Manila Standard - 2018 June 25 - Monday

MUDPACK. Devotees wearing costumes made of banana leaves attend a mass as part of a religious festival in honor of St. John the Baptist, also known locally as the “mud people” festival, in Aliaga town, Nueva Ecija on June 24, 2018. Farmers coated in mud paraded in Philippine villages on June 24 to mark one of the Catholic nation’s most colourful religious festivals. AFP

VOL. XXXII • NO. 130 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Devotees slather selves in mud ALIAGA, Philippines—They say there’s nothing quite like it for cooling the blood, but for more than a thousand Filipinos at a Catholic festival on Sunday, slathering their bodies in mud was a way to show devotion and Next page humility.

Saudi lifts ban on female motorists

Solons divided A over drug tests

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

LAWMAKER on Sunday urged Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to require drug testing for all 292 members of the House of Representatives—even though the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that doing so would be unconstitutional.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Arabian women celebrated being able to drive for the first time in decades Sunday, as the kingdom overturned the world’s only ban on female motorists, a historic reform expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

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JBC: Search begins for new chief justice

ANTI-CANCER DRIVE. National

Police Chief Oscar Albayalde rides with 200 motorcycle riders from Camp Crame in Quezon City to Clark , Pampanga and finally at the Quirino grandstand in a bid to raise funds for Children with Cancer at the Philippine General Hospital.

Norman Cruz

By Rey E. Requejo THE Judicial and Bar Council will meet today (Monday) to open the search for the next chief justice following the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as top magistrate.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of JBC, said the seven-member council will adopt a resolution formally opening the nomination and acceptance of application for the chief justice post.

Guevarra said the start of the vetting process is pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in its May 11 decision that invalidated the appointment of Next page Sereno in 2012.

WINTER IS OVER.

Game of Thrones co-stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie have tied the knot at a castle in Scotland. Harington was sporting his signature Jon Snow long hair.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, also supported the proposal by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to impose mandatory drug tests on students from Grade 4 and up, even though the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 allows testing only on students of secondary and tertiary schools.

“The intention of the director general is noble,” he said, referring to PDEA chief Aaron Aquino. ‘There is no violation if we implement it on grade four [students].”

He added that under the doctrine of parens patriae, the state has the responsibility to protect those who are unable to protect themselves, like children.

Barbers said his committee is considering legislation that would include elementary level pupils in mandatory Next page drug testing.

“We regret that Iceland and several other countries maintained their position despite our offer for them to visit the Philippines and objectively assess the human rights situation, especially at the community level,” Cayetano said in statement issued

THE Department of Justice has approved the prosecution of businessman George Sycip, son of the late tycoon Washington Sycip, and officers and members of Alliance International Inc., a tuna canning company, for violating the Corporate Code of the Philippines, based on a complaint

by Hedy S.C. Yap-Chua.

Sycip and other Alliance executives, including Jonathan Dee,

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Iceland, 37 other nations, denounced for anti-PH stand FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday chided the 38 countries that recently called on President Duterte to put an end to killings in his administration’s crackdown against illegal drugs and instead cooperate with international bodies in the investigation

of alleged human rights abuses.

Cayetano said the 38 countries are not actually interested in the truth about the human rights situation in the Philippines, but are more interested in using the issue as a political weapon against the Philippine government.

Sycip scion faces corporate crime charges

Wanted: Boracay rehabilitation czar

Petro Gazz cuts oil prices by P1/liter

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE country’s oil firms are expected to rollback pump prices by as much as P1 per liter this week to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

Oil firms are expected to follow the move of Petro Gazz (formerly Flying V) of implementing the P1 per liter rollback for gasoline and P0.80 per liter rollback for diesel effective 6 a.m. yesterday.

Other oil firms, however, have not announced similar price cuts as of press time.

Unioil Philippines, in its advisory on Saturday, said diesel prices will go down by P0.80 to P0.95 per liter and gasoline by P1 to Next page P1.20 per liter this week.

SENATOR Nancy Binay on Sunday asked Malacañang to appoint someone to be directly in charge of Boracay’s rehabilitation after a Senate hearing revealed that the misunderstandings between government agencies were delaying the island’s rehabilitation.

“We have [Environment] Secretary [Roy] Cimatu who is in charge of Task Force Boracay, but his is only an interagency council. Who has the final say?”

Binay said.

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By Alena Mae S. Flores

A2

News

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Cockroach killer’ to head fiscals’ panel vs de Lima THE Justice department has assigned a controversial prosecutor―who had previously likened the critics of the Duterte administration to cockroaches―to the prosecution panel tasked to handle the drug cases against detained Senator Leila de Lima.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sunday he issued an order designating former Caloocan City prosecutor Darwin Cañete to the prosecution team based on the recommendation of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

“I recently issued a department order expanding and reorganizing the De Lima prosecution panel upon the recommendation of the Office of the Prosecutor General,” Guevarra said.

“However, I do not personally know each member of the panel.”

Guevarra said the prosecution team would always base its moves on evidence, and despite the perception of bias arising from Cañete’s controversial remarks on his Facebook post, including the one in June last year where he said “yellows” should be killed like cockroaches.

Cañete was transferred to the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office from Caloocan City due to his controversial remarks following the killing of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos in Caloocan city, prompting calls for then Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to sack him.

But Aguirre rejected the call, saying Cañete was merely a passionate prosecutor who had the right to freedom of expression. Rey E. Requejo

Petro...

From A1

On June 19, the oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P0.20 per liter and diesel and kerosene by P0.45 per liter.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Friday agreed to a modest increase in oil production in a bid to avoid a supply glut.

Wanted: ...

From A1

She said Boracay residents were confused as to who was in charge on the ground.

“We need a person who has the final say and who will decide when a problem occurs,” Binay said.

During the Senate hearing, it was revealed that both the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and the National Water Resources Board were claiming to have regulatory powers over the water concessionaires in the area.

Binay said this had resulted in confusion and the subsequent delay of the division of the island between water utilities.

She said she supports the calls to create a centralized agency to consolidate authority and oversee Boracay’s rehabilitation.

She cited a proposal to create a Boracay Development Authority that will be tasked to regulate all developments in the island and protect its environmental integrity.

“We can use the existing inter-agency task force to kick-start the initiative and perhaps adopt the Intramuros template in creating this agency,” Binay said.

“However, it is also important that we give it the necessary administrative powers to exercise its mandate.”

Binay said she would push for a landuse management framework tailor-fitted to the innovative management techniques necessary for governing Boracay as a protected landscape.

Binay also asked the National Economic and Development Authority to speed up the completion of its mediumterm development and physical framework plan to rehabilitate Boracay.

“We hope Neda would be able to come up with a plan even before October so we can assess and see how its comprehensive development plan would integrate the physical, environmental, social, economic and institutional plans of the government agencies in charge of Boracay’s rehab,” she said.

Devotees...

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The annual tradition forms part of a joyous religious festival honoring a saint they believed saved residents from execution by Japanese soldiers during World War II. Men, women and children sat in soggy rice paddies before dawn in the town of Aliaga, 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Manila, covering each other in muck before donning dried banana leaves in the annual “Mud People” festival.

A tradition that draws the faithful and

Leni’s bid to ‘derail’ recount hit T Marcos claims he was cheated in the 2016 election and has demanded a recount of the votes.

Robredo won the vice presidential race in the with 14,418,817 votes or 263,473 more than Marcos’ 14,155,344 votes.

Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesman, said they would not allow the bid of Robredo’s camp to derail the ongoing revi-

sion of the votes being undertaken by the PET to determine who actually won the vice presidential race two years ago.

“The blatant attempts of Mrs. Robredo to suppress the truth regarding the manual recount of votes have become more desperate,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“Now that the proof of fraud and massive cheating is out in the open, we ex-

pect more desperate disruptions to come our way.”

Rodriguez said Robredo herself had admitted in a recent television interview that even though she was out of the loop with the current administration, “her way of remaining relevant is to try to disrupt the manner in which her office has positioned itself.”

Rodriguez cited Robredo’s recent complaint that Nestor Borromeo, one of Marcos’ revisers, was out of line because he was using a small magnifying glass to count the ballots.

“What she conveniently left out was the fact that the magnifying glass―which is the size of a credit card-was made of plastic and is similar to the ones children play with,” Rodriguez said.

He said the people on the revision floor were well aware that the plastic child’s magnifier was being used and had never complained.

Solons...

bags and lockers,” he said.

Alejano said the proposed mandatory drug testing in school would only entail unnecessary expenses for the government or the parents.

The Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns slammed the proposal during its 32nd anniversary rites at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila.

Former Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Australian nun Sr. Patricia Fox and more than 300 child rights advocates, day-care workers and children from different child-focused organizations and institutions participated in the event.

“Duterte’s fascist rule makes Filipino children more vulnerable to abuses. He started it by assuring the police of protection while conducting operations which claimed the lives of about 44 children.

Now he wants to bring his Oplan Tokhang to schools by requiring drug testing of pupils as young as nine years old,” said Eule Rico Bonganay, Salinlahi national secretary general.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, mean-

while, pushed for the passage of a bill to create a nationwide education and awareness program on illegal drugs.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, objected to the proposal to extend mandatory drug testing to Grade 4 students, noting that enough programs are in place at the Department of Education.

“Subjecting elementary students to random drug tests would create an atmosphere of confusion, discomfort, and fear that would stunt their emotional and psychological development,” he said in a statement.

He also said that PDEA had not provided enough evidence to justify mandatory drug testing for elementary students and teachers “There is no legal basis for conducting random drug tests on elementary students. Section 36(c) of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165) only authorizes drug testing for secondary and tertiary students,” he added.

By Rey E. Requejo

HE camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday denounced what it called the “blatant attempts” by the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo to suppress the truth from coming out regarding the alleged fraud and irregularities discovered by the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, in connection with the manual recount of the votes in the 2016 vice presidential election.

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Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, and Alliance of Concerned Teachers Reps. France Castro and Antonio Tiñio, on the other hand, opposed PDEA’s proposal.

Alejano said children would suffer from psychological effects from the drug testing.

“This is not a sound policy. PDEA should consider the psychological effects of a mandatory and surprise drug testing.

This may cause fear and trauma on the children, especially if not handled properly,” he said.

“Why not go after big-time drug lords?” Castro asked.

Tiñio, raised the alarm over the series of pronouncements from the police, local and national government officials targeting children.

“Two weeks ago, [National Capital Region Police Office] Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar floated the proposal of tasking public school teachers to inspect students’

Iceland,...

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from New York where he is presiding over a command conference of Filipino diplomats from the Americas.

The Foreign Affairs sectary said he even invited Iceland Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson to visit the country to see for himself the human rights situation.

“Unfortunately, it seems our friends are not really interested in arriving at the truth and would rather rely on the misinformation being fed to them by parties that have politicized and weaponized human rights.

Politics is politics but politicizing human rights endanger lives,” he said.

The 38 nations, including the United States before it left the United Nations Human Rights Council, United Kingdom, Iceland, Australia and France among others criticized Manila at the general debate of the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council last June 19 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Also joining the call were Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Crotia, Cyprus,

Sycip...

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Alvin Dee, Joanna Y. Dee-Laurel, Teresita S. Ladanga, Grace S. Dogillo and Arak Ratborihan were also indicted for separate charges of estafa.

Presiding Judge Rolando de Guzman Jr. of the Pasig City Metropolitan Trial Court, Branch 72, has issued warrants of arrest for the earlier indictment of Sycip and Alliance’s executives Ibarra Malonzo and Jonathan Dee for violation of the Corporation Code.

The case was filed by Alliance’s foreign shareholders Harvest All Investment Ltd., Victory Fund Ltd., and Bondeast Private Ltd. through Yap-Chua, against Annsley Bangkas, assistant corporate secretary, Sycip, chairman of the board, and Alvin and Jonathan Dee and Malonzo, members of the board.

Alliance is a publicly listed company currently embroiled in a management conflict as a result of the acquisition of Strong Oak Inc. of the firm’s tourists alike, the event celebrates the feast of John the Baptist with devotees taking part in what they see as an act of humility and penance that imitates a saint who preached and lived a life of poverty in the desert.

“I got goosebumps when I joined the festival. The Lord is showering us with love,” 35-year-old businessman and village official Win Javaluyas told AFP. “I am so happy. This is one way of being closer to God, to purify your intention and be holy.”

The Philippines is Asia’s Catholic bastion with a flock of more than 80 million.

Spain colonized the archipelago in the 16th century and spread the faith. AFP

Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, new Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukriane.

The UNHRC, which has 47 memberstates, including the Philippines, is holding its 38th Session from June 18 to July 6.

Besides calling for an end to killings associated with the anti-drug crackdown, the states also called on Manila to stop harassing human rights defenders, the Commission on Human Rights and members of the media.

The latest statement by the countries basically reiterated their call on the Philippines during the UNHRC’s session in September last year and March this year with Iceland drafting the statement.

It was Thordarson last March who urged the UNHRC to take further actions into investigations of alleged human rights violations in the Philippines in the conduct of the anti-drug war of the Duterte administration. Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja 430.286-million shares worth P563.674 million. The sale has diluted the stake of the company’s foreign shareholders.

The complaints, initially filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasig, stemmed from the alleged denial of the respondents of the complainants’ right to inspect the corporate books and records.

Alliance had twice denied their request for inspection of the corporate books and records, with the respondents telling them that their request has been deferred pending instruction from the board, prompting the complainants to pursue the case.

The first request was made on Jan. 15, 2014 through the complainants’ representative, Albert Hong Hin Kay, a stockholder and member of the Alliance’s board, while the second request was made through a final demand letter on Jan. 23, 2014. The same was prompted by the substantial financial downturn suffered by Alliance that has hurt its share price in the market. Rey E. Requejo

Saudi...

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The move is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wide-ranging drive to modernize the conservative petrostate—but it has coincided with a sweeping crackdown on female activists who long opposed the driving ban.

Women in Riyadh and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber light soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, with some blasting music from behind the wheel.

“I always knew this day would come.

But it came fast. Sudden,” said talkshow

“Why should they? Some revisers wear eyeglasses so they can see better. Nestor Borromeo opted to use a child’s plastic magnifying glass. What difference will this make on the recounting of the votes?”

Rodriguez said.

“We will not allow the election protest to be ‘disrupted by her desperate, childish and obvious attempts to delay, delay and delay the recount. Instead, we will continue our commitment to the Filipino people to fight until each and every valid vote that was cast is counted,” Earlier this month, the PET started the revision of the votes from Iloilo province, which is the second of the three pilot provinces identified in the election protest of Marcos against Robredo.

The PET is conducting the manual recount of the votes from the ballots retrieved in Iloilo. A total of 2,264 ballot boxes from Iloilo will be revised by the tribunal.

Joma insincere, hampers talks, says DND chief

“The JBC will meet on Monday to take up the chief justice vacancy. It will direct the publication of a notice stating that it will now accept applications or nominations for the vacant chief justice position,” Guevarra said.

The JBC’s move comes after the Supreme Court issued an entry of judgment late last week, which declared the ruling on the quo warranto case as final and executory that can no longer be subject of further appeal.

Voting 8-6, as they did in the May 11 decision, justices decided to deny Sereno’s motion for reconsideration for lack of merit and failure to raise new arguments.

The Court upheld its finding that Sereno’s appointment in 2012 was invalid and that she was disqualified for the chief justice post due to lack of proven integrity because of her failure to file all her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth when she was still teaching law in the University of the Philippines and when she applied for the chief justice post.

The 1987 Constitution requires that the chief justice position be filled within 90 days from vacancy or from the finality of the Supreme Court ruling last Tuesday, June 19.

This means President Duterte needs to appoint Sereno’s replacement by Sept. 16.

The Constitution also requires the chief justice, just like associate justices of Supreme Court, to be a natural-born citizen, to be at least 40 years old, to have experience as a judge or in private law practice for at least 15 years, and to be a person with proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, the most senior magistrate in the Court, has already declared he will decline all nominations for the top judicial post.

Carpio will sit as ex-officio chair of the JBC with Guevarra and Oriental Mindoro Rep. and House justice committee chairman Reynaldo Umali as exofficio members.

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has accused Jose Maria Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, of being insincere―the reason, he said, why the peace talks had been dragging on for decades.

He said Sison’s calling of President Rodrigo Duterte as a “political swindler and butcher” does not reflect his sincerity and the New People’s Army to resolve the insurgency problem that is now on its 50th year.

Lorenzana made his statement even as students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, who graduated on Sunday staged a protest.

The placard-bearing graduates assailed President Rodrigo Duterte for his war on drugs, his failure to end contractualization and his soft stance on the issue of China’s encroachment in the West Philippine Sea. They urged the government to resume the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Lorenzana made the statement in an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency at the sidelines of the FVR Golf Tournament at the Philippine Veterans Medical Center golf course in Quezon City.

He criticized Sison for insisting on holding the peace talks in a foreign country like Norway, instead of the Philippines.

“The reaction of Sison on the peace talks does not help, because what is wrong when the President said we should first study the agreements?” Lorenzana said.

“What the President wants is to hold the peace talks here in the country.”

The on-and-off peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels have been going on for decades without result.

Lorenzana, a retired major general of the Philippine Army who saw action at the height of the Moro rebellion in Mindanao in the 1970s and 1980s, blasted Sison ”for ordering the NPA to go on an all-out war and oust the President.”

“What I can say, Mr. Sison, just come home and we will talk about what you are fighting for, otherwise if you don’t come back here we will talk to the local NPA leaders and you will be irrelevant and you will be consigned to the dustbin of history,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana also reacted to the threat of Sison to order the NPA to attack government forces, and that was because Sison was exiled comfortably in the Netherlands, out of harm’s way, while the NPA rebels were risking their lives fighting.

“It is easy for you [Sison] to say because you are living in a foreign country, enjoying and living a life of luxury and comfort,” Lorenzana said.

He said Sison and the NPA “want to tie the hands of the government,” adding “this does not help” the peace talks to progress.

Lorenzana supported Duterte’s call for the peace talks to be held in the Philippines and not in a foreign country.

PNA with Rio N. Araja

host and writer Samar Almogren as she drove across the capital. “I feel free like a bird.”

Television presenter Sabika al-Dosari said the end of the ban was “a historic moment for every Saudi woman” before driving a sedan across the border to the kingdom of Bahrain.

The lifting of the ban, a glaring symbol of repression, is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.

Euphoria was mixed with disbelief as women across the kingdom flooded social media with photos and videos of their maiden car rides, with a heavy police

presence in major cities.

“This is a great achievement,” billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said as his daughter Reem drove a family SUV, with his granddaughters applauding from the back seat.

“Now women have their freedom,” he added in a video posted on Twitter.

Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licences and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The kingdom earlier this month began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades, with some swapping their foreign permits for Saudi ones after a practical test. AFP

JBC:...

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

A3

Korean firm seeks tieup with MWSS KOREA’S third largest city and representative water industry city, Daegu, has submitted a proposal of cooperation project to the Philippine government through the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System.

This was announced by MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco who said the proposal was officially conveyed by a delegation from Daegu Metropolitan City led by Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Yon Chang Kim. The Daegu project proposal covers a government-to-government cooperation support for advanced water technology demand area; improvement of inefficient operation of water purification plant and sewage treatment plant; improper sewage discharge system improvement; and installation of water purification system.

“This is a welcome development for the Philippine water supply industry, particularly MWSS, following close bilateral relations forged during the recent visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Korea early this month,” Velasco said.

Also in the Daegu delegation were Park Gihwan, Director of Investment & Trade Division; Anthony Jung, Deputy Director; and Wonsuk Kee. The cooperation project is expected to help MWSS address the problem of wastewater treatment and better water

DAEGU EXECS AT MWSS. Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco presents a copy of the MWSS @ 140 coffee table to Daegu Metropolitan City Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Yon Chang Kim with Park Gihwan, Director of Investment & Trade Division; Anthony Jung, Deputy Director; Wonsuk Kee, Mr. and Mrs. Vangie Kim; Joel Madamba, and media consultant Melandrew Velasco. The Daegu Metropolitan City is offering its assistance and technological support to MWSS on water and wastewater systems and technology to further improve water quality, distribution system and overall wastewater coverage.

quality system. Aside from the application of local water and sewage treatment technology, customized new method for energy enhancement of water and wastewater treatment process will be applied.

Velasco added that with regard to improper sewage discharge system improvement, the proposal, once approved, will provide for diagnosis and maintenance of pipe network to prevent sewage leakage and inflow of nonpoint

pollution sources. Advanced sewage management and treatment techniques will likewise be employed.

Water purification systems which will be installed is expected to resolve water shortage in underdeveloped areas where water supply is not provided.

Small-scale water purification systems in accordance with the size of the residents will be established including a water intake network.

Daegu’s interest in the water industry

is not new. It hosts the Korea International Water Week annually along with the World Water Forum held simultaneously where the MWSS chief along with Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez and Manila Water president Ferdinand dela Cruz served as resource speakers in September last year.

Daegu City has a cooperation project on the water industry sector with China that includes a sewage treatment cooperation.

Crackdown on loiterers denounced V ICE President Leni Robredo and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday took turns denouncing the police crackdown against loiterers (tambay).

Robredo, a public interest lawyer, tagged the controversial campaign as “anti-poor,” after the police rounded up thousands of loiterers—apparently abiding by the President’s order to be strict with “tambays,” as they pose “potential trouble to the public.”

For his part, Gatchalian said that the police, instead of going after loiterers in the

streets, should arrest the lawbreakers.

