Baguio, which

has sizeable Korean communities, will also be provided with the patrol vehicles to enhance the PNP’s anti-criminality and police visibility campaign.

Aside from using the new vehicles to help solve crimes in the country, Albayalde said the vehicles will also be used to intercept high-mobile criminal syndicates who prey on their would-be victims at random, especially among Korean traders and their families.

As a gesture of gratituted to the Ko-

rean government, Albayalde said the vehicles will help solve cases involving Korean nationals, including the killing of Jee Ick-Joo inside Camp Crame days after he was kidnapped in Angeles City in October 2016.

“What the Korean Ambassador had asked the PNP was the resolution of cases involving Korean nationals. We promised the Ambassador that we will exert our best efforts in order to resolve these cases,” Albayalde said.

Duterte signs laws on education, business

By Vito Barcelo

TECH FACILITY. Visitors tour inside Entropy Solution, the first hardware, research, and development facility in Cabuyao, Laguna yesterday. The space

is intended for the testing and development of telecommunication technology and Internet. The company is known for developing and deploying the intelligence behind the National Wi-Fi Program using its broadband management platform, Gridloc. In 2016, the company developed eReach, a portable, plug-and-play cellular network intended for emergencies, when power and conventional telco networks may be unavailable. Present during the inauguration are Sam Consorte, CEO of Entropy Solution ; Francis Goh, venture capitalist partner of Entropy Solution; and Alan Silor, assistant secretary Department of Information and Communications Technology. Norman Cruz

Eriguel’s murder ‘politically motivated’, widow says NCRPO forms team to monitor erring cops By Maricel V. Cruz

By Joel E. Zurbano THE National Capital Region Police Office on Tuesday formed a special team tasked to inspect and monitor the deployment and utilization of personnel in Metro Manila in line with the government’s campaign against erring policemen.

NCRPO chief Camilo Cascolan said the new group dubbed as Special Team of Regional Inspectors and Key Evaluators will randomly validate and evaluate the deployment of police personnel.

He added that Strike team will also conduct drug testing during inspection in support of the directive of Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde’s intensified internal cleansing drive.

“The team’s positive remarks will be credited for recognition and awards while any negative remarks will be used for disciplinary sanctions or even dismissal of erring police personnel,” said Cascolan.

Cascolan said he is confident that the team will serve as both motivation and caution to the NCRPO policemen as it aims to recognize the good deeds and sanction the bad.

The NCRPO chief tapped Senior Supt. Benjamin Acorda, head of the Regional Intelligence Division, as Strike team leader.

THE widow of former La Union Rep. Eufranio Eriguel has described the May 12 murder of her late husband as “politically motivated” and asked the National Police to investigate the pullout of security detail from the Eriguel family days before the incident.

“Truly, violence has no place in any civilized society. The peace loving people of La Union denounces violence and we condemn, to the highest degree, the senseless, brutal and cowardly murder of Congressman Franny

and his three companions,” La Union Rep. Sandra Eriguel, the widow of the late legislator and mayor, said in a privilege speech on Monday.

At the same time, Rep. Sandra Eriguel cried for justice over the death of her husband. “...We will not rest until we find your murderers. We will not stop until all the perpetrators including the mastermind of this heinous act be apprehended and suffer the wrath of our justice system. We cry for justice. We want justice for those who were injured, for those who died and for Congressman

Franny Eriguel,” she said Eriguel and three of his companions died, while eight other people were wounded after a group of nine men armed with automatic weapons attacked the former lawmaker, mayor and doctor while he was delivering a speech in Barangay Capas, Agoo, La Union on the night of May 12.

An autopsy report showed that the late legislator sustained eight gunshot wounds on his head, chest, arm and leg. Based on police statements, high-caliber bullets were used during the carnage from M16 and M14 rifles.

S. Korean traffic expert to guest in forum

By Joel E. Zurbano A SOUTH Korean expert in managing traffic will be one of the guests during a forum on Intelligent Transport System to be hosted by the Metro Manila Development Authority in Pasay City on Thursday.

Dr. Kim Wan Jib, of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will present their Transportation Operation and Information Service (TOPIS), an integrated traffic

management center that operates and manages Seoul’s traffic situation, along with its challenges and achievements since its inception.

TOPIS, the control tower of Seoul City’s comprehensive traffic system, gathers a wide variety of traffic information from Bus Management System, current traffic situation from Transport Card System, and other sources.

Real-time information are processed by the control tower and provided to

traffic facility users and public transportation information managers operating buses, subway trains, parking facilities, among others.

The forum will also cover Smart City Projects and Strategies of Seoul, South Korea’s capital and largest metropolis recognized as one of the smartest, most connected city in the world.

Technologies that make Seoul among the Smartest Cities in the World will be presented during the event.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law two key legislative measures aimed at improving the country’s education system and enhance business competitiveness and good governance.

Malacañang said that the two laws will support Duterte’s administration’s 10-Point Socio-Economic Agenda.

In a statement, the Palace said the President signed the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018 law, a measure that will address the failure of the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and is aimed to solve the perennial problem of bureaucratic red tape in government institutions.

“The law will simplify requirements and streamline procedures to spare the people from the intolerable waiting time and long lines in frontline government agencies,” the Palace said.

The Palace also said that the President signed a law converting the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology into the Davao Oriental State University, recognizing the institution’s valuable role in producing professionals and experts who contributed to the advancement of Davao Region and entire Mindanao.

“It is my sincere hope that our country’s newest university will continue to take part in nation-building by offering advanced technological instruction and [by] pursuing highly specialized research programs in various fields of science and technology,” the President said.

The Ease of Doing Business Act will limit the processing time for government transactions. Under the new law, government agencies are required to process simple transactions within three working days and complex transactions in seven working days and highly technical transactions in 20 working days.

The law will also limit to a maximum of three the number of signatories for applications for licenses, clearances, permits, certifications and authorizations.

Electronic signatures will also be recognized and a zero-contact policy will be implemented to avoid improprieties.

‘Suspend contractors of housing projects’

By Maricel V. Cruz THE chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on housing and urban development has recommended to the National Housing Authority the suspension of more construction firms involved in government housing projects in connection with the congressional investigation into the collapse of a wooden bridge leading to stilt houses for the victims of the Zamboanga siege in 2013.

Negros Oriental Rep. Albee Benitez, the panel chairperson, said general manager Marcelino Escalada deserves “half commendation” for the effort to run after erring contractors, and at the same time, hold them accountable by filing criminal charges and have them blacklisted from all government housing projects.

“At the end of the day, it is still a question of how we hold people accountable. The NHA must have a bigger role to play because they are the lead agency in this project,” Benitez said during the hearing Tuesday.

Escalada told lawmakers that he already issued show cause orders to 50 contractors asking them to explain why they should not be held accountable for various offenses.

PCSO gets high customer satisfaction mark PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office got a 94.48-percent satisfaction rating in the 2017 Customer Satisfaction Survey commissioned to the Development Academy of the Philippines.

The survey was administered via faceto-face interview from Feb. 1 to 24, 2017 in its main office at the Lung Center of the Philippines, and nine pre-identified branch offices.

Of the 1,036 respondents, 94.48 percent of them, or 985, were satisfied with PCSO’s services on medical assistance

and prize claims with an average satisfaction rating of 3.50 and above; while 0.29 percent was neutral and 5.02 percent were dissatisfied.

“Though the percentage of satisfied respondents was high, there is room for improvement considering that there were 217 negative comments (medical assistance 121, prize claims 96). It is worth noting that PCSO is a charity institution, which could contribute to the high satisfaction,” said PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan.

BoC quizzed on manual alert orders

By Maricel V. Cruz

HEALTH FORUM. In a Health Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center former Department of Health Dr. Esperanza Cabral delivered a special message on the Universal Healthcare, and discussed the ‘Golden Age of Health Infrastructure’ where the government builds resilliency not only the insfrastructure but more importantly, its people to fully achieve social and economic development. Manny Palmero

LAWMAKERS have demanded an explanation from the Bureau of Customs with regard to the 105 shipping containers that were allegedly illegally released from the premises of Manila South Harbor’s port operator Asian Terminal Inc. were placed under manual alert orders.

At a congressional hearing, Quirino Rep.

Dakila Cua, chairperson of the House committee on ways and means, inquired from officials of the the BoC as to who recommended to BoC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña the issuance of such orders.

“Why manual? Because of this, the image of the Office of the Commissioner was tainted. We would like to know why they issued alert orders manually,” Cua told the BoC officials at a congressional hearing.

Sports

Manila

Standard

TODAY

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

A7

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Wawrinka crashes; Novak wins P ARIS, France—Former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka was dumped out in the first round by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Monday, a defeat which will send his world ranking plummeting, while late evening rain halted Rafael Nadal’s first match in his pursuit of an 11th Roland Garros title.

Brigadier Gen. Gener Del Rosario (16) prepares to breach the defense of Atty. Homer Alinsug during the game between the Senate Sentinels and AFP Cavaliers at the Pasig City Sports Center.

Sentinels notch 3rd win in a row THE Senate Sentinels extended the woes of the AFP Cavaliers, pulling off a close 79-77 win in the UNTV Cup Executive Face-Off at the Pasig City Sports Center on Sunday.

The Sentinels used a 5-0 run in the closing minutes to grab their third straight win and kept the Cavaliers winless in three starts. “’Yung mga ganitong games, kailangan namin ito toughen more ‘di ba? So ‘yung ganitong panalo na grinding kami all throughout the game, ‘yun ang kailangan namin talaga,” said Senate head coach Mike Fermin.

Warren Tan scored 23 points, hauled 13 rebounds and had 3 steals, while Ryan Neil Endaya finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to lead the Sentinels.

Meanwhile, the PNP Responders frustrated the Judiciary Magis, 81-75.

The Magis claimed an early lead against the Responders, but the PNP cagers bounced back in the second half and seized a 6-point lead to stay, 81-75.

“Salamat sa lahat ng players, nakikinig sila sa idini-design namin, talagang nagsipag sila, they play with their heart, talagang puso pinairal nila kahit medyo pagod na pinipilit pa rin nila.” PNP Head Coach Alfred Suarez said.

Judiciary coach Warren Ybañez lamented his players’ lack of conditioning.

When play was called off just before 2000 (1800GMT), world number one Nadal was 6-4, 6-3, 0-3 ahead of Italian lucky loser Simone Bolelli.

The downpours also prevented twotime champion Maria Sharapova from starting her opener against Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.

But there were no such problems for 2016 champion Novak Djokovic or Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki who both cruised through to the second

Lady Warriors, Angels clash in vital tiff TITLEHOLDER Pocari SweatAir Force hopes to ride on the momentum of its back-to-back wins as it shoots for solo second against a resurgent PetroGazz side as the race to the quarterfinals heats up in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Reinforced Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan today.

The Lady Warriors checked an early struggle with victories over the Iriga-Navy Lady Oragons and the BaliPure-NU Water Defenders to join the idle PayMaya High Flyers at second at 3-2, behind the Creamline Cool Smashers’ pacesetting 4-1 mark.

But the Angels are back in the hunt after dropping their first

three games, beating the BanKoPerlas Spikers and the Lady Oragons to move up to joint fifth heading to the last four play dates in the single round eliminations among eight teams in the seasonopening conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Mikasa and Asics.

That makes their 4 p.m. en-

Led by eventual MVP Miguel Tan, Joshua Yee and Ryan Yu, the Quezon City Stars clobbered the Taguig Generals, 104-87, in their knockout match to win the 2018 Metro Championship held recently at the West Greenhills Basketball Court in San Juan City. Shown with the Stars are tournament officials, led by Commissioner Pido Jarencio and tournament director Bonnie Tan.

required; 10. When you use portable electronic device when such is prohibited; 11. When you are not properly clothed; 12. When you have a contagious disease which may be transmitted to others during the fight; 13. When the Passenger who may have been required to present medical clearance in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, failed to submit said medical certificate and where it appears that he/she cannot complete the flight without requiring medical assistance; 14. When your conduct is disorderly, abusive, offensive or violent; 15. When your conduct results or may result to a risk of annoyance, offense or disturbance to other Passengers; 16. When you have made a hoax bomb or other security threat;

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

PAL express

round before the rains came.

Wawrinka, who lost to Nadal in last year’s final and won the 2015 title, was beaten in a f i ve - s e t th r iller 6-2, 3-6, 4 - 6 , 7-6 (7/5),

6-3 by the Spanish world number 67 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

The 33-year-old has been plagued by a knee injury and arrived at Roland Garros having won just one match on clay in Geneva last week, his first event in three months.

The defeat means that the three-time Grand Slam champion will slip from 30th in the world to outside the top 250 after the tournament, having failed to defend the rank-

AIR PHILIPPINES CORPORATION doing business under the name and style of Airphil Express; PAL express; and Philippine Airlines GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE (GCC) (Passenger and Baggage) (AS AMENDED) Article 5 RESERVATIONS Section 1. RESERVATION REQUIREMENTS (a)A reservation is not confirmed until: 1. It is entered on the appropriate Flight or Electronic Coupon, by APC or its Authorized Agent; 2. You have paid for your Ticket; and 3. A Ticket has been duly issued to you, or in the case of an Electronic Ticket, when it has been duly created in APC’s database. A reservation that does not comply with any of these requirements may be cancelled by APC at any time without notice. (b) As provided in APC’s Tariffs, certain fares may be subject to conditions which limit or exclude your prerogative to change or cancel reservations.

Sec. 2. TICKETING TIME LIMIT If you have not paid or made credit arrangements for the Ticket with APC prior to the specified ticketing time limit as advised by APC or its Authorized Agent, APC will cancel your reservation without prior notice.

