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Mocha’s federal pitch draws flak By Nat Mariano, Vito Barcelo and Macon RamosAraneta PALACE ofﬁcials, senators and members of the Consultative Committee that drafted a federal constitution expressed disgust Monday at a video posted by

Presidential Communications Operations Ofﬁce Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson that used female body parts as a mnemonic device to promote federalism. In the video posted Sunday afternoon on her Facebook page, Uson is seen cheering as her co-host, Andrew Olivar sings “I-pepe” and “I-dede”—referring Next page

VOL. XXXII • NO. 173 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Duterte sticks to Sara’s party Hugpong braces for head-on clash with PDP-Laban By Nat Mariano

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte considers Hugpong ng Pagbabago as his primary political party, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

THE METAMORPHOSIS. The campaign commercial in 2013 of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod of the Duterte father-and-daughter tandem has morphed in 2018 into a regional party—the Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Nat’l ID signed Marcos asks SC justice to inhibit from poll protest vs Leni into law; privacy By Rey E. Requejo fears allayed By Nat Mariano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Monday a bill seeking to establish a single national identification system in the country. “Today, I... signed the Philippine Identification System Act, a measure that will establish a single national identification system that will promote good governance, enhance governmental transactions, and create a more conducive Next page

Primer on draft Con-Com Charter By Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino Con-Com 2018 Member

(16th of a series) Q: There used to be only one Supreme Court that was the repository of judicial power, together with the statutorily created courts. There are now three Next page

FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday sought for the immediate inhibition of Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa from further participating in his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, citing the magistrate and his wife’s undeniably close ties with former President Benigno Aquino III and the vice president. In an extreme urgent motion to inhibit ﬁled with the Supreme Court, which acts as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Marcos said he recently discovered that Caguioa’s wife,

Pier Angela “Gel” Caguioa, was not only an anti-Marcos advocate but was also an ardent supporter of Robredo, having actively campaigned for her during the May 2016 elections. Caguioa is the ponente in Marcos’ election protest. As such, he is in charge of overseeing the progress and ultimate disposition of the election protest. “Accordingly, it is most respectfully prayed by the undersigned protestant that Associate Justice Caguioa immediately recuse and inhibit himself from participating in any of the proceedings in connection with the above-entitled election protest,” the motion stated. Next page

Napoles case: Philippines first, US extradition later—Justice By Maricel V. Cruz THE cases in the Philippines that alleged pork-barrel-scam mastermind Janet Napoles is facing should ﬁrst be resolved before the government allows her extradition to the United States, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday. “We will have to evaluate that [request for Napoles’ extradition]... but it is quite unlikely because the Sandiganbayan has already acquired jurisdiction over her person,” Guevarra said at the sidelines of the Justice Department’s budget deliberations at the

House of Representatives. “So that is something that we have to deal with―the fact that she is already under the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan.” Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo CabotajeTang had earlier said Napoles could not be sent to the US right away because all her cases here should be resolved ﬁrst. But her extradition while the cases were pending was an “option,” Guevarra said.

INHIBIT, YOUR HONOR.

Former Senator Ferdinand Marcos files a petition Monday asking Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Caguioa to inhibit from participating in any proceedings related to his election complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo now handled by the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. Marcos claims Caguioa is biased. Norman Cruz

WITH MY SIGNATURE.

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio affixes his signature Monday on the oath of office of former Supreme Court Justice Samuel Martires (right), the new Ombudsman. Norman Cruz

“First and foremost when I asked him he said Hugpong has always been his party,” said Roque who took his oath under HNP, which was formed by Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. “I am the presidential spokesperson and the President has said Hugpong is his party. It’s only right I join his party. He is also the chairman of PDP-Laban, so I should also be there,” he added. Roque made the statement a day after Duterte-Carpio said the HNP is preparing for a head-on collision with the PDP-Laban in next year’s elections. “We are preparing for the PDP-Laban to ﬁeld a full slate,” she said as she led the mass oathtaking of 6,000 new members of her party. “We would sign up alliances with other local government units and come up with a senatorial slate. We are recruiting more members for the 2019 elections,” Duterte-Carpio added. Her decision to create the HNP, inspired by her father’s own party, the Hugpong Sa Tawong Lungsod, led to a falling out with a key ally of the President, then Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. In February, Duterte-Carpio slammed Alvarez for accusing her of being part of the opposition and undermining the PDP-Laban. Alvarez was eventually ousted during the State of the Nation Address of Duterte on July 23 and was replaced by Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Next page

PNP fires 2,181 cops; 13 chiefs lose Ilocos post By Nat Mariano THE Philippine National Police has dismissed 2,181 policemen involved in the illegal drug trade and serious law violations since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed ofﬁce in July 2016, Malacañang said Monday. In other developments: The PNP hierarchy has ordered the relief of 13 police chiefs in Ilocos because of their poor performance during their tour of duty. PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde ordered Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, the regional director in Ilocos Norte, to remove the 13 from their posts. Next page

WEATHER Twin storms brewing over PAR TWO low pressure areas or LPAs are brewing into tropical depressions, the state weather bureau said on Monday. One LPA, estimated at 1,285 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan, is Next page

News

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Very good’ rating perks up Palace By Nat Mariano

ALACAÑANG on Monday conﬁrmed the second quarter survey of Social Weather Stations showing 72 percent of the Filipinos it polled were satisﬁed with the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque welcomed the result and said SWS had

Bangsamoro urged to take part in plebiscite PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has urged all stakeholders of the future Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to participate in the plebiscite to approve the law and signify their intention to join the new political entity. “I ask my Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, as well as the indigenous communities and Christian settlers living within the Bangsamoro areas, to actively participate in constructive discussions about the law in your homes, in your villages, and communities,” the President said during yesterday’s ceremonial signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. “More importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,” Duterte added. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will form part of BAR’s core territory. The BOL is a result of the final peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the plebiscite can be held as early as November this year. But Presidential Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza said it might be scheduled in November or January, which is still within the 150 day limit set from the time the law was approved. Earlier, Duterte said he would like to talk to Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari for a possible separate autonomous region for his group. The ARMM was created as a result of the final peace agreement between the government and the MNLF. “I can create also an autonomy for him if that’s what he wants, and pending the federal system implementation, he can just wait for it if he trusts me,” the President said. The BAR will receive a yearly “block grant” of about P60 billion, which is equivalent to 5 percent of the net national internal revenue tax collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs from the third fiscal year immediately preceding the current fiscal year. The Bangsamoro Parliament, to be headed by a Chief Minister, will govern the BAR. The Chief Minister must be elected by 80 members or representatives, of which at least 40 are party representatives. The other half must be divided into district representatives and sectoral representatives. Seats will be reserved for members of the non-Muslim indigenous peoples, such as the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, B’Laan and Higaonon. Nat Mariano

Napoloes...

From A1 “That is just an option available under the RP-US extradition treaty. I am not saying we are going to do it,” he said. “It looks more likely that we have to terminate first the Sandiganbayan cases. Because it is already ongoing, it’s already on the trial stage.” Guevarra said if the Philippines decides to extradite Napoles ahead of the termination of the cases, they would file a petition with a “competent Philippine court,” meaning the Sandiganbayan. Nevertheless, Guevarra said the Justice department would wait for the termination of the cases rather than surrender her in the meantime. “I do not want to preempt any decision but in all likelihood, it will be something like that, let’s wait for the resolution of the Sandiganbayan,” Guevarra said. Napoles and five family members have been indicted in the US for allegedly laundering some $20 million in public funds obtained through the pork barrel scam. Napoles, her children Jo Christine, James Christopher and Jeane Catherine, her brother Reynaldo and his wife Ana Marie were indicted by a federal grand jury for the crime of conspiracy to commit money laundering, domestic money laundering and international money laundering. Napoles, who is detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa detention center in Taguig City, is standing trial for plunder, graft and other cases before the Sandiganbayan.

described the 72 percent as a “very good” rating. “The President remains focused with his promise to the Filipino people and he has rolled up his Barong to fight drugs, criminality and corruption and bring a comfortable life to all Filipinos,” Roque said. Out of the 1,200 respondents, 72 percent said they were satisfied with the performance of the government. Meanwhile, 13 percent of those polled maintained that they were dissatisfied with the government’s work and the remaining 15 expressed ambivalence on the matter. Roque said the “very good” rating was

Duterte... From A1

Lawmakers acknowledged that the mayor’s tiff with Alvarez was among the reasons the change in leadership in the House of Representatives happened. While HNP has been gaining new members, PDP-Laban suffered its first major crack under Duterte as party chairman. A breakaway faction held an unauthorized assembly to elect Rogelio Garcia as president, Abbin Dalhani as executive vice president, Willy Talag as secretarygeneral and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go as auditor. The breakaway group maintained Duterte as chairman. The group removed Senator Aquilino Pimentel III as party president and Alvarez as secretary-general, but established party leaders dismissed the move as an unauthorized action by rogue or expelled members.

Nat’l... From A1

environment for trade and commerce to thrive,” said Duterte in his speech during the presentation of the signed Republic Act no. 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at the Malacañan Palace. The President asked the public to support the Philippine ID act as it seeks to promote the efficient delivery of services to the people through a single ID that will be issued to all citizens and resident aliens. “This ID, which will be called the ‘Phil-ID,’ will dispense with the need to present multiple IDs for different [government] transactions,” said Duterte, adding that the national ID system also reduces corruption, curtails bureaucratic red tape, promotes the ease of doing business, averts fraudulent transactions, strengthens financial inclusion, and creates a more secure environment for the Filipinos. Duterte noted that past administrations have already tried to come up with a national ID system, but they all failed to implement the measure because of the criticisms from several groups worried about data privacy and security. The President, however, assured public apprehension. “The information that will be included in the Phil-ID will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority or the former National Statistics Office, Government Service Insurance System, PhilHealth, PagIBIG Fund, Commission on Elections, and other agencies that gather personal data,” said Duterte, adding that the Philippine Statistics Authority will work closely with the National Privacy Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the multi-agency PhilSystem Policy and Coordination Council to address privacy and security concerns. “There is, therefore, no basis at all for the apprehensions about the Phil-ID, unless of course that fear is based on anything that borders [on the] illegal. If at all, the Phil-ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption, and criminal issues, as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” Duterte said.

Primer... From A1

besides the Supreme Court; the Constitutional Court, the Federal Administrative Court and the Federal Electoral Court. Why the need to multiply high courts? A: In the first place, the plurality of high courts is not unique to the Philippines. And with all due respect to Justice Vicente Mendoza, it is not obvious that the Republic benefits from only one constitutional court with a plenitude of power. A study of French constitutionalism will easily reveal that following the French revolution, there was hesitation to repose too much power in the courts. Under British constitutional law, it is inconceivable for any court to rule against the validity of an Act of Parliament. And when Mahathir was on his first term as Prime Minister of Malaysia, he drastically cut down the power of judicial review because of what he perceived to be deleterious interference of courts with the operations of government—and while lawyers complained, the average Malaysian enjoyed the blessings of prosperity under Mahathir’s leadership. Second, appeals from lower courts and judgments of administrative agencies as well as of quasi-judicial bodies are raised to the Supreme Court. To complicate matters, the very broad grant of certiorari power—the power to review for grave abuse of discretion on the part of any branch, agency or instrumentality of government, has kept the Supreme Court’s dockets clogged. The results have often been unjust particularly for persons suffering imprisonment following conviction after trial—only to be acquitted several years later when the Supreme Court finally had the time to review their cases. Q: Is there any change in the definition of judicial power? A: Yes, and a very important one. While

due to the administration’s efforts to provide good services to the people. “The President is the first to give free tuition to all state universities and colleges, free food to the youth, free Wi-Fi connection and free water,” Roque said. He said the President was not done yet in giving the best services to the Filipinos. “Those are the reasons why the public still gives the President a very good rating amid the criticisms,” Roque said. He said Duterte might push for a higher internal revenue allotment to the local governments. Among those polled, the respondents

from Mindanao gave the administration an “excellent” net rating, rising from 72 percent in the first quarter to 76 percent in the second quarter. The administration’s net satisfaction rating remained “very good” in Balance Luzon and the Visayas, showing a fourpoint increase and a one- point decrease compared to the previous period, respectively. In Metro Manila, the net rating of the government was down by 11 points, falling to “good.” The latest survey was up by three points from the 69 percent acquired by the administration in March.