At a news forum, Gatchalian stressed that the crackdown against loiterers was really “confusing.”

Robredo called on the citizens to be vigilant against the crackdown, and be informed about their rights to prevent abuses similar to those committed under the war against drugs.

Robredo noted that vagrancy has been decriminalized, and the order against loiterers, in effect, sets aside the legislative act on the matter.

“Para kasing binibigyan ng lisensya iyong mga law enforcement na opisyal na mang-abuso. Nakita na natin itong danger nito noong kasagsagan ng anti-drug war.

Inuulit na naman natin ngayon,” she said.

She added: “Hindi nakakatulong iyong paiba-ibang statement kasi lalong nagbibigay ng kalituhan.”

Gatchalian chimed in and told a news forum that the crackdown against loiterers was really “confusing.”

“Loitering is not exactly a crime.

I would really like to encourage the Philippine National Police that instead of anti-tambay, they should make it anti-pasaway,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said this should also serve as a challenge for newly elected barangay officials to strengthen their local ordinances in order to attain peace and order in their community.

At least 7,000 loiterers in Metro Manila streets have been apprehended by authorities in their week-long operations. Police claimed that those arrested had violated municipal ordinances.

More telcos healthy for PH industry

By Macon Araneta COMPETITION will help lower the price and improve the quality of Internet service in the country, Senator Benigno Paulo Aquino said on Sunday.

Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, lamented that aside from being costly, Internet service in the Philippines is very slow.

“We need more than three telcos to have a healthy competition. We should look at other countries aside from China,” noted Aquino.

Aquino is currently working on Senate Bill No. 171 or the Open Access in Data Transmission Act of 2016.

If enacted into law, the proposal will enable more players into and promote competition in the Internet industry.

Aquino said he has been working to improve the quality of Internet in the country. In the 16th Congress, he spearheaded an investigation into the slow and expensive internet in the country during his stint as chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

The probe helped determine needed legislation to address the internet problem in the country and led to the release of a Department of Justice opinion on telco advertising.

The hearing also compelled the National Telecommunications Commission to come out with guidelines on minimum Internet speeds and conducted speed testing in various areas of the Philippines to check compliance of telcos.

The opposition senator also pushed for the passage of Republic Act 10929 or the Free Internet Access Program in Public Places as principal sponsor.

At the same time, Aquino renewed his push to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, saying the high prices of fuel also drive up cost of agricultural products.

‘TAMBAY’ ADVOCATES. Two members of Congress, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elega and Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo gestured take turns calling the Duterte administration to stop the illegal arrest of unemployed or tambay persons during the News Forum held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Manny Palmero

Velasco urged the Daegu officials to set up a Water Institute in the MWSS compound as the booming city is the site of the Korea Water Complex, one of the specialized industrial complexes in the city.

According to Vice Mayor Kim, Daegu’s water industry cluster has a water industry promotion facility with a water convergence research center, a water campus, and a global business center.

It also has a water-industrial demonstration complex.

House bill calls for fund support to families of slain judges

By Rio N. Araja DEPUTY Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu on Sunday urged the House leadership to prioritize the swift passage of a proposed law seeking to provide financial support for the surviving spouses and children of judges, justices and other judiciary officials who are killed while in the line of duty.

Congress will resume sessions on July 23, 2018.

The Batangas lawmaker made the appeal before the House committee on appropriations chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles approved last May 22 on the funding provision of the substitute bill to House Bill No. 2683.

“With the approval of the funding requirement of my proposal, I hope the House committee on justice will immediately refer this [committee report] to the House committee on rules for its referral and swift passage on third and final reading in the plenary,” he said.

In April 2011, the House subcommittee on judicial reforms chaired by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, a retired Court of Appeals justice, under the House committee on justice led by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali approved the bill or the proposed “Support for the Surviving Spouse and Children of Slain Judiciary Officials Act.” The bill authored by Abu would embolden judges and justices to dispense justice without fear because of the government’s support.

“The risk alongside the job of these judiciary officials should be counterbalanced by providing them with a grant that will encourage them to fully perform their duties and responsibilities.

Hence, this bill seeks to support the judiciary by granting benefits to their surviving heirs in case they are killed while dispensing justice,” Abu said.

Follow Canada’s signal on broadband, Filipino solon urges THE Philippines should follow the signal from Canada, which has declared broadband a basic telecommunications service to pave the way for all citizens to enjoy high-speed Internet access, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said on Sunday.

“Our sense is, the quickest way to provide all Filipinos, especially those in the countryside, high-speed Internet access is for us to do what the Canadians did,” Campos said.

Campos was referring to the Canadian government’s move to proclaim broadband or high-speed Internet access a basic service, putting it in the same category as the landline telephone.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission also ordered all telecommunications players to offer consumers in all parts of Canada Internet connection speeds of at least 50 Mbps.

To ensure that rural districts are not left out, the CRTC also required tel-

ecommunications firms to contribute around one-half of one percent of all their revenues to a fund that would subsidize the rollout of broadband facilities in unserved areas.

“High-speed Internet access has become essential for every Filipino family to enjoy a superior quality of life, and for small businesses to succeed,” Campos said.

Campos’ remarks came shortly after reports that the Duterte administration’s

initiative to bring in a third telecommunications player has been delayed anew, with officials still unable to agree on how the plan should be carried out.

The administration is counting on the new player to rev up market competition and improve broadband services.

Campos has been prodding Congress to pass House Bill 5337, which seeks to tag broadband a basic service so that all Filipinos may have access to rising Internet connection speeds in the years ahead.

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Opinion

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

The trouble with Digong’s god ing graduates of Catholic schools, have missed the point, and still ask what kind of a fruit it was that got the couple into trouble, and whether the serpent had legs or not before it was condemned by God for all eternity to crawl on its belly.

Then, there is the notion of “perfecNOT really God was the object of Digong’s polemic, but the Catho- tion.” Why would God create a perlic teaching—or what he takes to be fect world, Digong asks, and then put Catholic teaching—on God, particu- a serpent in it that would beguile his larly on the Story of Eden. And that favored creatures? But whoever said is just where the trouble is. He took a that God created a perfect world? In fact, a “perfect creapotshot at Catholics, ture” is a contradicparticularly Cathotion in terms, and lic leadership in the the notion of omniPhilippines, but his perfection is likewise jabs landed smack in The President’s troublesome, because the region that even the simultaneous and scholars of religion political capital concurrent realizaavoid. Here are just cannot be strong tion of all perfection some of the issues. results in the perfecDistinguish between enough to tions canceling themmyth and history. overcome this. selves out! Human Both are useful, and experience bears this the categories of out: the more com“true” and “false: passionate a person Are applicable to is, the stronger is the both, following different criteria and standards. For the degree of empathy, the less capable truth of a myth involves what Ricoeur she is of that distanced and detached calls “metaphorical truth,” and the position required of a neutral observer. fecundity of suggestion, allusion and The first is a value in human relations, analogy. Obviously, when you are in- the second, in scientific pursuits.

The trouble with protology—reflectent at making sport of a myth because you have mistaken it for a historical tion on the absolute beginning—and report, then things go terribly wrong eschatology—reflection on the absoand you too become vulnerable to the lute end—is that both lie on “the other side” of human experience. Which is charge of mixing up literary forms!

But there too lies the challenge to why the books of Genesis and Revelathe Church, for how competently and tion present us with riotous imagery, usefully have our priests and cate- the unbridled constructs of human imchists handled the story of Adam and agination, but all with the richness and Eve? Is it not in fact the case that in pregnancy of metaphor.

But why pick on the Christian faith? many a catechism class, the saga of the God-Adam-Eve trio is told no dif- Every religion has its own myths and ferently from the way teachers regale sagas and metaphors and visions. And their pupils of accounts of Lapu-lapu’s while dilettantes may find it entertainheroism in the face of Magellan’s ef- ing to compare the absurdity of the stofrontery? Yes, Digong is to blame ries the various religions tell, the more for having missed the nuances of lit- thoughtful will pay close attention erary form, but the Church must also to the depths of human experience as take the blame that Filipinos, includTurn to A5

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

An ill-considered proposal

T

HIS government needs another ill-conceived law enforcement program like a hole in the head, but the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency seems eager to provide the bullet, with its proposal to conduct mandatory drug testing on students Grade 4 and above.

The basis for the PDEA suggestion is flimsy at best. Its director-general, Aaron Aquino, says that some students and teachers were among those caught up in a series of arrests his agency made—and the youngest among them was 10 years old.

Eager to get the ball rolling, Aquino says he has already coordinated with the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Department of Education on the proposal.

In proposing a major change in national policy, Mr. Aquino provides us with no statistics. Instead of giving us hard figures, he says “some students and teachers” were arrested, and among those was one boy, 10 years old.

Hardly a sound basis for proposal that will affect millions of people.

The impetus, it seems, were the ar-

rests of two teachers from Butuan City and another from Maguindanao for peddling drugs. But PDEA offers no credible assessment as to whether these arrests were part of a larger pattern, or just a few isolated instances of bad eggs in the school system. In either case, testing the children does not solve the problem.

Nor does Mr. Aquino offer any idea of how much his novel suggestion to test 14-million schoolchildren would cost the taxpayer—estimated by the Education Department to be P2.8 billion—and where we are to find this extra funding.

The Department of Education, to its credit, has been cool to the idea.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones observes that drug testing at that level would be illegal, as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 authorizes

testing only for secondary and tertiary students.

She adds that extreme caution must be taken when dealing with children so young, as any misstep could scar them for life.

A number of senators from both sides of the political fence have also spoken out against the proposal, with one calling it “pointless.”

But the policy-making Dangerous Drugs Board seems to be on board, with its head, Catalino Cuy, saying his office will study the proposal to strengthen the drug prevention campaign in schools and issue a policy to ensure its proper implementation, if needed.

Consultations with schools, parents and other members of the board, which include the DepEd, will be done to ensure rights of students are protected and their safety is guaranteed, the board said.

But, given the lack of forethought that has gone into the PDEA proposal, such assurances hardly build confidence.

Build it and they will come utes by air from Songshan regional airport in the middle of the capital Taipei.

While on top of a hill surveying the expanse of blue waters and basalt rock formations formed by underwater volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, Penghu’s natural attraction, the MalayA NEWS item in a Manila paper last sian representative and I remarked how week said Tourism Secretary Berna important the right infrastructure is to Romulo-Puyat has endorsed to the tourism.

“Our countries have much, much Commission on Audit for appropriate investigation a $2-million expenditure more to offer by way of naturally beauof her department for the “World’s tiful resources. Our beaches are more stunning; our dive sites more breathStrongest Man” contest.

She also said that there will be no taking,” he said.

“It’s all about infrastructure. Look at Miss Universe anytime soon held in the the roads that brought us from the pier Philippines under her watch.

Indeed one wonders how contests to here. The efficiency of their ferry such as these could enhance the num- system,” she wondered.

And I added that the “domestic” ber of visitor arrivals to our country.

It’s an exercise in optics, and for locals, airport was bigger and better than “international” airnot the foreign ports in many travelers we need cities in the reto attract. gion.

Truth is, hardly Remember any country in the movie acthe world now We have much, much tor Kevin Costwants to host more to offer. ner building a these contests, baseball field in TV audiences the middle of a for these having corn field in the waned through movie “Field of the years. Very Dreams?”

Its low-cost benefits. most memorable line was “Build it and And $2 million?

Last year, to aid the DoT in adver- they will come.” *** tising the Philippines as a destination Penghu has just 68,000 residents and for Taiwanese, Meco bought a million Taiwanese dollars (P1.65 million at some of its islands have only 300 resithat time) of television prime time to dents, with the overwhelming majority show the wonders of our country. That living and doing business (fishing is its bought more than 500 30-seconders major economic activity) in the capidistributed in so many Chinese-lan- tal Magong City, which is included in guage television shows. Compared to the list of the world’s 10 most beautiful bays. our TV rates, that was a bargain.

There are elementary schools in the Two million dollars, in contrast, is $110 million. Did these “strongmen” island where only three students popcontribute more to the Philippine econ- ulate an entire classroom. The tour omy than the $2-million bill they left guide joked that if you want your child to be an honor student, enroll him in for us taxpayers to foot?

Secretary Puyat, who used to teach Penghu.

Penghu receives just about a hundred economics, would this time around apply cost benefit analysis to tourism pro- thousand tourists, mostly domestic each year. The number is increasing motions, and rightly so. though, with Japanese and mainland *** I just came from Penghu in the Tai- Chinese visitors discovering a destiwan Straits, together with ambassadors nation which was underwhelming in and resident representatives who were comparison to Bohol, or Palawan, or invited by government to visit for a even Camiguin, let alone Boracay.

But build it and they will come. two-day excursion. The Portuguese Backpackers and the more adventurwho first colonized it called the islands “Pescadores” because it’s bay was a ous might want to discover and explore natural shelter for Chinese fishermen “raw” natural beauty, but the moral of during rough weather. It is just 45 minTurn to A5

Mysterious landings in Davao DAVAO, it seems, has become a regular refueling stop for Chinese military planes.Twice already, Philippine authorities reported the landing of a Chinese military aircraft. Philippine Air Force authorities could not determine if the Russian-made Ilyushin 76 which landed in Davao on Saturday June 24 was the same one, bound for Australia, that made a refueling stop at the same airport last June 8.

Davao is the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte. The latest landing has fueled speculation that he had prior knowledge of Chinese aircraft’s use of Davao as a regular stop. Not able to retake Taiwan, which Beijing con-

Is this a prelude to invasion of the Southern Philippines’ backdoor? Just asking. siders a renegade province, China has apparently settled for a more natural resources-endowed Philippines. Critics of the Duterte government are now concerned the Philippines has indeed become a province of China.

First, our territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea and now even our airspace has become China’s own.

Oddly, the Department of Foreign Af-

fairs is also in the dark about these mysterious Chinese military aircraft landings. The DFA has yet to issue an official statement about these landings. Davao airport officials insist they are not emergency landings but refueling stops.

As a former ambassador of the Philippines, I know that foreign airplanes flying over another country’s airspace have to inform and secure the clearance of that country’s government. During my time, I had to inform (through a formal letter) and secure the approval of foreign governments when former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s chartered airlines flew over their airspace. These overflights were chartered civilian airlines, and yet we at the Philippine Embassy in Hungary and Poland had to seek permission from either the Hungarian or Polish government. An unidentified Turn to A5

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

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion The Malaysian prime minister speaks CROSSROADS JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ (Part 2) Q: WHAT are your impressions of Jack Ma? How will Malaysia forge relations with China and with President Xi Jinping?

A: Jack Ma understands IT more than I think anybody else who has spoken to me. He sees a lot of ideas, a lot of new industries, based on his new technology, IT and computing etc. He talks a lot about cloud computing, for example, something that we still do not fully understand. So his ideas are ahead of the times when compared to many other people’s. And he has many ideas, including how to teach people in school.

I spoke to him about that and Malaysia’s needs and he said it can be done immediately. So he has a total grasp of the new industries based on IT. And he is suggesting that we should exchange views and learn from China, about the cashless society, the avoidance of corruption and other things. In this, he has a good word to say about President Xi Jinping. And he thinks that it will be useful for me to visit China, and I will do that, and I think what he is doing in his own city, is something that people must see. I must see, because I think I can learn a lot from him. I have never felt any fear of China because as I said just now they never conquered us. But I think we will try and enhance the good relations with China.

Jack Ma’s ideas are ahead of the times.

Q: Can Malaysia benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative?

A: I suggested long ago improving the Silk Road. You see, when ships had to carry a lot of oil, ships would be built bigger and bigger … 500,000 tonnes, but the trains would remain the same size so I wrote a letter to Xi Jinping, suggesting he build a super train, maybe one and a half times the size, have longer trains that can cross from China to Europe because the technology is now available.

Mahathir’s predecessor as prime minister, Najib Razak, with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Photo: AFP And then of course he came up with the One Belt, One Road idea, [which includes a] sea route to Europe. Of course, the sea is very important but I am quite sure it is not his intention to prevent other ships from passing through the

The tr

From A4

ouble...

well as to the flashes of Divine revelation that they conceal. Hermeneutics is always a difficult task—and it is not for the faint-hearted nor for the feebleminded. In fact, the recent national debate over quo warranto was, in essence, a hermeneutic exchange on the text of the Constitution. Several times, the President has shown himself to be capable of a profound grasp of things. There was no need for him to be flippant about a story that offers an answer to what human rationality has always recognized to be fundamental: “Why am I here?”

“Why is there anything at all?” The answer to this questions spells the difference between a life lived as nothing more than a pointless interval between birth and death. In Macbeth’s words, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” For those who read the Genesis story with faith and in serious reflection will find in it an offer of purpose, meaning and value.

Not God, but the God we teach

Mysterious...

From A4

aircraft without prior clearance can be shot down.

The Chinese aircraft that landed in Davao was a military plane that has surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Because of its size, the plane can also carry a large number of troops.

Are they testing our defense capabilities and taking pictures of Philippine landscape and terrain? It is rather strange that these planes do not fill their tanks in Hainan or the military bases the Chinese built in the South China Sea. Why Davao? Is it because China knows the Philippine president is its friend and will not protest?

The late National Security Adviser Roilo Golez raised a valid point when he asked why the government was complacent about this serious security breach. Some senators, mainly from the opposition, are also raising concerns that the DFA and the Department of

Strait of Malacca and South China Sea. We need to have open passage for all ships because we trade with all nations so we need the sea to be open to everybody and we don’t need to create tensions by having battleships and all that there.

But you need to have small boats to make sure the sea is safe from pirates and that the countries in Southeast Asia and China and other countries in the East can cooperate to keep the seas safe for the ships to pass through. So that is our idea and we are not against the One Belt, One Road idea but it must also be open to all the shipping in the world.

We need the sea to be open to everybody and we don’t need to create tensions by having battleships and all that there.

Q: What’s your view on the South China Sea dispute and Malaysia’s claims?

Here’s the second part of the Q&A which I lifted from the South China Morning Post.

A: In the past, [our view was that] the shelf in the sea and the area less than 200 miles from our shores … [was] our sea. So we find that, in that sea, there are certain rocks which we have developed into islands. And we hope that we will stay on those islands, because it is a part of our keeping the sea safe from pirates and others.

So we want to retain, of course, about four or five islands that we have occupied. The rest – whoever thinks it is theirs, they can occupy. It is something if China claims the South China Sea is theirs, but those islands have always been regarded as ours for a long time.

So we want to retain them.

Q: What’s the best way to keep peace in the South China Sea? A: I think there should not be too many warships. Warships create tension. Someday, somebody might make some mistakes and there will be a fight, some ships will be lost, and there might even be a war. We don’t want that. What we want is for the seas to be patrolled by small patrol boats, equipped to deal with pirates, not to fight another war.

Q: Are these small boats to be part of

an Asean-wide collaboration?

A: Asean, certainly, because the whole sea is surrounded by Asean countries. But if China wants to participate with small boats, they are welcome.

Anybody, even the US, if they want to participate, but don’t bring battleships here.

Q: Will China keep the seas open?

A: I think it is to the benefit of China to have the seas open, because then, there will be more trade. You can’t expect all the goods going to China to change into Chinese ships before entering the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Goods from Europe and America, they will pass through the Strait of Malacca, and they should be free to pass through the Strait of Malacca, and then go to the South China Sea to reach China. You can’t expect an oil tanker belonging to the Americans to stop and pump the oil out into Chinese ships, I mean, that’s ridiculous.

The sea must always be open.

We have the Strait of Malacca, which is a very narrow strait, only 20 miles wide, and it’s quite shallow. We have never tried to stop ships from passing through. They are welcomed.

Although between Malaysia and Indonesia, we could have named this Strait of Malacca ‘the Malaysia-Indonesia Sea’, we didn’t. We want it to be open because it’s good for trade. The South China Sea also is good for trading nations.

Q: How will the mounting US-China trade war affect the region?

A: I think any idea that you can protect through threats of war is wrong.

War doesn’t solve any problem, it creates problems, it kills people and destroys the whole of civilization. If ever there is a war, then I think not only will China and US suffer, the whole world will also suffer. So we should think in terms of making the sea safe, not to have confrontations between Chinese battleships and aircraft carriers and American battleships and aircraft carriers, each trying to beat each other, building bigger and bigger … and wasting a lot of money.

Nowadays, to buy an airplane is not cheap. At one time, an airplane like a Spitfire cost one million ringgit only.

Today one plane costs 200 million ringgit (US$50 million). We can’t afford those kinds of things. So the lower production of weapons is something that is good for the economy of the world.

Of course weapons traders will not be happy, the weapons producers will not be happy, but they will soon make use of their facilities to produce peaceful tools.

War does not solve any problems; it creates problems.

about—and that is an important point, because it compels us to revisit our conceptuality of God as well as of the concept of creation. And it is not only Digong we must have in mind. When our youngsters go for university studies and read Stephen Hawking’s works and how physicists advocate the idea of “spontaneous creation” and the superfluity of any other causal factor, or study the evolution of species and how many animal, even human kinds, led to dead-ends, apparently trails of failed experiments, then the question becomes very urgent indeed: “What does it mean that an all intelligent, all good God created the world”—and to presume that we have a ready to answer to this, or that repeating wellworn formularies will do can be disastrous to the future of the faith.