Sec. 3. PERSONAL DATA You recognize that your personal data have been given to APC for the purposes of: making a reservation, purchasing a Ticket,for obtaining ancillary services, facilitating immigration and entry requirements, complying with regulatory requirements of government authority and making available such data in connection with your travel. For these purposes, you agree and authorize APC to retain and process or use such data and to transmit them to its own offices, Authorized Agents, government authorities, other carriers or the providers of the above-mentioned services. In booking your travel, you provide APC your consent to be added to APC’s email list that will be used to contact you occasionally with commercial electronic messages such as offers and promotions that APC feels will be of interest to you.

Sec. 4. SEATING APC will endeavor to honor your advance seating requests. However, APC does not guarantee to provide any particular seat in the aircraft and you agree to accept any seat that may be allotted on the flight in the class of service for which your Ticket has been issued.

APC reserves the right to assign or re-assign seats at any time, even after boarding of the aircraft. This may be necessary to comply with laws, rules, and government regulations, or for operational, safety, or security reasons.

APC reserves the right to charge for more than one seat in cases where the physical condition of the Passenger require additional seat.

Sec. 5. RECONFIRMATION OF RESERVATIONS Your reservation may be subject to the requirement that it be reconfirmed not later than seventy-two (72) hours before flight departure. Your reservation with other carriers involved in your travel must be reconfirmed with the carrier whose Airline Designator Code appears on the Ticket, and in accordance with their respective reconfirmation requirements.

Sec. 6. CANCELLATION OF RESERVATIONS If you do not use a reservation and fail to advise APC, your reservation, including onward or return reservations, may be cancelled without prior notice.

Article 7 REFUSAL AND LIMITATION OF CARRIAGE Section 1. RIGHT TO REFUSE CARRIAGE APC will not refuse carriage to any person based solely on race, sex, color, nationality or religion.

Further, as a matter of policy, APC will not refuse carriage to any person based solely on disability subject to exceptions that may be allowed by applicable laws, rules, and government regulations.

APC may refuse to carry you or your Baggage, or may remove you from the aircraft at any time, for any of the following reasons: (a) You fail or refuse to comply with these Conditions of Carriage; (b) (i) The applicable fare or any charges or taxes payable have not been paid, or credit arrangements with APC have not been complied with; (ii) the payment is done through fraudulent means; (iii) when the credit card used for payment could not be authenticated upon booking or is subsequently reported to be lost or stolen; or (iv) when the credit card used for payment is not presented for validation, if required so by APC; (c) The refusal to transport or removal from APC’s aircraft is necessary to comply with any applicable laws, rules, and government regulations of any country to be flown from, to or over; (d) Such action is necessary or advisable by reason of weather or other conditions beyond APC’s control including, but not limited to, acts of God, force majeure, strikes, civil commotions, embargoes, wars, hostilities, terrorist activities, or disturbances, whether actual, threatened, or reported; (e) (i) You appear to be improperly documented; (ii) you cannot prove, when so required that, you are the person named in the Ticket; (iii) the Ticket has been acquired or reported to have been acquired unlawfully or has been purchased or reported to have been purchased from an entity other than APC or its Authorized Agent; (iv) your Ticket is acquired illegally, (v) if you’re Ticket is a counterfeit Ticket or has been altered, torn, damaged or tampered with; (vi) when the immigration authority of the country you are traveling to, or of a country in which you have a Stopover, informed APC (either verbally or in writing) that it has decided not to allow you to enter that country, even if you have, or appear to have, valid travel documents; (vii) when you destroy your travel documents during the flight; (viii) when you have refused to allow APC to photocopy your travel documents; (ix) when you have refused to give your travel documents to a member of the crew of the aircraft, when APC asked you to do so; or (f) You are a person in the custody of law, unless you are sufficiently escorted. (g) Such refusal or removal is reasonably necessary for the security, safety or comfort of other Passengers or APC’s employees; or to prevent damage to the property of APC or of its Passengers or crew or employees, including, but not limited to the following instances: 1. When you assault, intimidate or threaten, whether physical or verbal, any of APC’s ground staff, crew members or other Passengers; 2. When you create a disturbance which interferes with the duties of the ground staff, flight crew or when the disturbance necessitates the pilot-in-command or any member of the cockpit crew to leave the cockpit to attend to the same; 3. When you refuse to follow a lawful instruction given by the pilot-in-command, or on behalf of the pilot-in-command, or by a crew member for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the aircraft or of any person or property on board or for the purpose of maintaining good order and discipline on board; 4. When you commit an act of physical violence, sexual assault, or child molestation, against other persons; 5. When your conduct results or may result to a risk of harm or damage to the aircraft, or properties belonging to APC, its Passengers, or employees; 6. When you refuse to submit to a security check; 7. When you refuse to follow APC’s policy on smoking and use of alcoholic beverages and drugs; 8. When you tamper with the smoke detector or any other safety-related device on board the aircraft; 9. When you fail to comply with safety regulations, including fastening seatbelts when

Sec. 2. CONSEQUENCES OF REFUSAL OF CARRIAGE AND OF REMOVAL OF PASSENGER If you commit any of the acts enumerated under Section 1(g) of this Article, and conduct yourself aboard the aircraft so as to endanger the aircraft or any person or property on board, APC may take such measures reasonably necessary to prevent continuation of your conduct, including restraint. You may be disembarked and refused onward carriage at any point.

If, for the reasons enumerated under Section 1 of this Article, APC has refused to carry you, or removed you en route, APC may cancel the remaining unused portion of your Ticket and you will not be entitled to further carriage or to a refund either in respect of the sector subject of the refusal of carriage or removal, or any subsequent sectors covered by the Ticket. APC reserves the right to prosecute offences committed. APC will not be liable for any consequential loss or damage alleged due to any such refusal to carry or removal en route.

Sec. 3. GENERAL INDEMNITY If you conduct yourself in a manner described in Section 1 of this Article, you will indemnify APC for all claims or losses, including, but not limited to, all costs arising from the diversion of the aircraft for the purpose of offloading you and all losses suffered or incurred by APC, its Authorized Agents, employees, independent contractors, Passengers, and any third party in respect of death, injury, loss, damage or delay to other persons or to property, arising from such conduct.

Sec. 4. OTHER LIMITATIONS ON CARRIAGE (a)

Acceptance for carriage of unaccompanied children, persons with disability, pregnant women or ailing persons may be subject to prior arrangements with APC, in accordance with these Conditions of Carriage and any applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. (b) Acceptance for carriage of persons requiring special assistance such as but not limited to medical oxygen for use on-board the aircraft, packaging of wheelchair and wheelchair batteries, stretchers and other similar assistance, may be subject to advance notice and prior arrangements with APC, in accordance with these Conditions of Carriage, APC’s Tariffs and any applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. (c) If APC believes that the aircraft weight limitation or seating capacity would otherwise be exceeded, APC will decide in its reasonable discretion which persons or articles shall be carried.

Sec. 5. MEDICAL CLEARANCE REQUIRED Subject to applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, APC may require a medical clearance when, in good faith and using its reasonable discretion, APC determines there is reasonable doubt that a Passenger can complete the flight safely without requiring extraordinary medical assistance.

Sec. 6. BANNING NOTICE In addition to its right to refuse carriage under any of the grounds in Section 1 of this Article, APC reserves the right to ban any person from all its flights and from availing of any of its services for the following reasons: (a) Such person is a serious or habitual offender under any of the instances enumerated in Section 1; (b) When records support that you habitually and in bad faith, filed unwarranted complaints against APC and its employees.

Sec. 7. ATTENDANT’S REQUIRED For reasons of safety, Passengers in the following categories may be required to travel with a safety assistant: (a) (b)

(c) (d)

A Passenger with a mobility impairment so severe that the individual is unable to assist in his/ her own evacuation: A Passenger with severe hearing and severe vision impairment who is unable to establish some means of communications with APC’s personnel adequate to permit the Passenger to receive APC’s safety briefing as may be required by the applicable law, rules, and government regulations; A Passenger who is traveling on a stretcher or in an incubator or who requires administration of certain medical services during the flight (e.g. medical oxygen, respirator, intravenous injections, etc.) which he/she cannot administer on himself/herself; A Passenger who because of a mental disability, is unable to comprehend or respond appropriately to safety instructions from APC’s personnel, including safety briefing required by applicable laws, rules, and government regulations.

Article 9 SCHEDULES, CANCELLATION OF FLIGHTS

Section 1. SCHEDULES The flight times shown in timetables may change between the date of publication and the date you actually travel, as shown in the Ticket. APC does not guarantee these schedules and they do not form part of your Conditions of Carriage.

Sec. 2. CANCELLATION, CHANGES OF SCHEDULE, ETC. (a)

(b)

Subject to applicable laws, rules, or government regulations, APC may, when circumstances so require, cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, delay any flight, alter or omit stopping places shown on the Ticket or in schedules and may without notice substitute alternate carriers or aircraft and APC assumes no liability for making connections.

If due to circumstances beyond its control, APC cancels or delays a flight, is unable to provide previously confirmed space, fails to stop at a Stopover or point of destination, or causes you to miss a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation, APC shall not be liable for losses or damages including any indirect, special or consequential loss, expense or damage.

Article 10 REFUNDS

Section 1. GENERAL Refund of a Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, shall be subject to these Conditions of Carriage and APC’s Tariffs.

Sec. 2. WHEN TO FILE FOR REFUND AND TO WHOM REFUND WILL BE MADE (a) Refund of a Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, and or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, shall be applied with APC within the period of the validity of the Ticket and thirty (30) days thereafter. (b) Except as provided in this Article, refund shall be made either to the Passenger, or to the person who has paid for the Ticket upon presentation of satisfactory proof of entitlement to the refund. (c)

If a Ticket has been paid for by a person other than the Passenger, and APC, upon instruction of such person, has so indicated on the Ticket that there is a restriction on refund, APC shall make a refund only to that person paying for the Ticket or to that person’s order.

ing points he gained in 2017.

“There is no frustration (at rankings slip). It’s just tough,” said Wawrinka, seeded 23rd this year.

“But again, I knew from the beginning that it will take a long, a lot of time to get back. I knew that from the surgery that it will take a year at least to get where I want to be.”

There were worrying signs for his fans when he pulled up and called for a medical timeout after just six games, but he played down fears he had caused further damage to his already troublesome left knee.

“My knee is good. I blocked something else at the beginning of the first set, and that’s why I had to ask,” he said. AFP

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka waves to supporters after losing the men’s singles first round match against Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. AFP

Mondilla, Balasabas, Gleeson seek no. 2 win SILANG, Cavite—Local aces Clyde Mondilla and Jerson Balasabas and Aussie David Gleeson set out with personal goals of scoring back-to-back feats while the rest of the elite international field go all out to foil their bids, guaranteeing a spirited battle right in today’s start of the ICTSI Riviera Classic at Riviera’s Langer course here today, Wednesday, May 30.

Mondilla skipped yesterday’s traditional pro-am to further hone up for the $100,000 championship he won by two over Michael Bibat and Korean amateur Tom Kim last year. But the reigning Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit champion has struggled at the start of the season, leading to a string of forgettable finishes, including a 41st place effort in last

week’s Philippine Masters.

But he expressed confidence of a big rebound this week, so do the rest of the 121-player cast, including Balasabas, who is seeking a follow-up to his playoff win over Dutch Van der Valk at Masters, and Gleeson, who ruled the kickoff leg of the second PGT Asia at Luisita last month.

“I need more practice to bring back my game. But I feel good of my chances this week. Laban lang tayo,” said Mondilla, who racked up four victories in a breakout season last year.

Balasabas also brims with confidence following his breakthrough at Villamor but expects a different kind of challenge on the long, hazard-laden layout with sleek putting surface and a field teeming with talent.

(d)

A refund made to anyone holding himself or herself out as a person to whom refund may be made in terms of (a) above shall be deemed a proper refund and shall discharge APC from liability and any further claim for refund.

(e)

Refund due to Tickets, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, paid for with credit cards will only be charged back to the credit card accounts originally used for the Ticket purchase. The refundable amount to be charged back to the credit card account of the card owner may vary from the originally debited amount due to differences in the exchange rate. Such variances do not entitle the recipient of the refund to a claim against APC. APC shall not be held liable for any damages that may result from the ticket cancellation.

(f)

If the credit card used is not under Passenger’s account name, Passenger warrants that the he/she and the credit card holder both agreed that: 1) either the Passenger or credit card holder may apply for online refund; and 2) the refund will automatically be charged back to the credit card account originally used.

Sec. 3. INVOLUNTARY REFUNDS If APC cancels a flight, or fails to operate a flight reasonably according to schedule, or fails to stop at a point to which you are destined or ticketed to Stopover, or is unable to provide previously confirmed space, the amount of the refund shall be subject to these Conditions of Carriage, APC’s Tariffs, and applicable laws, rules, and government regulations.

Sec. 4. VOLUNTARY REFUNDS If you are entitled to a refund of your Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, for reasons other than those set out in Section 3 of this Article, the amount of the refund shall be in accordance with APC’s Tariffs.

Sec. 5. RIGHT TO REFUSE REFUND (a) APC may refuse refund when your application is made thirty (30) days after the expiry of the validity of the Ticket. (b) APC may refuse refund on a Ticket, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, which has been presented to APC or other carriers or to government officials of a country as evidence of intention to depart from such country, unless you are able to establish to APC’s satisfaction that you have permission from the government to remain in the country or that you will depart such country by another carrier or by another means of transport. (c) APC may refuse refund in the circumstances covered by Article 7, Section 2 of these Conditions of Carriage.

Sec. 6. CURRENCY All refunds will be subject to applicable laws, rules, and government regulations of the country in which the Ticket was originally purchased and of the country in which the refund is being made. Subject to the foregoing provision, refunds will normally be made in the currency in which the Ticket was paid but may be made in another currency in accordance with APC’s Tariffs.

Article 13 LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY Section 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS These Conditions of Carriage and applicable laws, rules, and government regulations govern APC’s liability to you.