Mocha’s... From A1

federalism campaign. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Uson’s nominal boss, acknowledged that the video irritated Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, but said it was ConCom spokesman Ding Generoso who asked her to get involved in the campaign to promote federalism. “Before that video was posted, there were already…. criticisms about her,” Andanar said, referring to Uson. “[The executive secretary’ told me that federalism is a very serious matter [and]… we need spokespersons who are really experts on the subject, like members of the Con-Com.” Andanar said he had already told Generoso to stop using Uson for the campaign on federalism, and said her blog did not represent the PCOO. He said Uson was neither an ambassador nor a spokesperson for federalism. Criticism of the Uson video continued to pour in Monday. Former elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said he found the video disturbing. “The problem is some people think advocating for federalism is a joke… spending taxpayers’ money while monkeying around. They should be flushed down the toilet for using toilet humor,” Larrazabal said. Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan said Andanar should explain the indecency and lewdness in his department involving his people using the government time and resources.

Marcos... From A1

of Edsa 1 and yet we failed to impart its lessons upon the generation that followed us.” Marcos revealed that the series of Viber messages were posted in the Facebook page of former Baguio City Councilor Tonyboy Tabora on July 13, 2018 at 8:27 am. The video which he posted—entitled “The Conjugal Conspiracy” immediately went viral and garnered 8,800 shares and 312,000 views as Aug. 4, 2018. Marcos said while he was aware of Justice Caguioa’s fraternal bond with Aquino because they were classmates from grade school, high school and college at the Ateneo De Manila University—a fact which led to Caguioa’s appointment to various top posts during Aquino’s presidency, he tried to give Caguioa the benefit of the doubt. Despite the inordinate delays in his election protest, he tried to remain above the fray out of respect to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, he said. With Rio N. Araja

to the vagina and breasts—while dancing and pointing to his crotch and chest, before exclaiming “I-pederalismo!” “I did not anticipate that they will disrespect the cause of federalism,” said Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, who said he was disappointed that “the best and the brightest appointed to this government can come up with only that kind of bullshit.” “I know the concept of federalism is hard but let us not disrespect it by connecting it to body parts,” he said. Con-Com member Ranhilio Aquino described the video as “vulgar” and “inappropriate.” “It used toilet humor in relation to a very serious document and I really dislike that because the constitution is really something so fundamental to the life of the nation that you cannot deal with it with levity like that,” Aquino told the online news site Rappler. Senator Francis Escudero said the federalism jingle was a desperate attempt to attract attention “by intentionally offending” the public’s sense of propriety. It is downright vulgar and has no place in the public discourse on such an important issue as their supposed shift to federalism and Charter change,” Escudero said. He added that the Senate will hold the PCOO to account for ever y centavo the gover nment spends on the

“In light of the clear and convincing evidence of bias, partiality and prejudice inhibited by Associate Justice Caguioa and Mrs. Caguioa in favor of protestee Robredo, the continued presence and participation of Associate Justice Caguioa as the ponente of the case is a gross violation of the undersigned protestant’s Constitutional right to due process of law,” it said. The former senator stressed that he decided to seek for Caguioa’s recusal shortly after seeing the online messages of Caguioa’s wife in her Viber group “AHS77/COLL81 COR”—which clearly depicted her resentment against him and his family. In one of her Viber messages, Caguioa’s wife wrote “(I)f BBM wins and if he wins because of the youth, it’ll be [the] failure of our generation. We were the main catalysts

• Three more victims on Monday surfaced and filed a complaint against six Taguig City police officers involved in kidnap-for-ransom and extortion activities. The three narrated to Southern Police District Chief Tomas Apolinario Jr. and Metro Manila Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar their sad experiences with the six policemen that happened in various occasions last month. • The Philippine National Police on Monday announced the recent successful operations against kidnap-for-ransom and gun-for-hire groups by its Anti-Kidnapping Group and the Police Regional Office 4-A or Calabarzon. “PNP Calabarzon has responded positively

to my instructions to hit hard these crime groups that provide support systems to drug trade activities,” Albayalde told reporters. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said 1,828 police personnel were fired because of serious infractions and 353 police personnel were dismissed for failing to pass the drug test or for having been involved in the illegal drug trade. “This is part of the 6,401 police officers whose administrative cases have already been resolved for various offenses including involvement in criminal activities, grave misconduct, serious neglect of duty, serious irregularity, malversation, dishonesty and graft and corruption,” Roque told reporters in Malita, Davao Occidental. With Francisco Tuyay, Joel E. Zurbano and PNA

the duty of settling controversies over due and legally demandable rights remains, as well as the power to review for grave abuses of discretion, the Constitutional Court and the Federal Administrative Court are also granted advisory opinion. Q: What is an advisory opinion? A: Generally, there are two classes of jurisdiction: contentious—which is the kind our courts have exercised till now, and advisory. For the exercise of contentious jurisdiction, it is required that there be an actual controversy. So, law students were traditionally taught that an actual case or a controversy was the legal opposite of a hypothetical, academic or a moot question. Sometimes, this was formulated as the requirement that there be some concrete injury or actual and real threat of harm to the petitioner to allow his case to prosper. By contrast, advisory jurisdiction is the power to render a ruling on a question that may not involve actually disputing parties. This is the kind of jurisdiction the International Court of Justice also has when it is asked by organs of the United Nations to answer complex questions of law such as the extent of the immunities of agents of the United Nations. Q: Why was it necessary to give the Constitutional Court advisory jurisdiction? A: We learned a lot from the French government that has a Constitutional Council (that is not really a court) that renders advisory opinions on proposed legislation first, to preempt the passage of unconstitutional acts; second, to have a guarantee that the Act passed does not transgress constitutional precepts. Q: Is a judgment of the Constitutional Court in an advisory case binding or does it have the nature of the opinions rendered by the Department of Justice which, though nevertheless persuasive,

are not binding? A: It is binding to the extent that once ruled to be unconstitutional by the Court, it can no longer be enacted into law or signed into law by the President. However, because a law may be facially valid but infirm in its implementation or may result in a violation of constitutionally protected rights when enforced, a citizen who is aggrieved by provisions of law may nevertheless still challenge the constitutionality of a law or of its provisions notwithstanding a prior ruling of constitutionality by the Constitutional Court in the exercise of its advisory jurisdiction. Q: Will this not allow political adversaries of legislators or even of the Administration to stall virtually all and every piece of legislation by turning to the Constitutional Court for an advisory opinion? A: Once more, we learned from the French in this regard. Not everyone can invoke the advisory jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court. Only the President of the Philippines, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may raise a matter that calls on an advisory opinion of the Constitutional Court. After all, only these three are directly involved with the passage and due enactment of law. Q: Why does the Federal Electoral Court also enjoy advisory opinion? A: Philippine jurisprudence reveals a plethora of cases decided by our Supreme Court on actions and rulings of the Commission on Elections that need not have become full-blown cases (with all the expenditure of human effort and resources that litigation involves) had there been a definitive ruling from the very beginning. The Federal Electoral Court may be asked by the Federal Electoral Commission to render an Advisory Opinion on any of the latter’s acts or dispositions.

PNP... From A1

House working on resolution to finetune Con-Ass voting By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will pass a resolution allowing “separate voting by the House of Representatives and the Senate” in proposing amendments to the 1987 Constitution, an official said Monday. Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said the House had opted to withdraw a resolution seeking to convene Congress into constituent assembly that the House leadership under then Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez approved in January. He said passing a new resolution on Charter change would simplify the process of rewriting the Constitution to effect the shift to federalism. The House committee on constitutional amendments, now led by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, will begin its deliberations today, Tuesday, on the proposed Charter change. Andaya said he had already talked to Veloso about the matter. “We will just withdraw House Concurrent Resolution [HCR] 9 or the ConAss resolution and pass a new one to include separate voting by the House of Representatives and the Senate during the proposed amendments to the Constitution,” Andaya said. Alvarez, the principal author of HCR 9, had been firm on his stand that the House would no longer seek to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly but propose amendments on its own and have those submitted directly to the people in a referendum. The Alvarez resolution was approved under the stewardship of then House constitutional amendments committee chairman, Roger Mercado. Alvarez had earlier said the House does not need the Senate to amend the Constitution, but the Arroyo-led House believe otherwise. “The new resolution will express the sentiment of the House of Representatives to push Charter-change,” Andaya said. Andaya, chairman of the House committee on rules, said the new resolution will be discussed in his committee to have it included in the Order of Business or the agenda of the plenary. Credit for the page one photos (Mothers in show of support for breastfeeding) on Aust 6, 2018 ahould go to Diana Noche and Lisa Marie David.

Celdran loses plea at SC over Damaso stunt By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of cultural activist Carlos Celdran for his “Father Damaso” stunt where he barged inside the Manila Cathedral and denounced the opposition of the Catholic Church to the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health Bill in 2010. In a post on his Facebook account Monday, Celdran said the SC’s First Division junked his motion for reconsideration of an earlier ruling convicting him for “offending religious feelings.” “It’s come to pass. My appeal in the Supreme Court has been denied and my sentence is upheld. Three months minimum to a year and a month and a day maximum,” Celdran said, in his post along with a copy of the resolution of the SC’s First Division dated March 21. Celdran earlier sought for a reversal of the 2015 decision of the Court of Appeals which sustained two lower court decisions convicting him of offending religious feelings under Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code. He argued that his decision to display a banner bearing the words “Father Damaso” inside the cathedral was a form of political speech.

Twin... From A1

forecast to become a tropical depression “within 12 hours to 24 hours,” forecaster Samuel Duran of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration told the Manila Standard. He said this LPA, once it develops into a storm, would be named “Karding” by Pagasa. Another LPA was estimated at 545 kms west of Subic, Zambales. Pagasa is “closely and continuously” monitoring this LPA “that is still at the West Philippine Sea,” Duran said. Based on the bureau’s weather satellite model, “Karding” would not make landfall since it is expected to move northward, he added. “It would only enhance the monsoon rains to affect the western part of Northern Luzon, western part of Southern Luzon, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” Duran said. Rio N. Araja

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ombudsman to enforce dismissal order vs Carandang By Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja NEWLY APPOINTED Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Monday vowed to implement the dismissal order issued by President Rodrigo Duterte against overall deputy ombudsman Arthur Carandang. Martires said that he has “no choice” but to enforce the dismissal order once it becomes final on the part of the Palace. Martires added that Carandang still has 15 days to appeal the order, which would become “immediately executory” should the Palace deny his motion for reconsideration. “I have no choice,” Martires said, when asked if he would enforce Carandang’s suspension once the Palace affirms its order and in the absence of a temporary restraining order from a court. “I don’t have any discretion with respect to that... I think he [Carandang] knows that immediately he has to leave the office,” added Martires, who took his oath of office in the Supreme Court. According to Martires, a former magistrate in the Sandiganbayan prior to his promotion to the SC, he knew Carandang is “not that hard headed” and “a very reasonable guy.” “The provisions on administrative cases are very clear—that it is immediately executory. As a lawyer, Carandang knows what he has to do,” he added. The Ombudsman said that Carandang could file a petition and seek relief before the Court. Asked why he would enforce the dismissal order despite the standing 2014 Supreme Court ruling that voided the President’s disciplinary jurisdiction over a deputy ombudsman, Martires said that “This is a matter that is left to the courts to decide, I don’t want to comment on that at the moment.”