Once upon a time, Domingo de Guzman went around Spain while the Albigensian heresy raged and found out that the destructive flames spread so fast because the Church, particularly the clergy, was so inept at teaching competently, efficiently, clearly and convincingly. He thus founded the Order of Preachers, prescribing that

every friar devote a substantial part of his day to study, to be able to engage the people in meaningful discourse.

It is good to learn this lesson again.

We have been complacent about the need to study with assiduousness and to teach with competence—partly because, in the past, the words of a priest were as good as the words of the Lord.

Not anymore. A degree of cynicism is good for our faith. It takes us through a desert of criticism to enable it to emerge purified of naiveté.

It will not help Digong to continue shaming Catholics for what they believe for to a believer, there is nothing that draws his loyalty more than his faith. His political capital cannot be strong enough to overcome this. But it will not help us either in the Church to dismiss Digong’s criticisms as the ranting of a man inebriated with himself—for he has thrown down the gauntlet of a challenge that we in the Church must, without hesitation and determination, pick up.

Defense have not issued any statement at all about these mysterious Chinese aircraft landings.

Often, it is our own government explaining acts of aggression by the Chinese in the West Philippine Sea. For example, the administration was vocal in explaining that the harassment of Filipino fishermen in Bajo Masinloc (Panatag Shoal) off Zambales was a mere barter of Chinese cigarettes and water for the Filipino fishermen’s catch. If the Chinese like our fish, then they should catch it themselves, considering they have larger patrol boats plying the disputed waters. This is more than gunboat diplomacy. This is outright piracy and thievery. Bullying and banditry have become the norm of the Chinese navy because of our government’s acquiescence.

Some older Filipinos claimed that Japanese posed as farmers in Davao and actually spied for the Japanese Imperial Army before they bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1942 and then invaded the Philippines.

Are those mysterious Chinese air-

craft overflight and refueling a prelude to invading the Philippines’ southern backdoor? Just asking.

If the next incursion by the Chinese is in Davao, that would further complicate the complex problem in Mindanao posed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Come to think of it, why not pit our Muslim brothers against the Chinese bullies and tell them these foreigners from across the South China Sea are trying to take over ancestral land? The Moros made occupation by the Spaniards and the Americans difficult in Mindanao. Filipino troops on their own fought the Americans in the Visayas. This dark chapter in the Fil-American relations was was highlighted by the battle of Samar, with the Americans taking with them as war booty the famous Balangiga church bell.

The usual suspects—Senators Antonio Trillanes, Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano and independent Rep. Tom Villarin—are most probably asking the same question and raising concerns of ordinary citizens.

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

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China’s Belt Road Initiative: Opportunities and risks ippines, the decision to participate in such a large-scale program, even if the benefits seem evident, should be approached judiciously. After all, many still remember the botched NBN-ZTE national broadband deal in 2005, which was marred with THE Duterte administration’s pivot corruption and which dealt then to China and away from the coun- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo try’s traditional allies has not been a a decisive political blow. secret. Very early in his presidency, Experts, including Heydarian, the commander in chief wasted lit- have seen similar dangers in BRI, tle time in visiting China, where he the ambition of the program undervirtually proclaimed his allegiance standably multiplying the attendant to the rising Asian power while risk. announcing a strategic distancing “Some Chinese projects durfrom Washington. ing the previous administrations On the surface, there is something had become controversial because to be said about this turn. Both the of corruption, an overall lack of Duterte administration and Beijing transparency, and problems in achad been big on infrastructure as a countability,” Heydarian said. In his hallmark of and testament to devel- study, he noted that several Chinese opment. Duterte’s Build Build Build contractors have been blacklisted by Program is touted to usher in an the World Bank for similar charges, unprecedented “golden age” in in- something that the Duterte adminisfrastructure, geared to finally bring tration at one point even defended. an end to enduring economic gaps “Although some analysts say that while bringing about elusive inclu- BRI is a promising initiative for insive growth. frastructure global development, it Concretely, has also been this ambicriticized tion seems to for being too find an echo ambiguous in Beijing’s and murky, vaunted Belt prompting Welcome it with Road Initiastates to exer‘cautious embrace. tive. Unveiled cise more cauin 2017, the tion in screenformer One ing Chinese Road, One cont ractors Belt initiative and applying is ostensibly strong safeaimed at proguards to prevent being trapped jecting China’s leadership and in- into so-called debt diplomacy,” said fluence in directing the global free Stratbase ADRi President Dindo trade regime. With China’s huge in- Manhit. frastructure development largesse, The solution, of course, is in the BRI stands as a reiteration of Bei- reliable safeguards of checks and jing’s commitment to globalization balances supposedly built in the especially in the wake of an appar- unwieldy government bureaucracy. ent retreat into protectionism of the Defending the pivot to Beijing as United States under Donald Trump. strategic, it is now incumbent upon In particular, China is expected to the Philippine government to exinvest up to $5 trillion in transconti- ercise due diligence in its dealings nental infrastructure over the com- with China: Ensure that a competiing decade, connecting its industrial tive bidding process is observed, enheartland to the world’s largest con- force strict standards in good govsumer markets in Western Europe. ernance, and never stray away from Even the Asian Development Bank environmental sustainability and acknowledges that Asia alone con- stewardship. fronts an estimated $8 trillion in inOther countries, such as Seyfrastructure spending gap over the chelles and Sri Lanka, have reportsame period, with some $1.7 trillion edly already fallen into the Chinese needed in the developing countries. debt trap in the form of completed inBRI’s agenda, then, all things con- frastructure that has little to no use in sidered, should be a welcome devel- the context of the country’s economy, opment. white elephants that now bond the At a recent forum organized by debtor country to Beijing’s whims. the private think tank Stratbase AlWhat Heydarian posits is to adbert del Rosario Institute, political vocate for a win-win rather than be science professor and geopolitics duly enchanted by Chinese promexpert Richard Heydarian was quick ises – take advantage of the infrato stress the geopolitical dimension structure push courtesy of the BRI of such a global infrastructure de- by promoting inclusive growth and velopment initiative. providing jobs for the locals instead BRI’s objectives, he noted, are of relying on fully integrated Chialigned with Beijing’s geopolitical nese supply of capital, technology, goals, including its long-term plans and even labor. of developing landlocked hinterIt represents an indispensable lands and underdeveloped regions, infrastructure boost for the Philipoutsourcing internal productive glut pines and other countries in Asia, and infrastructure overcapacity, but China’s track record necessitates assisting and promoting troubled that the initiative be welcomed with state-owned enterprises, and devel- “cautious embrace.” oping its trade partners’ basic infraHis warning is dire otherwise: “If structure to reverse what had been this will not be guaranteed, the Philan anemic trend in global trade, ippines’ engagement with China among others. will be meaningless and unsustainThus, for a country like the Phil- able,” he said.

Build...

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the economic lesson in this day and age is, “Build, Build, Build” be it roads, bridges and modern transport facilities for the convenience of the population and visitors, or water, sewerage treatment, airports, piers, access and internet connections for the convenience of tourists.

Building better infrastructure is an investment in the future that always pays dividends for the economy. With a major caveat, though: Build and maintain properly thereafter. That is the painful lesson that Boracay now teaches us. We built, but a combination of greed and incompetence failed to maintain properly. *** There is another interesting story that we learned in Penghu. We stayed in a five-star Sheraton hotel, courtesy of our host government.

Across it was Discovery Hotel, another five-star facility opened just recently, with a cavernous “convention center” and a shopping mall beside it.

While having lunch in one of its restaurants, one of our hosts said that it was intended by the owners to be a “casino-hotel,” which was why he borrowed heavily to build it.

Taiwanese laws do not allow gambling, except in far-removed islands

like Penghu or Kinmen, but only IF the residents agree in a referendum whether or not to approve of gambling in their locality.

The Taiwanese businessman who invested heavily in what he thought would be a casino town that would attract gambling-crazy Chinese and Taiwanese visitors was encouraged by the fact that four years ago, the Penghu residents voted against casinos by a mere 51 to 49 percent vote.

But while he was already building his dream project which would be an instant cash cow, the residents voted 65 to 35 against gambling in their county of several clustered islands. (This is a lesson for the Macau gambling titan who thought he could put up a sixstar casino cum entertainment hotel in Boracay, until President Duterte said without equivocation that he would not allow it in his rehabilitated Boracay.)

Yet, Penghu residents and its chief magistrate have not given up on their dreams of enticing more and more visitors, even without a casino. Every small thing, like a supposedly ancient water well in the middle of a street shopping area is given a “story” drawn from history. And the residents wave at every tourist bus that passes by. Shop owners and their employees are very kind and solicitous, asking everyone to taste their artisanal delicacies.

Penghu and all of Taiwan is a lesson in “trying harder.” And it is paying off.

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Angara: Provide incentives to fresh graduates

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Sonny Angara is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to grant benefits and incentives to fresh graduates to help them land a job.

Senate Bill No. 1629 provides that new graduates and first time job seekers will no longer need to pay government fees and charges on the issuance of documents required for job applications.

“This would ease the burden and make easier the process of applying for a job,” said Angara, principal author of the bill and the vice chairman of the Senate labor committee.

Under the proposed measure, no

Students taking a leave of abfees shall be collected for the following documents: police clearance sence or those working part-time certificate, National Bureau of Inves- while enrolled are also qualified to tigation clearance, barangay clear- avail of the benefits.

“The Public Employment Service ance, medical certificate from public hospitals, birth and marriage certifi- Office in every province, city or cates, tax identification number, uni- municipality should serve as a onefied multi-purpose ID card, and other stop-shop for applicants,” Angara documentary requirements issued by said.

The proposed bill mandates PEthe government that may be required SOs to assist first time job seekers by employers.

Those who can avail of the incen- in securing all required documents tive are new graduates who complet- for their job application as well as ed the K-12 program, a bachelor’s de- in registering or enrolling them with gree, or a technical-vocational course relevant government agencies such from any school, college, university, as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK or technical-vocational institution in Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, among others. the country.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 223 – QUEZON CITY IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME FROM JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO TO JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO PASTELERO, SPEC. PRO. CASE NO. R-QZN-17-14757-SP LOUVETTE ANNE CADANO-PASTELERO, Petitioner, -versus-

Equitable benefit sharing of raw materials pushed

By Rio N. Araja A HOUSE leader has underscored the need to put in place a national policy that would ensure fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the country’s’ genetic resources or raw materials to improve the productivity and quality of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries as well as to maintain healthy populations of wild species.

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Sato pushed for the initiative after President Rodrigo Duterte’s issuance of a proclamation declaring portions of the Philippine Rise under strict protection and exclusively for scientific exploration.

“The initiative of the President to protect and conserve our rich marine biodiversity, particularly at the Philip-

176 trafficking victims rescued T

HE Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking on Sunday said it has filed cases against two recruitment agencies and rescued a total of 176 victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment.

OFFICE OF THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY. Respondents. x---------------------------------------x

ORDER The Compliance dated February 14, 2018 filed by the petitioner through counsel is hereby Noted.

This is a verified petition for change of name from Jeisaylle Mikah Cadano to Jeisaylle Mikah Cadano Pastelero dated December 19, 2017 filed by the petitioner of Louvette Anne Cadano-Pastelero.

Petition alleges that on May 8, 2008, petitioner contracted marriage with Aldrin B. Pastelero in Manila, as evidenced by their Certificate of Marriage dated May 8, 2008; that petitioner and her husband established their conjugal dwelling at 43 Liberation St., Galas, Quezon City right after their marriage; that unfortunately, sometime in May 2009, petitioner and her husband separated from each other due to marital problems, with her husband leaving their conjugal dwelling; that petitioner was already conceiving their first child when she and her husband separated; that on October 1, 2009, petitioner gave birth to their first child (female) at the United Doctor’s Medical Center, Quezon City. Petitoner’s husband was not present during the delivery of the child; that item 1 of the Certificate of Live Birth of the child shows that her first name is “JEISAYLLE MIKAH” and her last name is “CADANO”.

However, the space for the middle name of the child was left in blank; that the spaces for the Father’s Name, Citizenship, Religion, Occupation, and Age at the time of the birth of JEISAYLLE MIKAH under Items Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the Certificate of Live, respectively, were also left in blank. The space of Date and Place of Marriage of Parents under Item No. 18 were likewise left in blank; that when petitioner supplied the entries in the Certificate of Live Birth of JEISAYLLE MIKAH to the hospital staff, she was still dizzy. She was also confused then, as she and husband were already separated, completely unaware on the legal consequences of the information she had given, that sometime in November, 2014, petitioner and her husband reconciled, and since then, they have been living peacefully and harmoniously, together with JEISAYLLE MIKAH and her younger brother ALDHRYANNE MICOH C. PASTELERO at their residence at Unit No. 2305, Building 2, Francesca Royale Condominium, Sauyo St., Brgy. Sauyo, Quezon City; that although JEISAYLLE MIKAH does not bear the family name of her father in the Certificate of Live Birth, she has been using the names JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO PASTELERO and JEISAYLLE MIKAH C. PASTELERO since infanthood; that she was baptized under the name JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO PASTELERO on November 28, 2009, at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish, Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, as evidence by the baptismal Certificate dated September 21, 2017 issued by Parish Priest Fr. Michell Joe B. Zerrudo; that she has been studying at the School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City under the name JEISAYLLE MIKAH C. PASTELERO since 2015, as evidence by her Identification Card (Preparatory) for the SY 2015-2016, Identification Card (Lower Bed) for the SY 2016-2017, and Identification Card (Lower Bed) for the SY 2017-2018), issued by the School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City; that the change of name of the child from JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO to JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO PASTELERO will be for her benefit as it proven confusion on her identity.

Petitioner prays to this Honorable Court, after publication, notice and hearing, to render judgment ordering respondent Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City to change the name of JEISAYLLE MIKAH in her Certificate of Live Birth from JEISAYLLE MIKAH CADANO PASTELERO and to fill in Items 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of her Certificate of Live Birth as follows: 13. Father’s Name: ALDRIN B. PASTELERO 14. Citizenship : Filipino 15. Religion: Roman Catholic 16. Occupation: OFW 17. Age at the time Of Birth of the child: 26 years old 18. Date and Place of Marriage: May 8, 2008, Manila WHEREFORE, finding the verified petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is set for hearing on August 23, 2018 at 8:30 in the morning, Session Hall of Branch 223 of this Court, at which date and time, petitioner and counsel are directed to appear to substantiate the allegations of the petition and for any interested persons may appear and show cause why the petition should not be granted.

Let a copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of daily circulation to be selected by raffle pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1967, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks prior to the date of hearing.

Let a copy of this Order be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General and the Civil Registrar of Quezon City, and the Registrar General, National Statistics Office of Quezon City, who are directed to file their opposition to the petition within fifteen (15) days from the last date of the publication of this Order.

The petitioner is hereby directed to furnish the said offices with a copy of the petition and its annexes within five (5) days from the receipt of this Order and manifest to this Court her compliance herewith.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, March 1, 2018.

(Sgd.) HON. CARIDAD M. WALSE-LUTERO Presiding Judge CC: The Office of the Solicitor Solicarel Bldg., I & II R. General Magsaysay Blvd.,Sta. Mesa, 134 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Vill., Manila Makati City Atty. Edgardo G. Peña The Local Civil Registrar 21 Don Victorino St., Quezon City Don Antonio Hgts., Quezon City The City Prosecutor’s Office DOJ Bldg., Quezon City

Louvette Anne Cadano-Pastelero Unit No. 2305 Bldg., 2, Francesca Royale Condominium, Sauyo St., Brgy. Sauyo, Quezon City

Philippine Statistics Office (formerly National Statistics Office) (MStandard-June 25, July 2 & 9, 2018)

pine Rise, is laudable. This is the first important step to ensure that the present and future generation of Filipinos will be able to enjoy the country’s rich biological diversity,” said Sato, a member of the House committee on natural resources.

She noted that the country’s rich biodiversity and unique species of wildlife —both plant and animal—have active ingredients that could be developed into life-saving drugs or medicine, health and wellness products or even for food processing.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a presidential proclamation setting aside a 50,000-hectare portion of Philippine Rise, including the 17,000-hectare Benham Bank, as a no-take zone while another 300,000-hectare area was declared a fisheries management area.

NOT WATERPROOF. Residents of San Juan douse passersby with water during the Wattah Wattah Festival which celebrates the Feast of St. John the Baptist. Norman Cruz

Filipinos cautioned to stay away from rallies

By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday cautioned Filipinos in Ethiopia to stay away from public gatherings in the wake of an explosion at a political rally Saturday that left as many as 80 persons injured.

Philippine Ambassador to Cairo

Leslie Baja said they are closely monitoring the situation in Ethiopia following the explosion.

Baja said the embassy is checking whether any of the 800 members of the Filipino community were among those injured.

“The Embassy had advised Filipinos in Addis Ababa to stay away from any public gatherings and to

report any Filipino who may have been among those injured in the explosion,” Baja said.

The embassy in Cairo also exercises jurisdiction over Ethiopia.

Baja said the explosion was caused by a grenade hurled at supporters of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who were gathered for a rally at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa.

In a report to the Department of Justice, the council’s Operations Center head Ramon Yap identified the two recruitment agencies as Global Connect Manpower Resources and Development Inc. and Liszil International Manpower Agency.

The agencies were recommended for prosecution for violation of the Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act and the Migrant Workers and Overseas Act. Yap said IACAT was able to rescue Global’s 137 victims, 25 of whom were minors, who were each offered jobs as household service workers in Saudi Arabia with a P20,000 salary.

However, they were found padlocked inside an accommodation house while awaiting deployment.

IACAT was also able to rescue 39 female recruits, seven of whom were minors, from Liszil’s accommodation house in San Andres Bukid, Manila.

The minor-victims have been brought to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In its 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report, the United States government ranked the Philippines under the Tier 1 level, which means the country “fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.”

“The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, the Philippines remained on Tier 1,” the US State Department said in its report.

FVR recalls soldiers’ bravery in Korean War

By Ben Cal ON THE occasion of the 68th anniversary of the Korean War today, former President Fidel Ramos recalled the bravery and heroism of the Filipino soldiers who fought against combined Chinese and North Korean forces.

The Philippines was the first Asian country that responded to the urgent call by the United Nations Security Council then headed by Gen. Carlos P. Romulo to send combat troops to help the beleaguered South Korean nation stave off a communist invasion.

The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, five years after World War II ended.

Ramos was then a second lieutenant and a fresh graduate of the United States West Point in 1950 when he volunteered for combat duty under the 20th Battalion Combat Team.

FINTECH INNOVATION. Cagayan Export Zone Authority head Secretary Raul Lambino (fourth from left) and Global Blockchain Summit chairman Dylan She (third from left) link arms with other GBS officials during the opening rites of the Global Blockchain Summit at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay city. Ey Acasio

Sports

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MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Bike King TRI2 slated July 1 at Subic Freeport

TRAINING FACILITY. The Philippine Olympic Committee has designated Pretty Huge Obstacles, the biggest obstacle training facility in Asia with over 100 obstacles and located at Bonifacio Global City, as the official cross-training venue for the national athletes. Photo shows POC president Ricky Vargas (fourth from right) handing the certificate to Charz Kelso, Noel Agra, Mike Yung and Jay Lim of PHO. Also in photo are POC secretary-general Patrick Gregorio, general counsel and Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation head Al Agra and spokesperson Ed Picson.

Rain or Shine secures top seed

By Jeric Lopez

over the other.

More importantly, Rain or Shine is bound to enjoy a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals against whoever ends up at No. 8.

For the Bolts, they fell to 7-4 in fourth place. It was a huge defeat as a victory could’ve given them a strong chance for a Top 2 finish.

Still, they can keep their chance provided that Alaska loses against Barangay Ginebra.

Maverick Ahanmisi came up big for Rain or Shine as well, flirting with a tripledouble of 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Chris Tiu added 13 markers.

Regulation ended at 96-all with both

R

AIN or Shine showed why it is the team on top.

The Elasto Painters out-steadied Meralco for a tough 106-99 overtime win to secure the top seed in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

teams unable to score in the crucial stretches.

The protagonists only had two points each inside the last five minutes of the fourth period as neither connected on a basket despite multiple chances in the waning moments, causing overtime.

Chris Newsome’s lay-up with 6:32 remaining tied the game up, completing Meralco’s rally from 13 points down at the half.

Rain or Shine started out solidly, but Meralco climbed its way back in the second half, making it anyone’s game towards the end.

Newsome finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 assists for the Bolts.

Reggie Johnson scored five of his gamehigh 21 points in the extra period and also had 18 rebounds for a strong double-double outing to help Rain or Shine.

“It was a great team win. Everyone stepped up. It’s a big game and now, we get to rest for a bit knowing we’re up there,” said Johnson. “It’s a great feeling.”

Rain or Shine remained the league’s hottest team, extending its winning streak to six games to improve to 9-1 with a game left.

The victory allowed the Elasto Painters to lock up the top seed as even a tie with second-running Alaska, in any case, will still give them the edge due to win

6 UTP-backed netters to vie in ITF Jakarta tilt

Globe patrons get French Open experience

SIX rising players from the Unified Tennis Philippines brace for a grueling campaign in Indonesia as they compete in the International Tennis Federation-AGS Junior Tennis Championships, which got under way yesterday in Jakarta.

Manuel Balce III, Michael Eala, Bea Acena, Melanie Faye Dizon, Alex Eala and Macie Carlos who gained ranking points from solid finishes in the UTPsanctioned tournaments clinched the slots to play in select ITF events.

The six were placed among the top four in their respective age divisions in various UTP tournaments backed by Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger, B-Meg and the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala.