Sec. 2. LIMITS ON LIABILITY ON INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE Unless otherwise stated in these Conditions of Carriage, International Carriage, as defined in the Convention, is subject to the liability rules of the Convention.

Sec. 3. LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE Where your carriage is not subject to the liability rules of the Convention, our liability provisions are as follows: (a) APC will not be liable to you for any loss or expense incurred due to your failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Conditions of Carriage. (b) APC is not liable if it proves that it or any of its agents have taken all necessary measures to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for it to take such measure. (c) In the carriage of Baggage, APC is not liable if it proves that the damage was occasioned by negligence in the handling of the aircraft or in navigation and that, in all other respects, it has taken all necessary measures to avoid the damage. (d) APC assumes no liability for pre-existing damage, and damage as a result of normal wear and tear, such as minor cuts, scratches, and broken zippers. (e) APC is liable only for damage occurring on its own line or air services. When APC issues a Ticket or Baggage Tag over the lines or air services of another carrier, APC does so only as agent for such other carrier and assumes no responsibility for the acts or omissions of such other carrier. Nevertheless, with respect to Checked Baggage, you shall have a right of action against the first or last carrier. (f) APC is not liable for damage to Unchecked Baggage unless such damage is caused by the negligence of APC. If there has been contributory negligence on your part, APC’s liability shall be subject to the applicable laws, rules, and government regulation relating to contributory negligence. (g) APC is not liable for damage arising from its compliance with any laws, rules, or government regulations, orders or requirements, or from your failure to comply with the same. (h) If in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, different limits of liability are applicable such different limits shall apply. If the weight of the Baggage is not recorded on the Baggage Tag, it is presumed that the total weight of the Checked Baggage does not exceed the applicable free baggage allowance for the class of service concerned.

If in the case of Checked Baggage a higher value is declared pursuant to Article 8, Section 7, the liability of APC shall be limited to such higher declared value. (i) APC’s limit of liability shall not exceed the amount of proven damages. APC shall furthermore not be liable for indirect or consequential damages. (j) APC is not liable for injury to you or for damage to your Baggage caused by property contained in your Baggage. In the event that your property causes injury to another person or damage to another person’s property or to APC’s property, you shall indemnify APC for all losses and expenses incurred by APC as its result. (k) APC is not liable for loss or damage to fragile or perishable items, money, jewelry, precious metals, silverware, negotiable papers, securities, or other valuables, business documents, passports and other identification documents or samples. Carriage of the foregoing shall be allowed only under special arrangements with APC. (l) APC is not liable for any consequence resulting solely from your state of health. (m) The aggregate amount you may claim from APC, including from Authorized Agents, employees, or representatives shall not exceed the limits of liability as prescribed in these Conditions of Carriage. (n) Unless so expressly provided nothing herein contained shall waive any exclusion or limitation of liability of APC under the Convention or applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. (o) In the Domestic Carriage of persons, the limit of liability for death or injury of persons attributable solely to the act, omission or negligence of APC and not due to any cause beyond its control, shall be governed by the relevant local law or regulation. (p) In the Domestic Carriage of Checked Baggage, the limit of liability for loss, damage or delay of the Checked Baggage or of any object contained in the Baggage, attributable solely to the act, omission or negligence of APC and not by any cause beyond its control, shall be governed by the relevant local law or regulation.

(MS-MAY 30 & JUNE 6, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

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

A8

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry glides to the hoop against the Houston Rockets during Game 7 of their Western Conference Finals. The Warriors won to advance to the NBA championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers. AFP

Warriors trounce Rockets LOS ANGELES—Stephen Curry inspired a second-half fightback as the reigning champion Golden State Warriors booked their fourth consecutive NBA finals appearance with a 101-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Curry scored 27 points with Kevin Durant adding 34 as the Warriors advanced to an unprecedented fourth NBA finals meeting in a row against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors’ Western Conference finals game seven victory in Houston handed them a 4-3 series win, and came after the Rockets had led by as many as 15 points in the first half.

The Warriors had looked vulnerable after a sluggish first-half performance that saw them trail 54-43 at half-time.

But just as they have done throughout the playoffs, the Warriors found an extra gear in the third period, with Curry and Durant suddenly finding their range from three-point distance to come roaring back into the contest.

“Basketball is a 48-minute game and no matter how badly we played, how many shots we missed, there’s always time to turn it around,” Curry said. “The second half was unbelievable.

Happy to be back in the finals.”

The Warriors outscored the Rockets by 33-15 in the third quarter, surging into a doubledigit lead that they never looked like surrendering.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni meanwhile attempted to put a brave face on a loss which came after his team had battled into a 3-2 lead earlier in the series.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team,” D’Antoni said. “There’s no quit in them. We saw where the bar was this year, but we just couldn’t quite get there.

Beermen battle Phoenix

By Jeric Lopez AFTER more than a week of break, action resumes in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup as ailing teams plunge back to action.

With the All-Star Week now in the rear view mirror, teams now focus on their respective campaigns as the elimination round reaches its halfway point.

Defending champion San Miguel Beer (0-3), which has yet to post a win, hopes to turn its fortunes around when it goes up against rejuvenated Phoenix Pulse (3-2) at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hours prior, the opening game is likewise anticipated given the recent developments involving Kiefer Ravena as NLEX (1-4) meets woeful Blackwater (0-6) at 4:30 p.m.

After being slapped an 18-month suspension by FIBA in all its sanctioned tournaments after testing positive for banned substance, Ravena’s status in the PBA is now up in the air.

Technically, the PBA is sanctioned by the FIBA but is an organization that stands on its own as well. As of this report, the league is yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.

NLEX coach Yeng Guiao shared his sentiments regarding this stunning development that shook his team.

NBI charges PKF’s Reyes

By Peter Atencio

T

HE National Bureau of Investigation has filed cases of malversation against Philippine Karatedo Federation official Raymund Lee Reyes before the Prosecutors Office of the City of Manila.

Lead agent Moises Tamayo has informed the Philippine Sports Commission of their actions, some 10 months after members of the national karatedo team underwent a 20day training stint in Germany in 2017 July.

Six members of the national squad were prominently involved in the case of malversation of public funds and property against Reyes. They reported that they did not fully receive their allowances during the trip.

“Trinabaho natin ito, ang pagfile ng

kaso. It’s now with the courts. Let’s leave it to the courts,” said commissioner Ramon Fernandez, who has been closely following the case.

The NBI and a five-man task force formed by the PSC have been doing separate probes into the case since January.

During the probe, the agency suspended financial assistance to the PKF and withdrew its privilege of holding office within the premises of the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

The separate probes questioned athletes, coaches and PKF officials to find out what happened to funds amounting to around

P3.217-million.

Among those who charged Reyes were karatedo athletes Eugene Stoner, John Paul Bejar, Miyuki Tacay, Jayson Macaalay and James de los Santos.

The money was supposed to be spent for the seminars and tournaments joined, accommodations, meals and allowances among other things, while the national squad was in Germany from July 20 to Aug. 9.

The agency began investigating the PKF after learning from karatedo athletes that they did not get the full $1,800 allowance that they were supposed to get from the trip.

Angela wants another crown

NLEX Road Warriors player Kiefer Ravena (back) protects the basketball against Alaska Aces defender Ping Exciminiano.

Ravena’s PBA stint hangs in the balance WILL Kiefer Ravena be allowed to play in the Philippine Basketball Association after he was suspended by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for 18 months?

That’s the question that PBA commissioner Willie Marcial is pondering as he awaits word from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on the status of Ravena.

“There’s no decision yet. I’m still waiting for a letter from the SBP,” said Marcial.

Ravena has been suspended by FIBA for 18 months after the federation found him to have taken banned performanceenhancing drugs during random drugtesting held at a FIBA Asia qualifying tournament last February.

The FIBA decision covers Ravena’s eligibility for international competitions and authorities in the Philippines are still deciding if it will affect Ravena’s eligibility with the PBA and other local tournaments.

The test was done after the PhilippinesJapan game in Manila last Feb. 25, and on the second window of the FIBA 2019 qualifiers. Peter Atencio

ANGELA Lee just closed the book on the greatest rivalry of her young martial arts career after successfully defending her ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship against Japanese contender Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi in the main event of ONE: Unstoppable Dreams.

Just like in their initial encounter two years ago, she did it via unanimous decision.

Lee is looking forward to new challenges in a new weight class and capturing some more gold.

“I have pretty much cleared out the atomweight division, so I would like to step up a weight class and challenge “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nang, the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion, for her title. That is what I have my eyes set on right now,” said Lee. The atomweight queen said Xiong would be a great challenge for her and the two will surely figure in a great match.

“Just looking at her previous opponents, I do not think any of them have a game quite like mine, and I think I bring a whole new set of skills to the cage. She definitely has some raw aggression and power, and she trusts in her fists – she just swings. I think it will be an exciting match for people to see, too,” said Lee who confessed that she would like to be the first female two-division ONE World Champion.

Golden Knights draw first blood LAS VEGAS, United States – Tomas Nosek struck twice as the Vegas Golden Knights staged a late fightback to defeat the Washington Capitals 6-4 in a thrilling opening game one of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday.

A wild encounter at the T-Mobile Arena saw the lead change hands five times as the Knights launched their hopes of becoming the first expansion side in history to win the National Hockey League showpiece at the first attempt.

The Knights started the NHL season as 500-1 outsiders according to bookmakers odds, but have confounded conventional wisdom by powering into the Stanley Cup finals at the first go.

The hastily assembled team of outsiders were made to dig deep on Monday after Washington looked to have taken a decisive 4-3 lead through Tom

Wilson in the third period.

But a Ryan Reaves goal levelled the score at 4-4 before Nosek’s double sealed the win.

Reaves said the Knights’ comeback had been inspired by the team’s support.

“We feed off the energy, we have been feeding off the energy all year,” said Reaves.

“The fans have been great, and they brought it tonight.”

Capitals coach Barry Trotz said his team would recover from the setback in time for game two on Wednesday.

“I expect us to have a response, we have more to our game,” Trotz said. “I think we have another level to our game, that’s the exciting thing.

(It was the) first experience for some guys, in this building, against this team, so I’m confident we have another level.” AFP

Reilly Smith (19) of the Vegas Golden Knights scores a second-period goal against Braden Holtby (70) of the Washington Capitals during Game One of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on May 28, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Capitals 6-4. AFP

San Miguel eyes TPLEx extension to Ilocos Sur

B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

B1

Dennis Uy firm investing $6b in Clark

By Jenniffer B. Austria

C

LARK Global City Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Udenna Development Corp., plans to invest $6 billion to develop the 177-hectare Clark Global City within Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga into a “global business destination” that will include a 10-hectare casino resort.

Udenna, the holding company of businessman Dennis Uy, earlier acquired the project previously known as Global Gateway Logistics City from Global Gateway Development Corp. led by Kuwaiti investors.

The $6-billion investment would include the $1-billion acquisition cost of the land, CGCC executives said.

CGCC vice chairman Wilfredo Placino said in an interview during the unveiling of the master plan for the whole development that the group would hold a roadshow in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo next month

IN BRIEF Lopez steps down from Meralco board

FORMER Ambassador Manuel Lopez stepped down from the board of Manila Electric Co., after serving the company for 32 years.

Lopez, who served as ambassador to Japan from December 2010 to June 2016, first became a director of Meralco board in April 1986. He went on to become chairman and chief executive of Meralco from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2010, and chairman from July 1, 2010 to May 28, 2012.

Meralco officials and employees gave tribute to Lopez at the stockholders’ meeting Tuesday.

“We acknowledge the significant contribution of the former CEO Manolo Lopez to Meralco.

He has been quite an inspiration and we would like to thank him for his service,” Meralco president Oscar Reyes said.

Lopez was replaced by Elpidio Ibañez as representative of the Lopez Group in the Meralco board. Alena Mae S. Flores

Cebu Pacific seeks higher fuel surcharge CEBU Air Inc., the airline unit of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc., said it sought the government’s approval to implement a fuel surcharge for domestic flights ranging from P70 to P250 per passenger to recover from the recent fuel price spike.

JG Summit president and chief executive Lance Gokongwei said in an interview during the annual stockholders’ meeting the sharp increase in fuel prices and the depreciation of the peso against the US dollar pushed the airline’s cost higher by P700 million a month.

“The effect of the fuel price and currency has been quite significant for us. The effect of fuel, approximately P20 million per month for every dollar increase, and the effect of currency is about P65 million per month because of the weaker peso,” Gokongwei said.

“In aggregate, it is costing us P700 million more per month to fly the same route. So we will have to avoid losses and we will really have to become more efficient. Likewise, we have applied for fuel/fare surcharge increase with the CAB,” he said.

Gokongwei said Cebu Air’s pending petition would enable it to recover half of the increased cost. Fuel prices have risen since the start of the year. Jenniffer B. Austria

NLEX Harbor Link set to open this year NLEX Corp. said Tuesday it expects to complete the construction of the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10 by October this year.

Once opened, Harbor Link Segment 10 would cut travel time from Manila Port to NLEX to only 10 minutes.

NLEX president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters the over P11-billion NLEX Harbor Link was already 75-percent completed. Franco attended the launching of the government’s ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ portal which offers thousands of job opportunities in the infrastructure sector.

Franco said the government already delivered 90 percent of the right of way for the project. He said the remaining 10 percent of ROW would be crucial to complete the project

by October.

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-kilometer elevated expressway traversing NLEX from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City, Caloocan City and extending to R-10 in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

Featured as one of the big-ticket projects in the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program, the NLEX Harbor Link is envisioned to alleviate traffic congestion and drive commerce between the Harbor area and Central and North Luzon.

It is seen to advance transport logistics and facilitate efficient delivery of goods by providing an alternative entry to NLEX, bypassing Edsa and other busy streets of Manila.

Darwin G. Amojelar

to attract foreign investors as potential locators in Clark Global City.