BoC implements program to stop oil smuggling By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Customs will implement a fuel-marking program in a bid to stop fuel smuggling which has cost the government to lose at least P30 billion in revenue a year. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said the bureau is one of the agencies tasked to implement the fuel marking program mandated under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law, as part of the government’s anti-oil smuggling scheme. Imported or locally reﬁned fuel is marked with colored dyes to determine whether batches of petroleum products have gone through the supply chain legally and respective taxes have been paid. If products are found to have no markings, it will be used as evidence against erring fuel importers or manufacturers for nonpayment of proper taxes. Lapeña said the fuel marking program shall be mandatory for ﬁve years. According to the DoF, in 2016, the revenue loss from excise taxes and VAT due from smuggled or misdeclared fuel oil is estimated at P26.87 billion.

DOUBLE TIME. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended the hearing of members of the Technical Working Group of the House Committee on Ways and Means at the Linden Suites in Pasig City. Members of the said Committee are working double time on the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Reform Act, which is expected to level the playing field for big and small businesses by removing some incentives given to big firms. It is one of the priority measures of President Rodrigo Duterte. The TWG is working to complete the report on the proposed measure which is due on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. Also present during the hearing were Representatives Dakila Cua, chairman. Arthur Yap, Estrellita Suansing, Horacio Suansing, Jose Enrique Garcia III, Romero Quimbo, Sharon Garin, Aurelio Gomzales, Gus Tambunting and Raneo Abu, and representatives from the Department of Finance led by Usec. Karl Kendrick Chua.

Maza kin deny that she is hiding from the law By Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

ELATIVES of National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza on Monday has denied that she is hiding from the law following a P1million bounty offered for her arrest.

At a news conference in Quezon City, lawyer Evalyn Ursua, along with Maza’s son Anton and sister Caridad Hipolito, said that Maza will not run away from the law, saying that she is just taking “safety precautions,” following the issuance of arrest warrants against her and three other former party-list lawmakers—Satur Ocampo, Rafael Mariano and Teddy Casiño. “She [Maza] is not a fugitive. She is not a criminal. The charges are just fabricated,” she said. When asked why Maza is not attending court hearings, Ursua said “she is following legal procedures. She is not violating anything. She is not a fugitive. “In fact, she is represented in court,” she added. Maza’s son, meanwhile, said that “the trumped-up charges were ﬁled when I was still a child. Other related cases had already been dismissed.” The Philippine National Police has appealed to Maza, Ocampo, Mariano and Casiño to surrender. The Citizens’ Crime Watch has offered a reward of P250,000 each or a total of P1 million for any lead on the whereabouts of the four accused. Nueva Ecija’s Palayan City Regional Trial Court Branch 40 has ordered the arrest of the four former lawmakers for

multiple murder case filed in 2006. Meanwhile, the PNP said it welcomes the offer of reward for information on the whereabouts of Maza and company. PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, however, clarified that the amount was not a “dead or alive” offer as he urged the militant leaders to turn themselves in. “We welcome the reward offer put up by private citizens to hasten the judicial process in a murder case involving the four militant leaders. Albayalde said “the P1-million reward should encourage would-be informants to provide relevant information on the whereabouts of these wanted persons.” “Although the reward offer is not officially part of the government reward program, I must clarify that this is not a dead or alive bounty, but monetary compensation for information provided. At any rate, I would like to reiterate our appeal to the concerned individuals to turn themselves in and face the issue squarely before the bar of justice,” he added. Albayalde said tracker teams from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Bureau of Investigation are working on leads and expect to obtain positive results soon.

The PNP chief added that if captured, there will be no special treatment for the said personalities. As this developed, the Department of Justice admitted that the government did not verify the membership of the Communist Party of the Philippines when it filed a petition early this year declaring the group a “terrorist organization.” During the department’s budget presentation at the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra made the remarks when asked by Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate on whether the Justice department was able to double-check the names of more than 600 individuals, allegedly CPP members, and its armed wing, the New People’s Army. Guevarra in effect admitted that the government, despite the huge amount it spends for intelligence gathering and operations, does not really know who its enemies are in the communist underground movement. Last February, the DoJ filed a petition to a Manila court seeking to declare the CPP and NPA “terrorist” organizations. It was during the leadership of then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre when the petition was filed. Zarate likened the government’s ‘terrorists’—tagging to a hitlist “where these individuals are linked to an organization which it wants to be proscribed.” “Did you not even conduct a validation, checking on the part of DoJ before filing this case? Because it involves also the lives of the people,” Zarate asked Guevarra.

‘Rehab, improvement of Bora roads almost complete’ By Vito Barcelo and Darwin G. Amojelar THE improvement and rehabilitation of Boracay Circumferential Road which serves as the island’s main road network is expected to be completed before the opening of the island resort on October, the Department of Public Works and Highways said. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, who inspected the rehabilitation works in Boracay to ensure all improvement efforts in the scenic island, said that more than 40 percent of the project have already been completed. “We have started the pouring of concrete and installation of pipes along Cagban to

Elizalde Compound,” Villar said. The construction of the missing gap from Barangay Manoc-Manoc to Barangay Yapak is also on track for completion based on the inspection. “Now 60 percent completed, the construction of the missing gap, along the circumferential road, will facilitate travel around the famous Puka Beach,” said Villar. DPWH is also constructing a 204 meter reinforced concrete pipe culvert at missing gap area for better drainage facility. It will have ﬁve catchment basins, 22 meter cross drain, and 130 meter cut-off wall for installation of curb and gutter. Other improvement activities in

Boracay include the clearing of illegally placed structures and construction of a road network along Bulabog beach. Boracay Island was closed to the public for six months starting April 26 for rehabilitation and will ofﬁcially reopen to the general public on October 26. Boracay is popular with Chinese and South Korean visitors, which are the largest markets for the Philippines tourism industry. Chinese visitor numbers to the Philippines increased 43 percent in 2017 to nearly 1 million, while South Korean visitor numbers were up 9 percent to 1.6 million. The island attracted two-million visitors in 2017.

Broadcasters urged to set airtime for PSAs By Maricel V. Cruz

ON WASTEWATER. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, asks lawyer Patrick Lester Ng Ty, chief regulator, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, about untreated wastewater in waterways. Under Republic Act 6234, MWSS has the authority to construct, maintain and operate waterworks and sanitary sewerages in Metro Manila and some areas in Rizal and Cavite provinces. Lino Santos

TELEVISION and radio stations should devote 20 minutes of airtime daily for Public Service Announcements on social issues such as drug abuse and prevention and emergency preparedness which affect their lives. In House Bill 7981, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of the Second District said the media should help in educating the public on welfare rights and beneﬁts, environmental issues, education, suicide prevention and voter and civic education. Through the PSAs, the public will be made aware of policies and laws, road and trafﬁc rules, physical and mental health issues, government processes, disaster preparedness and public safety, Barbers said. “Public service announcements are effective in generating public awareness on critical issues as well as promote behavioral change,” said Barbers,

chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Dangerous Drugs. “If done correctly, PSAs may foster an informed discourse among community members on societal problems,” he said. Barbers said laws that grant broadcasting companies the franchise to construct, install, operate and maintain television and radio broadcasting stations in the mandate to allot time for public service. “The problem is the franchises given to the media companies do not stipulate a preset number of hours, and the truth is, these companies seldom comply with the provision,” Barbers said. “To whom much is given, much is expected,” he added. Under the measure, a 30-second PSA shall be aired before the primetime news of all television and radio stations. Barbers said the PSAs shall be noncommercial, non-denominational, and non-political and may be changed every six months to cover a wide array of social issues.

Oil firms to cut pump prices by P0.10/ liter today By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms cut pump prices by P0.10 per liter effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world market. “Please note that Total will adjust pump prices effective Aug. 7, 6 am. Price rollback of P0.10 per liter on diesel and price rollback of P0.10 per liter for gasoline,” Total said in its advisory. PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and Seaoil Philippines also cut prices while other oil companies are expected to follow. World oil prices was affected by ongoing trade tension between the US and China and oversupply concerns from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Petron Corp., meanwhile, is now accepting the Pantawid Pasada Card distributed by the Department of Transportation and Department of Energy in 740 service stations nationwide as part of its strong support to government efforts to help the Public Utility Jeepney sector. Petron said these stations are visibly marked with a Pantawid Pasada Program signage and are located along high-traffic transport routes. “As the leading Filipino-owned oil company, we fully support the government’s move to provide this needed relief in diesel prices to public utility jeepneys and the riding public,” Petron president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang said. Cardholders just need to present their cards to any service station attendant for proper identification and validation before fueling up with diesel. “With our top-quality fuels and loyalty programs such as the Super Driver Card, our customers can be sure that they get the most out of every liter in terms of mileage, engine protection, and rewards,” Ang said.

House review of prepaid power service sought By Maricel V. Cruz A PRO-ADMINISTRATION lawmaker on Monday underscored the need for Congress to review pertinent laws governing the use of prepaid retail electric service. This as Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento revealed that the country’s largest power distributor, the Manila Electric Co., has been providing PRES to its consumers without any detailed breakdown of their charges contrary to the rules set by the Energy Regulatory Commission. Sarmiento said Meralco’s practice casts doubt on the credibility of PRES which is the future in the power retail sector because of its many advantages both on the side of the service provider and the end-user. “PRES is definitely a game-changer in the power sector. Just like our mobile phones, the prepaid scheme is definitely a very attractive option for many consumers because of its practicality and simplicity. It can help consumers put a cap on their consumption and for the distributor, this would finally stop people from using jumpers,” Sarmiento, vice chairman of the House committee on transportation, said.

Opinion

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

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Money behind minority row among them. The minority leader’s office gets the same amount of maintenance and operating expenses that his counterpart in the majority get. They say the IF PEOPLE are wondering why some amount is substantial, owing to the members of Congress are fighting crucial job as House whip of the 292tooth and nail over the minority posi- man chamber. tion at the House of Representatives, In addition to all these, the minority the answer is now apparent. leader and his members are given alThe minority is supposed to fiscal- lowance automatically every time Conize the majority in Congress, a position gress goes on recess. He is also entitled that is needed to check and balance to a separate office space from that of power in the legislature. For a while, I his district, complete with a separate thought those fighting for the position set of 10 staff members from plantilla have taken this goal seriously, for the or career positions. During this period, sake of democracy, and to prevent tyr- my gulay, minority members are given anny in Congress. P150,000 each during congressional There is Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, breaks. who is clinging to the post like a leech. Take note of this: The opposition And then there are Marikina Rep. Miro bloc can also tap the services of soQuimbo and party list Rep. Eugene de called consultants whose fees can go Vera laying claim to the minority lead- as high as P50,000 monthly for each, ership as well. But Suarez remains in depending on expertise. But unlike the post because it was not declared the Speaker and the Senate President, vacant when Rep. minority leaders Gloria Macapagal don’t get intelliArroyo became gence funds—if speaker of the that is any consoHouse. lation. It is like hitting the Quimbo has Santa Banana, with him a jackpot—at the expense add to all this the 24-member wing of taxpayers. travel perks to and of the opposition from their home Liberal Party and districts and travels abroad, dethe seven-member pending how close Makabayan bloc. Meanwhile, De Vera’s camp counts these House members are to the Speakamong its members ousted Speaker er. And if a member of the House gets Alvarez, Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas and appointed to a powerful commission their allies. like the Commission on Appointments, Santa Banana, read this and know he or she gets own entitlements aside why exactly they are fighting over from sitting in all House committees, the House minority post. According which is mandatory under House rules. to records, a minority leader is allot- For this, there is also compensation. ted P500,000 every month and another We can just imagine how much a P500,000 on a quarterly basis com- minority leader gets in take home pay. pared to the entitlement of each House This is like winning the lottery—at the member in the minority getting an ad- expense of taxpayers! ditional P50,000 monthly on top of his *** or her P200,000 monthly salary. If there is one thing I like about the This is of course aside from Duterte administration, it is that it ocmaintenance and other operating casionally gives us something to laugh expenses allocated to the district or about. party-list office. There is for instance the plan of The minority leader then gets the Malacañang to have communications lump sum allocation on behalf of his assistant secretary Mocha Uson to colleagues. He distributes this equally Turn to A5

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Mocha’s success

SSISTANT Secretary for Communications Margaux “Mocha” Uson has been the fair-haired girl of the Duterte administration—much to its detriment.