“These young players have proved their skills and talent on the court and we are confident that they will bring honor to the country,” said UTP president Jean Henri Lhuillier. “We will support them in their quest for excellence.”

The formation of a national junior pool and team is part of UTP’s efforts to develop fresh talents through the nationwide, country-wide PPS-PEPP and Cebuana age-group circuits and give them the chance to compete against some of the leading players in the region in top tournaments sanctioned by the ITF and the Asian Tennis Federation.

Parks sparks Manda El Tigre

IMUS—Ray Parks let his game do the talking for the Mandaluyong El Tigre late Saturday as the son of seven-time Best Import led his team to a 71-61 win over the Zamboanga ValientesFamily’s Brand Sardines in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Imus Sports Complex here.

Warned by the MPBL for issuing statements that are detrimental to the league, Parks rarely talked to sportswriters after leading his team to the win.

Instead, he was more vocal inside the court, encouraging his teammates while making everybody on the team look good with his playmaking.

He dished out a total of 15 assists, the most issued by any player in the MPBL, while also contributing 13 markers and six boards in a brilliant all-around performance.

The more focused Parks was challenged by his coach, Mac Cuan, to concentrate on his game and avoid taking a swipe in the league to which he is now a part of.

“I challenged him to let his game do the talking and not ruin his name by saying things like that,” added Cuan, referring to the post game comments made by Parks following his team’s opening game loss to the Muntinlupa Cagers-Angelis Resort where he was quoted saying: “They don’t want me in the league.”

Earlier, Gen San invaded Imus and the visiting Warriors pulled off a hard-earned 79-73 triumph over the GLC Truck and Equipmentbacked Bandera.

THOUSANDS of tennis buffs from around the world flocked to Paris to cheer for their champions at the 2018 French Open.

With the breathtaking matches that took place among the sport’s top seeds and set the clay courts of Roland Garros on fire, they were not disappointed.

The King of Clay once again lived up to his name as Rafael Nadal bagged his 11th Roland-Garros title, his 17th Grand Slam title. The 32-year-old from Spain played against Dominic Thiem from Austria and won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. This win elevates Nadal’s Roland-Garros win-loss record to a jaw-dropping 86-2.

Meanwhile in the Women’s division, world no. 1 Simona Halep bagged the first Grand Slam title of her career. The 26-year-old Romanian, who had lost her three previous major finals, raced away with the victory against American 10th seed Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.

The Philippines’ teen tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala also got in on the Roland Garros action.

The 13-year-old Filipina participated in two rounds for the Junior French Championships qualifiers. She advanced to the second round after winning her opening match against Paula Arias Manjon of Spain, 6-4, 6-4. Her French Open bid ended when she lost to Peyton Stearns of USA, 6-2, 6-4. However, Eala remained optimistic and grateful for the historic experience of playing in her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) 18-under match.

After receiving a wildcard slot to the tournament by ITF board member and Fédération Française de Tennis Président Bernard Giudicelli last February, Eala became the first and the youngest Filipino to qualify for Roland Garros Juniors.

AN unconventional long-distance multisport competition awaits over 500 triathletes converging on July 1 at the Subic Bay Freeport for Bike King TRI 2.

Bike King TRI 2 is acknowledged for having one of the toughest bike and run courses in the country. The 2-km swim in the calm waters of ACEA Subic Bay is a welcome trial before triathletes take on the challenging bike leg. Once on their bikes, triathletes head out on the rolling 60-km route of SCTEX until Dinalupihan before returning to Subic. The final test of endurance is the 15-km run, which includes the hills of Cubi Point.

At stake in the event supported by Official Timekeeper TAG Heuer, Biogenic Alcohol, NLEX-SCTEX, Standard Insurance, Vittoria, Smart, Gatorade, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Saucony, Gardenia, Prohealth Sports and Spinal, ACEA Subic Bay, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Court Meridian Hotel & Suites, and Subic Holiday Villas, are specially designed trophies for all Top 3 Male/Female age group champions, relay team and team competition winners.

The Team Competition will see large contingents from Century Tri Hard, FIT PH, Herbalife, Pampanga’s Best Tri Clark, Sante Barley, and Trimac vying for top honors.

The winning team will be determined based on the time of the 10 fastest members of each team with at least two female athletes.

Bike King TRI 2 is brought to you by one of the country’s top race organizers, Bike King, which has lined up other multisport events for the rest of 2018.

These are the Bike King Duathlon presented by Clark Global City (Sept.

9), the Sun Life Aquathlon Series Championship (Oct. 14), and the MediCard Sprint Triathlon (Nov. 25). For more information on how to join, visit http:// www.bikekingphilippines.com or email registration@bikekingphilippines.com.

Del Rosario slips with a 74, falls to joint 7th place

Lucky Globe At Home customer Paolo Tolentino won the Globe At Home FOX+ Flyaway Promo and watched the 2018 French Open live with his dad! He subscribed to Plan 2499 and redeemed his free 6-month subscription to FOX+.

While in Paris, Eala also had a chance to witness the other thrilling matches on the clay court alongside #GlobeFOXPlus insider, Mond Gutierrez. The Globe At Home FOX+ Flyaway Promo winner, Paolo Tolentino with his father, witnessed history happen with world number one Rafael Nadal from his player’s box.

Filipino tennis fans with Globe At Home plans got to witness the action from the comfort of their homes through the Fox+ app which comes with free 6 months access from their Globe At Home subscription.

Relive the thrill of Roland Garros and get a courtside seat to other exciting sports matches with Globe At Home and

FOX+! New or existing customers who upgrade to a Globe At Home plan today are entitled to FREE 6 months access to the FOX+ app. Stream blockbuster movies, TV series, documentaries, and live sports like Logan, War of the Planet of the Apes, Legion, Symphony For Our World, and French Open - Roland Garros. Enjoy it in HD on mobile, tablet, and TV with your Globe Streamwatch Roku Powered device. Subscribe to a Globe At Home GoUnli plan today and enjoy the best entertainment at home with FOX+!

To get more information about FOX+, visit broadband.globe.com.ph/fox-plu s. To avail of the latest Globe At Home plans, visit shop.globe.com.ph/broadband.

Thompson named newest Gatorade ambassador

By Aidan Fajardo

Scottie Thompson

GATORADE welcomed its newest ambassador Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra in simple rites at the Gatorade Hoops Center recently.

Thompson, who was crowned 2014 Most Valuable Player of the National Collegiate Athletic Association while playing for the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, joined teammate LA Tenorio and volleyball star Alyssa Valdez as Gatorade’s newest Filipino endorsers.

Considered as one of the Philippine Basketball Association’s best rebounding guards today, Thompson admitted his excitement when he was asked to be Gatorade’s ambassador “When I was first told that I would be Gatorade’s new ambassador, of course I was

excited”, Scottie said. “I always counted on Gatorade when I would start dehydrating on the court.”

Pepsico Philippines’ Marketing Manager for Hydration Irvin Sta. Maria said the choice of Thompson as Gatorade ambassador was a no-brainer.

“He inspires people and with Gatorade, we want to see him to inspire more, especially aspiring athletes, to always put in the hard work and understand the value of proper hydration in fueling sports greatness,” said Sta. Maria.

After his tour of duty with the Altas, Thompson was instrumental in Hapee Fresh Fighters’ title conquest in the PBA D-League.

He was then drafted fifth overall by Barangay Ginebra, where his stock skyrocketed.

PAULINE del Rosario failed to sustain an impressive second round charge and hobbled with a bogey-marred frontside stint, limping with a 74 and dropping from joint lead to a share of seventh in the third round of the Ladies European Tour’s Thailand Championship at the Phoenix Golf and Country Club’s Mountain Ocean course in Pattaya late Friday.

Local ace Kanyalak Preedasuttijit pounced on del Rosario and erstwhile joint leader Swede Lynn Carlsson’s fumbling start and unleashed a scorching backside assault of 30 to fire a 66 and seize control at 12-under 204 heading to the final round of the $ championship.

Del Rosario, who sparked hopes of a big finish after a lead-sharing 67 late Friday, fell off the leaderboard with three straight bogeys from No. 4 and a closing bogey mishap on the par-5 18th stymied his twobirdie rebound on Nos. 13 and 15.

Carlsson, who used a 65 to tie Del Rosario halfway through the 72-hole championship, also made a 37 at the front although she fought back with a 35 to save a 72. She slipped to joint third with Korean amateur Selin Hyun (69) and Thai Chonlada Chayanun (68) at 209 with Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands moving to solo second with a 70 and a 208, four strokes behind Preedasuttijit.

The Thai ace sizzled late with four birdies and an eagle on No. 15 for that 30 and a 66.

Over in Symetra Tour, Dottie Ardina shot a two-under 70 but could only move to joint 21st in the second round of the Island Resort Championship paced by Taiwanese Ssu-Chia Cheng in Michigan Saturday.

Ardina, who had two runner-up finishes in recent weeks, gunned down five birdies but fumbled with three bogeys, settling for a 37-33 card for a 141, six shots behind Cheng, who carded a 66 for a 135 and a one-stroke lead over American Esther Lee, who made a 71.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

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MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018A

Smart, SLR to parade new rosters

Sports

Games Today: (Filoil Flying V Centre) 4:15 pm – Cocolife vs Cherrylume-UE 7:00 pm – Smart-Army vs Sta. Lucia Realty SMART-ARMY and Sta. Lucia Realty parade their re-tooled roster when they open their Pool B campaign in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Game time is at 7 p.m. with the Giga Hitters and Lady Realtors tipped to go all out in quest of their first win in this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by UCPB Gen, SOGO Hotel and Isuzu with ESPN5, Aksyon TV and Hyper HD as official broadcast partners.

Prior to that, Cocolife and the returning Cherrylume-UE test each other’s mettle when they collide in the first game at 4:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, F2 Logistics jumpstarted its campaign on a high note after registering a 25-21, 25-21, 25-14 win over Foton in the opening day of this battle that also has Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Grand Sport as technical sponsors.

De La Salle University star Kianna Dy spearheaded the attack as she finished with 10 points to spoil the highly anticipated debut of collegiate rival star Bea de Leon for the Tornadoes.

Germany’s midfielder Toni Kroos celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Sweden at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi. AFP

Germany averts crisis in World Cup, for now S

OCHI—Toni Kroos’s last-gasp winner ensured that Germany remain right in World Cup contention but the holders are not yet safe from the threat of an ignominious group-stage exit.

Geje “Gravity” Eustaqio (right) pulls off a split decision win over Adriano Moraes to become the undisputed ONE flyweight world champion.

Team Lakay star crowned ONE flyweight champion

By Peter Paul Duran MACAU-- Geje “Gravity” Eustaqio is the undisputed ONE flyweight world champion after outlasting Adriano Moraes via Split Decision in a match that went the distance and lived up to its top billing.

The Team Lakay gem displayed immense takedown defense in the most part of the bout, which needed all of 25 minutes and judges’ scorecards to settle the highly-touted main event at the Studio City Events Center late Saturday.

Earlier at the night’s co-main event, China’s “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan retained her World Straweight Championship belt against challenger Laura Balin in dominating fashion.

Geje now has the unified division belt around his waist and has improved to a 39-2 record in his Mixed Martial Arts career after a victory sweetened by the fact that he avenged a 2014 defeat to the same man via submission.

“The moment I started 14 years ago, it looked impossible to get this belt, but after 14 years I realized impossible is not a word, it’s just a reason, anybody can be a world champion, as long as you have the belief,” said the World Champion

from Team Lakay, which saw two of its three fighters in the fight night coming out victorious.

In the undercard, Danny Kingad outworked Chinese wrestling ace Ma Hao Bin to contribute a unanimous decision win in the second match of the night.

However, stablemate Edward Kelly succumbed to a ferocious ground and pound from evergreen “Tungaa” Jadambaa of Mongolia.

The fourth Filipino in the card, Rodian Dichavez from Catalan Fighting Systems lasted only 10 seconds in the first round after Chinese Li Kai Wen’s thunderous right landed flush on “The Redeemer.”

“I came to Macau with one mission and that is to win this belt.

I know I am not capable of doing this alone,” added Geje in front of a crowd consisting mostly of OFWs based in the city.

“I know God was guiding me in this match, and a very good team behind my back,” he added to the cheers of his countrymen.

ONE Championship’s next offering is Spirit of a Warrior next week in Yangon, before the billion-dollar fight league returns to Manila for ONE: Reign of Kings at the Mall of Asia Arena.

A 95th-minute free-kick from Kroos gave Joachim Loew’s side a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sweden in Sochi on Saturday, after a Marco Reus strike had cancelled out Ola Toivonen’s opener.

After beginning the defence of the trophy with a 1-0 defeat against Mexico in Moscow, another loss by the Black Sea would have eliminated Germany in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1938.

The specter of the champions’ curse has been hanging over the Germans, who were in serious danger on Saturday of following France (2002), Italy (2010) and Spain four years ago in becoming the fourth holders this century to be humbled in the group stage.

The intervention of Kroos means now it is all to play for in Group F. The four-time world champions

must win by a margin of two goals against South Korea in Kazan to be absolutely sure of progressing. Failure to do so would mean relying on the outcome of the other match between Mexico and Sweden.

For now, at least, there is renewed optimism after a turbulent week.

- Hummels to return “We will look at the videos and see what we have to do better, but of course for our emotional side it was a very good thing today, because now if you have a game like this you start believing,” defender Mats Hummels said as he left Sochi’s Fisht Stadium.

Of the winning goal from Real Madrid midfielder Kroos, who had earlier been at fault for Sweden’s opener, Hummels added: “Something like this can be a big moment in the tournament.

“But if we lose against South Korea or don’t make it to the next stage, the goal isn’t worth anything, so we have to know that we got a little bit lucky and we have to show and to prove that we can be way better than we have been.”

The good news for Loew is that Hummels is likely to return for the final group game after being forced to sit out Saturday’s match with a neck problem. AFP

Streaking Carlos shoots for 3rd crown at ICTSI Del Monte golfest JOBIM Carlos, fresh from a fourstroke romp at Apo, sets out for a second straight Philippine Golf Tour crown and third overall in the ICTSI Del Monte Championship, which returns to the tour calendar beginning Wednesday (June 27) at the Del Monte Golf Club in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Carlos unleashed a strong finishing kick to turn what had appeared to be a downto-the-wire finish into a runaway triumph in the ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational, beating local ace Elmer Salvador and pro-am winner Albin Engino b y four on a closing 68 spiked by three birdies in the last seven holes.

That makes the 25-year-old former amateur hotshot the marked player in the upcoming P3 million tournament sponsored by ICTSI at Del Monte which incidentally makes its first hosting of the circuit since 2013 won by golf legend and local hero Frankie Miñoza.

The Apo romp came three weeks after Carlos scored a breakthrough at PGT Asia at Riviera and after he teamed up with DJ Padilla to rule the Delimondo Pro-am at Splendido last month.

But the hottest player on the tour expects a tougher, fiercer challenge from practically the same field he outclassed at Apo with Del Monte also posing a different kind of challenge with its mountain-top set-up with man-made lakes, pine trees, bunkers

and unpredictable greens to test even the best in the fold.

They include Salvador and Engino, Tony Lascuña, Jerson Balasabas, Joenard Rates, Mars Pucay, Ira Alido,

Nilo Salahog, Jay Bayron, Rufino Bayron, Ferdie Aunzo, Mhark Fernando, Marvin Dumandan and Jhonnel Ababa.

A slew of foreign aces will also be going all out to spoil their local counterparts in the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.organized event, led

by Kim Joo Hyung, who finished tied for six at Apo, and fellow Koreans Lee Song and Park Jun Sung and Americans Lexus Keoninh and Nicolas Paez.

Jobim Carlos

Red Lions brace for tougher season

By Peter Atencio INJURIES and player transfers have bugged the defending champion San Beda Red Lions after they won Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball crown.

And so the Red Lions are getting ready for a tough season ahead of them.

SBC coach Boyet Fernandez said this with less than a month before the opening games begin on July 7 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“Every championship ay mahirap. Every year is a different thing for us. Right now, we’re battling some injuries and some issues about players transferring,” said Fernandez.

For one, point guard Robert Bolick is recovering from a knee injury and toughening up by going to the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center at the Ateneo de Manila campus in Katipunan, Quezon City regularly to do some strength and conditioning activity.

The 6’1” Bolick averaged 12.54 points and 6.3 rebounds last season.

The Red Lions lost 6’6” big man Benedict Adamos, who transferred to the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA to play and pursue a course in maritime studies. Davon Potts also graduated.

Despite the setbacks and a player leaving, the Red Lions had the good fortune of being able to work on the cohesiveness of the team when they went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida last month for a twoweek camp.

The Red Lions had an opportunity to train with Gannon Baker, regarded as one of the premier basketball skills’ trainers in the world.

The team is now beefing up its big man position with the presence of 6’6” slotman Damie Cuntapay, who could give the Red Lions a taller frontline.

Cuntapay, who averaged 6.3 points and 6.5 rebounds during his time with San Sebastian Staglets, is among the latest newbies vying for slots in Team A. He was part of a SSC team that made it to the Final Four of the NCAA junior division for the first time in years.

Also trying to make the team is Red Cubs’ standout and point guard Evan Nelle, who is one of two members of the junior squad that’s committed to stay put and remain for the school.

Nelle is expected to reinforce Bolick and become his replacement when the latter

IN BRIEF ERC clears deal of Solar, Meralco THE Energy Regulatory Commission provisionally approved the power supply agreement application of Manila Electric Co. with Solar Philippines Tarlac Corp. for up to 85 megawatts at a price P2.99 per kilowatt-hour.

“Meralco and SPTC are hereby granted interim relief provisionally authorizing them to implement their power purchase agreement,” ERC said in its order.

ERC said SPTC’s offer was the lowest offered to Meralco among other similar plants. The regulator, however, said the approval was subject to certain conditions such as the rate should not be subject to adjustment or escalation.

ERC said it still needed to verify the basis for the 2-percent escalation factor under the proposed PSA. It said the approved generation rate “is inclusive of the transmission cost or the cost of their dedicated point-to- point facilities, thus the same cannot be adjusted upward when they file with the ERC for approval of its dedicated point-to-point facilities.”

ERC also directed Meralco to submit the monthly generation rate calculation. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

PSBank’s cardless withdrawals pick up PHILIPPINE Savings Bank said the use of its pioneering cardless withdrawal is picking up pace, as average daily transaction jumped 23 percent at the end of the first quarter compared to the average daily transaction recorded at the end of 2017.

Launched in October last year, average daily transaction of cardless withdrawal steadily increased over the six-month period ending March 2018, said PSBank senior vice president for marketing group Noel Tuazon.

From the average daily transaction of cardless withdrawal recorded in October last year, such transactions increased more than four times at the end of December last year. The starting base number in 2018, on the other hand, increased 23 percent at the end of March this year.

“The data only proves that the cardless withdrawal feature pioneered by the bank is relevant to meeting the needs of our customers for a secure online or mobile banking environment that allows them to withdraw cash even without an ATM card,” Tuazon said.

Based on the bank’s data, utilization of cardless withdrawal is particularly high on the 15th and 30th of the month, indicating that clients are using the feature in withdrawing their salaries.

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

B1

HAPPIEST PINOY.

Broadband project cost cut to P20b

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE Department of Information and Communications Technology said it is spending less than P20 billion to roll out the national broadband network plan nationwide, lower than the original budget of P77 billion.

Acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio said the lower budget for the NBN project came after the government signed a tripartite agreement with National Grid Corp. of the Philippines and the National Transmission Corp. for the use of spare optical fiber to speed up the implementation of the project.

The agency earlier said the NBN project would re-

quire an investment of P77 billion and could reach as high as P200 billion if the government could not use existing infrastructure.

Rio said the NBN project was expected to be rolled out by 2019 and to be completed within two to three years.

The DICT under the agreement received an indefensible right of use for certain fiber optic cores, vacant lots, tower space and related facility of NGCP, the current concessionaire of the Transco-grid.

NGCP, the private-sector led operator of the power grid, earlier expressed firm commitment to help improve internet speed and exploit its partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to roll out the national broadband program.

“We welcome this opportunity to take part in the National Broadband Program of the government to address the longstanding issue of internet connection quality in the Philippines,” NGCP said in an earlier

statement.

The total length of the dark fiber network is 6,154 kilometers, spanning from Luzon to Mindanao.

Under the partnership, the NBP, the agency’s blueprint in accelerating the deployment of fiber optic cables in the country, is coming to fruition as the NGCP’s transmission facilities can act as the network backbone interconnected with to-be constructed Luzon Bypass Infrastructure.

The two major broadband projects, once completed, are seen to save time, manpower and resources of the government of about $2.6 billion, while helping address the need for faster and more affordable internet connectivity.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the DICT to craft a national broadband plan in a bid to provide Internet services in unserved and underserved areas.

The national broadband network plan under Arroyo administration was abandoned because of allegations of overpricing and graft in procurement.

DMCI wooing Japan firms to be Luzon rail contractor

Fitch expects BSP to hike rate to 3.75%

By Alena Mae S. Flores

By Julito G. Rada BUSINESS Monitor International, a unit of Fitch Group, said it expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to increase its policy interest rate by another 25 basis points to 3.75 percent before the end of the year to control inflationary pressures.

The Monetary Board, the policymaking body of the BSP, on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent, the second time this year. The corresponding overnight lending and deposit facilities were also raised by the same amount to 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

“The move to hike interest rates by a cumulative 50 bps over May and June was largely in line with our expectations and came at a time when global monetary conditions are tightening, while domestic inflationary pressures continue to mount,” BMI said in a report over the weekend.