Placino said potential locators would be allowed to lease the property for a period of 67 years at P99,000 per square meter. He said a total of 806,682 square meters would be leased out to locators, while 325,597 sq. m. would be retained by CGCC. Clark Global City under the masterplan will be a mixed-use development with office buildings, residential developments, hotels, hospital, schools, transport terminal, sports center, an

iconic tower, retail development and casino and entertainment complex.

“We are developing what will become the Philippines’ new center of business, life and innovation,” Uy, who serves as chairman and chief executive of Udenna, said.

“Clark Global City will offer a global business destination and spur economic transformation outside of Metro Manila, complementing the government’s efforts to spread growth across the country,” he said.

Uy said the planned casino project

would be undertaken by PH Resorts Group, a company he owns that is into casino resort development. The 10-hectare resort casino is slated for completion by 2022.

CGCC said Clark Global City would offer potential locators the benefits of an ideal regulatory, economic and operating environment. It has direct access to the Clark International Airport, which sits about 7.5 kilometers or 10 minutes by car from the development.

The new terminal, under construction, will have a direct link to the existing

road leading to Clark Global City.

Prospective locators are expected to benefit from the completion of the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road, SubicClark Cargo Railway and PNR North Railway in the next two to three years.

About 47 hectares of the 177-hectare development have been fully completed with world-class horizontal infrastructure.

Among the completed projects are a 173-bed hospital under The Medical City brand and two top-grade office buildings with 57,000 sqm of leasable office and retail space.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines for the 3rd straight day

T

HE stock market fell for the third straight day Tuesday, with investors staying cautious ahead of the release of the May inflation figure next week.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 40.54 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,602.36 on a value turnover of P6.1 billion. Losers beat gainers, 101 to 89, with 54 issues unchanged.

Now Corp., which is bidding to become the third major telecommunications firm in the Philippines, tumbled 19.6 percent to P9.36, while casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp., lost 3.5 percent to P10.90.

SM Investments Corp. of retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. declined 2.6 percent to P859.50, while Universal Robina Corp.,

the biggest snack food maker, also shed 2.6 percent to P132.

The euro, meanwhile, extended losses in Asian trade Tuesday as political uncertainty in Italy stoked fresh fears about the eurozone.

Tokyo ended 0.6 percent lower, while Hong Kong slipped one percent and Shanghai closed down 0.5 percent.

Seoul dropped 0.9 percent while Wellington and Taipei were also off. However, Sydney added 0.2 percent.

Italy, one of the European Union’s biggest economies, has been plunged into crisis after President Sergio Mattarella at the weekend vetoed the new government’s nomination of a fierce euroskeptic as economy minister.

The move led the country’s prime minister-elect to step down, meaning the collapse of a bid by the populist Five Star Movement and the far-right League to form a government.

Mattarella then named Carlo Cottarelli, a pro-austerity economist formerly with the International Monetary Fund, to lead a technocrat government, with another election likely in the autumn.

The chaotic developments have spooked investors, who fear another election could see a better result for the essentially anti-EU parties.

National Australia Bank said in a commentary: “Fears of a euro existential crisis are gathering momentum amid simmering political turmoil in Italy.”

And Alessio de Longis, a New Yorkbased portfolio manager at Oppenheimer Funds, told Bloomberg Television: “These developments are concerning.

The markets will be really unable to move forward into a different narrative” until the Italian outlook is clearer.

Yields on Italy’s key 10-year bonds surged to 235 points above those of benchmark German bunds, its highest

level in more than four years, in a sign of falling confidence among investors.

Stock markets in Milan, Paris and Frankfurt tumbled, while the euro sank against the dollar as the eurozone faced its biggest upheaval since the Greek debt crisis.

In Asian trade the single currency continued to suffer, and was in danger of falling below the $1.16 level last breached in early November.

Adding to selling pressure on the unit is a brewing crisis in Spain, where Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faces a no-confidence vote after his party was found guilty of benefiting from illegal funds in a massive graft trial.

“We may now be in for an extended period of heightened uncertainty ahead of fresh elections” in Italy, Ray Attrill, head of foreign exchange strategy at National Australia Bank in Sydney, said in a note. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.95 11,390 100 3,072,450 2.91 1,000 129.9 1,184,650 1.61 226,000 33.8 40,700 6.71 1,300 16.7 6,700 15.08 534,000 3.72 40,000 0.54 297,000 82.3 12,986,930 1.08 563,000 12.78 23,100 20.25 500 51.45 5,430 205 2,410 105.3 110 36.95 241,100 192.9 220,020 1,950 105 89.1 21,000

668,890 306,043,328.50 2,910 153,685,292(67 348,070 1,380,640 8,727 110,832 8,083,888 147,430 156,490 1,065,363,318.50 600,980 289,618 10,175 281,549 495,030 11,773 8,958,130 42,342,179 204,750 1,871,160.50

564,340 45,845,475 ,343,843.9999) 11,760 -118,575 19,864 2,261,288 43,478,335 -21,160 -200,151.50 -11,250 -12,916,340 -24,946

37.8 14.22 0.58 1.28 19.3 0.225 114.2 2.95 16.9 49.5 23.55 54 62.95 90 1.92 5 9.21 10.76 15.6 11.6 7.16 5.23 14.34 63 19.38 8.83 15.48 2.06 279 5.03 3.21 17.32 26.35 12.82 22.55 334 0.184 6.55 2.33 4.15 9.13 5.54 7.96 1.38 12.42 50.5 6.17 4.7 2.36 3.55 1.75 12.68 68.65 5.5 0.135 0.96 132 2.53 2.92 0.79

I NDUSTRIAL 38.35 530,100 14.26 1,259,200 0.6 2,062,000 1.28 2,513,000 19.92 97,200 0.225 3,020,000 114.2 130 2.98 1,935,000 16.94 112,800 49.95 695,700 23.55 34,400 55 65,560 62.95 1,890 90 70 1.92 35,000 5 20,000 9.7 4,800 10.76 1,865,000 15.98 371,200 11.6 26,500 7.18 365,700 5.24 14,364,900 14.42 805,900 63.3 44,360 19.38 84,700 8.83 33,600 15.6 1,796,500 2.11 1,057,000 283 317,450 5.1 13,000 3.21 7,000 17.5 21,100 26.6 5,556,700 12.94 32,800 22.75 2,435,500 335.8 310,220 0.184 430,000 6.58 3,100 2.39 1,074,000 4.19 82,000 9.13 1,093,800 5.68 475,400 7.96 56,000 1.39 386,000 12.5 17,200 50.5 391,170 6.18 13,000 4.7 22,000 2.74 2,477,000 3.55 85,000 1.77 139,000 12.68 1,309,500 69.3 365,140 5.78 4,293,000 0.136 1,670,000 0.96 383,000 132 694,550 2.53 16,000 2.96 17,492,000 0.81 5,578,000

20,169,570 18,062,190 1,230,520 3,340,890 1,903,586 680,720 14,859 5,791,170 1,910,840 34,793,455 815,075 3,605,544.50 119,061.50 6,368.50 67,200 100,000 46,432 20,286,878 5,914,846 308,236 2,622,994 75,424,151 11,707,302 2,807,037.50 1,643,060 297,798 27,976,338 2,224,390 89,068,456 65,397 22,470 386,372 148,167,000 423,668 55,424,285 103,916,060 79,240 20,376 2,535,510 342,090 10,043,805 2,717,674 445,760 539,190 216,018 19,904,598 80,260 103,500 6,700,550 306,570 244,830 16,629,978 25,331,194.50 24,208,013 226,250 370,480 92,588,060 40,480 52,669,910 4,564,730

3,661,995 798,334 -643,790 517,100 -943,320 1,716,078 19,980 -3,576,660 13,440 -33,950 6,786,054 -3,172 -72,280 -113,444 46,844,943 376,160 194,492 -65,085 -5,359,528 20 6,771,356 0 7,551,845 -96,868 16,561,330 43,479,488 12,610 -631,762 -77,582 -2,388 324,380 16,432 -12,210,506 30,900 -103,500 -125,960 -250 -1,312,792 18,775,091 -19,827 -42,397,393 -433,130 -11,580

0.233 64 13.16 0.9 6.37 0.73 0.74 945 6.36 10.9 0.196 1,019 6.89 59.75 5.81 0.61 4.2 21.4 0.58 4.78 0.038 1.45 3.16 144 2.55 885 0.82 1.65 540 265 0.23 0.205

0.21 61.5 12.98 0.9 6.2 0.67 0.7 934 6.3 10.7 0.195 998 6.37 57.75 5.81 0.6 4.01 20.95 0.56 4.72 0.037 1.11 2.99 142 2.55 858.5 0.8 1.57 517 259 0.219 0.205

HOLDING FIRMS 0.21 5,540,000 61.8 569,740 13.02 1,645,800 0.9 20,000 6.36 37,200 0.69 22,810,000 0.7 5,624,000 940 144,900 6.34 647,200 10.8 7,242,400 0.196 270,000 999.5 65,075 6.5 4,600 59 1,899,870 5.81 500 0.61 307,000 4.02 744,000 21.4 1,110,100 0.58 1,418,000 4.72 33,103,000 0.037 6,200,000 1.42 14,583,000 3.01 7,305,000 143.8 167,770 2.55 25,000 859.5 198,240 0.82 110,000 1.65 444,000 517 60 265 1,830 0.23 1,650,000 0.205 140,000

1,200,150 35,243,099.50 21,460,246 18,000 230,690 15,935,070 4,050,140 136,101,280 4,096,746 78,212,100 52,860 65,257,825 29,973 111,524,172.5 ( 2,905 184,270 3,024,110(1, 23,413,335 808,630 156,756,820 229,500 19,164,480 22,177,750 24,061,715 63,750 170,688,945 88,500 708,260 31,250 481,500 370,420 28,700

44,000 -10,573,764 -8,931,432 -97,340 562,020 -1,777,740 -10,549 3,388,496 7,796,695 9,750 44,854,603.5) 649,909.9998) -18,728,025 282,150.00 -29,566,870 -161,440 -384,400 -1,713,510 -73,179,335 -

7.45 1.02 14.36 2.08 0.8 41.5 3.48 4.9 5.92 0.44 1.09 0.98 0.237 31.25 0.62 0.12 1.6 1.26 1.12 4.81 0.69 0.43 0.52

7.26 1 13.52 2.05 0.78 41 3.38 4.78 5.92 0.43 1.08 0.95 0.227 30.4 0.62 0.12 1.56 1.25 1.07 4.73 0.62 0.42 0.5

30,426,314 4,282,130 29,912 14,440 286,160 317,130,935 1,187,280 3,385,530 113,072 1,652,900 91,970 172,000 2,499,310 5,172,295 132,680 1,200 1,622,930 1,975,680 1,157,120 42,330,300 102,047,460 970,450 2,572,310

-1,405,471 -9,090 -117,175,510 27,280 -434,450 -416,700 -988,500 747,820 26,750 -11,287,470 -238,710 110,160

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

58.5 99.45 2.91 130.8 1.48 33.8 6.72 16.52 15.18 3.77 0.53 82 1.06 12.5 20.4 52 208 114.8 37.5 195 1,950 89.05

58.95 100 2.91 130.8 1.63 34.2 6.72 16.7 15.3 3.77 0.55 82.5 1.08 12.78 20.4 52 208 114.8 37.5 195 1,950 89.15

58 98.5 2.91 129 1.47 33.8 6.71 16.52 15 3.58 0.52 81.75 1.05 12.5 20.25 51.35 205 105.3 36.7 190.5 1,950 89.05

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

38 14.44 0.58 1.35 20.1 0.225 114.2 3.01 16.98 50 23.55 56 63.2 92.95 1.92 5 9.7 11 15.6 11.66 7.18 5.23 14.98 63 19.6 8.83 15.5 2.13 280.2 5.03 3.21 19 26.85 12.9 22.85 334 0.185 6.6 2.39 4.17 9.42 6.18 7.96 1.4 12.64 51 6.17 4.75 2.8 3.69 1.78 12.7 69.9 5.63 0.135 0.97 137 2.53 3.05 0.79

38.35 14.44 0.61 1.38 20.1 0.231 114.5 3.06 16.98 50.6 24 56 63.2 92.95 1.92 5 9.8 11 15.98 11.9 7.19 5.27 14.98 63.45 19.6 8.95 15.98 2.17 283.2 5.1 3.21 19 27 13 23 335.8 0.185 6.6 2.39 4.19 9.42 6.18 7.96 1.4 12.64 51.1 6.18 4.75 2.8 3.69 1.78 13 69.9 5.79 0.136 1 137 2.53 3.1 0.87

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

0.22 63.7 13.06 0.9 6.37 0.7 0.72 940 6.31 10.9 0.195 1,017 6.37 59.75 5.81 0.61 4.1 21.05 0.57 4.74 0.038 1.12 3.16 144 2.55 885 0.81 1.58 517 261 0.224 0.205

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

7.35 1.02 13.52 2.08 0.78 41.2 3.4 4.86 5.92 0.435 1.09 0.96 0.229 30.7 0.62 0.12 1.59 1.25 1.12 4.75 0.68 0.42 0.51

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

2.6 29.05 20 2.07 3.31 38 1.1 9.22 6.45

2.83 29.05 20.05 2.09 3.32 38.35 1.12 14.1 6.75

2.56 29.05 19.9 2.05 3.3 37.5 1.09 9.22 6.35

2.56 29.05 20 2.08 3.3 37.5 1.1 14.1 6.73

11,613,000 100 1,595,400 482,000 29,000 7,159,900 3,342,000 8,524,800 3,479,600

31,186,610 2,905 31,919,780 999,930 95,880 271,399,995 3,658,970 110,057,697 ( 22,975,545