The former sexy dancer turned blogger had actively campaigned for Mr. Duterte in 2016 and was rewarded with a high-paying job at the Presidential Communications Operation Office. Since her appointment, Uson has committed a series of gaffes, and in all of these blunders, she had defended herself haughtily, arrogantly. Ironically she and her legion of defenders dismiss her critics as purveyors of fake news or out to bring down their revered “Tatay Digong.” It has escaped us for long why the Palace has continued to

stand behind Uson despite her misadventures. Our best guess was that her millions of followers gave her enough clout to do as she pleased in the name of spreading the word. Proof of her good standing at the Palace is the decision to tap her services in the information campaign for the proposed federal form of government. This weekend, however, Uson crossed the line. In a video posted on her Facebook blog Sunday, Uson, along with companion Andrew Olivar, attempted a federalism tutorial complete with an obscene songand-dance number, a simplistic analogy and a script of dubitable accuracy read aloud like a high school class report. If Uson succeeded in anything, it is in insulting the hard work of the consultative commission that proposed a draft constitution that, if approved, would govern the transition to the federal form.

It is in denigrating the sober matter of governance and trivializing hopes that a new structure of government would improve the lives of millions of Filipinos. Uson successfully turned people against federalism, not because people were able to weigh its foreseen benefits against the costs, but because it is now associated a lewd Tagalog equivalent and equally lewd dance moves. She easily made the Duterte administration, which she is supposed to speak for and represent, look stupid, irreverent and laughable. With any luck, her latest stunt should convince the President that he has risked enough in having her on board—and getting the rest of us to foot her insanely high commanding price. What would be the most vulgar of all is if Uson gets to keep her cushy job and continue to enjoy her perks despite the nearuniversal outrage at her acts.

Justice for Bangsamoro and Pacific Plaza strike left, including non compliance by the government of some of its commitments in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. But from the seriously flawed versions that came out of the House and the Senate, with poTHE most significant legislative devel- tentially dozens of big gaps and probopment in recent months is of course lems, we have a law with less than five the enactment of the Bangsamoro Or- major issues. That’s an achievement ganic Law, whose ceremonial signing and the country should celebrate that. I hope the government will also be was done yesterday. As I told a colleague who is familiar with Mindanao able to do the same for big issues facing issue, the success in enacting this con- the country like land use, disaster mantroversial but necessary law is a sign of agement, climate change, and labor-onhope that we can rise above our bicker- ly contracting. These issues are beyond partisan politics and it is time to find ing and petty politics. The Bangsamoro Organic Law, for- solutions for them. On the issue of labor-only contractmerly known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (contrary to what some think, there ing, lines are being drawn as the labor is no difference between “organic” and movement flexes its muscles to compel “basic”) is a product of four adminis- the Duterte administration to comply trations (Ramos, Arroyo, Aquino, and with its promise to end this terrible and unjust practice Duterte), of the that denies workMoro Islamic Libers their basic eration Front and rights. the Bangsamoro Unfortunately, It does not take Transition Comcompanies have mittee, and the in- rocket science to solve responded aggresdigenous peoples sively to the just inside and outside the endo problem. demands of labor. the Bangsamoro Last week, we that sought to have saw the striking their voices heard. workers of NutIt is a product of a bipartisan group of senators and repre- riAsia and their supporters attacked by sentatives from the administration and police and goons. Right now, there is a opposition—Zubiri, Drilon, Angara, protest camp of workers from Leyte in Fariñas, Sema, Dimaporo, and Lobre- the main office of the Department of gat, etc. who worked together to forge Labor and Employment; they too are a consensus even as they represented protesting their illegal dismissal. Just diverse, conflicting interests. The Pres- last week, the Court of Appeals came ident himself got involved at the right out with a controversial decision on this time and resolve an important legal is- issue in the dispute between workers and PLDT. sue, in my view in the right way. Nearer to home for me, because I I have no reservations praising the President, the leaders of the House of teach in the Bonifacio Global City the Representatives, and the Senate, the campuses of the De La Salle University administration coalition, and the oppo- College of Law and the University of the sition in pulling this whole of country Philippines College of Law, workers of project. We pulled it off. This is not to Pacific Plaza Towers in BGC went on say that the law has no problems. There strike yesterday because the company Turn to A5 are still a few legal and political issues

Chip labor: Robots replace waiters in China restaurant By Albee Zhang THE little robotic waiter wheels up to the table, raises its glass lid to reveal a steaming plate of local Shanghai-style crayfish and announces in low, mechanical tones, “Enjoy your meal.” The futuristic restaurant concept is the latest initiative in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s push to modernize service and retail in a country where robotics and artificial intelligence are increasingly being integrated into commerce. Raising efficiency and lowering labor costs are the objectives at Alibaba’s “Robot.He” diners, where waiters have been replaced by robots about

the size of microwave ovens, which roll around the dining room on tablehigh runways. “In Shanghai, a waiter costs up to 10,000 yuan [$1,500] per month. That’s hundreds of thousands in cost every year. And two shifts of people are needed,” said Cao Haitao, the Alibaba product manager who developed the concept. “But we don’t need two shifts for robots and they are on duty every day.” The diners are attached to Alibaba’s new Hema chain of semi-automated supermarkets, where grocery shoppers fill their “carts” on a mobile app and have the merchandise brought to them at checkout via conveyor tracks

on the ceiling, or delivered straight to their homes. Alibaba now has 57 Hema markets in 13 Chinese cities, all of which will eventually feature the robotic restaurants. Industry experts say they serve more as showcases of Alibaba’s tech prowess than a serious business model in a country where labour costs are relatively low. But the restaurants also typify the rapid adoption of new technologies in a country where the government is increasingly using facial-recognition technology to police streets and identify law-breakers. Turn to A5

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Opinion

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

Spineless FORMATION GARY OLIVAR TWO weeks after the President’s latest Sona, and people are still coming up to me to complain about the chaotic opening hours that day at the House, when Congresswoman Arroyo was prevented from jointly presiding over the event as the congressmen’s new choice for Speaker. Those televised images of her having to shout to her colleagues from the podium because her microphone had been rudely cut off, have gone viral with all sorts of disparaging or entertaining captions attached to the meme. And other images of her waving to the crowd from the podium, while Ilocos Governor Imee Marcos does the same from the floor, spawned a new bogeyman, the “Marcos-ArroyoDuterte-Estrada” team-up, which the yellows will now use to try and revive public support for their discredited cause. The blame for this contretemps lies squarely with the camp of former Speaker Alvarez—from his daughter who impudently made off with the ceremonial mace, to the House functionary who cut off power to the mikes, to Alvarez himself who had the nerve to keep Duterte cooling his heels for over an hour in the House holding area until things were sorted out. We cannot until now fathom why Alvarez descended to such depths. The so-called coup against him was actually precipitated by a last-minute appeal by the influential mayor of Davao City to Mrs. Arroyo, who has always been reluctant to take the position. If Inday Sara feels this strongly against Alvarez, that is his fault alone, for casting aspersions earlier on the lady’s loyalty to her own father. And if Alvarez thinks himself a paragon of loyalty to Duterte, why did he deliberately try to damage the credibility at the very start of his incoming replacement as Speaker, an essential ally in any president’s legislative agenda? If Alvarez is now saying he feels betrayed by his colleagues in the House, he ought to ask himself first if he did what’s best for the President during his last few hours as leader of the House. *** Just two weeks after, and already the new Speaker has been making the right kind of waves. She’s been turning down outside appointments in order to focus on next year’s budget.

Justice... From A4

refused to regularize employees despite performing core functions in the operations of the condominium. The workers who were employed as electricians, plumbers, masons, carpenters, and airconditioning technicians have been retrenched by the Polystar Manpower Agency and were asking to be reinstated by PPT who is the real employer. The workers, who were prevented by the BGC security force to express their legitimate demands by picketing the premises of PPT, is appealing to the unit owners who the Pacific Plaza workers have served faithfully for patience while the labor dispute remains unresolved. They also seek their sympathy by pressuring the building management into granting the employees’ demands so that the condominium’s operations return to normal. In a press statement, “Enough is

Chip... From A4

Automation nation With digital payments via mobile phone already now rivaling cash for many purchases, growing numbers of pharmacies, bookstores and other retailers have dispensed with cashiers, allowing customers to order and pay for their desired merchandise, which is often handed over by a robot. Alibaba’s e-commerce rival JD.com has announced plans to open 1,000 restaurants by 2020 in which food will be prepared and served by robots. JD.com and others are also working to incorporate airborne drones into their delivery networks. The movement could help companies reduce costs as growth rates in China’s e-commerce boom begin to plateau. “Before, everyone was all going for rapid expansion. Now the growth is gone and everyone has to focus on im-

She assured opposition congressmen that they would not be denied budget allocations for their constituents. She even suggested at least five counterinflationary measures (not described) in a closed-door session with Duterte’s economic team. On the matter of Charter change, she agreed to separate voting by the Senate in a constituent assembly, which the House had been opposing. It’s a concession that we would have expected the senators to welcome with equal graciousness. But that hasn’t happened at all. Instead, the senators almost uniformly dismissed her concession as a “mousetrap:” Nothing but a ploy to get Conass started, after which somebody will challenge the separate-voting rule before the Supreme Court, which will then rule against the senators and force both chambers to vote jointly instead.

We cannot until now fathom why Alvarez descended to such depths.

to pitch for the sake of national unity can open wide enough only if everyone under it observes a modicum of humility about their own, and each other’s, personal histories and circumstances. Alvarez already failed that test; we can only hope the President’s senatorial allies don’t. *** Now on the bright side: Budget Secretary Diokno happily reports that government outlays for infrastructure and other capex totaled P353 billion for the first half of this year. This was 4.3 percent ahead of budget and 41.6 percent over the same period last year. Likewise, total government spending of P1.6 trillion was up 2.2 percent over budget and 20.5 percent over last year. Diokno crows that “the performance of government spending is unprecedented, because we are ahead of the program for the first time in history.” We hope that at some point in the near future, people will actually start seeing and feeling this progress—in much the same way that the sight of all those construction cranes atop buildings during the last couple of years under FVR inspired me to come home from the States two decades ago. Also on the bright side: We’re bemused by all the news reports we’ve been reading lately about former President Aquino shooting his mouth off on basically everything under the sun— from Dengvaxia, to submarine oil exploration, to China policy, to Arroyo’s prospects as Speaker—you name it, he’s got an opinion about it. This newfound loquacity may have something to do with the feel of a jailhouse noose tightening around PNoy’s neck—as his cutouts in the Ombudsman and Supreme Court are being replaced, as Janet Napoles gets closer to spilling all the beans about PDAF scams, as Dengvaxia victims mount in number, as DAP and Mamasapano and Luneta and missteps on China and who knows what else, all cry out louder for a proper reckoning. Aquino now seems to have taken a page out of Leila de Lima’s playbook and is setting himself up to be a “victim of political persecution” because of all his anti-administration comments, once the axe finally falls on him. It’s a strategy that may work, but only until the trial actually begins and the evidence starts seeing the light of day. To Leila and her erstwhile boss: Good luck with that.