It said that as the BSP struck a relatively hawkish tone when it said that it was prepared to take further policy action as needed to achieve its price and financial stability objectives, “we have revised our forecast for the central bank to tighten its policy rate by a further 25 bps to 3.75 percent before end-2018.”

BMI said inflation in the Philippines had been on a firm uptrend since December 2017, rising to 4.6 percent in May, the highest rate since November 2011.

It said while part of the inflation was caused by the tax reform program which pushed up the prices of basic goods and fuel through the imposition of excise taxes, other key contributing factors were rising global oil prices and higher aggregate demand.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

Cebuana Lhuillier launches the fourth edition of the Search for the Happiest Pinoy, introducing ten new categories to enable resilient, optimistic and hopeful Filipinos from all walks of life to join the year-long search which promises a total of P1.5 million in cash prizes to the country’s happiest Pinoys. Shown are (standing, from left) P.J. Lhuillier Inc. first vice president and IMC group head Michael Sena, president and chief executive Jean Henri Lhuillier, senior executive vice president Philippe Andre Lhuillier and first vice president for Cebuana Lhuillier insurance solutions, foundation, and business solutions Jonathan Batangan.

With them are (seated, from left) 2015 Happiest Pinoy Richardson Navor and 2012 Happiest Pinoy Rommel Arellano.

PH and Japan agree to fast-track projects THE Philippines and Japan agreed to fasttrack the Duterte administration’s infrastructure projects, with the latter signifying its full support to these undertakings.

The Finance Department said over the weekend that high-level Philippine and Japanese officials discussed in Tokyo the timelines and possible plans of action to do away with bottlenecks and swiftly address concerns on the preparation and implementation of flagship infrastructure projects that the Philippines was undertaking in cooperation with Japan.

A Philippine delegation composed of Cabinet officials and heads of government agencies visited Japan last week.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that during the 5th meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, Japanese officials expressed their government’s intention to provide indicative official development assistance loan financing of about 38.1 billion yen for the MRT Line 3 Rehabilitation Project and an indicative supplemental loan of some 4.37 billion yen for the second phase of the New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environmental Protection Project “subject to the necessary Philippine and Japanese Government approval processes.”

Dominguez said he extended the Philippines’ appreciation for Japan’s full support for these projects under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program. Julito G. Rada

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

FINTECH COMPANY OF THE YEAR. FINTQ, the financial technology arm of PLDT and Smart’s Voyager Innovations, is named the ‘FinTech Company of the Year’ at the Philippines Best Brands Awards 2018 on June 8 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City. Shown are (from left) FINTQ digital transformation lead Cristine Mallare; managing director Lito Villanueva; and digital transformation lead Axcel Anonuevo.

Buses tap ‘cashless’ payment

By Darwin G. Amojelar PAYMAYA Philippines Inc. teamed up with Araneta Center BusPort to enable Filipino commuters to quickly and more conveniently book and pay for bus tickets through ‘cashless’ means, whether it’s online or at the bus port.

Commuters can now book, reserve seats, and instantly pay for their tickets online at the newlylaunched Araneta Center BusPort website powered by PayMaya Checkout, which will help ensure that they have a bus seat even before they arrive at the bus port.

They can also pay using Visa, Mastercard, or JCB cards, or mobile phones with PayMaya QR at the terminal. These payment solutions are part of the total digital payments suite being offered by PayMaya Business to merchants and enterprises nationwide.

The partnership is seen to improve the experience of thousands of Filipino passengers who ride the buses

to various points of the country at the Araneta Center BusPort, aside from helping ensure their safety during travel by eliminating the need to bring large amounts of cash to pay for tickets.

“Whether it’s online or at the bus port, booking bus tickets is now more convenient for passengers, and their total experience now made more secure with the help of PayMaya’s cashless payment options,” said Araneta Center senior vice president for operations Antonio Mardo.

PayMaya Philippines president and chief executive Orlando Vea said that from malls to restaurants and now even to bus ports, businesses were realizing the benefits of giving their customers cashless payment options to avail of their products and services.

“This partnership with the Araneta Center Bus Port will not only bring tremendous convenience to commuters, but will help the bus port operate more efficiently as well,” Vea said.

CONSTRUCTION company DM Consunji, Inc. is in talks with potential Japanese partners for the first phase of the multi-billion-peso North-South Commuter Railway project from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos City, Bulacan.

The NSCR project will be partially funded by Japan’s official development assistance loan amounting to 241.991 billion yen signed in November 2015.

“I think the Japanese part of the ‘Build, Build Build’ is very serious and that will change the geography of Manila….I think the Japanese are serious because they came out with the bid documents and then I think the bidding is scheduled sometime September,” DM Consunji chairman Isidro Consunji said over the weekend.

Consunji is set to go back to Tokyo this week to convince the project developers that DM Consunji has the capability to build a project of this magnitude.

He said the company wanted to become a part of the consortium and contractor of the NSCR project that is seen to decon-

gest traffic in Metro Manila.

“I think the Japanese government is all out to help the Philippines. That’s my personal read. If the commuter line happens, the capacity is 100,000 passengers per hour. That will be a big change in Metro Manila. We should aim for the project to happen,” the executive said.

The first phase of the elevated railway is expected to reduce travel time from Malolos to Tutuban to 35 minutes from 2 hours and allow economic activities to spread out to the surrounding areas of Metro Manila.

The project will also use advanced Japanese technologies including seismic designs from Japan to make the infrastructure disaster-resilient.

“The project needs a local counterpart.

The big issue is never a project this big was built so fast. So one of the issues is, can the Filipino companies handle project this big…I believe the Filipino can,” Consunji said.

He said the project, targeted to be completed by 2022, would be “the biggest game changer” and “centerpiece” of the Duterte administration.

B2

Business

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market likely to remain sluggish

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

TOCKS are expected to move sideways with a downward bias this week, as the heightened US trade war against China, the European Union and Canada continues to weigh down on investors sentiments.

Domestic concerns over the sluggish peso and rising inflation rate are also contributing to the market’s weakness, according to analysts.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said while bargain hunting could possibly take place this week, a break below the 7,000-point mark for the Philippine Stock Exchange index could signal further test towards the 6,500/6,800 levels.

The recent move by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to raise interest rates by 25 basis points may not be enough to keep foreign funds in the local equities market, given that US Federal Reserve’s planned two to three rate hikes this year.

Analysts said the local equities market had not seen its bottom yet for the year and any rally could be short-lived as overseas investors continued to move their funds out of emerging markets including the Philippines.

The EU slapped revenge tariffs on iconic US products including bourbon, jeans and motorcycles in its opening salvo in a trade war with President Donald Trump.

Customs agents across Europe’s colossal market of 500 million people will now impose the duty, hiking prices on US-made products in supermarkets and across factory floors.

Trump wasted little time in responding, threatening on Twitter to impose 20 percent tariffs on Europeanmade cars exported to the US, pressuring European automakers including Italy’s Fiat Chrysler and Germany’s Daimler.

“The underlying tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, and while neither wants a trade war, the US won’t accept the status quo, and China won’t change its industrial policy,” Rabobank senior strategist Michael Every told AFP.

The PSEi, the 30-company benchmark, entered the bear market territory last week, after falling 22 percent from the year’s peak of 9,058.62 on Jan. 29.

The bellwether, which fell to a low of 6,923.67, closed at 7,063.20 by the end of the week, while the broader all-share index sank 5.4 percent to 4,347.06.

All sub-indices ended in the red led by services (-8.21 percent), holding firms (-7 percent), financials (-5.68 percent), mining and oil (-4.75 percent), industrial (-4.5 percent) and property (-4.22 percent).

Foreign investors were net sellers by P6.6 billion last week, as daily turnover averaged P7.2 billion.

Top gainers last week were mostly third-liners including ISM Communications Corp. which climbed 26.2 percent to P2.36, IRC Properties Inc. which advanced 21 percent to P1.33 and Concepcion Industrial Corp. which rose 2.7 percent to P61.60.

Heavy losers included Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which declined 14.2 percent to P9.81, JG Summit Holdings Inc. which dropped 13 percent to P49.65 and PLDT Inc. which went down 12.6 percent to P1,133. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

JUNE 18-22, 2018 Close Volume

Value

JUNE 11-14, 2018 Close Volume

Value

FINANCIAL

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources Citystate Savings COL Financial Eastwest Bank Ferronoux Holding Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

59.15 125.50 88.00 33.5 2.82 1.59 6.7 16.5 14.68 3.69 8.67 1.46 830.50 0.540 73.2 1.05 12 20.90 48.25 106 191 29 198 1925.00 88.60 1.18

46,990 18,504,900 13,313,580 1,782,200 112,000 909,000 400 98,100 3,692,400 495,000 36,800 98,000 520 6,035,000 28,644,760 14,000,000 129,600 6,900 392,700 1,810 22,060 2,434,100 2,537,570 685 437,390 100,000

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ MG Holdings Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Phil H2O Pilipinas Shell Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza SMC Food and Beverage SPC Power Corp.

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

35.7 15 0.6 1.19 24.25 0.228 100 22.70 2.9 16.28 58.95 89.95 49.2 61.6 1.89 5 8 9.900 15.9 7.20 5.18 10.90 1.61 14.14 61.5 21.65 7.60 14.9 2.290 267.00 52.45 5.12 3.3 16.18 26.5 11.28 21 334.80 0.176 7.30 2.2 8.72 4.25 6.02 51 7.50 1.23 12.10 5.82 4.55 2.46 3.52 1.91 12.2 60.5 5 0.127 0.92 115 2.5 2.6 20.00 1.27

9,565,500 7,032,400 15,993,000 2,775,000 1,877,300 57,220,000 730 176,600 14,000,000 2,720,200 15,620 1,520 2,375,900 18,250 579,000 9,800 147,700 8,038,280 8,097,800 9,099,400 24,517,400 409,100 2,000 3,298,800 320,510 78,000 415,900 5,208,500 18,198,000 5,458,510 200 689,200 14,000 8,900 1,998,900 507,000 11,594,000 2,358,350 2,820,000 191,800 15,839,000 4,251,400 464,000 15,327,000 3,134,090 77,600 3,283,000 14,198,600 859,400 10,766,000 4,666,000 201,000 2,127,000 2,497,400 1,642,430 853,900 16,610,000 199,000 6,993,160 540,000 53,844,000 2,400 280,220,000

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ BHI Holdings Inc. Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.245 55.35 12.00 0.89 6.00 0.620 0.640 886.5 1401.00 6.15 10.00 4.17 7.30 0.192 902 6.47 49.65 5.38 3.64 0.58 18.2 0.580 4.59 0.0390 1.170 2.670 2.95 139.00 2.55 868.00 1.62 0.79 510.00 255.000 0.2210 0.227

32,740,000 8,913,650 56,137,300 1,595,000 275,500 50,524,000 11,376,000 1,689,580 660 12,069,500 43,393,600 12,000 88,300 1,260,000 646,855 200,900 12,198,780 2,800 2,677,000 1,540,000 22,984,200 25,893,000 162,233,000 238,100,000 4,593,000 6,065,000 290,000 995,540 126,000 2,664,740 4,003,000 178,000 1,090 61,850 3,790,000 19,560,000

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings CEB Landmasters Cebu Prop. `B’ Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

7.400 14.20 1.00 1.980 0.780 37.550 3.2 5.88 4.67 6 0.435 0.99 0.950 0.203 0.410 24.1 0.620 0.113 1.19 1.55 1.33 4.11 4.45 0.570 0.4300

7,078,000 7,700 53,945,000 507,000 4,533,000 74,453,500 2,477,000 143,500 2,228,000 4,600 27,500,000 327,000 1,757,000 39,039,000 1,310,000 4,348,600 4,063,000 810,000 10,801,000 17,919,000 143,544,000 12,000 96,031,000 273,946,000 9,550,000

2,752,953.00 2,386,521,410.00 1,194,260,567.00 60,051,695.00 307,090.00 1,425,730.00 2,679.00 1,624,244.00 54,493,332.00 1,819,030.00 320,249.00 144,580.00 438,850.00 3,222,620.00 2,080,478,445.50 15,688,880.00 1,555,228.00 141,305.00 19,062,210.00 192,843.00 4,348,012.00 70,240,070.00 504,844,689.00 1,313,650.00 38,784,524.50 118,000.00 INDUSTRIAL 352,646,080.00 105,306,040.00 9,748,760.00 3,342,050.00 50,033,440.00 13,837,900.00 74,342.00 4,100,130.00 41,608,730.00 44,402,176.00 947,485.50 132,159.50 117,745,475.00 1,089,077.50 1,104,990.00 49,340.00 1,180,555.00 96,823,377.00 127,942,762.00 65,389,788.00 127,325,226.00 4,478,606.00 3,220.00 47,609,782.00 19,813,190.50 1,661,345.00 3,252,923.00 77,820,224.00 43,496,060.00 1,490,681,638.00 10,490.00 3,494,143.00 42,780.00 145,110.00 53,367,225.00 5,867,860.00 248,548,820.00 797,483,550.00 505,440.00 1,337,859.00 34,830,810.00 37,727,814.00 1,938,230.00 91,566,747.00 159,886,972.00 582,320.00 4,129,920.00 171,023,804.00 5,029,950.00 48,995,080.00 11,775,680.00 727,300.00 4,119,170.00 31,610,424.00 101,492,998.50 4,281,963.00 2,111,040.00 180,730.00 806,257,613.00 1,354,230.00 145,953,190.00 48,400.00 437,318,630.00 HOLDING FIRMS 8,168,740.00 526,347,154.00 695,192,070.00 1,558,310.00 1,660,301.00 31,781,070.00 7,318,570.00 1,532,582,895.00 924,660.00 76,923,255.00 440,392,292.00 51,690.00 654,244.00 245,710.00 622,822,645.00 1,269,936.00 617,664,311.50 15,064.00 9,863,640.00 890,860.00 436,105,592.00 16,093,170.00 761,929,950.00 9,747,400.00 5,544,540.00 16,522,430.00 853,820.00 138,063,815.00 321,310.00 2,325,066,580.00 6,382,830.00 141,420.00 572,530.00 15,824,372.00 832,530.00 4,894,510.00 PROPERTY 52,845,889.00 107,220.00 55,146,460.00 1,013,260.00 3,567,010.00 2,819,692,525.00 8,033,140.00 804,147.00 10,330,850.00 27,600.00 12,007,950.00 330,820.00 1,662,200.00 9,020,400.00 542,400.00 102,736,860.00 2,525,890.00 159,030.00 13,226,550.00 28,039,920.00 196,083,490.00 49,690.00 432,745,950.00 163,488,040.00 4,042,750.00

58.5 136.00 95.85 34.4 2.90 1.57

47,170 8,485,880 6,031,700 283,500 89,000 553,000

2,779,827.00 1,149,843,145.00 582,616,675.50 9,767,780.00 265,560.00 867,660.00

16.6 15.1 3.58 9.49 1.5 851.00 0.580 74.75 1.23 12 20.60 49.80 108 204.8 30.45 206 1955.00 88.90 1.18

106,300 2,487,800 99,000 1,800 5,000 610 11,357,000 21,209,030 12,773,000 38,800 6,700 2,210,560 420 5,650 798,600 1,857,870 160 224,000 21,000

1,761,992.00 36,821,972.00 355,220.00 16,922.00 7,500.00 520,550.00 6,438,230.00 1,623,328,739.50 15,410,170.00 465,588.00 134,475.00 113,646,052.50 47,390.00 1,158,726.00 25,647,610.00 377,054,659.00 313,300.00 19,930,618.50 24,880.00

38.7 14.72 0.6 1.26 23.1 0.232 112 23.80 3.11 16.5 61.1 80.05 49.95 59.95 1.92 5.1 8.99 10.620 16 7.25 5.25 11.38 1.7 15 64 21.60 8.57 15.1 2.450 279.20 45.00 5.03 3.3 16.70 27.4 11.86 22 345.00 0.183 6.75 2.28 9.19 4.30 5.94 51 7.75 1.33 12.40 5.95 4.60 2.44 3.6 2 13.22 63.8 5.03 0.132 0.91 121.6 2.6 3.02

3,952,500 2,704,600 2,062,000 2,076,000 288,900 23,380,000 30 158,100 10,745,000 386,700 1,250 390 1,336,510 1,764,220 647,000 2,100 46,000 8,734,100 1,635,300 5,811,000 7,870,700 107,100 10,000 1,211,300 99,700 1,131,200 96,500 3,622,600 8,136,000 2,956,640 450 227,100 14,000 2,000 6,633,000 638,100 5,009,700 2,299,010 4,880,000 40,400 15,046,000 3,585,300 161,000 3,693,700 1,737,100 14,300 2,891,000 170,900 117,500 37,771,000 1,577,000 74,000 1,182,000 871,500 914,210 494,400 6,810,000 151,000 5,039,840 20,000 25,154,000

150,535,510.00 38,892,360.00 1,226,250.00 2,639,420.00 6,520,559.00 5,432,580.00 3,360.00 3,773,000.00 34,260,670.00 6,343,194.00 76,633.00 31,219.50 66,665,102.50 97,040,244.50 1,241,970.00 10,710.00 406,864.00 92,567,378.00 26,134,024.00 41,851,165.00 41,388,852.00 1,221,710.00 17,300.00 18,125,072.00 6,259,285.50 23,417,480.00 834,858.00 54,896,084.00 19,204,540.00 828,164,456.00 21,327.50 1,146,310.00 46,560.00 33,444.00 180,879,205.00 7,675,010.00 111,684,605.00 780,096,722.00 934,260.00 269,178.00 34,604,510.00 32,299,743.00 697,020.00 22,375,573.00 86,155,145.00 111,759.00 3,970,080.00 2,131,574.00 704,060.00 173,745,720.00 3,998,760.00 267,040.00 2,307,160.00 11,481,384.00 59,555,275.50 2,520,142.00 884,360.00 140,420.00 625,427,933.00 52,000.00 76,725,790.00

1.62

232,537,000

323,959,700.00

0.270 62.60 12.78 0.95 6.11 0.680 0.700 950.5

39,540,000 5,678,000 27,474,600 1,950,000 49,100 10,243,000 2,432,000 1,130,530

11,079,550.00 354,350,076.00 349,871,116.00 1,931,080.00 301,234.00 6,875,380.00 1,678,450.00 1,073,418,480.00

6.4 10.74

4,582,400 38,025,400

29,310,000.00 410,917,010.00

7.39 0.196 1007 6.50 57.10 5.67 3.56 0.58 19.38 0.570 4.99 0.0370 1.230 2.890

211,300 270,000 685,890 69,600 6,945,310 14,200 12,303,000 686,000 9,311,700 3,727,000 111,052,000 13,700,000 5,739,000 6,709,000

1,558,635.00 53,160.00 688,959,230.00 452,410.00 402,813,687.50 77,606.00 45,285,450.00 391,230.00 184,158,556.00 2,143,150.00 555,977,049.00 504,900.00 7,325,280.00 19,303,140.00

140.00 2.55 902.50 1.63 0.81 579.00 260.000 0.2200 0.211

535,930 13,000 1,332,930 101,000 121,000 8,920 15,980 3,000,000 320,000

74,644,123.00 33,190.00 1,203,791,125.00 165,870.00 97,100.00 5,266,750.00 4,137,106.00 660,630.00 68,500.00

7.540 15.00 1.00 2.040 0.810 39.150 3.38 6 4.76

10,405,400 61,400 7,825,000 106,000 2,583,000 42,973,200 1,312,000 11,800 1,474,000

77,449,044.00 926,254.00 7,893,290.00 217,280.00 2,060,170.00 1,710,781,505.00 4,394,970.00 70,415.00 7,137,360.00

0.450 1.08 0.960 0.220 0.415 27.1 0.610

63,350,000 195,000 511,000 17,270,000 770,000 2,246,000 1,269,000

29,060,800.00 205,300.00 489,840.00 3,874,230.00 323,650.00 61,422,620.00 795,660.00

1.27 1.60 1.10 4.28 4.56 0.630 0.4350

3,831,000 19,024,000 9,854,000 2,000 88,442,000 106,098,000 4,090,000

4,895,760.00 30,431,800.00 10,713,840.00 8,560.00 412,633,420.00 67,859,020.00 1,828,500.00

STOCKS

JUNE 18-22, 2018 Close Volume

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

0.475 2.99 18.62 2.04 3.29 33.25 1.09 7.8 0.780 6.490

2GO Group’ Aboitiz Transport ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Chelsea Discovery World DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MetroAlliance A MetroAlliance B NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

15.02 26.2 25.55 1.3 0.445 0.043 12.82 9.81 0.0550 79.15 8.8 7.26 2.29 6.97 19.04 900 1540 5.40 308.00 11.32 3.26 79.4 2.25 12.9 8.20 0.147 2.3600 4.78 15 4.03 1.02 24.40 18.74 0.450 4 5.47 2.64 2.85 2.81 8.400 11.28 8.80 3.18 8.11 120.00 5.22 1133.00 0.350 0.870 47.50 80.90 8.50 1.96 1.140 0.415 4.83 0.760 11.600

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Apex `B’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Phinma Petro Semirara Corp.