-53,100 9,897,227 -3,310 153,420,570 358,938.9998) -1,008,280

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

15.8 27 1.33 0.45 0.045 12.62 4.98 11.22 0.054 88.95 7.64 2.11 19 910 1,531 5.68 305.6 4.02 2.08 83 13.02 0.112 3.53 15.06 4.41 1.05 26.6 0.47 4.01 5.86 3.04 11.92 11.86 9.2 2.86 8.11 127 5.71 1,307 1 0.36 47.3 89.6 7.16 2.2 1.18 0.475 4.81 0.83 11.06

16.1 27 1.38 0.46 0.045 12.62 4.98 11.22 0.055 89.95 7.64 2.22 19.66 910 1,560 5.72 370 4.09 2.17 84.9 13.3 0.114 3.8 15.06 4.48 1.09 26.6 0.5 4.27 5.95 3.04 12.16 11.86 9.79 2.86 8.11 127 5.9 1,328 1.03 0.37 47.7 90 7.85 2.22 1.18 0.52 4.98 0.84 11.14

15.22 26.3 1.32 0.445 0.045 12.62 4.98 10.9 0.054 88.6 7.28 2.11 17.6 910 1,526 5.67 301 3.99 2.08 82 13.02 0.112 3.53 15.06 4.35 1.03 25.8 0.46 3.99 5.77 2.99 9.31 11.86 9.2 2.84 8.11 122.5 5.63 1,292 1 0.36 46.7 86.4 7.15 2.18 1.17 0.45 4.78 0.81 11.02

SERVICES 16.1 26.9 1.38 0.455 0.045 12.62 4.98 10.9 0.054 88.75 7.33 2.22 18.06 910 1,530 5.71 312 4.02 2.09 84.3 13.3 0.112 3.8 15.06 4.35 1.09 26.15 0.495 4.24 5.85 3 9.36 11.86 9.5 2.84 8.11 127 5.8 1,316 1 0.36 47.5 90 7.77 2.19 1.18 0.45 4.91 0.83 11.1

133,600 125,000 45,000 2,360,000 6,600,000 10,400 500 10,507,700 8,550,000 42,490 1,571,500 6,000 165,400 230 22,820 286,100 260,270 1,103,000 57,000 161,360 2,600 200,000 388,000 1,600 512,000 1,299,000 972,900 127,000 73,000 744,900 268,000 76,978,800 1,600 2,500 38,000 700 3,040 390,600 55,165 6,821,000 1,260,000 204,300 213,690 585,100 491,000 568,000 173,210,000 10,370,000 2,620,000 1,044,000

2,116,716 3,296,940 60,050 1,063,550 297,000 131,248 2,490 115,715,584 462,330 3,791,179 11,703,271 13,070 3,091,046 209,300 35,110,390 1,629,717 86,339,496 4,445,270 118,770 13,608,556.50 34,412 22,420 1,459,380 24,096 2,240,840 1,389,580 25,364,525 59,775 292,630 4,364,014 803,970 812,581,197 18,976 24,175 108,430 5,677 377,522 2,264,302 72,006,520 6,835,580 457,900 9,659,220 19,020,613 4,538,635 1,081,610 668,550 83,965,500 50,867,440 2,151,560 11,573,992

1,057,480 -9,050 -28,262,194 -2,441,557 114,950 1,345,570 1,574,912 16,110.00 2,712,603 -114,300 7,286,510 -136,202 -30,140 -1,755,177 194,437 -4,123 -39,087,450 144,190 -2,947,470 -3,496,569 -201,280 -14,040 -284,150 -20,016,900 2,460 3,254,942

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

0.0028 1.61 4.15 17.1 1.69 7.25 2.39 0.181 0.135 0.14 0.0085 0.0069 1.42 4.79 1.16 0.52 0.88 0.012 0.012 2 5.12 11.96 28.4

0.0028 1.62 4.27 18.4 1.7 7.45 2.39 0.181 0.135 0.14 0.0085 0.0078 1.52 4.85 1.16 0.52 0.9 0.012 0.013 2 5.14 12.18 28.4

0.0027 1.58 4.13 17.1 1.68 7.25 2.35 0.18 0.134 0.136 0.0085 0.0069 1.42 4.75 1.06 0.51 0.88 0.012 0.011 2 5.1 11.5 28.25

MINING & OIL 0.0028 72,000,000 1.6 819,000 4.27 38,000 18.4 1,400 1.68 446,000 7.45 6,900 2.39 724,000 0.18 100,000 0.134 780,000 0.136 2,010,000 0.0085 2,000,000 0.0078 6,000,000 1.52 801,000 4.8 1,199,000 1.09 105,000 0.51 168,000 0.9 55,000 0.012 2,800,000 0.012 281,100,000 2 1,000 5.12 349,300 11.6 1,430,400 28.3 928,200

195,300 1,300,120 157,470 24,070 754,330 50,065 1,720,990 18,050 104,530 276,220 17,000 45,000 1,202,230 5,734,880 114,410 85,710 48,420 33,600 3,373,000 2,000 1,789,288 16,727,076 26,286,860

-2,700 -3,180 -4,130 -33,800 -2,350 -186,140 -1,869,530 96,000 -3,072 -649,296 -13,169,350

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

25.75 500 513 101.1 101 107 107.1 504.5 5.62 978.5 990 99.45 103.5 103 77.45 79.5 77.4 76.2 77 78

25.75 500 513 101.1 101 107 107.1 518 5.62 978.5 990 99.45 103.5 103 77.45 79.5 77.4 76.2 77 78

25.55 500 513 101 100.7 107 107 500 5.62 978.5 985 97.1 103.5 103 77.35 79 76.7 76.05 77 78

PREFERRED 25.55 59,700 500 3,000 513 10 101 1,000 100.7 174,000 107 130 107 1,970 518 10,020 5.62 100 978.5 90 985 2,000 97.3 580 103.5 56,450 103 50 77.35 370 79 72,770 76.7 25,650 76.05 15,580 77 2,800 78 39,790

1,534,215 1,500,000 5,130 101,098 17,572,800 13,910 210,810 5,016,925 562 88,065 1,979,500 57,039 5,842,575 5,150 28,620.50 5,749,065 1,967,810 1,185,609 215,600 3,103,620

-43,495 -

LR WARRANT

2.51

2.59

2.51

WARRANTS 2.54 254,000

643,490

-

3,418,860 4,860,730

-5,070 390,840

823,348

-

20,174

-

MS

PROPERTY 7.32 1.02 14.36 2.05 0.8 41 3.38 4.88 5.92 0.44 1.09 0.97 0.237 30.9 0.62 0.12 1.6 1.26 1.07 4.8 0.62 0.425 0.52

4,127,600 4,244,000 2,200 7,000 362,000 7,711,100 349,000 701,000 19,100 3,780,000 85,000 179,000 10,740,000 167,100 214,000 10,000 1,022,000 1,569,000 1,071,000 8,850,000 157,303,000 2,280,000 5,017,000

ITALPINAS XURPAS

4.9 3.33

5.11 3.38

4.81 3.18

FIRST METRO ETF

117.9

117.9

117

USD DMPL A1

10.2

TRADING SUMMARY

10.2

SHARES

FINANCIAL

19,747,379

INDUSTRIAL

84,330,085

HOLDING FIRMS

114,323,183

PROPERTY

246,251,151

SERVICES

311,992,417

MINING & OIL

375,252,843

GRAND TOTAL

1,154,088,932

10

5.04 3.21

SME

686,000 1,491,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.1 7,010 10

DDS

2,000

VALUE 1,899.06 (up) 1.63 1,642,760,954.75 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,890.54 (down) 58.45 998,233,557.11 HOLDING FIRMS 7,422.35 (down) 87.44 959,964,110.67 PROPERTY 3,795.77 (down) 19.50 SERVICES 1,488.86 (up) 6.03 1,009,358,555.645 MINING & OIL 9,729.74 (down) 52.57 1,427,180,367.005 PSEI 7,602.36 (down) 40.54 60,084,724.0734 All Shares Index 4,640.67 (down) 7.44 6,106,719,847.34 Gainers:89; Losers: 101; Unchanged: 54; Total: 244

San Miguel eyes TPLEx extension to Ilocos Sur

By Alena Mae S. Flores SAN Miguel Corp. submitted an unsolicited offer to the Department of Public Works and Highways to extend the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, or TPLEx, to Ilocos Sur with an estimated stretch of 100 kilometers, its top official said Tuesday.

“We proposed an extension of TPLEx going to Ilocos. It’s pending with DPWH for them to evaluate. If they like the project they will give an OPS (Original Proponent Status), and then subject to Swiss Challenge,” San Miguel president Ramon Ang told reporters.

He said the proposed 100-km extension would start from Rosario, La Union and end in the first twon of Ilocos Sur. “We are still looking at the costing,” Ang said.

San Miguel-led Private Infra Dev Corp. holds the concession for TPLEx. The expressway is an 88.85-km, fourlane, high speed toll road that connects Northern Luzon to Manila. It is designed to integrate with other major toll roads such as North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

The construction of TPLEx began in 2010 in three phases. The first was completed in April 2014, running from Tarlac City to Carmen, Pangasinan.

The second stretching from Carmen to Urdaneta was completed in December 2014. The third section from Urdaneta to Rosario, La Union is expected to be completed in 2018.

TPLEx reduced travel time from Tarlac City to Gerona from 45 minutes to 10 minutes, benefitting 8,000 vehicles per day.

It trimmed travel time from Tarlac City to Paniqui, Tarlac from one hour to 15 minutes, benefiting 10,000 vehicles per day and cut travel time from Tarlac to Rosales from two hours to 30 minutes with 13,000 vehicles per day benefitting.

It also reduced travel time from Tarlac to Urdaneta from two hours and 30 minutes to 40 minutes and cut travel time from Tarlac to Rosario from 3.5 hours to one hour.

Revenues of PLDT data business up

By Darwin G. Amojelar PLDT Inc. said the shift of more companies to digital continues to fuel the strong growth of its corporate data and digital businesses and unit ePLDT in the first quarter of 2018.

PLDT Enterprise posted a total service revenue of P5.59 billion for its corporate data and ICT businesses in the first quarter of 2018, up 6 percent from P5.30 billion year-on-year.

Contributing to the robust growth in ICT were data center revenues, which increased 14 percent; managed IT services, up 23 percent; and cloud infra and software-as-a-service, which jumped 51 percent.

Overall, data, broadband and digital platforms continue to power PLDT’s revenue growth, increasing by 13 percent to P18.3 billion at the end of March 2018 and accounting for 50 percent of total service revenues in the first quarter of 2018, up from 45 percent a year ago.

“We continue to grow in the right places—specifically data and digital services. We are setting the pace for industries and are building on our lead,” senior vice president and head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups Jovy Hernandez said.

“Growth in this vital space is being powered by the growing efforts of companies to go digital. And it’s not just large companies. Small and medium scale companies are also making the shift. That’s why more companies are signing up for services like cloud and managed services,” he said.

“We are keen on upholding PLDT’s position as the preferred digital partner for enterprises by building up our digital infrastructure and enhancing our expertise to help clients execute their digital pivot,” he added.

Further strengthening its digital services, PLDT recently opened its second VITRO Data Center in Cebu, the 10th for the PLDT Group, raising its total capacity to over 9,000 racks.

Business/World

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

Top North Korean general to visit US

IN BRIEF More than 100 dead in Bangladesh drug war DHAKA—More than 100 alleged drug dealers have been killed and thousands detained in Bangladesh in the past fortnight in a Philippinesstyle narcotics crackdown that has raised concerns about extra-judicial killings.

Police said 10 more alleged traffickers were gunned down in the early hours of Tuesday, some in shootouts with police and others in the so-called gang wars between dealers.

A total of 102 suspected traffickers have been killed since Bangladesh launched an aggressive war on drugs in mid-May to smash the surging trade in yaba, a cheap pill combining methamphetamine and caffeine.

“We are saying that this war will continue until we bring it under complete control,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told AFP. Around 12,000 accused dealers have been arrested and tried in special courts since the crackdown began on May 15, with many handed jail sentences of seven days to six months, he added.

Khan said there was “no question” that those killed were drug dealers, despite allegations by rights groups that innocent people had died. AFP

After nine days, Brazil is still a transport hell RIO DE JANEIRO—South America’s economic giant, Brazil, remained almost in a transport stranglehold on Tuesday despite a pledge from the president that a nine-day strike will end soon.

Late Sunday, the deeply unpopular President Michel Temer caved in to intense pressure from strikers, and cut the price of diesel fuel. The truck strike has been crippling fuel, food and other freight across the continent-sized industrial and agricultural powerhouse.

Temer said he had “absolute conviction that between today and tomorrow” the crisis, would finally end.

In a tweet, Temer gave a slightly longer horizon of “one to two days.”

Despite the president’s confidence, significant numbers of truck drivers stood firm and some appeared to be radicalized, calling for the government to step down.

A key Temer minister, Eliseu Padilha, spoke of unidentified groups “infiltrating the movement with different, essentially political goals.”

Late Sunday, Temer gave in to their main demand for lower diesel costs, but Monday saw renewed disruption. Brazil is already suffering from the aftermath of a deep recession and political instability ahead of October general elections. AFP

B3

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WINE EXPOSITION. A woman browses wines as she reads a booklet at a booth during the Vinexpo wine and spirits industry trade show at the Convention Center in Hong Kong on May 29, 2018. AFP

Skepticism as Libyan leaders meet in Paris P

SEOUL―A top North Korean general is headed for the United States in what would be the highest-profile visit in years, reports said Tuesday as the two countries prepare for a momentous summit.

General Kim Yong Chol landed at Beijing airport on Tuesday and will journey on to New York the following day after talks with Chinese officials, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which cited diplomatic sources.

The trip is part of a flurry of diplomacy as preparations gather pace for the on-again, off-again summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12.

US negotiators, headed by Washington’s current ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, met with his North Korean counterparts in the truce village of Panmunjom that divides the two Koreas on Sunday.