This is a byzantine concoction of a theory that is apparently intended to excuse spinelessness. This lack of spine also explains the reluctance of most senators—including many selfstyled Duterte allies—to support a federalist charter, or to pass the second of five tax reform packages. In certain cases, personal antipathy to Speaker Arroyo is also involved. Senator Grace Poe still can’t get over the canard that her late father was cheated out of the presidency in 2004, despite the incontrovertible fact (you can Google it) that every survey two weeks before the polls, and then during election day itself, had FPJ behind by three to five points. As well, Senator Ping Lacson is still smarting all these years after he had to flee the country ahead of murder charges filed against him under President Arroyo. Lacson ought to be more circumspect about whom he’s throwing stones at, since he continues to be hounded himself by all sorts of ugly rumors (all of which of course we can only surmise are totally baseless): Kuratong Baleleng, Dacer-Corbito, Kim Readers can write me at gboliWong. The big tent that Duterte is trying var1952@yahoo.com. enough,” Judy Pastorpede, leader of the retrenched employees, said: “Our employer has pushed us against the wall. They have not only violated our rights as employees but have done everything in their power to discredit us.” She explained that, “we have patiently observed all legal procedures and requirements to bring our case to an immediate resolution but they continued in denying our constitutionally guaranteed rights. This is the last straw. The homeowners association must understand that this strike was never our intention but was forced upon us by management.” According to the press statement of the union, the PPT management is also accused of union-busting after two of its officers were included among those retrenched. Among the other violations committed include the non-remittance of SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth contributions despite being deducted from workers’ semi-monthly pay; delayed salaries and undisclosed deductions by Polystar; failure to meet Occupational Health and Safety Standards; failure to

fully apply the P21/day wage increase issued by the Regional Wage Board on October 2017; and many others. Luke Espiritu of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (disclosure: A close relative is a volunteer at BMP) to which the union was affiliated has pointed out that the strike at Pacific Plaza is a testament to the worthlessness of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 51 which supposedly addressed endo. According to Espiritu, Duterte’s tough talk against employers on endo is “hogwash.” “The employers are simply ignoring it and continue in their shameless and dastardly practice of contractualization. Labor disputes will inevitably arise left and right in the pursuit of regularization,” Espiritu said. It does not take rocket science to solve the endo problem. A new law is not even necessary. If the country can move forward on the Mindanao conflict, we should be able to find just solutions to this problem.

proving their operations,” said Jason Ding, a China retail expert with Bain & Company. “Operation is all about cutting costs and providing better service. So these automated machine technologies, in the right place, can play a role there.” At Robot.He, customers book tables and order entrées via apps, and the diner’s novelty often draws long queues. Ma Yiwen, 33, brought nearly a dozen colleagues with her. “We are all foodies and we use our lunch time to try good food near our office. The idea of a robot delivering food to our table is very innovative so we wanted to see it ourselves,” she said. The restaurant says automation helps keep costs down, an additional lure for 20-year-old customer Ma Shenpeng, who comes once a week. “Normally for two to three people, a meal costs about 300-400 yuan, but here, all this table of food is just over 100 yuan,” he said. Chinese AI advocates predict robots

will someday perform a range of mundane duties as living standards rise, from delivery to sweeping floors and providing companionship, particularly as China’s labour force has shrunk due to the recently relaxed one-child population control policy. But it’s a delicate issue for Chinese policy-makers due to the potential for human job losses, and the government is in the midst of a long-term push to develop the country’s services industry partly as a job creator, as manufacturing increasingly becomes mechanized. Wang Hesheng, a robotics professor at Shanghai’s Jiaotong University, said the cost of robots remains too high for widespread consumer use and that many companies were merely jumping on the government’s high-tech bandwagon. But robotics could spread if China labor costs continue to grow, he said. “Maybe when labor costs rise higher and higher, robots will balance out with humans,” he said. AFP

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Oh no, not another tax amnesty Expectedly, the subsequent exercises were, like the first, not able to attain their incremental-revenue targets. RUDY To get delinquent taxpayers to go ROMERO for it, a tax amnesty must embody two come-on provisions. One is a THE probable response to the Duterte DoF commitment that the books of administration’s tax amnesty plans of a taxpayer who avails himself of the Filipinos who lived through the mar- tax amnesty will not be audited by tial-law period (1972-1986) would be the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) “What? Another tax amnesty?” That for a specific number of years. The would not be an unfair reaction at all other come-on provision is that a tax in view of this country’s experience amnesty-availing taxpayer must pay at with amnesties for delinquent taxpay- least a specified percentage of his tax ers. That experience has, it must be arrearages. Expectedly, the indicated said, been less than satisfactory. must-be-paid percentage of the arrearThe circumstances of the first of the ages turns out to be percentage that is martial-law tax amnesties could not paid by the taxpayer. The minimum have been more conducive to success. becomes the actual, in the process The 1974 amnesty was conducted in eroding the amnesty’s potential for a climate of fear, generating increintimidation and mental revenue. anxiety. Though The tendency martial law was in of tax amnesty its third year the to go for The program deserves availers Filipino people the lower DoF-instill were unsure commendation, but dicated settlement as to the kind of it must not come at percentage is, as person that Presialready stated, dent Ferdinand E. too high a cost to the one of the two Marcos was, as to Philippine economy. major downside who he considfeatures of tax ered enemies of amnesty. Arguhis “Ang Bagong ably more deleteLipunan” and as rious is the DoF to his concept of appropriate punish- commitment to not audit the availers’ ment for violation of the martial law books of account for a number of years regime’s edicts. In such a political following the tax amnesty year. The climate the 1974 tax amnesty should risk to the tax authorities is obvious: have been an unmitigated success and The amnesty availers could be making the DoF (Department of Finance), then more money during the no-audit years headed by Cesar E. A. Virata, should and the BIR would not be able to achave been able to realize its incremen- cess that money. tal-revenue target. Truth to tell, a tax amnesty smacks But fair was not to be. When all the of desperation—a desperate attempt tax amnesty returns had been tallied, to generate a lot of money to finance Mr. Virata and his people found that a program of government spending their incremental-revenue target that cannot be financed by the normal had not been reached. Although he flow of government revenue. Admitcould not have been expected to say tedly, tax amnesties are able to raise so publicly, the Secretary of Finance large amounts of incremental revenue; almost certainly thought that the but such revenue comes at a potentialdelinquent taxpayers had taken the ly high cost, viz., the tax authorities’ government for a ride. They had ability to access the amnesty-availing taken the advantage of the amnesty taxpayers income during the no-audit without coming clean with their tax period. delinquencies. The 1974 amnesty There is no substitute for a first-rate clearly was not a successful exercise. system of tax administration. Indeed, A tax amnesty is somewhat like a decision to conduct a tax amnesty is a threat; they are one-time things. If a tacit admission that a tax administrathey don’t work the first time, they are tion system is not first-rate. unlikely to work the next time. I do not absolutely abhor tax amnesThe 1974 experience left many ties. I believe the costs of a tax amknowledgeable observers thinking: nesty outweigh its advantages. ObviIf they could not be intimidated by ously, the Duterte administration is martial law to comply with their tax resorting to a tax amnesty—scheduled obligations—or their other social ob- to be conducted simultaneously with ligations—what political conditions the 2019 income tax filing—to generwould make delinquent Filipinos do ate incremental revenue for its Build, so? But the martial-law regime was Build, Build infrastructure program. unfazed by the poor 1974 experience. The program deserves commendation, It conducted two more tax amnes- but it must not come at too high a cost ties before bowing out of existence. to the Philippine economy.

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lead the information campaign to make people aware of the federal form of government that the Duterte administration is pushing. This is funny but I am not laughing. Uson is the last person to educate the people about the proposed change in the system of government. For one thing, if I were a member of the consultative commission, I would be insulted. Uson is not a lawyer and she cannot discern the legal and constitutional ramifications of a federal system of government. My gulay, she is not even a college graduate! In connection with the plan to have Uson become a resource person in the Senate to convince the Senate to move for federalism, that’s a big insult on them. What will Uson do? Will she bring her group of half-naked girls and gyrate before the senators? What the Duterte administration needs in connection with its campaign to make people aware of federalism is somebody people can respect and believe in. Certainly not a sex guru. I still wonder what love potion Mocha made her bosses drink. They still consider her a plus factor for the administration. At least she gives us a few laughs now and then. *** Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who is also a senator of the republic, wants the death penalty restored by yearend. His statements run counter to that of Pope Francis that the death penalty violates the dignity and inviolability of the life of a person. We have this born-again senator and pastor who claims that the Bible allows the death penalty. I am sure Pope Francis knows of whereof he speaks. Unless of course,

Christians like Pacquiao are reading a different Bible. As a Catholic, I believe that whatever the Pope says. He is the representative of Jesus Christ on earth. Pacquiao presumes too much that the Senate would go for him and his Bible. He also enumerates the heinous crimes he believes should be covered. There is no empirical evidence that it can be a deterrent to crime. What will deter crime is swift justice. *** The signing into law of a single and streamlined Identification Card is the culmination of years waiting for one ID card that can provide for all services from both the private and public sector. The new ID will contain full name, sex, birth date, blood type, place of birth, marital status and photo. Militant have long opposed a national ID because they say it invades privacy, Santa Banana, even government agencies contain most, if not all, the contents of the national ID. So what is the beef? In my seven decades as a journalist I have been to many countries and almost all of them have one single ID that their residents carry and use for all transactions. *** The Court of Appeals’ decision to dismiss the Securities and Exchange Commission’s charge that international businessman Roberto “Bobby” Ongpin committed insider trading in connection Philex shares some years ago is a vindication for Bobby. Ongpin was persecuted during the incumbency of former President Benigno Aquino III just because he was friends with former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. But is that a crime? Bobby was my student in Ateneo in the early 1950s. Congratulations, Bobby. www.emiljurado.weebly.com.

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News

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

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19 new ‘lepto’ cases verified By Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE Department of Health on Monday conﬁrmed 19 new cases of leptospirosis admitted at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. During the last week of July, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they had received reports about 97 cases and now, there’s an additional 19 cases at the NKTI. Speaking in an interview over Balitanghali, Domingo said there were seven

leptospirosis cases in Dagulan, Pangasinan due to massive ﬂoodings in the said area. He noted that leptospirosis cases had increased compared to previous years, but he also assured the public that the DoH, with the help of other local government agencies, was ready to address the needs of leptospirosis patients. Domingo reminded the public, especially those who have walked through ﬂoodwaters, to immediately go to a hospital or clinic and take proper medication. Leptospirosis, a possibly fatal bacterial disease that affects humans and animals alike, is caused by the spiral-shaped Leptospira bacteria, which spread through the urine of infected animals. The World Health Organization warned that floods “can potentially increase the

transmission” of a water-borne disease like leptospirosis. In June, the DoH said it would study data from various hospitals to determine if there was a need to declare a leptospirosis outbreak. Concerned over the rising number of leptospirosis cases in the country, Senator Nancy Binay has called on the DoH and local government units to launch a massive campaign to rid leptospirosis-related casualties in the barangays. Binay said the DoH, with the help of LGUs, should remain proactive in its objective to inform the public of the symptoms of the disease and how to avoid it. “We need to solicit people’s participation and ﬁnd community-level ways to prevent the spread of the disease,” Binay said.