United Paragon

0.0026 1.48 1.45 4.13 22.50 1.5800 1.6900 1.7 0.300 7.51 2.270 0.192 0.132 0.132 0.008 0.0081 1.5 4.6 1.09 0.5100 0.8900 0.0120 0.0120 4.98 11.00 0.0120 2.0700 29.10 0.0061

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ Alco Preferred B DD PREF First Gen F First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B House Preferred Leisure and Resort PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I Swift Pref

24.8 495 508 101.1 101.2 104.9 107 506 5.11 980 990 99 1.04 1021 1000 101.2 108.5 990 76 77 75.4 76 76.2 76 76.15 75.2 1.96

LR Warrant

2.290

Italpinas Xurpas

5 3.15

First Metro ETF

106.2

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.2 10

JUNE 11-14, 2018 Close Volume

Value

16,240,000 62,896,000 23,982,700 1,884,000 1,318,000 66,037,700 3,623,000 4,826,900 835,000 22,135,600

7,965,075.00 188,126,040.00 460,528,108.00 3,839,840.00 4,364,280.00 2,249,410,010.00 3,944,910.00 41,245,856.00 686,350.00 148,048,333.00 SERVICES 70,400 1,071,900.00 21,600 558,860.00 215,700 5,589,535.00 707,000 942,140.00 20,240,000 9,237,050.00 89,500,000 3,965,700.00 102,100 1,315,316.00 65,119,900 692,402,611.00 48,970,000 2,692,020.00 523,770 42,110,543.50 11,100 97,226.00 16,028,100 119,004,943.00 91,000 202,420.00 99,900 694,917.00 2,171,900 44,188,901.00 950 875,100.00 176,515 287,145,215.00 1,254,100 6,879,893.00 34,220 10,445,152.00 3,700 41,982.00 6,799,000 22,727,320.00 10,763,830 864,519,407.50 1,219,000 2,878,040.00 261,700 3,396,410.00 59,800 489,238.00 1,056,530,000 162,489,360.00 63,846,000 131,759,810.00 2,252,000 10,532,070.00 36,600 544,662.00 6,896,000 27,560,180.00 2,945,000 3,032,800.00 2,445,900 60,110,425.00 12,800 237,354.00 20,000 9,000.00 835,000 3,287,400.00 15,293,600 84,750,427.00 3,894,000 10,814,470.00 16,669,000 54,411,300.00 790,000 2,523,150.00 33,726,100 301,502,779.00 3,200 36,228.00 37,800 334,000.00 596,000 1,873,740.00 800 7,804.00 226,910 27,228,255.00 4,641,900 24,598,333.00 666,090 795,999,630.00 4,200,000 1,429,650.00 19,607,000 17,550,770.00 6,762,500 321,845,850.00 2,775,350 250,835,569.50 7,874,500 66,872,295.00 10,076,600 23,507,370.00 6,009,000 7,059,530.00 55,290,000 23,556,550.00 23,109,000 113,209,180.00 15,688,000 12,382,490.00 10,381,800 119,541,174.00 MINING & OIL 3,048,000,000 8,086,200.00 4,132,000 6,185,020.00 7,466,000 11,111,500.00 330,000 1,382,980.00 398,600 9,462,668.00 152,000 240,200.00 1,000 1,690.00 2,895,000 4,894,940.00 2,960,000 887,500.00 126,700 983,737.00 10,620,000 24,264,700.00 3,010,000 564,060.00 15,880,000 2,090,330.00 30,000 3,940.00 54,000,000 454,900.00 2,000,000 16,200.00 1,368,000 2,093,110.00 14,940,300 69,508,813.00 240,000 247,170.00 148,000 76,850.00 465,000 404,370.00 116,230,000 1,497,900.00 8,900,000 111,000.00 1,245,000 5,998,400.00 9,365,300 105,355,368.00 434,100,000 5,175,400.00 210,000 435,540.00 11,987,400 350,147,305.00 2,000,000 12,400.00 PREFERRED 374,600 9,364,380.00 7,600 3,788,550.00 2,940 1,493,520.00 10,000 1,011,510.00 98,040 9,905,096.00 25,350 2,558,216.00 4,360 466,775.00 4,800 2,409,060.00 1,780,700 9,345,305.00 1,420 1,380,880.00 350 346,320.00 27,610 2,739,647.00 50,000 51,900.00 200 204,200.00 1,070 1,082,210.00 1,710 173,986.00 1,000 108,290.00 17,520 17,141,020.00 14,130 1,077,186.50 46,500 3,622,855.00 609,790 46,269,647.00 337,450 25,646,200.00 48,140 3,748,912.00 67,940 5,162,140.00 22,750 1,730,474.00 651,700 49,599,590.00 6,000 12,040.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 2,554,000 5,955,230.00 SME 19,546,900 107,874,456.00 11,049,000 34,100,150.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 201,030 21,847,729.00 DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 26,130 266,273.00 5,400 54,008.00

0.520 2.75 19.56 2.04 3.3 34.75 1.1 8.95 0.790 6.800

7,951,000 18,711,000 6,872,200 6,309,000 226,000 49,201,400 1,262,000 5,010,500 23,000 12,538,600

Value 4,058,950.00 50,047,600.00 136,768,448.00 13,468,220.00 739,930.00 1,747,672,705.00 1,376,530.00 47,406,390.00 18,390.00 85,084,089.00

15.3

34,900

540,666.00

26.2 1.33 0.485 0.046 13 11.44 0.0540 84.5 8.8 8.1 2.29 7.30 18.70 950 1680 5.63 311.00

116,200 1,000 23,690,000 9,500,000 151,000 33,190,100 14,710,000 483,330 5,000 31,471,800 42,000 20,400 429,000 510 126,575 247,300 20,980

3,038,420.00 1,330.00 11,813,010.00 425,600.00 1,935,180.00 366,006,046.00 799,880.00 41,805,707.50 44,000.00 256,170,479.00 95,210.00 148,860.00 8,038,492.00 482,500.00 209,155,980.00 1,385,507.00 6,487,342.00

3.68 86.05 2.16 13.3 8.22 0.114 1.8700 4.42 15.04 4.36 1.04 25.15 19.46 0.455 4.26 6 2.93 3.80 3.80 10.080 11.44 9.10 3.1

1,985,000 5,256,180 59,000 300 27,600 3,260,000 18,090,000 1,129,000 15,900 3,832,000 1,958,000 1,036,300 14,500 50,000 131,000 27,823,500 2,241,000 55,667,000 3,329,000 63,337,600 6,700 22,600 59,000

7,399,670.00 453,032,820.00 129,200.00 3,990.00 226,645.00 373,760.00 31,629,580.00 4,640,440.00 241,104.00 16,424,030.00 2,041,240.00 26,186,935.00 278,072.00 22,550.00 557,340.00 168,379,947.00 6,616,780.00 206,904,890.00 12,337,240.00 605,232,165.00 75,516.00 206,445.00 180,800.00

123.00 5.38 1297.00 0.360 0.920 48.00 84.00 9.32 2.08 1.220 0.45 4.9 0.840 11.940

18,160 2,923,400 276,575 910,000 27,372,000 2,840,300 1,217,160 5,502,200 8,224,000 2,005,000 52,880,000 24,655,500 5,905,000 7,820,100

2,260,725.00 15,604,258.00 357,906,970.00 323,300.00 26,216,850.00 137,081,855.00 57,488,848.50 51,500,198.00 17,198,280.00 2,465,440.00 23,576,300.00 119,969,924.00 4,898,120.00 94,566,452.00

0.0028 1.56

599,000,000 8,488,000

1,671,400.00 13,245,870.00

4.43 26.70 1.6500 1.6000 1.73 0.300 7.70 2.300 0.199 0.133 0.133 0.009 0.0081 1.53 5.01 1.11 0.5200 0.9300 0.0120 0.0130 4.92 12.50 0.0120 2.0100 30.65 0.0061

81,000 939,500 51,000 30,000 2,120,000 460,000 35,500 5,048,000 1,090,000 3,950,000 930,000 23,000,000 8,000,000 1,011,000 1,451,800 32,000 166,000 431,000 36,500,000 8,200,000 1,223,800 6,201,700 28,200,000 43,000 10,051,100 11,000,000

351,530.00 26,625,510.00 84,150.00 47,400.00 3,618,860.00 137,800.00 263,840.00 11,543,520.00 209,070.00 525,670.00 124,580.00 193,700.00 64,800.00 1,530,160.00 7,221,068.00 35,180.00 86,320.00 387,420.00 438,500.00 111,400.00 6,213,193.00 76,078,990.00 325,300.00 85,270.00 310,647,470.00 67,500.00

24.8

578,000

14,448,370.00

500 102 101 107

520 2,400 41,220 50

261,600.00 250,500.00 4,162,959.00 5,350.00

510 5.38 980

20 228,500 5,000

10,250.00 1,235,086.00 4,861,700.00

100 1.05 1021

6,500 73,000 500

645,000.00 77,390.00 510,500.00

102.8

1,510

155,228.00

978 76 79.8 76

10,870 73,820 12,650 3,000

10,605,120.00 5,620,904.00 1,010,648.50 228,000.00

78.4 76.6 76 76

2,340 2,010 35,520 20,400

183,085.00 153,966.00 2,702,412.00 1,551,360.00

2.610

3,045,000

7,929,910.00

5.29 3.24

3,800,500 1,696,000

20,231,788.00 5,554,390.00

112.3

175,700

19,953,055.00

10.1 10

10,690 35,400

107,647.00 354,000.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Island Info Philodrill Corp. `A’ Vulcan Ind’l.

MRC Allied Ind. Pacifica `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Interport `A’ Oriental Pet. `A’ Megaworld

VOLUME 3,048,000,000 1,056,530,000 434,100,000 280,220,000 273,946,000 238,100,000 162,233,000 143,544,000 116,230,000 96,031,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. SM Investments Inc. SM Prime Holdings Metrobank Ayala Corp `A’ Jollibee Foods Corp.

Bank of PI I.C.T.S.I. Universal Robina

VALUE 2,819,692,525.00 2,386,521,410.00 2,325,066,580.00 2,249,410,010.00 2,080,478,445.50 1,532,582,895.00 1,490,681,638.00 1,194,260,567.00 864,519,407.50 806,257,613.00

PSE gets nod to introduce short selling THE Philippine Stock Exchange secured the green light from the Securities and Exchange Commission to introduce short selling in the local stock market.

Short selling pertains to the sale of a security that is not owned by the seller, but will be settled by the delivery of borrowed securities. This benefits the investor by selling borrowed securities at a time when prices declined, and buying securities at a lower price in the future.

“We are grateful to the SEC for approving the guidelines for short selling. We are optimistic that this facility will lend support to our securities borrowing and lending program and help improve liquidity in our market,” said PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon.

The SEC-approved guidelines for short selling transactions include provisions on eligible securities, procedures for short selling transactions and the execution of short selling orders, among others.

The guidelines state that members of the PSEi and exchange-traded funds are the only securities considered eligible for short-selling transactions.

For any eligible security, only 10 percent of outstanding shares can be shorted. The limit acts as a safeguard for the orderly conduct of short selling activities, while still providing ample room for price discovery.

Failure to comply would make the security ineligible until such time the short interest ratio is met.

Trading participants, in executing short selling orders, will have to ensure that the client has entered into the necessary securities borrowing arrangements prior to entering a short selling order.

Short selling transactions are also not allowed during the market’s preopen, pre-close and run-off phases.

The PSE earlier said it planned to introduce short selling mechanism this year.

“Since this is the first time we are introducing short selling, our guidelines were crafted with the goal of ensuring that short selling transactions are transparent and effectively monitored.

Even with a limited number of eligible securities and a cap on short interest to begin with, we believe that the ability to take short positions will further spur trading activity and attract more investors to our market,” Monzon said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Megaworld set to open big hotel near Terminal 3 PROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. is set to open the 684-room Savoy Hotel within the 25-hectare Newport City in Pasay City on June 28.

Megaworld said in a statement Savoy Hotel Manila would be the second hotel to open under the company’s homegrown Savoy brand, after Savoy Boracay Newcoast which opened last year. A third hotel, Savoy Mactan Newtow,n is slated to open in 2019.

“Savoy Hotel Manila provides the spaces that everyone needs. From businessmen who need a venue for meetings, travelers who want to spend the night beside the airport terminal, to families who want to enjoy staycation together, the hotel is a perfect venue for a different hotel experience beside Naia Terminal 3 and within the 24/7 leisure and entertainment complex of Newport City,” Savoy Hotel Manila general manager Lorenzo Tan said.

Savoy Hotel Manila, located just across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, has 684 rooms with sizes ranging from 23 to 27 square meters for standard rooms, and 35 to 50 square meters for executive suites.

Rooms have unique views of either the airport runways and highways, the Makati and Fort Bonifacio skyline or the hotel’s garden atrium.

The new airport hotel boasts of expansive spaces for guests to lounge and relax around.

One of the hotel’s unique features is the Squares, which are co-working spaces located on several guest floors of the hotel. Accessible 24 hours a day, the Squares allows guests to find their own spaces for casual group hangouts, intimate chats and meetings, orrelax while reading a book or listening to music.

Savoy Hotel Manila has three food and beverage outlets and a club lounge exclusively for guests staying in the executive suite rooms.

Savoy Hotel Manila offers roundtrip airport transfers, 24-hour room services, daily buffet breakfast, complimentary daily supplies of newspapers and bottled water, pool and gym access as well as laundry services for guests.

Jenniffer B. Austria

extrastory2000@gmail.com

Business/World

Talks to open on boosting world’s chemical watchdog T HE HAGUE-Global powers will seek next week to take a historic step in the fight against chemical weapons by giving the world’s toxic arms watchdog new power to identify those behind such attacks.

Widely shunned as taboo since silently culling the battlefields of World War I, recent use of poison gases in the Iraq and Syria conflicts―as well as the rare nerve agent attacks in Kuala Lumpur and the sleepy English town of Salisbury―have triggered interna-

tional alarm.

Despite widespread revulsion at shocking images of children fighting for breath, the international community has so far failed to agree on any punitive action against those believed responsible, amid a bitter standoff between Russia and Western nations at the United Nations.

Now in the wake of the nerve agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury―the first such attack in decades on European soil― Britain is leading calls to give the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) broader powers.

Backed by 11 allies, London has called a rare special session of the OPCW’s policymaking Conference of State Parties in The Hague at which it will seek to give the body

a mandate to say who is to blame for any chemical weapons attacks.

A draft British proposal will go to the meeting, which opens Tuesday, proposing the OPCW “begins attributing responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a tweet.

“With proven technical expertise on chemical weapons the OPCW is the right body to study who is behind an attack,” he added.

Some 96 percent of the world’s declared toxic arms stockpile has been eliminated by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization, with the rest still held by the US due to be destroyed by 2023.

But new evolving scenarios, including the use of mustard gas by the jihadist so-called Islamic State group, are triggering fears.AFP

B3

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Manila

Standard

Invitation to Submit Proposal for theTODAY Supply of Power to Davao Light and Power Company, Inc.

1.

DLPC needs a qualified supplier that can supply 50MW of power to commence August 26, 2018, which date for the start of supply shall be subject to the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.

2.

a customer.

“Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left,” Sanders tweeted on Saturday, confirming the incident.

“Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.”

Chef-owner Stephanie Wilkinson said that politics were especially explosive in her small town which voted against Trump in a county that did not.

Given her own moral position that the spokeswoman serves in an “inhumane and unethical” administration, Wilkinson told The Washington Post, she could not accept a defender of the president’s “cruelest policies.” AFP

Supply of 50 MW

REAL CARPIO SO

GREEN LIGHT HER story started with the fear of needles.

According to her narrative, she, her mother, and her grandmother fainted at the sight of needles and at the sight of blood. She later told her audience that she imagined blood tests that would only require a pinprick. A drop of blood or two would be all that is required to detect dozens of medical conditions. All in approximately four hours. Blood testing can be quick, convenient, and inexpensive.

In 2003, she was all of 19 years and was a chemical engineering student at Stanford University. She decided to drop out of college. She launched her own company.

A year after, her company – Real-Time Cures – had raised six million dollars from investors. In early 2006, the company raised an additional 9.9 million dollars. And in 2010, she was able to raise another 45 million dollars. At that time, her company was valued at US1 billion.

Her board of directors includes former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former Director of Center for Disease Control William Foege, former Defense Secretary William Perry, and former C.E.O. and chairman of Wells Fargo Richard Kovacevich. Reported investors include Larry Ellison of Oracle, and Rupert Murdoch of News Corp.

She was first profiled in Inc. magazine in 2006. The article wrote, “Many entrepreneurs like to say they’re out to change the world. She is staying true to her promise. At the age of 20, she designed a device with the goal of saving the estimated 100,000 people who die each year from adverse drug reactions.”

She was subsequently featured in Fortune and later Forbes magazine, with the latter naming her as “the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.” In 2014, she was included in Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest American list, with a projected net worth of US4.5 billion.

She was named by then President Obama

Maximum Energy of 438,000MWh

1

Required Contract Capacity

2

Reason for Generation Source

Peaking requirements

3

Plant Description

Peaking

4

Term of Contract

Three (3) years, subject to the right of DLPC to terminate on an annual basis

5

Start of Supply

August 26, 2018, subject to ERC Approval

6

Historical Plant Availability Factor (AF) and Reliability Factor (RF)

AF is greater than or equal to 95% RF is greater than or equal to 95%

7

Load Factor

Can sustainably operate at low load factor, at 30% or lower.

8

Start Up and Shut Down Capability

Capability for at least three (3) times per day

9

Receiving Point

DLPC Metering Points

Minimum Energy Off-take of 0MWh

Annual planned outage allowance of no more than five (5) days or one hundred twenty (120) hours.

BENEFIT AUCTION.

10

Sharon Lawrence attends Project Angel Food’s 23rd Annual Angel Art ART=LOVE Benefit Auction at NeueHouse Hollywood on June 23, 2018, in Los Angeles, California.

AFP

Plant Outage Allowance & Replacement Power

Forced Outage Allowance of five (5) days or one hundred twenty (120) hours.

Replacement power required only during outages beyond outage allowance at the option of DLPC (at contract price) Proponents must submit a diagram of its plant’s Connection Scheme with the Transmission Grid, which will be part of the over-all evaluation.

11

Connection Scheme and other Technical Characteristics

Plant technical specifications to ensure the reliability of the plant and its capability to be an immediate source of replacement power during outages of base load power plants: i. Physical location and proximity to DLPC Metering Points ii. N-1 connection to the grid

12

13

49. She accuses him of having forged her birth certificate so that her adoptive mother, who has since passed away, appeared as her biological parent.

When she turned 18, Madrigal’s adoptive mother told her she had been adopted.

Then in 2010 she read an article about the “stolen babies” affair which described the hospital where she was born as a central point of child trafficking in the 1960s and 70s in the final years of the dictatorship.

“I thought... my God, don’t tell me that this is my case,” Madrigal, a railway worker who now lives in the southeastern region of Mur-

cia, told AFP ahead of the trial.

She did some digging and discovered that her birth certificate was falsified.

“It was a huge blow,” Madrigal said.

Vela will be tried for falsifying official documents, illegal adoption, unlawful detention and falsifying the registration of a birth.

His lawyer Rafael Casas declined to comment when contacted by AFP. Madrigal’s adoptive mother, Ines Perez, said Vela told her to fake a pregnancy and to only consult him if her adopted daughter became sick, to ensure no one would discover what had happened. AFP

Stories we tell to serve as a U.S. Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. She was invited to be a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows. She was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Horatio Alger Award in recognition of “remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity.” She was on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative and the World Economic Forum at Davos. In 2015, she was included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in The World.

Her company, now renamed Theranos (from “therapy” and “diagnosis”), was featured twice by Wired magazine. The feature touted the company’s ability “to run 30 lab tests with a single drop of blood.”

Theranos has reportedly partnered with pharmacy chain Walgreens to distribute its “technology” to the latter’s wellness centers. However, the company had yet to disclose how this works or would work.

In December 2014, she, Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, was profiled in The New Yorker. Pulitzer-winning John Carreyrou of the Wall Street Journal read the same article, entitled “Blood, Simpler”.

To his recollection, Holmes’ explanation of how her technology would work sounded naïve, “more like a high school student than a sophisticated laboratory scientist.” He also found it strange that “nothing that she had supposedly discovered had undergone peer review.”

Less than a month after, Carreyrou received a tip from a practicing pathologist who shared the same skepticism. Consequently, he spoke with and interviewed several former Theranos employees. There was only one single revelation. Theranos was “overselling the efficacy of its technology.”

Simply, it didn’t work.

Despite protests and threats from Holmes and Theranos, John Carreyrou began and published a series of investigative articles critical of Theranos. Subsequently,

the company was inspected by the FDA and Centers for Medicare and Medicard Services (CMS). According to a CMS report, Theranos shows substandard blood testing practices that “pose immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety”.

In 2016, Forbes revised Holmes’ net worth from US4.5 billion to zero.

Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos were sued by “the US Securities and Exchange Commission for fraudulently raising more than US700 million… through false or exaggerated claims.” In June 2018, Holmes was indicted by a “federal grand jury on multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy.”

One article asks the following questions, “How did Holmes get so many big-name companies and board directors behind her vision? How did she raise so much money at such a high valuation? How did she garner so much media attention for technology that can’t deliver on its claims?”

An exclusive report published in Vanity Fair explained that stories such as Elizabeth Holmes’ are buoyed by venture capitalists (VC’s), entrepreneurs, and the tech press.

VC’s behave like gamblers who “bet a little bit on every company that they can with the hope that one of them hits it big.”