The State Department said a separate team of White House officials had also headed to Singapore to sort out the logistics for the historic meeting.

Chung Sung-yoon, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Kim Yong Chol would be the most senior North Korean official to step onto US soil since Vice Marshall Jo Myong Rok met President Bill Clinton in 2000. AFP

Manila

Standard

ARIS―Rival Libyan leaders vying for influence in the fractured and war-scarred country meet in Paris on Tuesday for a major peace conference seen as a risky French-backed push for a political settlement in the country.

Many analysts are skeptical that the initiative to invite four senior figures representing Libya’s factions, as well as neighboring countries and regional powers, can lead to significant progress.

Years of mediation by the United Nations, as well as former colonial power Italy, have failed to bring stability to the north African nation that descended into chaos after the ousting of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The main focus of the meeting will be on trying to agree a political road map committing all parties to hold parliamentary and presidential elections before the end of the year -- an approach not favored by everyone.

“I believe that elections are a big risk in a country armed like Libya,” Federica Saini Fasanotti, an analyst with the Washington-based Brookings Institution, told AFP. There are also disagreements over whether a vote on a new constitution, or elections for the presidency and parliament, should come first.

“While the Italians, Turkish, Qataris

and to a large extent the Americans believe the constitution comes before elections, on the other side, the French, Egyptians and Emiratis want elections first,” Mohamed Eljarh, from the Libya Outlook consulting firm told AFP. Also, despite French efforts to convene all of the leading players in the oil-rich country, militias in and around the city of Misrata have boycotted proceedings, leaving western Libya underrepresented at the talks.

The Libyan invitees include Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UNbacked unity government in Tripoli, and 75-year-old military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose rival Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east.

Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern town of Tobruk who opposes the UN-backed administration, is also expected, as is Khalid Al-Mishri, the newly elected head of the High Council of State.

Representatives from around 20 countries involved in the Libya crisis have been invited―an acknowledge-

TODAY

ment that the problems can only be resolved if regional powers agree on a common road map.

These include Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates which have backed Haftar and the rival administration in Tobruk in the east, not the UNrecognized government based in the capital Tripoli.

Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as neighbors Algeria and Tunisia and west African leaders from Niger and Congo will also attend, the French presidency has announced.

European leaders see stabilizing Libya as key to tackling jihadist threats and migration from the country which has become a departure point for hundreds of thousands of Africans trying to reach Europe.

Macron threw himself into finding a solution shortly after his election in May last year.

The 40-year-old French leader brought Sarraj and Haftar together in Paris in July where they agreed a ceasefire and to hold elections in 2018 -- a move that irked the Italian government at the time which was blindsided by Macron’s diplomacy.

The task of stabilizing Libya is complicated by diverging interests among Middle Eastern countries, which have sometimes backed opposing sides in the fighting, as well as competition between European powers. AFP

Republic of the Phllippines COMMISSION ON ELECTION Manila EN BANC IN RE: MANIFESTATION OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PARTY-LIST SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION IN THE 13 MAY 2019 ELECTIONS. BUHAY HAYAAN YUMABONG (BUHAY), as represented by its Chairman JOSE L. ATIENZA, JR., Petitioner. x---------------------------------x

SPP Case No. 18-071 (PLM)

ORDER Acting on the Manifestation of Intent to Participate1 filed on 19 April 2018 (“Manifestation”), the Commission En Banc hereby directs BUHAY to publish at its own expense the said Manifestation together with the instant Order in two (2) newspaper of general circulation.

Any interested party may file with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission a verified petition seeking to deny due course to the Manifestation within five (5) days from the date of publication pursuant to Rule 3, Section 7, paragraph 12 of Comelec Resolution No. 93663.

SO ORDERED. Given this 30th day of April 2018, Manila Philippines.

FOR THE COMMISSION

AL A. PARREÑO Acting Chairman . Records, Office of the Clerk of the Commission Case Folder, pages 1-2.

“Sec.7. Petition to deny due course to a manifestation of intent to participate. - A verified petition seeking to deny due course to a manifestation of intent to participate.”

3.

Rules and Regulations Governing the: 1) Filing of Petitions for Registration; 2) Filing of Disqualification Cases Against Nominees or Party-List Groups or Organizations Participating under the Party-List System of Representation in Connection with the May 13, 2013 National and Local Elections, and Subsequent Elections Thereafter.

1 2

METROBANK’S AWARD.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company is recognized as Best Service Provider – Supply Chain – Rising Star in the Philippines during The Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade, Supply Chain and Risk Management Awards 2018 Dinner in Hong Kong. The award is given to banks that are seen to be capable partners in structuring tailor-made supply chain or financing programs to dealers and suppliers. Shown receiving the award at the Four Seasons Hotel is Metrobank first vice president Christian Paul Philippe Orlino.

Meralco unit unveils plan to build 500-MW solar projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE power generation arm of Manila Electric Co. plans to build 500 megawatts of solar power projects, a top executive said.

Meralco PowerGen Corp. president Rogelio Singson said the solar projects would be a part of the company’s plan to put up 3,000 MW of generating capacity to meet the supply requirements of Meralco.

Singson, however, said the solar power projects faced land availability constraints.

“That is the main concern right now. It is difficult to look for utility scale because for every 1 MW, you need at least 2 hectares. If you start

building 100 MW, then you need 200 hectares,” he said.

Singson said finding 200 hectares in a contiguous area was also difficult.

“In the next three to four years, we want to develop maybe at least 500 to 600 MW. It should [represent] at least 20 to 30 percent of MGen capacity,” he said.

Singson said Meralco PowerGen was also looking at other renewable energy projects such as wind and hydro facilities, on top of the company’s existing coal projects.

“We are looking at the development of RE, be it solar, wind or even hydro. I think there is a po-

tential for hydro especially those from National Irrigation Administration,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meralco president Oscar Reyes said the company expected sales volume to grow 4.5 percent this year, slightly slower than the 4.9-percent increase in 2017.

“The way it is trending, we may be around not too far from what we saw last year,” Reyes said after the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.

He said the company posted strong first-quarter sales amid hotter temperature. “We had a very strong first quarter. We grew about 9.2 percent compared to the first

quarter of 2017,” Reyes said.

He said Meralco, the country’s biggest power retailer, likely posted slower sales growth in April and May. “April and May are trending lower. For April 2018 against 2017, growth was in the order of about 3.6 percent and for May, I think what we are seeing is potentially around mid-4 percent [so 4.5 plus or minus]. That could bring down our year to date May sales to a little over 7.5 percent, down from 9.2 percent [a year ago],” Reyes said.

“The reason why it was lower, we found out that April is half a degree centigrade cooler which is unusual because of the summer,” he said.

(MS-MAY 30, 2018)

LGUs

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

B4

wednesday, may 30, 2018

16 Miss Makati finalists named; finals on June 9

By Joel E. Zurbano

LocaL government units

Taguig folk get extra funds via Cash-for-Work THE Taguig City government is giving 3,000 residents the chance to earn extra income through its Cash-for-Work program.

The project is in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Environment and Natural Resources under the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation fund.

Launched in 2015, Cash-for-Work allows indigent, unemployed, underprivileged or distressed individuals to earn for 10 days—75 percent of the daily minimum wage set by the Department of Labor and Employment— as they participate in or undertake preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities in their communities or in evacuation centers.

In Taguig, beneficiaries of the program are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), solo parents, drug surrenderers, persons with disability, and senior citizens who can still work.

The 3,000 CFW beneficiaries will be assigned to do different work in 10 days. The first 1,000 will do urban gardening in vacant and unused lots across the city, while the first 2,000 recipients will help in the clearing operations of water lilies in Hagonoy Creek along Circumferential Road 6 or C-6.

Water lilies that can be used will be processed to create handicrafts under the city’s Waterlily Livelihood Center headed by City Councilor Gigi Valenzuela-de Mesa.

The rest of the water lilies will be used for charcoal briquetting and as compost for urban gardens and farms.

“Taguig City is also at risk when it comes to climate change. That’s why we are very grateful for this opportunity because it will not only generate an extra income for our constituents but also encourage them to help in maintaining cleanliness of our environment,” Taguig City Social Welfare chief Nikki Rose Operario said. Joel E. Zurbano

Some of the 16 lovely ladies from different barangays of Makati City who will vie for the Miss Makatizen, Miss Makati Tourism and Miss Makati titles on the city’s 348th foundation anniversary pose for the media on Tuesday, prior to their coronation on June 9 at the Circuit Makati grounds. Ey Acasio

Manila kids get P5m in aid

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday distributed P5 million in educational assistance to at least 1,000 school children in Manila under the city government’s Educational Assistance Program to uphold the rights of children, especially the underprivileged, to free education.

Under the EAP, Estrada said each of the children who are beneficiaries of the program received financial and educational assistance worth P5,000.

They are enrolled in the public schools both in elementary and high school level and for Children Needing Special Protection.

“The assistance will augment family expenses for school needs such as ‘baon’ (lunch money), uniform, school supplies, school shoes, materials for school projects, among others,” the former President said during a simple ceremony at the San Andres Sports Complex.

The beneficiaries are from the five districts of Manila, including Baseco, and were granted funds for their educational needs as follows: District I—220 beneficiaries, P1.1 million; District II—135 beneficiaries, P675,000; District III—125 beneficiaries, P625,000; District IV—135 beneficiaries, P675,000; District V—188 beneficiaries, P940,000; District VI—134 beneficiaries, P670,000; and Baseco—63 beneficiaries, P315,000.

The city chief executive said free education is one of his priorities to uplift the lives of many poor families in Manila and to give a good future to chil-

dren who were deprived of education in the previous administration.

Estrada also advised students to study harder and give importance to the opportunities coming their way, like the scholarship grants.

“I want you to be an inspiration to others, so they could emulate you and do what you are doing as scholars of the government,” the Manila mayor said.

“This is the right time since next week will be the school opening. I want all of you to be ready and prepared,” he said in Filipino.

“Children, you have been given the opportunity to study for free. So, you must work hard on your homework at projects. Follow your parents, teachers and your school’s rules,” Estrada said.

Estrada said education is the key to success and wants every Manilenos to grow and have decent future and away from illegal drugs.

THE Makati City government on Tuesday presented the 16 finalists who will compete for Ms. Makati 2018 on June 9.

The beauty pageant is one of the highlights of the city’s 348th anniversary with a theme “Makati Makisalo” aimed to promote inclusivity in the community.

In a press conference held at the St. Giles Hotel, Makati Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo presented the finalists who were handpicked from the dozens of applicants from different barangays in the city.

“The Miss Makati 2018 aims to crown the one who will best represent the women of Makati. Someone who is smart, innovative, and graceful, and embodies confidence and empowerment,” said Lagdameo.

Among those who made it to the top 16 are Alexis Micaela Simbulan (Poblacion); Cristelle Unisa Laquian (Pio del Pilar); Karla O’Hara (Pio del Pilar); Dana Ashley Mayo (Cembo); Cristine Allen Rada (Guadalupe Viejo); Maria Kathleen Agulto (Guadalupe Nuevo); CJ Viray (Poblacion); and Henna S. Santos (Post Proper Southside).

Clarice Gutierrez (East Rembo); Irina Cortez (Sta. Cruz); Millen Cueto (West Rembo); Andrea Yap Diangco (San Antonio); Fatima Thamara Loong (South Cembo); Maria Frencheska Nueva (Pinagkaisahan); Diana Rose Santos (East Rembo); and Aya Frances Cruz (Rizal) rounded out the finalists.

They were able to meet the qualifications for the search for Miss Makati 2018 as follows: Single Filipino female; 17-25 years old; lives, works or studies in Makati; at least high school graduate or is in Grade 12; at least 5’5’’ tall; conversant in both Filipino and English; and with good moral character.

Miss Makati 2018 and Miss Makati Tourism 2018 will bring home P200,000 and P150,000 cash prizes, respectively, among other rewards.

The coronation night for Miss Makati 2018 will be held at Circuit Makati on June 9, 2018.

The City of Makati is set to celebrate its 348th year with a 10-day revelry beginning on June 1.

Mayor Abigail Binay earlier urged residents to participate in this year’s celebration which aim to highlight the thrust of the city government to promote inclusive progress through increased community participation and stronger ties with development partners.

NEW FLAVOR. Bicolano ice cream makers Elmer ‘Bong’ Aspe and Rowena Aspe (first and second

from left) show off their new flavored ice cream, the Caramelado, following the success of their Sili and Pili Ice Cream flavors during the IFEX (International Food Exhibition) featuring ‘Almasor’ flavors (after the provinces of Albay, Masbate, and Sorsogon) at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Sunday. Caramelado ice cream is sold at 1st Colonial Grill branches across the country. Norman Cruz

Sara reconstitutes membership of Davao City Culture and Arts Council

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte has issued an executive order reconstituting the membership of the Davao Culture and Arts Council.

Signed on May 22, Executive Order No. 13 series of 2018 provides for the power and functions of the culture and the arts council in accordance with the Department of the Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2017133, dated Sept. 29, 2017, which amended the previous circular on the creation of local culture and arts council.

In the latest circular, the composition and functions of the Local Culture and Arts Council has been expanded.

“There is a need to reconstitute the membership of the Davao City Culture and Arts Council so that it may commence to discharge its powers and functions, in accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Memorandum Circular,” Mayor Duterte said.

According to Section 1 of the EO, the council will be chaired by the city mayor or her

duly-appointed representative. Among the members of the council are the Sangguniang Panglungsod Committee chairs on Education, Science and technology; Arts and Culture; and Tourist and Beautification.

The Museo Dabawenyo head will serve as head of its secretariat.

The other members are the heads of the city’s Planning, Information, Budget and Tourism divisions; a representative from the Commission on Higher Education-XI, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-XI, Philippine Information Agency-XI, Tourism Council of Davao City and Davao Historical Society.