DENR tells 26 suspended mining firms: Shape up By Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday urged 26 suspended or closed mining companies to adopt remedial measures or face closure. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said: “Mining companies need to shape

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up. The review specified major reforms needed, for example, on inadequate mine tailings pond and the very slow rehabilitation of the disturbed mined areas. “The review also pointed out unacceptable practices regarding stockpile areas, location of tailings storage facilities and dumping of toxic and hazardous waste.

They have to address all of these issues or they will be closed.” The Mining Industry Coordinating Council adopted the report of its technical review teams tasked to conduct an objective fact-finding and science-based review of the performance of the 26 mining companies.

Accused confident of exoneration By Rey Requejo AN ACCUSED in a legal dispute involving Alliance Select Foods International expressed confidence he would be found innocent after a Pasig City Metropolitan Trial Court ordered his arrest for violation of the Corporation Code on the inspection of company records. Jonathan Dee, a former board member of Alliance Select Foods, stressed he was determined to clear his name in all appropriate legal venues after two shareholder groups in Alliance Select Foods ﬁled two cases accusing him and others of having refused to allow the inspection of company books. “The records will clearly show that there was no violation of the Corporation Code, and that Alliance Food board voted to allow the complainants to exercise their rights on an inspection. Unfortunately, the process was delayed by

the actions of the complainants themselves, which we will show in the coming days,” he said. In a series of earlier decisions, the Department of Justice already cleared the accused of the charges, with the decisions showing there had been no denial of the complainants’ right to inspect the company books. “We are conﬁdent the facts will bear out that there had been no violations at all, and this will hopefully lead to a speedy dismissal of the complaints,” said Dee. Besides Dee, Judge Emmanuel Pimentel of Pasig City MTC, Branch 69, also ordered the arrest of accused Sycip, board chairman of Alliance Select Foods and other executives of the company for alleged violation of pertinent provisions of Corporation Code, particularly the right of shareholder or member of the corporation to an inspection of the corporate records.

ERRATUM There was an error in the Legal Notice published last June 20, 27 & July 4 2018. The name of the estate should have read as NORBERTO L. CASTILLO. And not Norberto C. Castillo as published.

The Philippine Floorball Clubs Association, Inc. (PFA) is applying for membership with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), being the sole national organizing body for the Floorball sport in the country. Floorball is a fast-paced stick and ball sport, which allows limited physical contact between opposing players. The sport requires precise stick handling, high-intensity running, and quick decision making when passing or shooting. Headed by Asst. Prof. Ralph Ramos of the UP College of Human Kinetics as President and Mr. JayR Beterbo of De La Salle Zobel as Secretary General, the PFA has been actively providing regular floorball programs, including the Philippine Floorball League (PFL). Since its inaugural season in 2013, the PFL is now being participated by more than 20 teams across five divisions ranging from U13 Boys and Girls divisions up to the Men and Women senior divisions. If there are any other Sports body which claims to represent the same in the Philippines, objection to the application for membership of the applying Sports Association should be presented before the POC Membership Commission with a period of fifteen (15) days from the date of publication of this article. (MS-AUG. 7, 2018)

Republic of the Philippines Mountain Province MUNICIPALITY OF NATONIN INVITATION TO BID 1.

The Local Government Unit of Natonin thru its Municipal Bids and Awards Committee intends to apply the sum of Twenty five million two hundred fifty thousand Pesos (P25,250,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Construction of Natonin Public Market. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Municipal Bids and Awards Committee (MBAC) now invite bids for the Construction of Natonin Public Market located in Poblacion, Natonin,Mountain Province. Completion of the Works is required within 300 calendar days. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Instruction to Bidders and Bid Data Sheet Clause 5.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino Citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Office of the Bids and awards Committee, LGU-Natonin, Natonin, Mt. Province and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from July 28-August 3, 2018.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P 25,000.00).

Pre - bid conference shall be held on August 7, 2018 at 2:00 PM. Venue shall be at the Bids and Awards Committee Office.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at LGU- Natonin, Natonin, Mt. Province on or before August 22, 2018; 2:00 pm. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bid opening shall be on August 22,2018; 2:00 PM at the Office of the Bids and Awards Committee in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who chose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Local Government Unit of Natonin reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. Date of Posting: July 28-August 3, 2018 For further information, please refer to: Hazel B. Gawayen, BAC Secretariat Head LGU-Natonin Natonin, Mt. Province CP number 09998774080 Email: hazelqawaven@qmail.com (SGD) AMBROCIO T. CHINAYOG BAC Chairperson

(MS-AUG. 7,8 & 9, 2018)

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LONG ARM OF THE LAW. Four suspects stumble while on the run, allowing the long arm of the law to arrest them Monday after kidnapping 19-yearold San Juan de Letran college student Denzhel Gomez, found inside a small room in Tondo (photo courtesy of PNP-Anti Kidnapping Group). The victim was on his way home from school on Aug. 1 when his classmate, Jhulius Atabay, suddenly joined him. Police said while they were waiting for a bus at Plaza Bonifacio near the Central Post Office, they were suddenly grabbed by six armed men who forced them into a white plateless SUV. In the middle of the ride, the suspects freed Atabay, who promptly informed Gomez’s family and the P30-million ransom being demanded.

Amnesty program up Immigration deports 3 foreigners for 100,000 OFWs By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Labor and Employment has urged over 100,000 distressed and overstaying overseas Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates to avail themselves of the three-month amnesty program offered by the Gulf state government. The amnesty started on Aug. 1, 2018 and will end Oct. 31, 2018, giving a three-month grace to finalize all foreigners to correct their status or face fine and imprisonment. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III renewed his call to OFWs who have overstayed or escaped from their employers in the UAE to avail themselves of the amnesty to correct their status or be voluntarily repatriated back to the Philippines. The three-month amnesty will benefit 87,706 undocumented or overstaying Filipino workers in Abu Dhabi and 14,400 in Dubai, he said. “I advise all the undocumented, distressed, and overstaying OFWs to avail of the amnesty program given by the government of UAE for them to legalize their stay or return back to Philippines for their own good. The government is always ready to provide any assistance to those who wish to come home,” Bello said.

THE Bureau of Immigration has ordered the deportation of three foreigners who were arrested in separate occasions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for using bogus documents. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Monday the foreigners were found using spurious travel papers which they presented to immigration ofﬁcers at the airport who were about to leave for Canada. BI OIC Deputy Commissioner and Port Operations Division chief Marc Red Mariñas identiﬁed those arrested as Moustapha Harry Dicko, a Mali national; Gabriel Martinez Mendoza, a Mexican;

and Joynul Islam, a Bangladeshi. “We are alarmed by what appears to be a proliferation in the use of fraudulent travel documents by foreigners who attempt to enter or exit our country,” the BI chief said. Morente had instructed BI-Naia personnel “to double their vigilance to put a stop to these individuals attempting to travel illegally,” Mariñas said all three passengers were immediately brought to BI jail in Taguig City after they were intercepted on separate occasions at the Naia last week. Vito Barcelo

Provincial buses may use Valenzuela terminal PROVINCIAL buses may use the integrated bus terminal in Valenzuela City once the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority starts its implementation of the provincial bus ban along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue on Aug. 15. The policy seeks to ease trafﬁc congestion in Edsa by reducing the number of provincial buses. The local government of Valenzuela has allowed buses from provinces such as Bulacan, Bataan, and Pampanga to use the Valenzuela Gateway Complex Central Integrated Terminal, MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago said. “We will start in the north because the terminal in Valenzuela Gateway Complex is already opened. This is the ﬁrst provincial terminal outside Metro Manila that may be used. It is within the last frontier of Metro Manila in the north… the LGU has allowed us to use it starting Aug. 15. This is good as this is intermodal,” Pialago said in a radio interview last weekend. PNA

FOR THE DEFENSE. Lawyers, relatives and supporters gather at a news conference Monday at Max’s Restaurant inside the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City to solidify their support for missing National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Liza Maza, one of four ordered arrested by security authorities for a murder charge lodged in Nueva Ecija. Manny Palmero

4 kidnap victims rescued, 8 suspects nabbed THE Anti-Kidnapping Group rescued four kidnap victims, including a one-yearold Chinese national, and arrested eight suspects, including three Chinese nationals while four policemen and s ix others are being hunted for their alleged link to the incidents. Chief Supt Glenn Dumlao, chief of the Anti-Kidnapping Group, said one of the four policemen who were involved in the kidnapping-for-ransom and now missing was identiﬁed as P01 Michael

Omiping Siervo. Siervo, an AWOL policeman, was identiﬁed by the victim, Bonifacia Pascual Arcita, as the lawman who held and kept her at a safe house owned by the former and his wife Margie Celin-Siervo at Purok 4, Barangay Trance, Bay, Laguna after the kidnapping on July 29 at about 2 am. Dumlao said Arcita identiﬁed Siervo as the leader of the group that kidnapped her when a picture of the suspect was shown to her. Francisco Tuyay

Sports

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PH, China boost Asian boxing with tripartite agreement

Andrew Lu (left), Senior VP, Rejoy International Holdings (Beijing) Co. Ltd. is joined by Ruihang Wang, President of IBF B and R and IBF China, Daryl Peoples, President of the International Boxing Federation, Abraham Mitra, Chairman of the Games and Amusements Board and Anibal Miramontes, Chairman of IBF Ratings Committee.

Lascuña out to break spell in Bacolod tilt WINLESS in over a year, multi-titled Tony Lascuña hopes to end the drought on the very course where he posted a thrilling victory two years ago as he spearheads the stellar cast in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge unfolding tomorrow (Wednesday, Aug. 8) at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Binitin. The former three-time Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner has never tasted victory since ruling the PGT Forest Hills Championship in June last year, blaming his poor form, particularly putting, and the endgame breaks that had seemed not to go his way plus the surge of the young guns, led by Jobim Carlos. Though he has put himself in contention in a number of tournaments both in the PGT and PGT Asia this year, the veteran campaigner could not seem to unleash the strong finishing kick that has anchored his past victories in the circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “I think it’s about time for me to win again,” said Lascuña, who even had a rare missed cut stint at PGTA Forest Hills last month. “It’s been a long while but I feel good of my chances this week.” He will be among the 18 pros testing the tight, tree-lined par-70 layout in today’s (Tuesday) pro-am tournament where they will be paired with guests and officials of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT. Lascuña nipped Dutchman Guido Van der Valk and Korean-American Micah Shin in a playoff here two years ago and though he expects a tougher, fiercer challenge from the rest of the field, the ace Davaoeño shotmaker is hopeful of seeing a familiar finish on Saturday as it was in 2016. Van der Valk and Shin are also back in the roster, both seeking to complete an unfinished business while Carlos is out to sustain a superb run of victories and top five finishes in the last seven tournaments on the combined PGT and PGTA circuits. Others tipped to contend for the crown in the P2.5 million event are Phl Masters champion Jerson Balasabas, PGTA leg winners Jay Bayron and Jhonnel Ababa, veterans Elmer Salvador, Joenard Rates, Mars Pucay, Mhark Fernando and Arnold Villacencio along with foreign aces Lexus Keoninh of the US and Japanese Keisuke Takahashi. Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (Marapara) will host the next PGT tournament on Aug. 15-18 before action shifts to Iloilo for the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club on Aug. 22-25. The four-leg Visayan swing wraps up at the Cebu Country Club for the ICTSI Cebu Invitational on Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

GAMES and Amusements Board Chairman Abraham Mitra, International Boxing Federation China President Ruihang Wang and Rejoy International Holdings (Beijing) Co. Ltd. Sr. Vice Pres. Andrew Lu signed a five-year tripartite agreement recently to boost Asian boxing. The agreement mandates Rejoy Holdings to organize friendly matches, training camps for boxers from China and the Philippines and hold IBF Silk Road Champions Tournaments. On the other hand, the China IBF will host the matches, camps and the championships. For its part, the GAB will provide a list of high-level boxers, judges, referees, coaches and trainers that will actively participate. “Everyone is focused on pushing Asian boxers, specifically from the Belt and Road countries (China and the Philippines), towards global domination of the popular sport. The fights will be run under the Rules and Regulations Governing Professional Boxing sanctioned and agreed upon by the GAB and the

IBF,” said Chairman Mitra. “A type of home-and-away format will be adopted to sharpen boxers’ versatility to fight skillful opponents in diverse environments. The physical demands of training and fighting in extremely different climatic conditions and altitudes than home soil will toughen up our boxers,” he said. “Fans will love the regular friendlies and championships to be held in both countries. They will enjoy fights by international fighters right in their countries. We know how fans are though. A great number would surely travel to support their countrymen fighting abroad,” Mitra added. According to Mitra, the signatories were “collectively targetting a future where Asia will collect the most belts in numerous divisions worldwide. If we continue the momentum expected to be generated by this tripartite agreement, boxing matches will once again empty the streets, even stop traffic and crime. All parties will work towards making China & the Philippines the home of boxing greats thru this agreement.”