Entrepreneurs work mostly on meaningless stuff, and “generally glorify their efforts by saying their innovation could change the world”. And the press, they want to get scoops to generate page views.

In this story, it was Elizabeth Holmes.

Don’t we all have similar stories to tell?

Real Carpio So lectures at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. He is an entrepreneur and a management consultant. Comments are welcomed at realwalksonwater@ gmail.com. Archives can be accessed at realwalksonwater.wordpress.com. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

Form of Payment

Philippine Peso

Tariff Structure

Price for Generation must be broken down into Fixed Capacity Fee, Fixed and Variable O&M, and Energy Fees, or their equivalent including the applicable indexation and taxes.

Evaluation of price offers shall consider delivered cost at any of DLPC’s receiving points.

Spain’s first ‘stolen babies’ case goes to trial MADRID―A former doctor will go on trial on Tuesday in Madrid for allegedly stealing a newborn baby from her mother and giving her to another woman, a practice thought to have affected thousands of families during Spain’s dictatorship.

Eduardo Vela, an 85-year-old former obstetrician at Madrid’s San Ramon hospital, will become the first person in the dock over the “stolen babies” scandal, a dark chapter of the repressive Franco era that shook Spain when it eventually came to light in the 2000s.

Vela is suspected of having taken part in the 1969 theft of Ines Madrigal, now aged

Minimum Requirements of Supply

DLPC, through its Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (“TPBAC”), is inviting proposals with the following Minimum Requirements of Supply (“Bid”):

Trump official asked to leave WASHINGTON―A Virginia restaurant was inundated with reviews from both ends of the political spectrum Saturday after White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said its owner asked her to leave because of her job.

On Friday, a Facebook user claiming to be a waiter at The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia―around 70 miles southwest of Charlottesville-said he served Sanders “for a total of 2 minutes” before she and her party were asked to leave.

His post went viral when Brennan Gilmore, a musician, activist and former US diplomat, uploaded a screen shot to Twitter alongside an image of a handwritten note which read “86 - Sara Huckabee Sanders,” supposedly from the restaurant.

To “86” someone is a slang term meaning to refuse to serve

Bid Information

Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. (“DLPC”) is a duly franchised distribution utility engaged in the distribution of electricity within its franchise area in Davao City and the City of Panabo, and Municipalities of Carmen, Sto. Tomas and Braulio Dujali, province of Davao del Norte. DLPC is in need of the supply of electricity for its peaking requirements to meet the demand of its customers.

14

Other Cost Items

Other cost not enumerated in Tariff Structure that will be charged to DLPC

15

Taxes

Bidder to indicate applicable taxes

16

Performance Security

PhP100,000,000.00

17

Other Terms and Conditions

As set out in the power supply agreement

3.

Pre-Qualification Requirements

Parties intending to bid (“Prospective Bidders”) shall comply with the following prequalification requirements (“Pre-Qualification Requirements”): a.

submission of: (i) board resolution authorizing the Prospective Bidder to participate in the bidding; (ii) expression of interest to participate in the bidding in the form prescribed by the TPBAC; (iii) duly notarized non-disclosure undertaking in the form prescribed by the TPBAC; and (iv) written acceptance of the TOR in the form prescribed by the TPBAC [collectively, (i) to (iv) shall be referred to as the “Pre-Qualification Documents.”]

b.

payment of non-refundable bid processing fee of PhP100,000.00.

4.

Instruction to Bidders

Prospective Bidders may obtain a copy of the forms of the Pre-Qualification Documents at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy Sr. Street, Davao City, or by sending an email request to dlpc.csp.secretariat@aboitiz.com on or before 5:00 p.m. of June 28, 2018. Prospective Bidders shall submit the Pre-Qualification Documents and the proof of payment of the non-refundable bid processing fee at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy Sr. Street, Davao City on or before 5:00 p.m. of July 2, 2018 (the “PreQualification Deadline”).

On or before July 4, 2018, the TPBAC shall notify a Prospective Bidder whether it meets the Pre-Qualification Requirements for timeliness, completeness and conformity.

Only Prospective Bidders that have complied with the Pre-Qualification Requirements on time may be allowed to participate in the bidding and to obtain the bid documents, including the detailed terms of reference and bid procedures.

The TPBAC reserves the right to declare a failed bidding in the event that less than two (2) Prospective Bidders comply with the Pre-Qualification requirements. Further, the TPBAC reserves the right to reject a proposal or not proceed with an award that is reasonably determined not to redound to the benefit of the consumers of DLPC and cancel the bidding process at any time without liability to the TPBAC and DLPC. 5. Indicative Schedule Availability of Bid Documents Deadline for Submission of Comments and Questions on the Bid Pre-bid Conference Issuance of Bid Bulletin/s, if required Deadline for Submission of Bids (“Bid Submission Deadline”)

July 4 to 18, 2018 July 7,2018 July 9, 2018 July 9 to 13, 2018 5:00 p.m. of July 20, 2018

Opening of Bids Evaluation of Bids Declaration of Winning Bidder

July 23, 2018

Issuance of Notice of Award

July 26, 2018

Any amendment to the Schedule will be announced through Bid Bulletins.

Unless otherwise expressly specified in writing, all references to times and dates shall refer to Davao time. Unless otherwise expressly specified in writing, the venue of all the above shall be at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy, Sr. Street, Davao City.

For further information, please refer to: MARK A. VALENCIA Chairman, Third Party Bids and Awards Committee Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. Rondez Engineering Complex J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City Tel No. (082) - 2293537 Fax No. (082) - 2213082 Without any imposed formalities, conditions or incurring any liability to any affected proponents, DLPC reserves, at any time, the right to reject any or all submissions, waive any minor defects therein, decide or resolve matters arising from the bid, as it deems most advantageous to DLPC’s customers.

THIRD PARTY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE DAVAO LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, INC. By:

MARK A. VALENCIA Chairman, TPBAC June 18, 2018 (MS-JUNE 18 & 25, 2018)

LGUs

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

B4

Inton group backs Joy, says no problem with QC trikes

LocaL government units

monday, june 25, 2018

By Rio N. Araja

FIRE VICTIMS AIDED.

Manila Mayor Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada (center) hands out assistance to more than 300 families recently displaced by the huge fire on Geronimo St. in Barangay 432, Sampaloc, Manila. Estrada ordered all the service-oriented departments of the city to help the victims of the fire and provide them their basic needs. He assured the victims the city government will provide whatever they need so they could start a new life again. Also in photo are Manila Social Welfare head Nanet Tanyag, Councilors Antonio Capistrano and Bimbo Quintos.

Street lights to deter crime 23 law scholars sign pact with Davao City govt

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—A total of 23 Dabawenyos who qualified for the law assistance program under the Educational Benefits System Unit of the City Government of Davao have formally signed their contracts.

EBSU Technical Assistant Emilio Domingo, Jr. said 20 of the law students will receive full scholarship, while the remaining three will have a 50-percent scholarship grant.

The contract specified, among others, that to maintain their benefits, they should meet all the requirements, including good grades in College and a certification from the City Social Services and Development Office that they are indeed indigents.

The law school scholars are enrolled in schools in the city, such as the Ateneo de Davao University, the University of Mindanao, Jose Maria College and Rizal Memorial Colleges.

Amir Essam Ibrahim, a second year law student at the University of Mindanao, said the scholarship would be of great help to him.

“I am so thankful to the city government for this opportunity because it can help people like me in realizing my dream to become a lawyer,” he said.

Glazyle Gamy Aragon, a working student also found the scholarship helpful—especially in terms of financial aspect.

“I feel so blessed that I qualified for the scholarship, especially so that I am a working student and I struggled to manage my studies and work. Now that I have the scholarship, it can help me make my dreams of becoming a lawyer come true,” she said.

In addition to the full and half tuition fee scholarship grants, the scholars will also receive P8,000 in book allowance.

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Sunday said he wants the entire city lighted up, from major thoroughfares to barangay streets, as an anti-crime measure during nighttime and in continuance of his urban renewal and beautification program for the capital city.

One basic requirement for a peaceful, crime-free community is lighting, street lighting in particular. This is because a well-lit place discourages the commission of crime. And towards this end, the mayor trained his sights.

Adequate and working street lights also promote business and tourism, as residents and officials of any big city in the world will testify.

These are the underlying reasons why Mayor Joseph Estrada, who is now nearing his third and final term as mayor of the City of Manila, is pursuing the putting up of street lights in the city’s six districts.

Among the latest lighting projects

finished by the City Electrician’s Office headed by Engr. Lorenzo Alconera are in Wagas St., from Moriones to Zaragosa, Zaragosa St. from Wagas to Luwalhati and Luwalhati St. from Zaragosa to Sandico, and Quezon St. from Moriones to C2 Capulong St., all in Tondo.

Others include Tomas Mapua St. from Alvarez to Ongpin, Antonio Rivera St. from Recto Ave. to Tayuman, Anonas and Hipodromo Streets in Sta. Mesa and Sergio Loyola St. from Recto Ave. to Matimyas St. in Sampaloc.

Engineer Alconera said all these new street lights use LED lamps that are environment-friendly, sturdy, and cheap to maintain, aside from their proven

durability and reliability in giving the needed illumination in city streets.

“Every city street, district, zone and barangay is a priority in our street lighting program. Each area, whether residential, commercial, industrial, educational, tourist-oriented or religious and historical, is an important part of the city and will not be left out in this effort to light up Manila,” said Mayor Estrada.

Every Christmas season when thousands of Manilans and other residents flock to Divisoria in Tondo and Binondo to buy gifts and goods, the mayor sees to it that enough lighting facilities are installed in the said marketing areas.

In 2016, Estrada personally led the inauguration of 137 brand-new lampposts along Benavidez and Asuncion Streets in the Divisoria area. This is because the 1.5-kilometer length of the area was dimly lit then.

PLASTIC TO CHAIRS. Senator

Cynthia Villar (center) shows visitors how recycled plastic is turned into school chairs, desks and benches, and other types of furniture at the Villar SIPAG Waste Plastic Recycling Factory in Barangay Ilaya, Las Piñas City.

Two other factories have been set up by the Villar SIPAG Foundation in Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro cities to cover the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

A COMMUTER rights group on Sunday backed Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte’s opposition to the proposed ban on for-hire tricycles being used as school shuttles.

Ariel Inton, founder of the Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, stressed there is no law prohibiting students from using tricycles as school service.

“Let’s not make a simple issue complicated. Students are not prohibited to ride a tricycle in going to and from the school.

There is no such law banning it,” he said.

Considered illegal are overloading, colorum and out-of-line tricycles and other public utility vehicles, he added.

Belmonte earlier expressed opposition to the suggestion of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (to ban the use of the tricycles as school bus.)

If the for-hire tricycle is not colorum, overloading or out-of-line, such mode of transportation should still be allowed to serve as school shuttle service, she said.

Inton echoed Belmonte’s stance that tricycles are still safe to use and are more practical.

Tricycles are being patronized mostly by public school students from poor families who neither have private cars nor the financial capability to pay for more expensive school bus fees, Inton said.

“When a public motorized tricycle is carrying students, does it mean it is already a school service? he asked.

Belmonte earlier said the LTFRB should have first coordinated to the local government units its operations against tricycles ferrying students to and from the schools.

Be better, new Navotas village officials dared

By Jun David NAVOTAS Mayor John Rey Tiangco led the mass oathtaking of the newlyelected officials of the city’s 18 barangays recently at the Navotas Sports Complex Thursday.

Tiangco challenged them to be good role models and be the agents of change in their respective barangays.

“As leaders, we should set a good example to our constituents. Whenever we perceive or encounter a problem, let us be the first to take action,” he said.

Tiangco also reminded them that public service is laborious and not for the faint-hearted.

“Being a public servant is not easy.

There is always someone needing your help. Even so, no hardship can diminish the sense of fulfillment you get knowing you have eased someone’s burden and made their life better,” he said.

Tiangco, who have been mayor of Navotas for eight years now, said he was initially hesitant to run for office in 2010.

However, his mind changed after becoming a member of the School Governing Council in one of the city’s public elementary schools and seeing the needs of the education sector.

P4-m organic seed storage facility to be built for Vizcaya farmers

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAGABAG, Nueva Vizcaya—A P4million Organic Seed Storage will be built in barangay Tapaya here to boost organic agriculture in the province.

Lorenzo Caranguian, DA regional director said the facility will provide panting materials for farmers involved in organic farming.

“We see an increasing trend on the number of farmers adopting organic agriculture and we will provide sufficient assistance such as this facility to further increase their production of organic products,” he said.

Caranguian said there is a big demand of organic agriculture products in the local and international market, but the region has yet to come up with the

Leyte PDLs gain school gear, computers

By Ronald O. Reyes

ABUYOG, Leyte—Sixty-three persons deprived of liberty turned students at the Leyte Regional Prison here received a new pair of shoes, socks, school bags, some laptops, and computers from the employees of Standard Chartered Bank on Saturday.

Leyte division education officials headed by superintendent Ronelo Al Firmo and his assistant schools’ division superintendent Edgar Tenasas, along with Corrections Senior Superintendent Geraldo I. Aro, thanked the bank employees for their “package of surprises” to the PDLs in support to their senior high school studies.

Tenasas, in his speech, said that as they continue to search for partners in the opera-

tion of their senior high school program inside the correctional facility, they are lucky to have the assistance from the Standard Chartered Bank employees led by Mai Sangalang, the Philippines Head of Corporate Affairs/ Brand and Marketing, who personally came to the prison facility.

Aro also expressed appreciation to the efforts of the bank, adding that its help is very timely for the rehabilitation of their PDLs. “We started from scratch here. We’re always thankful of your help,” Aro told the bank employees.

For her part, Sangalang said that they didn’t think twice about helping the PDLs. “If there is one message that we would like to give you, it is the message of hope. Even though you’re here, don’t lose hope,” said Sangalang, who turned emotional during her speech.

small production of organic products.

The groundbreaking of the OSS was part of the 2 day 3rd Regional Organic Agriculture Congress held at the Highlander Hotel and Resort in Solano town.

Caranguian said they were impressed with the turnout of delegates to the ROAC since they only expected more than a hundred participants.

“With the more than 400 partici-

pants who attended the congress, we are very optimistic that we can increase our production of organic products in the coming years,” he said.

The OSS which will be built inside the Nueva Vizcaya Experimental Station of the DA will serve as a repository of organic seeds for use of organic agriculture practitioners in Cagayan Valley.

Mai Sangalang (right), the Philippines Head of Corporate Affairs/ Brand and Marketing of Standard Chartered Bank, receives a plaque of appreciation from Leyte division schools superintendent Ronelo Al Firmo and Leyte Regional Prison Corrections Senior Superintendent Geraldo I. Aro for their educational support to the 63 persons deprived of liberty turned senior high school students in Abuyog, Leyte.

Ronald Reyes

Life

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

food

Keso de bola macaron

Mindanao-inspired lechon stuffed with goat’s cheese and semi-bitter tablea from Malagos Farms

monday, june 25, 2018

The ‘cherry’ is filled with black forest cake, while the leaf and twig are made of chocolate.

C1

Adobo duck confit

Bold Filipino

Flavors T

He only way to truly enjoy Diamond Hotel’s filipino Culinary Pride is to come in hungry and bring with you your inner child—the one who’s unafraid to try new dishes, the one who’s always ready for a new adventure.

Chef Sau del Rosario and Chef Miko Aspiras

The food festival is headlined by Chef Sau del Rosario and Chef Miko aspiras—a deadly combination of an avant-garde teacher who has trained a lot of culinary greats and a former student who has carved his own name as a pastry chef.

The two are known for their bold approaches to traditional filipino dishes, creating masterpieces with unexpected twists and new interpretations.

Some of the food served in the buffet may be too different or too deconstructed for comfort, but props still to Chef Sau and Chef Miko for taking that brave step toward innovation. for starters, try the plump aklan oysters ceviche, served with a bit of coconut cream and calamansi and topped with homemade chicharon; paku (forest fern) with kesong puti, watermelon, palm vinegar, and salted egg; and Chef Sau’s signature Tamales Pampangueña, a savory pudding made of ground rice topped with shredded chicken.

The tamales, Chef Sau said, was brought to the country by the Spaniards, who originally used corn and corn husk.

Since corn was not organic to the Philippines, filipinos then used ground rice and banana leaves as substitute. for Kapampangans, however, tamales, which goes by the name boboto, has a deeper historical relevance.

“Before, it was only men who were allowed to vote while the women would be cooking tamales. The women would remark that it was as if they also voted from the sweat they invested in cooking tamales, that’s why they called it boboto,” said Chef Sau. The soup that Chef Sau prepared during the exclusive media preview was bulanglang, which is reminiscent of sinigang but uses guava to provide the perfect balance of sourness and a hint of sweetness. Ripe guava is also mashed to thicken the soup.

The main dishes are equally bold in flavor: maya-maya mayonesa with aioli, olives, and capers; crispy pork karekare macadamia and truffle oil, the macadamia providing a smoother and a bit sweeter sauce contrasting well with homemade bagoong; adobo duck confit; and salted egg prawns with aligue-calamansi aioli dip.

But the showstoppers, really, are the three kinds of lechon: from Luzon, which is stuffed with buro; from Visayas, which is filled with pickled Guimaras mangoes; and from Mindanao, which is stuffed with goat’s cheese and semi-bitter tablea from Malagos farms. The Mindanao-inspired lechon, in particular, may be polarizing given the bitterness of the tablea that makes dipping into the sauce made of liver and balsamic vinegar a must.

Chef Miko’s desserts reflected his playful take in creating dishes—from the tempting “mansanas” made of dulce de leche mousse and apple compote dipped in red glaze, complete with a single twig and leaf made of chocolate, to the luscious “cherry” filled with black forest cake.

He also prepared keso de bola macarons, a salty-sweet dessert that would pair well with coffee, as well as a giant ube ensaymada as homage to the pastry that Diamond Hotel has become known for.

Diamond Hotel’s filipino food festival is truly an interesting and sumptuous spread. Catch it until July 1 and be prepared to be amazed by new flavors while reminiscing memories of traditional comfort food.

I’m at joyce.panares@gmail.com.

Kaffea coffee at a national fair Kaffea premium coffee blend shared the spotlight with other local coffee brands at the National arts and Crafts fair held on June 14-17 at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall.

The fair, which featured 150 micro, small, and medium enterprises from different regions across the country, was supported by Sen. Loren Legarda, who is known as an environmentalist and staunch supporter of the Philippine culture and arts sector.

Kaffea Healthy Coffee Blend, which has gained popularity not as an ordinary beverage but as a healthy source of natural antioxidants, was present at the fair Kaffea uses coconut sugar which helps regulate blood sugar and maintain weight. Coconut sugar is known for its

amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that provide health benefits. It has low glycemic index and it has insulin fiber that promotes digestive health and bone strength as well as reduces cholesterol.

The homegrown coffee brand was formulated by a scientist and nutrition expert. aside from its natural sweetener, the coffee blend also comes with natural healthy supplements like agaricus mushroom, collagen, CoQ10, and grape seed extract.

The company behind the brand, Star Kaffea Corporation is a filipino company and a licensed food trader accredited by the food and Drug administration.

The fDa has likewise approved the product’s nutrition label.

Kaffea coffee blend is also Halal-certi-

Irene Marcos and Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion director Rhodora M. Leaño

TV host/model Janelle Tee (left) helps sell Kaffea Healthy Coffee during the National Arts and Crafts Fair at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall.

fied, a guarantee of the product’s quality.

Kaffea is available nationwide at CityMall GoLokal stores, and online at It is a unique healthy beverage option that Rustan’s, Shopwise, SM Hypermarket lazada.com.ph and beautymnl.com. Call is a Philippine original.

Bazaar, SM Market Street, SM Kultura, (02) 477-9920 for orders and inquiries.

Life

C2

monday, june 25, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Healthy dining in the metro IT’S always easy to find a restaurant in Metro Manila, but to find one that serves dishes packed with health benefits is another thing.

To offer the dining public tasty and guilt-free options, Doña Elena Olive Oil teams up with Raintree Group of Restaurants, which includes Chelsea Kitchen in Eastwood Mall, Museum Café at the Ayala Center, and Providore in SM Aura BGC. Throughout the months of June and July, these three restaurants will offer limited edition dishes that don’t scrimp on taste and flavor.

Chicken Pesto Fusilli Pasta at Chelsea Kitchen

Equal parts filling and flavorful, Chelsea Kitchen’s protein-rich Chicken and Pesto Pasta is made with Doña Elena Al Dente Fusilli Pasta, Pure Olive Oil, and Classic Green Pesto Sauce, mixed with the ideal portion of cooking cream. It is topped with grilled slices of chicken and toasted croutons.

Doubly rich but deliciously balanced, the smooth gorgonzola dip is made creamy with parmesan and breadcrumbs.

Eastwood Mall, Eastwood Ave, Bagumbayan, Quezon City; 0917-8811843

Yellow Cab serves two pizza flavors in one with its 2-in-1 Pizza

2 pizzas in 1 pan

Slow Poached Salmon Confit at Museum Café

Irresistibly low-calorie and tasty, M Café’s Slow Poached Salmon Confit uses the clean taste and firm texture of Norwegian salmon. It is a combination of the light but flavorful Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil, rosemary herbs, Doña Elena Black and Green Olives, and a generous spread of Doña Elena Red Pesto Sauce. This dish also comes with a healthy portion of marble potato wrapped in sour cream and fresh arugula, making it a great choice for pescetarians, light eaters, and those who simply want more Omega-3 in their diet.