Local museums, artists groups, the business sector or Chamber of Commerce, the professional sector, academe and the youth sector will also be tapped as members, along with representatives from the Ata, Bagobo Klata, Matigsalug, Obu Manuvu, Tagabawa, Kagan, Iranun, Magindanaon, Maranao, Sama and Tausug Tribes.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts will also be represented in the council.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

fashion and beauty

i

wEdnESday, May 30, 2018

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Step into summer in style F The scorching temperature here in the country is any indication, summer is far from over. Which means that you can still take advantage of the sunny season in your stylish frock, whether you’ll be heading to the beach or to other summer destinations.

Take a cue from these fashionable celebrities and influencers who are keeping it light and comfy while basking under the sun.

Social media influencer Rhea bue’s sporty yet beach-ready ensemble of bandeau top and denim shorts are perfect for driving around town or spending an afternoon at the beach. her strappy river-style Skechers Reggae luau Sandals are the perfect pair for either beach trip or road trip.

Claire Ruiz gives us an idea on what to wear at the mall: printed sleeveless top, ripped jeans, and easy-to-wear slides. Skechers 2nd Take Tied Up’s satiny fabric upper and oversized bow design add a cute edge to her outfit.

Karen Reyes made a dash to the pool in chic off-theshoulder top with vertical stripe pattern, light denim shorts, and h2 Goga thong sandals combo. Wearing rubber footwear is a must especially when walking on wet surfaces like the poolside. Don’t forget your sunglasses and beach ball for good measure.

young actress Sue Ramirez goes for monochrome at the beach with her gray bandeau bikini top and gray cover-up. She pairs her no-fuss sea-sunsand look with comfortable Skechers h2 Goga lagoon Sandals.

Kyle Vergara shows us how to spend summer days with our best pals in printed shirt, shorts, and On-The-Go flip flops. his ensemble are perfect for getaways or for days of strolling around the subdivision.

For days of exploring the city or running a few errands, beauty vlogger Michelle Dy schools us on how to wear the right pieces. She steps out of the house in fashionable and functional athleisure ensemble of cotton shirt, leggings, jacket, and strappy Skechers On-The-Go 600 Sandals. She caps off her look with a baseball cap in neutral color that matches her footwear and black leather backpack to ensure she has all her essentials for the day.

*Photos are from their respective Instagram accounts

In the mood for nude Maybelline new york makes it easier nude, and Touch of Spice. to find your perfect nude lipstick with its 16 if you’re looking for a lightweight finish, wearable and flattering shades of nude. the nude Powder Mattes are your best bets.

The inti-Matte Collection is comThe line is composed of nude illuposed of Color Sensational’s sion, Make Me blush, barely Creamy Matte and Powder There, almond Pink, Raw Matte lines. each shade Cocoa, Toasted brown, promises to deliver Touch of nude, and the most moisturWalnut. izing and most These 16 lig ht weig ht nude lipsticks mattes in a are available variety of at Maybelwarm golden line counters undertones nationwide for that’s sure to a promo price of flatter all types of P199 each for the Filipina skin tones. whole month of June.

Go for the nude Creamy Mattes to give your lips that moisturized Maybelline’s Inti-Matte collection of nude feel, with beautiful brown shades like nude lipsticks (clockwise, from top left ) Make Me embrace, Clay Crush, nude nuance, Just a Blush, Barely There, Touch of Spice, Raw Teaser, Pretty Please, Chili nude, Daringly Cocoa and Nude Nuance.

Life

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wednesday, may 30, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Sun-kissed days L

IGhT caftans and gorgeous bikinis for women, sporty jackets and quirky swim shorts for men—these are the best pieces to pack for a sunny day out in Ibiza and beyond.

Lacoste Purity collection features elegant shapes and refined lines

Minimalist leather goods

On Jeremy: Bluemint Ice Blue swim shorts, Paramatta knit zip jacket in gray On alfiya: echo fedora, aranaz carmen embroidered raffia tote, Gas Bijoux fringe drop earrings

On Jeremy: adolfo Dominguez long sleeve linen shirt in brown, Whipcord cotton twill shorts in red On Malissia: cocotini Marietas swimsuit in teal, Philippe Tarsier printed caftan and summer caftan, Gas Bijoux Purple Duality Scaramouche cuff and Green Massai cuff

On Kim: cocotini ashley maxi dress, coach astor semi white calf chalk, Dorfman Pacific rush straw safari hat with golf band, Lilly Pulitzer gold flamingo tassel On Jeremy: Franklin & Marshall Windbreaker jacket in Olympic blue, Kurt Geiger brown sandals, Knowledge cotton apparel green chino shorts

On Malissia: Lost and Wander Marina bandeau and Marina pants, coach astor heels in chalk, Lilly Pulitzer claws off necklace, Dorfman Pacific rush straw safari hat with golf band On alfiya: Seafolly caribbean cool blue knit bikini, Quiver printed mandala, ancient Greek Sandals Ikaria jelly sandals in aqua, Trina Turk flat gold hoop earrings, Fin Bondi bright pink shades On Jeremy: adolfo Dominguez aquamarine casual shorts, Kurt Geiger sandals in brown On Kim: Lost and Wander Marina cami, Seafolly caribbean cool blue knit bikini, cocorose London strand white with gemstones, Tali handmade margarita in blue, Trina Turk bangle set, Fin hitch black sunnies

These resort wear pieces are available at Rustan’s

French label Lacoste goes back to basics with its new line of leather goods for women designed to stand the test of time and changing trends.

The Purity collection is distinguished by the elegance of its shapes and by its refined lines, the softness of its smooth calfskin leather, and its ease of use. It consists of three shopping bag designs, two shoulder bag models, two wallets, and a cardholder.

For the bags, the minimalist monochrome design with clean edges and no lining is combined with the practicality of interior patch pockets and a removable punched leather pouch for light and easy carrying.

In the small leather articles, the inside contrasting with the outside

evokes another of the brand’s favorite stylistic codes. each piece of the collection is discreetly marked with a tone-on-tone enamelled metal crocodile.

Lacoste is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Alabang Town Center, Eastwood Mall, Estancia in Capitol Commons, Fairview Terraces, Gateway Mall, Greenbelt 3, Newport Mall, Podium, Power Plant Mall, Robinson’s Galleria, Robinson’s Magnolia, Robinson’s Place Manila, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Shangri-La Plaza East Wing, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Ayala Center Cebu, Abreeza Davao, SM Davao, and Veranza KCC Mall.

Ray-Ban Scuderia Ferrari Metal Wayfarer

The eyewear worn by drivers In a feat that only the greats can pull on-track and off-track while boosting off, ray-Ban, the iconoclastic brand an activated take on the classic raysymbol of coolness teams up with Ban silhouettes in fine gray and red Italian luxury sports brand, Ferrari duo-tone finish.

The 2018 Limited edition selecto design an extensive range of suntion, on the other glasses for the Forhand, exmula One Scuderia Ferrari Team.

The ray-Ban Scuderia Ferrari collection was launched with an impact video featurRay-Ban Scuderia Ferrari Aviator Carbon Fibre ing Formula One superstars, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi räikkönen wearing the finely-crafted variations from the plicitly embodies the edgy, authentic, collection highlighting the iconic ray- and iconoclastic coolness of ray-Ban as form and fashion take center stage, Ban and Ferrari shade of red.

The Scuderia Ferrari merchandise highlighting the ray-Ban and Ferrari was conceptualized primarily for logos in the elevated frame styles that drivers. The Worn By Drivers collec- are remarkably ray-Ban. In the Philippines, the Worn By tion exhibits a three-fold approach of form, function, and fashion, catering Drivers line and the 2018 Limited to fans of specialist products and gen- edition from the ray-Ban Scuderia uine seekers of functional and active Ferrari collection are available exclueyewear. each design is exquisitely sively at premier optical shops Vision crafted to suit the needs of the driver express and eye Society.

Filipino designer among the finalists in sustainable fashion competition ManILa-BaSeD designer cJ Martin is generated annually—a truly staggering one of the 11 finalists for the redress De- figure that is projected to increase to 148 sign awards 2018, the world’s largest sus- million tons annually by 2030—there is not a moment to lose as we passionately tainable fashion design competition. cultivate more fashion Leveraging strong support changemakers,” said refrom over 100 tertiary fashdress founder and board ion education partners, the chair Dr. christina Dean.

2018 cycle of the competiShe added, “Our search tion was redress’ first truly was rewarded; the deglobal search for talent. Dursigners are demonstrating the two-month open aping the creative and complication phase, their unique mercial potential of the online “Learn” platform saw wide breadth of untapped over 5,500 visitors explortextile waste streams ing content on the numerous from the fashion industry environmental issues in the and beyond.” fashion industry and the inFilipino fashion designer The finalists sourced novative design techniques CJ Martin inspiration from a range that can be used to tackle of complex and topical iswaste, which resulted in a record number of applications from 56 sues such as climate change, war, gender identity, over-consumption, and how the regions around the world.

“For this redress Design award cy- internet has altered our relationships with cle, we scoured the world looking for the one another.

Martin’s entry is inspired by time-lapse best emerging designers to tackle fashion’s underbelly—waste. With an esti- images of receding and calving glaciers mated 92 million tons of textile waste captured in the environmental documen-

tary Chasing Ice. In a bid to shine a light on the detrimental effects of climate change, he applied the design techniques of up-cycling and reconstruction to the contrasting natural and man-made fibers of secondhand denim jeans and polyester curtains and he used a color palette that mirrors the tundra surrounding the glaciers.

“To me, sustainable fashion is about creating a positive balance in the design process by innovating with the excess we already have, while protecting depleted resources,” said Martin.

Martin will compete against other finalists from hong Kong, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, India, and australia.

They will each create five-piece collections from their homes and will be showcased at the Grand Final fashion show at hKTDc’s cenTreSTaGe Fashion Week on Sept. 6.

The grand prize winner will get an allexpense paid educational trip to hong Kong and will join the new up-cycle fashion brand, The r collective, to design a collection for retail using textile waste.

CJ Martin’s entry for Redress Design Awards 2018 is inspired by the environmental documentary Chasing Ice

Entertainment

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

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nickie.standard@gmail.com

Animated Trump in

‘OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT’ BEING the president is not as simple as it sounds. At first glance, it looks easy enough: wave at events every now and then; salute at police formations and military parades; walk up and down the ramp of Air Force One; and say “My Fellow Americans” at the start of every speech.

All in a day’s work right? But behind the glitz and glamour of the Oval Office and the White House, there is more to being the president than meets the eye.

You may say being the president is all about leadership, the president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the president is the one that signs the laws, the President is the guy who shakes the hand of all the world leaders at the United Nations, he even kisses all the babies who visit the White House.

But what does it really mean to be the president? What makes someone fit enough to be called the leader of the Free World?

Some would say it’s all about integrity.

That being a man of your word and being unflinchingly right is what would make a good president. Close enough? How about experience and expertise? Surely having

had years of training along with decades of political achievements would give meaning to being a president.

Experience, integrity, and leadership all mean squat in the face of an overwhelming majority of misguided votes. And if people without all these qualifications can run for the highest office in the land, then almost anyone can be the voted the president.

So, forget the responsibility, ignore the politics, and really just don’t mind all the belligerent blunders. If you can flash a good smile, say words you don’t mean, and talk about topics you are absolutely clueless of, then you are all set. You would make a spectacular president. You can sway the masses with a mega-pout and win their hearts with an expensive suit.

Want to see more of this kind of president in action? Then let Our Cartoon President give you your fill of the antics and the frantic that are too real and too funny at the same time.

Be the first to watch Our Cartoon President now streaming exclusively on FOX+.

For more info, and for free 30-day trial, visit www.FOXPlus.com.

BEN&BEN, PAROKYA

headline Festival of Possibilities

F

ILINVEST City, the premier garden central business district south of Metro Manila, is inviting its employees, residents, and guests to come together to explore the possibilities of music and play as it hosts the inaugural Festival of Possibilities at the Filinvest City Events Grounds on June 8 from 3:00 p.m. onwards.

'Our Cartoon President' is an American adult animated satirical series that gives viewers an allaccess look at a typical day at the White House.

Simply Red...

From C4

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects stars Amy Adams as reporter Camille Preaker, who returns to her small hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.

Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins and Matt Craven also star, as well as Henry Czerny, Taylor John Smith, Sophia Lillis and Madison Davenport.

Jean-Marc Vallée directs all episodes and co-edits the series. Marti Noxon serves as the showrunner and writes several episodes, as does Gillian Flynn.

The executive producers are Jason Blum, Charles Layton and Jessica Rhoades, as well as Amy Adams, Gillian Flynn, Marti Noxon, Jean-Marc Vallée, Nathan Ross and Gregg Fienberg. *** Filipino movie editor John Anthony Wong won Best Editing for Bhoy Intsik in the Foreign Language Film category of the 2018 NICE International Film Festival of World Cinema held in France from May 5 to 12.

Bhoy Intsik, a film about two small-time felons who crossed paths and forged an uncanny friendship, stars Raymond “RS” Francisco in the title role and Ronwaldo Martin as Marlon. Directed by Joel Lamangan, it previously won the Special Jury Prize in the Orient Express section of the 38th Oporto International Film Festival and two acting trophies for RS Francisco at Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2017, in a tie with Kristoffer King (Kristo), and Star Awards for Movies 2018. It also competed at the London East Asia Film Festival 2017.

Wong, who has been editing movies since 2000, considers the film a very interesting project to edit. “The challenge was to create a world where these interwoven lives would interact and counteract with each other

without losing the audience in the story’s narrative. My team had to work with material that was both visually compelling and dialogue-driven.”

The managing director of EDGE Manila Creatives Corporation (EMC2) added that it helped that he was also the film’s VFX supervisor.