Thomas cruises to golf title

OS ANGELES—Justin Thomas, limbering up for his PGA Championship title defense, fired a one-under par 69 on Sunday to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational by four strokes. On a day when his nearest rivals were fading, overnight leader Thomas stayed steady at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, producing two birdies and one bogey and finishing with a 15-under par total of 265. That left him four clear of American Kyle Stanley, who carded a two-under par 68 for 269. World number one Dustin Johnson and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen shared third place on 270, both storming home with six-under par 64s as those who began the day with higher hopes floundered. “I’m glad I finally played well around here,” said Thomas, who claimed his first victory in an elite World Golf Championships event on a course where hasn’t fared so well in the past. The 25-year-old said he got “a little choked up” when he saw his grandpar-

ents in the crowd. His grandfather, Paul, played in the 1960 Championship at Firestone. “It’s really cool,” Thomas said. “They don’t get to come out very often any more. This is my first PGA Tour win with them here, so that’s pretty cool.” Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and England’s Ian Poulter, who started the day sharing second three shots behind Thomas, both struggled. McIlroy’s five bogeys included three on the trot at the eighth, ninth and 10th. His three-over 73 left him tied for sixth on 272. Poulter fired a four-over 74 that included a double bogey and five bogeys and left him in a group on 273. Tiger Woods, an eight-time winner at the Firestone club hosting the Bridgestone for the last time, carded his second straight 73 to finish with a share of 31st.

His last nine holes saw two double bogeys, three bogeys, three birdies and just one par. “I was just trying to be as aggressive as possible and fire at everything,” Woods said. “It was either going to be 62 or 72 or something in the mid70s. “I was just going to be agg ressive and see what h a p p e n s ,” Woods said. The tournament’s final edition at Firestone offered little drama as no one got within two of

Thomas. The American, who won twice early this season before hitting a dry spell that included a missed cut at the British Open, will defend his PGA Championship title at Bellerive in St. Louis, Missouri, in the final major of the season starting Thursday.

JUSTIN THOMAS

STI joins industry giants in eSports venture STI, one of the country’s largest networks of schools, has linked up with five top firms to develop world-class talents in e-gaming industry with the launch of eSports, a fast-rising form of competition using video games. As one of the founding members of the Philippine National eSports League Association, STI aims to nurture young talents in the field of eSports through the creation of a healthy environment for promising gaming athletes. “As eSports continues to grow and mature all over the world, we want to do our part as an academic institution to promote responsible gaming for the youth, especially the aspiring pro gamers,” said STI Education Services Group, Inc. executive committee chairman Eusebio Tanco. The other firms that have initially signed up with STI to own team franchises in the tournament are PLDT/Smart Communications, Inc., TheNet.Com, HappyFeet eSports, BrenPro, and Cignal TV, Inc. The Nationals, the first ever e-sports franchise model professional league in the country, will open shop next year. Joining Tanco in the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at the Cignal Headquarters in Mandaluyong, were top officials of the nation’s leading telecommunications, television and eSports companies. The league starts with The Road to The Nationals, a series of open qualifier tournament games. It features three game titles: DOTA2 for PC, Mobile Legends for mobile, and NBA2K19 or Tekken 7 for console game. Eight teams from each game will be eligible for drafting and sponsorship by the pioneer teams. “We are using the Road to The Nationals as the pool of talent to build the teams in The Nationals,” said Chot Reyes, president and CEO of TV5. “This is eSports like never before. Aspiring eSports athletes now have a chance to get into a sustainable playing career. This is their time to seize the opportunity.” STI will tap its rich pool of talents through tournaments within its network of 76 campuses. At the grassroots level, STI will search for players who can showcase and test their skills, teamwork, and training in these games for the The Road to The Nationals open qualifiers.

STI ESG Executive Committee chairman Eusebio Tanco (fourth from right) and PLDT and Smart president Manny V. Pangilinan (fifth from left) link arms with top officials of the country’s leading telecommunication, television and eSports companies during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding at the Cignal headquarters in Mandaluyong recently.

PSC-Pacquiao Cup returns for national meet in Mandaue MANDAUE City is set to host some 137 boxers from all over the country in the national championships of the Philippine Sports Commission – Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup on Sept. 7 to 10. “Since we will be having boxers from Luzon and Mindanao, we chose to do it in the Visayas region, particularly Mandaue City, to play host for the national championships,” said supervising technical director Roger Fortaleza.

The boxing cup originally slated its preliminary round in Mandaluyong City, quarterfinal round in Murcia, Negros Occidental, semifinal round in Tagum City, Davao del Norte and final round in Sarangani Province, but was halted due to time constraints. “We have merged the prelims, quarters, semis and finals in a four-day long of boxing, since we also have boxers that will compete in the upcoming

Bulacan tests Basilan’s MPBL mettle Games Tuesday (Marist School Gymnasium) 7 p.m. – Basilan vs Bulacan 9 p.m. – Marikina vs Pasig STREAKING Bulacan tests an improving Basilan squad, even as host team Marikina looks for a follow up win as it battles winless Pasig on Tuesday’s scheduled double header in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Marist

School Gymnasium. The Kuyas are riding the crest of a threegame winning run and they are looking to extend their streak against the Steel, which will put last season’s preseason champion in solo second place. Currently, Bulacan is locked in a four-way tie for second to ﬁfth places overall along with Mandaluyong El Tigre, Bataan Risers and the Makati Skyscrapers, all of them carrying a 4-1 win-loss card.

Batang Pinoy national ﬁnals,”said Fortaleza. But even with a month-long break, the former ABAP secretary-general Fortaleza expects no less than quality ﬁghts from the young brawlers. “The amateurs will be tested in this national championship. We will eventually see the rise of new boxers that will represent our country,” added Fortaleza.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Sports

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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

Pirates face Blazers, shoot for win no. 7 Games today (Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan) 8 a.m.- MU vs SSCR (jrs) 10 a.m.- CSB vs LPU (jrs) 12 noon- MU vs SSCR (srs) 2 p.m.- CSB vs LPU (srs) 4 p.m.- Letran vs AU (srs) 6 p.m.- Letran vs AU (jrs)

POWER PLAY. Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter tries to score inside against San Miguel Beer’s JuneMar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter in Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum. The Gin Kings won, 87-83, to zero in on the crown.

Shooters seeking PSC’s help MEMBERS of the national shooting team will have to make do with the present condition of the Philippine Marine firing range in Ft. Bonifacio. With the shooting range in bad state for more than a year, Asian Games-bound shooters, led by Jayson Valdez have been continuously training and preparing for the Asiad. “Ire-request namin sa PSC. It’s been more than year already,” said newly-named Philippine National Shooting Association board member Ronaldo Hejastro. Hejastro, who is the vice president for pistol sports, noted that inaccurate readings are being recorded at electronic targets in the 10-meter area. This situation was only noticed last month. It was also noted that the airconditioning unit is also no longer functional for a year. He said they will be requesting the Philippine Sports Commission to take care of the facility’s status once the Asiad is over. The PNSA board, he added is also looking at other facilities where the national team can train as well. So far, they have identified one inside the Ateneo de Manila campus, which students can also use as a firing range. Joaquin Ancheta, Hagen Alexander Topacio and Amparo Teresa Acuna are among members of the national team to the Asiad who are training in the range. Peter Atencio

Miciano keeps hold on lead INTERNATIONAL Master John Marvin Miciano remained at the helm following a win over Dutch Sven Stange, while Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna drew with GM Oleg Romanishin of Ukraine to stay half a point behind the lead after three rounds of the 22nd Hogeschool Zeeland Chess tournament 2018 in Vlissingen, The Netherlands Sunday night. After beating Dutch Henk Burg and Singaporean Mei-En Emmanuelle Hng, the 17-year-old Miciano maintained his hold on the top spot with 15 others, headed by top two seeds GMs Sandro Mareco of Argentina and Eduard Iturrizaga Bonelli of Venezuela with three points apiece. The Far Eastern University standout, who was trying to stay in the lead, was playing GM Xeng Chongsheng of China in the fourth round at press time. The 22-year-old Frayna, who beat the Netherlands’ Romayn Brandsma and Bart Feltman in the ﬁrst two rounds, was bunched in the second group with 2.5 points each. She was playing another Dutch IM Max Warmerdam.

Twice-a-day practice sessions set for PH 5 By Peter Atencio

WICE-A-DAY practice sessions have been scheduled for the hastily assembled national men’s basketball team that’s going to the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. With the Philippines entered in Group B, where it is bracketed with Iran, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, coach Yeng Guiao is hoping to whip the best out of his national team, composed primarily of the core of Philippine Basketball Association team Rain or Shine. The national squad, which has less than two weeks to prepare, began its rigorous training for the Asiad last night at the Meralco gym in Ortigas. “We will represent the country to the best of our abilities. Our objective is to make our country proud,” said Guiao right after top basketball officials responded to a strong and popular clamor and decided to form a basketball team to the Asiad. Led by Rain or Shine cagers Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, James Yap, Beau Belgas and Raymund Almazan, the team plunges into action against UAE on Aug. 16 a day after it leaves for Jakarta.

“It’s also a sacrifice and service to country. We don’t mind this as long as we can make our countrymen, who are basketball fans, happy,” added Guiao. A 12-man roster to the quadrennial meet has already been approved by the organizing committee the other day. The other players from seven other ballclubs who have been included are Stanley Pringle (Global Port), Paul Lee (Magnolia), JP Eram (Blackwater), Don Trollano (TNT), Christian Standhardinger (San Miguel) and Asi Taulava (NLEX).