Ayala Center Makati, Dela Rosa Street, Makati; (02) 757-3000

L

ife is too short to choose between two pizza flavors, that’s why filipino fast food chain Yellow Cab Co. offers its 2-in-1 Pizza.

Starting at P399, customers can choose to combine any two of Yel Yellow Cab’s mouth-watering pizza flavors in one hot pan. There are no pre-selected combina combinations, so customers are free to mix-and-match flavors to their tummy’s desire.

Here are sample combinations to try: 4 Pepper and #4 Cheese for a kick of peppery spice in every bite matched with the oozing creaminess of cheese; New York Classic and Hawaiian for that perfect balance of sweet and savory; and Manhattan Meat Lovers and Roasted Garlic & Shrimp for meat and seafood lovers alike.

The 2-in-1 Pizza can also be bundled with Charlie Chan Pasta, Hot Chix Wings, and 1.5L soda for P999.

The 2-in-1 Piz Pizza is now avail available for dinein, takeout, and delivery in all Yel Yellow Cab branches nationwide.

New York Classic and Hawaiian

Chorizo and Tiger Prawn at Providore

Lovingly poured with Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil, the Chorizo and Tiger Prawn is a fresh take on an old favorite. Adding to its lively and bright flavors are the smoked pimenton, Spanish chorizo, and tiger prawn gambas best partnered with olive focaccia bread. Its delicate combination of spice and aromatic flavors also makes it perfect with rice.

Ground Floor SM Aura BGC, Taguig; (02) 802-9448 When it comes to creating dishes that pack a ton of nutrients such as a high amount of antioxidants, polyphenols, and oleic acids, while guaranteeing great taste, Doña Elena Olive Oil is the perfect partner. Each bottle is loaded with vitamins E, K, and A that help prevent cardiovascular diseases, fight bad cholesterol, and trim down fat and calories in dishes.

Manhattan Meat Lovers and Roasted Garlic and

sip

Costa Coffee celebrates

3 anniversary with free latte rd

BRITISH coffeehouse chain Costa Coffee celebrates its third year in Manila with a store-wide promotion, dubbed #ThanksALatte.

On June 29, Costa Coffee is giving away free 9 oz. Ice Shaken Latte from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to customers who will sing “Happy Birthday Costa.”

This offer is valid in all Costa Coffee branches located at Robinsons Galleria; Robinsons Place Manila; Robinsons Place Antipolo; Robinsons Metro East; Robinsons

Supermarket, Robinsons Galleria; Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Place Manila; Robinsons Selections, Venice Grand Canal; Robinsons Equitable Tower; Robinsons Summit Center; Cyber Sigma, McKinley West; Tera Tower, Bridgetown; Citywalk 1, Eastwood; UP Town Center; The Block, SM North Edsa; SM City Manila; Robinsons Magnolia; Cebu Pacific Air Build Building; and Robinsons Cybergate.

Chef Ilan Bacher’s all-beef burger available at The Fireplace

Can you beat this burger?

Costa Coffee’s Ice Shaken Latte

CAN you finish an entire 1.2-kilogram burger made of all-beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion jam on a toasted brioche bun, along with homemade chips, salad, and iced tea within 20 minutes?

If you can, head to The Fireplace at AG New World Manila Bay Hotel and

take on the Man vs. Burger Challenge happening this month. Diners who can finish the burger set within the required time no longer have to pay. Regular price for the set is P1,500.

For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 252-6888.

Entertainment

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

‘American Made,’‘Sharp Objects’ premiere on Sky

H

BO on SKY fire up its July must-watch list with the Tom Cruise-starrer American Made and an HBO Original Series adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s debut novel, Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams.

Simply Red...

From C4

Have hope lupus patients. That’s the battle cry of Hope for Lupus Foundation that DIWA Party List Representative Emmeline Aglipay-Villar along with Melanie Cuevas, Lila Shahani, Paulo Lorenzo and Geraldine Zamora Racaza founded in 2016.

Aglipay-Villlar, and her hubby was amazed of the foundation. Her husband, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar is a huge fan of his wife and a very avid supporter of the foundation’s.

Recently, at the Crown Hotel in Ortigas, the DIWA Representative launched another book to help guide lupus warriors. Secretary Villar who married Emm knowing she had lupus was very proud of her latest achievement.

The book titled Lupus, kayang-kaya ko ‘to! aims to raise awareness about lupus, an autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, and provide support for those affected.

It is an abridged Filipino version of the first book Living Better with Lupus.

“The Hope for Lupus Foundation launched its second book entitled Lupus, kayang-kaya ko ‘to! an info-graphic booklet written in conversational Filipino, which contains concise and basic information about lupus. It will be distributed for free in all health centers and government hospitals all over the Philippines. I’m proud of you, sweetheart!” Aglipay-Villar said. *** Filming has begun on the 10-episode sixth season of Cinemax’s high-octane drama series Strike Back, which will be shot entirely in Malaysia. Returning stars Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson and Alin Sumarwata are joined by new cast members Jamie Bamber and Yasemin Allen.

When a Russian bomber crashes in the South China Sea, the covert special-ops soldiers of Section 20—Thomas “Mac” McAllister (Warren Brown), Samuel Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) and Gracie Novin (Alin Sumarwata)—are sent on a mission to investigate. There, they cross paths with Katrina Zarkova (Yasemin Allen), a rogue Russian operative with questionable loyalties.

Under orders of the new commanding officer, Col. Alexander Coltrane (Jamie Bamber), Section 20 pursues stolen contents of the Russian jet across Southeast Asia. They will work alongside the Malaysian police to shut down a Triad gang in Kuala Lumpur, uncover a corrupt plot by a wealthy Indian businesswoman running for Parliament and plunge into the jungles of the Golden Triangle in Myanmar, facing off against mercenary drug agents and terrifying warlords, as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens to push the world to the brink of global conflict.

Jack Lothian, writer and executive producer, says, “We’re delighted to be back with Cinemax and Sky for a new season of Strike Back. We have fantastic actors and crew members who work incredibly hard to provide big-screen action for the small screen, with all the drama, high stakes, and mayhem that involves, and I can’t wait for the audience to see the twists and turns we’ve got lined up.”

This new season marks Cinemax’s sixth in the Strike Back franchise. Viewers can stream the entire five seasons of Strike Back on HBO GO.

'Strike Back' is a British/American actionadventure/spy-drama television series based on a novel of the same name.

American Made is a Doug Liman-directed feature on the life of American pilot Barry Seal who was tapped by the CIA to fly undercover investigative missions to Central America as the US faced a growing communist threat in the region. Seal soon becomes embroiled in one of the biggest CIA operations in history that nearly toppled the Reagan administration.

The movie received wide critical acclaim for its frenetic pace, highlighted by Cruise’s energetic performance and charisma. Also in the cast are Domhnall Gleeson and Sara Wright. American Made premieres on July 14 at 9:00 p.m..

Meanwhile, in the new HBO Original Series Sharp Objects, Amy Adams plays Camile Preaker, a journalist investigating the murders of young girls in her hometown. As she digs deeper into the cases, she identifies with the victims, through her own life-scarring past.

Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins, and Matt Craven join Adams in this eight-part series. Sharp Objects premieres on July 9 at 9:00 a.m., airing at the same time as the U.S. Also not to be missed are 2017 DC superhero hit, Wonder Woman and the finale episode of Westworld Season 2 airing at the same time as the U.S. on June 25 (Monday) at 9:00 a.m..

Viewers subscribed to One SKY as well as new subscribers of HBO Pak or HBO GO have a chance to win gadgets through the channel’s ongoing promo “Ready, Gadgets, Go!” They will instantly earn e-raffle entries for a chance to win one of five entertainment showcases, including a 49” Samsung HDTV, Samsung Galaxy S9, and a 13-inch Macbook Air. The promo runs until July 31.

HBO GO is HBO’s streaming app that is exclusive to SKY subscribers that allows them to watch HBO shows and movies anytime, anywhere, on their mobile devices, best enjoyed with the fiber-powered broadband of One SKY. Viewers on One SKY get to win gadgets when they watch. Visit www.mysky.com.ph/ hbopromo for more information.

SMPFC establishes scholarship fund for culinary, hospitality students SAN MIGUEL Pure Foods Company, Inc., has established a scholarship fund through the new Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC) to hone future restauranteurs and hoteliers.

Through SMPFC’s support, DHMC will grant scholarships to deserving students in its Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management and Professional Advancement programs.

Launched in 2016, DHMC will be housed on the first 10 floors of the nearly completed 26-floor DusitD2 Hotel The Fort Manila. The college will offer world-class education facilities including practical kitchens and restaurants.

“Education is a very important aspect of our corporate social responsibility. We hope that our support for DHMC will enable future culinary and hospitality experts gain better skills and knowledge to support their educational pursuits,” SMPFC president Francisco Alejo III said.

“DHMC was designed to develop globally competitive professionals. SMPFC’s generosity will allow us to offer students the education and training at par with the highest international standards,” said Evelyn R. Singson, Dusit Hospitality Education Phil.

Inc. president.

OUT of a hundred kids who auditioned for the 15th edition of Ever Kiddie Stars (EKS), only two emerged as champion, following in the footsteps of past winners who are now making a name in entertainment and in various fields.

Last June 3 at the Ever Commonwealth, seven boys and seven girls made it to the grand finals.

Each one of them gleefully joined in the various segments of the search, such as the Hollywood Icon Costume and Talent Portion. A wide variety of talents, such as singing, dancing, acting, gymnastics, beatboxing, and even reciting names of various countries were witnessed by the judges and the audience. The final part of the competition, the Q&A portion, brought out the best in each of the finalists, showcasing their wisdom even at a very young age.

Headed by Chie Arao-Santos, Corporate Marketing Manager of Ever Malls, the panel of judges includes representatives from the event sponsors, celebrities Arthur Solinap and Dianne Medina, and EKS 2004 grand winner, Ryza Maureen Rosillon.

Due to the high-level of energy and the showmanship of the finalists, it became difficult

Monday, June 25, 2018

57 Political alliance 61 Great Lakes port 62 Buffalo puckster 64 Third-quarter tide 65 Feels awful 66 Gourmet delicacy 67 Get pooped out 68 Mosquito, to us 69 Grimm villain 70 Wild plum DOWN 1 Tinny sound 2 Culture dish goo 3 Make an appearance 4 Politburo’s place 5 Gym offering 6 Stately tree 7 Party-tray cheese 8 Pertaining to monks and nuns 9 North African port 10 Snaked around 11 Tally 12 Not mine 14 Voter’s dilemma 20 Fails to retain

22 Be sorry for 24 Paying rent 26 Nod off 27 Summit 28 Ricci or Foch 30 Slip sideways 32 Closeout 34 Orchidlike flower 35 Pier foundation 36 Get fresh 39 Strong coffee 40 Former Sears rival 43 Zaniest 46 Concurs

commitment to open up opportunities to young minds through quality education,” Singson added.

San Miguel Pure Foods Company Inc., (SMPFC) has established a scholarship fund through the new Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC), an international school dedicated to honing the next generation of world-class restauranteurs and hoteliers. As part of SMPFC’s pledge, DHMC will be offering scholarships to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management and Professional Advancement programs.

From left: DHMC and DusitD2 the Fort Manila director of Culinary Arts Cyrille Soenen, DHMC and DusitD2 the Fort Manila managing director Lars Eltvik, Dusit Hospitality Education Phil. Inc. president Evelyn R. Singson, SMPFC president Francisco S. Alejo III, SMPFC board of director Menardo Jimenez, and SMPFC-Great Food Solutions vice president and general manager Helene Pontejos.

Ever Kiddie Stars Year 15 grand winners named

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Stuff the suitcase 5 Give the appearance of 9 On vacation 13 Stravinsky or Sikorsky 14 Where’s —?

15 Company emblem 16 Specify 17 Person 18 Expert 19 Mischief-maker 21 Seafarer 23 Union branch 25 Glove leathers 26 Breakfast pastry 29 Fragrant compound 31 Hazard a guess 32 H.H. Munro 33 Tiny tastes 37 Koan discipline 38 What landlubbers get 41 Estuary 42 Reason to cram 44 Lost traction 45 Uses stamps 47 Rockies resort 49 Gridiron options 50 Sincerity 53 Toothed wheels 55 Earphones

The four-year BS Hospitality Management program will be certified by Switzerland’s École Hôtelière de Lausanne, a pioneer in hospitality education and recognized as the best hotel management school in the world. The professional advancement and culinary programs, on the other hand, will be introduced in collaboration with France’s Institut Paul Bocuse, a school that combines tradition and innovation using the art of French hospitality and cuisine.

“But beyond the monetary value of their support, I am grateful for the company’s

48 Plea for help 49 Sheet of plywood 50 Shoddy 51 Eagle’s lair 52 Hardware purchase 54 Spine-tingling 56 Zip 58 Playwright — Simon 59 Purple potato 60 D’Artagnan prop 63 Soap purchase

for the judges to choose the grand winners. But in the end, named EKS Year 15 Grand Winners were Sean Kevin Inocencio and Camille Ronquillo. The 1st runners up were Angelo Rhein Chanyongco and Sofia Jayzel Cabatay, while in second place were Kyle Ian Baterna and Brianna Zathalia Martin.

Aside from acquiring the coveted title, the grand winners also received PhP350,000 worth of prizes and a trip to Hong Kong. As grand winners, they will be given talent training and skills development to further hone their personalities – paving the way for a brighter career whether it will be in the entertainment industry or other fields.

Since 2004, EKS has been bringing talented kids to the limelight. The secret of this long-running competition is all about making the parents and kids as partners in this special journey.

“The search is not just a plain contest. We also try to really get to know the contestants, what they are up to, what their talents are. We also talk to their parents,” Arao-Santos explained. “With this kind of mindset, both the Ever Malls and parents work together in honing the talents and skills of the kids.”

Ever Kiddie Stars winners Sean Kevin B. Inocencio and Camille V. Ronquillo

EKS lives up to the branding of Ever Malls: “Ever is a family mall. In each family, there are kids who will always be eager to showcase their talents on stage,” she said. “It is a pleasure and privilege for Ever Malls to see kids fulfill their dreams and aspirations and making their parents very proud and happy through this competition.”

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

C4

Entertainment

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

Sisters brand ambassador Myrtle Sarrosa

ISAH V. RED

'The Write Moment' is a film about a heartbroken writer trying to get back with an ex through his romantic comedy hugot script but fails and instead finds himself magically livingout the scenes he has written.

How does an ordinary guy get the

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN?

By Nickie Wang

N

O, THIS is neither your guide to finding the woman of your dreams nor a list of practical tips on increasing your odds in the dating game. It’s a question I had when I first saw the poster of the The Write Moment, a film that stars Jerald Napoles and Valeen Montenegro.

Directed by Dominic Lim, The Write Moment was an original entry to last year’s QCinema International Film festival.

At first, since it’s a romantic comedy, you’d think that it’s kind of your fantasy version of Kita Kita with Jerald as your Empoy and Valeen as your Alessandra de Rossi. But there’s more to it than the beautiful girl meets not-so-handsome guy premise. The movie presents surreal moments that can take viewers to a wildly entertaining trip to the dark side of love.

Here, Jerald is a wedding videographer and occasional movie script writer named Dave. He writes a screenplay depicting their happy ending and surprisingly finds himself living out his written story with a mysterious twist. Veleen, on the other hand, is Joyce, Dave’s dulcinea.

Unlikely as their pair may be, this team up proved to be an effective combination in presenting the poignant yet hilarious

scenes of fantasy love story gone wrong.

Anyone who has suffered heartbreak, or even those who have a penchant for stories of the lovelorn who still fight for love, will surely relate to this film’s unorthodox hugot lines and laugh at the cheeky humor of this fantasy comedy.

The story itself is an existential journey depicting the realities of life and love, which is perfectly played out by Jerald and Valeen with their palpable chemistry and their own individual flairs and eccentricities.

“If you already have the chemistry, the only thing that you need is the right timing,” Valeen said referring to her being cast with Jerald.

“Honestly, I would want any other leading man than Jerald. I was comfortable with him and I trusted the director because I was in good hands,” Valeen said and added,”He his passionately funny.”

Asked if she can fall in love with an

"The Write Moment' director Dominic Lim (left) with the stars of the film, TV actress Valeen Montenegro (center) and comedian and theater actor Jerald Napoles.

ugly guy she responded, “I am more of a conversational type of person who finds someone’s humor attractive. Hindi ko sinasabing pangit si Je, kasi yan yung parang gusto niyong palabasin.”

According to its director, the film is inspired by his experience. He wrote the story not exactly to get back with an ex through his romantic comedy hugot script but to imagine what would be the closure like be to his unsuccessful romantic experience if he had made some different decisions.

“In a sense, may pinanggalingan siya.

The film is not exactly based on my experience though but the scenes that we have on this film are very sincere. I had a heartbreak years back and we didn’t have a proper closure. So what I did, I wrote a story that would serve as conclusion to that romance that didn’t have a happy ending,” Lim shared and further added that for him making the film was both experimental and therapeutic.

Produced by IdealFirst Comapany and Viva Films with CMB Films, The Write Moment opens in cinemas nationwide on Wednesday.

Two decades of Aegis music ANNE Curtis, Jericho Rosales, Karla Estrada, Jett Pangan, and Vice Ganda are set to rock the stage with the iconic and phenomenal 90s band Aegis as it celebrates its 20th anniversary in the music business with a concert dubbed as Aegis: Doble Dekada, Ang Soundtrack ng Buhay Mo on July 13 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“This is our biggest challenge in 20 years, to perform first time in Araneta. Before we were just guests” said vocalist Julet Sonot. “We’re happy to be singing and performing with them,” Juliet continued.

Aegis is composed of vocalists Juliet Sonot, Mercy Sunot-Borjal, and Kris Sunot, keyboardist Stella Maries Galindo-Pabico, drummer Vilma Goloviogo, bassist Rowena “Weng”

Pinpin-Adriano, and guitarist Rey Abenoja.

The ABS-CBN Events production will be directed by Frank Lloyd Mamaril.

Tickets to the OPM great’s Aegis: Doble Dekada, Ang Soundtrack ng Buhay Mo concert are priced at P5,830 (VVIP), P4,240 (VIP), P3,180 (Patron A), P2,650 (Patron B), P1,275 (Box), P850 (Upper Box), and P320 (General Admission).

For inquiries, contact ABS-CBN Events at 413-1222/0915-036-9464 or Ticketnet at 911-5555. Information may also be found on ABS-CBN Events’ official social media accounts at Facebook.com/ABSCBNnetwork/ events or @abscbnevents on Twitter and Instagram.

Scenes from the fantasy romantic comedy directed by newcomer Dominic Lim.

NAMCYA applications now open FOR FILIPINO young musicians and teachers of music, the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) is now open for applications for the 20418 competitions in p[piano, voice, strings, rondalla, choir, and traditional music.

Deadline of submission is on July 27. For more information visit www. namcya.com or call NAMCYA office at 836 4928.

Aegis Band is joined by Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales in its anniversary concert.

Broad Comm grad is Sisters’ best bet IF YOU still don’t know, some TV stars now are smarter than most who don’t have to face the cameras every day.

Like Myrtle Sarrosa, who I am surprised to know, is a fellow UP CMC graduate (she was graduated in August last year with a B.A. degree major I Broadcast communication, cum laude).

Myrtle shares her experience as brand ambassador of Sister. This is her third year.

According to her, it was always nice to visit different schools and bond with teens as they go through a phase in their life that really needs guidance and support especially when they finally have a period, this is the perfect time to share to them how they can take care of their hygiene and the perfect napkin they can use no matter what time of the day.

Myrtle says she loves Sisters Napkin because it is guaranteed to make teens and women tagos free plus they can move around freely without worrying from heavy flow.

On Myrtle’s third year of endorsing Sisters, she has already visited about 30 high schools for the “School is Cool” advocacy of Megasoft, which has given recognition to outstanding students and teachers in more than 50 high schools nationwide.

With its enormous success, this year’s “School is Cool” tour will now include state universities and colleges.

Megasoft VP for Sales and Marketing Aileen Choi-Go welcomes this development, “This is a new one for us, we have been receiving invitations from state universities and colleges for our School Is Cool advocacy. They also would want their students to experience our fun-filled educational event.

So, this year we will not only be entertaining high school but also college students.”

“Big sis is a great influence in my life. She has given me advice from the must watch online series to travel tips and business ventures.

She even let me join her business conferences.” Myrtle reveals. Big Sis is no less than Aileen ChoiGo. “I’ve been giving little sis my support, when she was still a student balancing school and showbiz, when she graduated cum laude and now that she has expressed interest in business. I’ve seen her hard work and I’m happy it’s paying off.” says Aileen.

Myrtle will soar to the big screen as a superhero in the upcoming fantasy film Wander Bra under Blue Rock Productions with Zeus Collins and Cacai Bautista.

She is also set to sign a movie contract with Regal Films.

On Television, Myrtle will b in Bachelorette on Cignal TV with Edgar Allan Guzman and will be reporting sports highlights in First Five for TFS’s Sports & Action.

VariousTV guest appearances are also lined up on Kapamilya Network.

Myrtle also bannered the “2018 Megasoft School is Cool Tour” in Quezon on June 13 at Atimonan National Comprehensive High School and Gumaca National High School. She will also be in Sto. Tomas, La Union for the 2nd Sanglad Festival on July 19 and Waltermart, Tarlac on July 21. Continued on C3