“During editing, when I felt that a sequence needed a little Visual Effects assistance to enhance the mood and tone of a scene, I just ask EDGE Manila’s VFX team to add details here and there like ‘stormy/gloomy’ clouds during a break up scene or digital prosthetics to make a pivotal scene more realistic,” he explained.

Apart from Lamangan, Wong has also worked with the late, Gil Portes, Mel Chionglo, Jun Lana, Quark Henares, Albert Martinez and Gino Santos, among others. His work on the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Rosario gave him a Best Festival Editor prize and a similar award from Gawad PASADO (Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro). He has also received a Best Editing trophy from the 2012 Cinemalaya entry The Animals and was nominated several times for his editing work by FAMAS, Golden Screen and Star Awards.

Wong dedicated the win to his family, to all the hard-working Filipino film editors and to the Philippine movie industry.

“I’m thankful to have once again been able to work with Direk Joel on one of his most important projects. It was also a pleasure to have been able to work with screenwriter Ronald Carballo, cinematographer Rain Yamson II, musical scorer Emerzon Texon and actor-producer Raymond Francisco. All of them were very hands on in the creative process. The success of the film is truly a collaborative process,” he stressed.

Aside from his professional work as a movie editor, he also shares his vast postproduction knowledge by teaching at the film department of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts. He also shoots and directs short films, music videos and corporate videos. He is a graduate of Ricky Lee’s 14th scriptwriting workshop.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, May 30, 2018

ACROSS 1 Violin parts 6 Impressed, plus 10 Scheduled mtg.

14 High up 15 Do dock work 16 Fishtail 17 A Polo 18 Think-tank output 19 Swing around 20 Summer in France 21 Given incorrect data 24 Butler or maid 26 Weds secretly 27 Ugh! 28 Glass square 30 — kebab 33 Residence possessor 38 Volkswagen kin 39 Welded 40 Remove wrinkles 41 Safety devices (2 wds.)

43 Turf 44 Kinds 45 Skiing champ Tommy — 46 Positive 50 Flood stopper 54 Thrilled 57 Is, for them 58 Legal wrong

Millennial indie folk rock band Ben&Ben joins other acts in the first Festival of Possibilities happening at the Filinvest City Events Grounds.

59 Jean Stein bestseller 60 Kukla’s friend 62 Constantly 63 Pleasant 64 Comes in last 65 Blushing 66 Pod contents 67 Lower in esteem DOWN 1 Appoints 2 Gladden 3 Kitchen tool 4 Col. Sanders’ place 5 Tolerate 6 Prime invitees (hyph.)

7 Dry watercourse 8 Utopia 9 Stunned with noise 10 Houston pro 11 Chubby 12 Food-processor button 13 Takes care of 22 Printer’s supply 23 Toast topper 25 Drop by 28 Fence uprights 29 “Rag Mop” brothers 30 Stockholm car-

rier 31 — and cry 32 Snake River loc.

33 Green-skinned comics hero 34 Sent a telegram 35 Gun org.

36 Aurora, to Plato 37 Hosp. workers 39 Highlighters (2 wds.)

42 Favoritism 43 Venice conveyance 45 West of Hol-

lywood 46 Sheer 47 BYU locale 48 Makes public 49 Doorway 50 Silver or Scout 51 Ultralight wood 52 March sign 53 Aquatic birds 55 “Garfield” dog 56 Paddy crop 61 Tennis return

the country’s hottest local bands today, including Ben&Ben, Autotelic, Franco and Parokya ni Edgar. City dwellers will also get to enjoy activities consisting of inflatables, arcades, and a bazaar.

To enjoy good music and good company, simply present proof of residence or employment in Filinvest City to get a pass to the event. Non-residents and non-employees, meanwhile, may buy tickets priced at P500 at the venue gates or may purchase items from any of the merchants in Festival Alabang, Westgate Center and Fastbytes in Northgate Cyberzone until June 8. The receipts equivalent to P1,000 may be exchanged at the venue gates for one ticket. There is no limit in the number of receipts to be presented, but each transaction must have a minimum purchase of P200.

To know more, visit Filinvest City’s official Facebook page A social gathering aimed at bringing the community closer, this town-wide fair will witness performances from some of https://www.facebook.com/FilinvestCityOFFICIAL/.

No wedding bells for Dennis and Jennylyn WHILE people say that it’s just the only thing lacking in their strong, Jennylyn Mercado stresses that she and boyfriend Dennis Trillo don’t have wedding plans, yet.

“I got tickled pink with that particular shot wherein he was carrying me. I got touched even more with the caption he wrote which said that he is ready to carry the whole world in order to make me happy. That was sweet,” she avers referring to the Balesin photo Dennis recently posted on social media.

Actually, they were in the lovely island to celebrate their respective birthdays (Dennis’ was on May 12 while Jen’s on May 15).

“We kind of celebrated there along with our families. It was one perfect bonding moment for us,” Jen states.

According to the Kapuso actress, marriage is not their foremost priority. She says it’s very far from happening at this point finally ending speculations that they got secretly married in Balesin.

“Dennis and I still have our own cares and concerns to attend to. Both of us are not yet ready to tie the knots now. We’re just enjoying the moments we spend together. As of now, that’s what matters.”

If ever they will get married, would they announce it for the public to know?

“Actually, I can’t say. Perhaps, if we’re already there, that’s when we’ll decide if we’ll make it public.”

Celebrity couple Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado frolic on the beach in Balesin. (Photo from Dennis’ Instagram)

Also, Jennylyn doesn’t want to disclose what birthday presents her and Dennis bought for each other.

“I guess, that’s for the two of us only,”

she says.

Meanwhile, her currently airing soap on GMA titled The Cure is starting to get exciting.

“The next episodes will be actionpacked since many are now getting infected with the virus in the story. Surely, the viewers will be thrilled to the max. I hope they would support the show ‘til the end,” Jennylyn ends. *** Paul Salas is happy to be back in GMA after almost a decade. Just recently, the young actor signed a co-management contract with the Kapuso management.

It can be remembered that he was an original member of the station’s hit star reality search StarStruck Kids many years ago before he moved to the rival camp ABS-CBN. “I’m simply glad to be back home,” says Paul. “It’s been nine years. Amazingly, nothing has changed. The love, the bond, it remained.”

Arriving at such decision was something not that easy for the lad to do.

“Actually, it took me a year to decide.

I really weighed things and asked myself what my heart wanted. So, eventually, I decided to come back where I originally belong. But I asked formal permission from ABS-CBN to make this career move and they understood. It was one graceful exit.”

This early, many are toying with the idea that he appears in a program opposite fellow StarStruck Kids alumna Miguel Tanfelix and Bea Binene.

“Yes, why not? That would be cool. I think the management has similar plans.

Let’s wait and see. I’m looking forward to it,” ends Paul.

Entertainment ≠≠

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

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

The enthusiastic young crowd that attended The Eddys film workshops and screening of 'Deadma Walking' and 'Birdshot' held at FDCP's Cinematheque Centre Manila.

‘Birdshot,’‘Deadma Walking’ screened for aspiring filmmakers LAST weekend, two films, both nominated Best Film in the upcoming Eddys, were screened to participants of the FDCP workshops at the Cinematheque Centre Manila.

On Saturday, Mikhail Red’s Birdshot was shown at 6:00 p.m. to a very enthusiastic young crowd who asked the director questions during the open forum after the screening. Red was generous enough to share his experiences while filming Birdshot.

The following night, also at the same time, TRex’s Deadma Walking (dir. Julius Alfonso) was screened and the response from the crowd was very encouraging.

They laughed at scenes where they should really laugh and cheered the actors when they did some unexpected tour de force performance.

Eric Cabahug, who wrote the Palancawinning screenplay upon the film was based, was also there to share his thoughts with the audience some of whom really asked very pointed questions.

The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEED) thanks the Film Development council of the Philippines ISAH V. RED and Globe Studios for the opportunity for the two Best Picture nominees to be screened at the Cinematheque. As Founding President of the organization, I’d like to extend the group’s heartfelt gratitude to Liza Diño-Seguerra, chair of FDCP, and Yolly Crisanto, VP of Globe, for this wonderful partnership in bringing timely, relevant, and outstanding films to an audience not only for entertainment, but for the audience to dissect the nature and elements that make films worthy of award nominations.

This is the first in the award-giving bodies to allow the audience to take a look, see the difference, and find out why films are being cited by an award-giving body. And I am proud to say, SPEED is the first to initiate this kind of movement.

Next year, SPEED hopes to screen all five nominees whichever they will in this year’s crop of commercially released fulllength features. Continued on C3

Top local TV series according to Twitter PH IT’S not that bad to keep track on what’s happening on the local television scene. Sure, there’s an avalanche of ridiculously good Western television series and Asian drama to watch out for and binge-watch but nothing really beats the stories that are too close to our hearts and experience.

Romance, comedy, fantasy, drama—you name it, they got it. In this respect, let’s take a quick rundown of the most talked-about series on social media according to Twitter Philippines Entertainment Index for the first quarter of 2018.

La Luna Sangre As this Horror-fantasy drama series ended last March 2, it has maintained its record of being one of the top trending topics in the Philippines garnering 28.8 million tweets since its premiere in June 2017 and 1.4 million related tweets on its finale that carried the hashtag #LaLunaTheFinalBattle. Fans did not fail to express their thoughts on La Luna Sangre episodes and sadness towards the show’s finale.

Bagani Despite having many controversies before its debut, Bagani instantly became one of the most talked-about fantasy series inspired by the Filipino indigenous culture of warriors in the fantasy world of Sansinukob. One of the hottest love teams, #LizQuen with Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil play the lead roles as “Ganda” and “Lakas.”

Wild Flower Ending barely four months ago on Feb. 9, Wildflower became a primetime hit primarily because of the thrilling performance of Maja Salvador for both Lily Cruz and Ivy Aguas, and its cast of heroes and villains. #WildFlowerWildestEnding was indeed the wildest ending with the surprising intro of a new character, Venus, Red Dragon’s daughter played

by Karylle. After many plot twists, Lily Cruz came to realize that justice and not revenge is the ultimate answer.

Kambal, Karibal This teleserye has captured the interest of

viewers with its twist of drama and a story about sibling rivalry in a supernatural way. Kambal Karibal features the hottest love team of GMA, Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix or #BiGuel, together with new breed of talents Kyline Alcantara and Pauline Mendoza.

Sherlock Jr. A drama-crime series proved how a dog really is the man’s best friend.

Sherlock Jr. aired Jan. 29 to April 27 on GMA Network Telebabad. Siri (voiceover by Mikee Quintos), the Wonder dog, had left a wonderful memory of being Jack’s (Ruru Madrid) companion in investigating the case of Jack’s girlfriend, Irene (Janine Gutierrez) with his friend Lily (Gabbi Garcia). Nickie Wang

ALDEN back on primetime as

Victor Magtanggol

M

ORE than a year after his last TV series on primetime, actor Alden Richards is all set to make his big comeback as he headlines the upcoming fantasy series, Victor Magtanggol.

Alden Richards plays the titular role Victor Magtanggol in the upcoming television series on GMA.

In an interview in 24 Oras, the 26-year-old star shared what his role is all about. According to him, the character is just a simple man who was given an extraordinary mission.

“Victor Magtanggol was given an extraordinary mission sa buhay na masusukat ang lahat sa buhay niya, pagsubok sa pamilya, pagsubok bilang kapatid, pagsubok bilang kaibigan, lahat,” he shared.

Alden didn’t think twice accepting the project since he has been dreaming of doing something like this.

“I was happy and excited at the same time because by just reading the script you can already feel the heart of the character,” he said in vernacular.

Since the project is close to his heart, Alden is very involved in the story and is happy to collaborate with the creative team to make it relatable to viewers.

“We are creating a project that is current. We wanted to deliver a timely message to our audience that can serve as an inspiration to them. We wanted to share an aspirational story in which they can learn from,” he said.

He also revealed that the program Victor Magtanggol is full of drama, action and adventure, and mirrors the lives of every Filipino.

“When Victor Magtanggol was given to me, and the charcter was described, I instantly felt the strong connection. He is a principled man that when a task is given to him he does it with pride and commitment. And that’s how we’d like the viewers to see the character, and we want them to see themselves in Victor Magtanggol,” he ended.

BTS makes K-Pop history topping US album charts KOREAN boyband phenomenon BTS has become the first K-Pop group to rise to the top of the US album charts, a vivid illustration of the genre’s growing global appeal.

Known for boyish good looks, floppy haircuts and meticulously choreographed dance moves, the septet has become one of South Korea’s best known and most lucrative musical exports.

On Sunday, the band passed a new milestone—becoming the first K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200 music charts which ranks albums via sales, downloads and streams.

“It’s the first No. 1 for the sevenmember group, and the first K-pop album to lead the tally,” Billboard wrote in its online report detailing the latest chart ranking.

While plenty of older music listeners in the West might be asking “who?”, it’s hard to underestimate the popularity of BTS and their seven stars Suga, J-Hope, Rap Monster, Jimin, V, Jungkook, and Jin. According to one data analysis, they were they most talked about phenomenon on Twitter in 2017, with nearly double the number of mentions on the social media platform than US

K-POP PHENOMENON. Bangtan Boys or more popularly known worldwide as BTS is one of South Korea's best known and most lucrative musical exports.

President Donald Trump and Canadian badboy heartthrob Justin Bieber combined.

Throw in their similarly massive appeal across the globe—they have huge social media followings in Japan, China, Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America—and you have a truly global supergroup.

Their new album Love Yourself: Tear toppled Beerpong and Bentleys by rising hip-hop star Post Malone, whose facial

tattoos are the very antithesis of BTS’ wholesome, meticulously manicured image.

While BTS sing in Korean, their style successfully fuses the catchy earworms of K-Pop with hip-hop and RnB. Last year, their previous release Love Yourself: Her became the first K-Pop album to make it into the top 10 US album charts, rising to number seven, and hit the number one spot on iTunes in more than 70 countries. AFP