YENG GUIAO

Telus bags badminton doubles’ crown TELUS International Philippines stamped its dominance at the 2018 BPO Olympics once more after its women’s badminton doubles’ team bagged the tournament championship, adding another trophy to their current haul. The ladies from TIP emerged on top after a thrilling three-set match against Cognizant. After splitting the ﬁrst two sets, the deciding battle on the badminton court entertained spectators, as both teams chased every shot and defended countless smashes. In the end, the TIP duo of Ma. Camille Mascariña and Jill Castillo showed familiarity with each other’s play, demonstrating great teamwork as they defended well in the closing rallies of the match to win the third and ﬁnal set, with the score of 15-14. With the win in the women’s badminton doubles, TIP added another trophy to its haul after the men’s table tennis individual championship was won earlier in the tournament. The BPO Olympics is an annual sporting event for the business process outsourcing industry, with tournaments for various sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, airsoft, billiards, darts, cheerdance, football, and marathon. A total of 28 companies are participating in the 2018 edition of BPO Olympics.

The Telus women’s doubles team in action at the BPO Olympics

LYCEUM of the Philippines University seeks to keep its record immaculate as it shoots for win No. 7 when it plays College of St. Benilde today in the 94th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. The Pirates booked their sixth straight victory by outgunning the Perpetual Help Altas Friday and will remain unscathed and keep the solo lead if they overcome the Blazers, who dropped three of their ﬁrst ﬁve games, in their 2 p.m. encounter. LPU’s success can be attributed to the team’s much-improved defense to complement its dreaded running game. In six outings, the Pirates have averaged a league-high 91 points a game, while running fourth in points allowed at 76 points behind only San Beda’s 62.5, Letran’s 68 and CSB’s 73.8. “We’d like the press the energy out of every team we face because we really want to focus on our defense more than outscoring our opponents,” said LPU coach Topex Robinson. CJ Perez is another reason LPU is ticking as he is averaging 20.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.5 steals and nearly a block a game, while turning the ball lesser this season than last with just 2.3 turnovers to put himself in a position to win a second straight MVP award. They will play a Blazers’ side that is coming off a heartbreaking 60-64 defeat to the Letran Knights Thursday. Meanwhile, Letran (3-1) tries to sustain its resurgence as it guns for a fourth win in row versus Arellano U (2-2) at 4 p.m. Bong Quinto and a much-improved frontcourt have been the keys to the Knights re-emergence as legitimate title-conteders.

Melania lauds James after Trump’s insult WASHINGTON—After Donald Trump sniped back at LeBron James’ suggestion that he fuels American racial divides, support has flooded in for the NBA great -- including from the US president’s own wife, Melania. In an interview on Tuesday -- also broadcast late Friday -Los Angeles Lakers player and philanthropist James told CNN he believed Trump “is kind of trying to divide us.” “He’s kind of used sport to... divide us and that’s something I can’t relate to, because I know that sport was the first time I ever was around someone white. You know?” said James, who on Monday opened an elementary school for at-risk youth in his native Akron, Ohio. For the rest of the week, Trump was uncharacteristically silent -- until Friday night, when he finally shot back. “Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, (CNN presenter) Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do,” the president tweeted. His comment sparked huge reaction from James’ supporters -- but the most surprising came from First Lady Melania Trump, whose communications director issued a statement that appeared to break ranks with the president. Stephanie Grisham was quoted by CNN as saying James appeared to be “working to do good things on behalf of our next generation.” “Just as she always has, the First Lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today,” she said. Grisham added the first lady “would be open to visiting” James’ new school. AFP

Blu Girls bounce back, edge no. 8 Dutch foes THE Philippine Blu Girls recovered from stinging shutout losses to fancied Mexico and Puerto Rico, rallying from behind to nip No. 8 the Netherlands, 5-4, and stay in the hunt in the XVI WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship in Chiba, Japan Sunday. The 15th-ranked Blu Girls’ scored twice on top of the sixth to complete their stirring ﬁghtback with Chelsea Suitos, who earlier hit a homer in the fourth, delivering the marginal run after an RBI single by Francesca Altomonte.

The victory evened the Blu Girls’ card at 2-2 in Group A, keeping their spot at No. 4 behind Puerto Rico (5-0), the US (4-0) and No. 7 Mexico (2-2) followed by Taiwan at No. 5, also with a 2-2 slate, the Netherlands (1-3), New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-4). The come-from-behind win likewise snapped the Philippines’ back-to-back losses to Mexico (0-2) and Puerto Rico (0-3) in the Blu Girls’ Saturday double-header after they crushed South Africa (10-0) in the opener of the event sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confed-

eration and serving as the first of five qualifiers for the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo. “Despite the twin setbacks, the Blu Girls didn’t give up and showed what they’ve got to go head-to-head with some of the world’s top teams,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, president of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL). The Filipina softbelles were facing the top seeded Americans at presstime and will slug it out with the No. 5 Taiwanese Tuesday.

IN BRIEF

Peso hits 2-month high of 52.85:US$1

THE peso strengthened to a two-month high against the US dollar on Monday as markets anticipated a strong policy rate action from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas during the Monetary Board meeting on Thursday. The peso gained P0.30 to close at 52.85 from 53.13 Friday. It was the peso’s strongest level in almost two months since 52.70 on June 8, 2018. Volume traded stood at $892.9 million, up from $595 million previously. ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said in a report the local currency was one of Asian emerging market currencies that posted week-onweek strength. “PHP posted a 0.4 percent WoW strengthening on the back of market expectations of an aggressive or strong BSP policy rate action at this Thursday’s policy rate meeting,” Cuyegkeng said. “... Sustained upward trend of inflation would likely raise the possibility of a 50 bps hike at the Thursday meeting,” Cuyegkeng said. Inflation in June further accelerated to a five-year high of 5.2 percent from 4.6 percent a month ago, bringing the first-half average to 4.3 percent, or over the upper limit of the target range of 2 to 4 percent for the year. Julito G. Rada

Business

PNB’s profit doubled to P5.4b in 6 months PHILIPPINE National Bank, the fifthlargest lender and controlled by airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, said consolidated net income in the first half of the year doubled to P5.4 billion from P2.7 billion a year ago on the strength of core businesses. The bank said in a statement the 50-percent growth in total operating income provided the momentum for the strong performance, as core income combined with higher non-recurring revenues significantly increased. Comprising almost two-thirds of the total operating income, the bank’s net interest income jumped 27 percent to P13.1 billion from year-ago level of P10.3 billion, driven by higher loan volumes and improving net interest margins. Net service fees and commission income reached P1.68 billion, up P61 million from year-ago level, boosted by improvements in credit, deposit, and bancassurance fees, which offset the lower underwriting and investment banking revenues. Julito G. Rada

INSULAR LIFE’S AWARD.

Insular Life bags the award for the Domestic Life Insurer of the Year – Philippines 2018, given by the Insurance Asia Awards. This is the second year that Insular Life received the award. Receiving the award from Asian Banking & Finance Magazine editor-in-chief Tim Charlton (left) are (from left) Insular Life executive chair Nina Aguas, president and chief executive Mona Lisa dela Cruz and senior assistant vice president and public relations head Ana Maria Soriano.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

By Jenniffer B. Austria

HEALTHCARE TRADE MEETING. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council holds the 2018 Taiwan Healthcare Industry Trade Meeting in the Philippines at the Manila Hotel. Addressing a news conference on one of the premier events of the medical community are (from left) Taiwan Nobel Eye Institute chief executive Dr. David Chaokai Chang, Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in the Philippines economic division director Alfred Wang and Department of Internal Medicine Cardiovascular Center attending physician Dr. Mao Shin Lin. Lino Santos

PLDT gets court reprieve vs workers’ regularization By Darwin G. Amojelar

LDT Inc. said Monday it obtained an injunction from the Court of Appeals against the order of the Labor Department to regularize 7,344 workers from its 38 third-party service contractors.

The CA, in a decision dated July 31, set aside the regularization order of the department on several functions. The appellate court declared there was labor-only contracting on the following functions: janitorial services, messengerial, clerical services, IT services, sales and medical professional services. The CA, however, said the contractual workers performing installation, repair and maintenance of PLDT lines should be regularized.

Ayala Land’s profit climbs 18% to P13.5b PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. said Monday it posted a net income of P13.5 billion in the first half, up 18 percent from P11.5 billion it booked a year ago, boosted by the strong performance of its property development and healthy contribution from the commercial leasing business. Ayala Land said in a disclosure to the stock exchange revenues rose 25 percent in January to June to P80.4 billion from P54.5 billion a year earlier. Revenues from property development, which includes the sale of residential lots and units, office spaces and commercial and industrial lots, jumped 27 percent to P58.3 billion from P46 billion. Residential sales grew 31 percent to P50.1 billion, driven by new bookings and project completion across its various residential brands. International sales were up 21 percent to P22.1 billion. Sales reservations in the first half

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

SM Prime’s income rose 16% to P16.6b in six months

Tsuneishi eyes Iligan as shipbuilding hub SHIPBUILDER Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. of Japan is searching for an area in and around Iligan City for its second facility in the Philippines. “I think we’re good with the deal with Tsuneishi. They’re looking at possible places to build the new facility. Initially, it was Negros (island) but there (were) kinks in the negotiation. They might go to Iligan, then,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez. Lopez during his recent trip to Japan encouraged Tsuneishi Shipbuilding president Kenji Kawano to locate one of its expanding operations in Iligan to create more jobs in the area of Marawi City. He also urged shipbuilding companies to team up with the Philippines during a roundtable meeting in Tokyo. The Pan Hua Group of China, meanwhile, expressed a commitment to pursue a $3.5-billion integrated steel plant project in the Philippines. Lopez said no less than the chairman of Panhua group called him recently to remind that his company was pursuing the investment plan as soon as possible. Othel V. Campos

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

reached P72.0 billion, or 17 percent higher than a year ago. This translated into an average monthly take-up of P12 billion. Sales from commercial and industrial lots also rose 16 percent to P3.87 billion from P3.34 billion a year earlier. This was due to the further strengthening of this segment in Arca South, Taguig; Azuela Cove in Davao; Ayala North Point in Negros Occidental; Alviera in Pampanga; and Cavite Technopark in Naic. Commercial leasing also reported a 15-percent hike in ﬁrst half revenues to P16.9 billion from P14.7 billion in 2017, led by higher contributions from recently-opened malls in Vertis North and Cloverleaf, both in Quezon City, as well as The 30th and Feliz, both in Pasig. The group also expanded its leasing footprint with recently opened hotels and resorts such as Huni in Sicogon, Iloilo and Seda Capitol Central in Bacolod City. Jenniffer B. Austria

PLDT said the CA agreed with the company’s contention that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III’s regularization order was “tainted with grave abuse of discretion” because it did not meet the “substantial evidence standards set out by the Supreme Court in landmark jurisprudence.” The court ruled that the Labor Department’s appreciation of evidence leaned in favor of the contractor workers, and that the secretary had “lost sight” of distinctions involving the labor law concepts of “control over means and methods” and “control over results.” “PLDT and its legal counsel are studying the Court of Appeals decision to determine the company’s appropriate next steps,” PLDT said. Bello earlier said PLDT violated the labor law by engaging in “labor-only contracting schemes” by employing the services of 38 service contractors. The department also issued cease and desist orders to 38 contractors for engaging in labor-only contracting schemes. This means that they are

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, August 6, 2018

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

53.1460

Japan

Yen

0.008991

0.4778

Pound

1.301300

69.1589

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127410

6.7713

Switzerland

Franc

1.006745

53.5045

Canada

Dollar

0.769586

40.9004

Singapore

Dollar

0.732064

38.9063

Australia

Dollar

0.739500

39.3015

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

140.9895

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

14.1711

Brunei

Dollar

0.729395

38.7644

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.030075

1.5984

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

14.4702

Euro

1.157100

61.4952

Korea

Won

0.000891

0.0474

China

Yuan

0.146439

7.7826

India

Rupee

0.014590

0.7754

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.245098

13.0260

New Zealand

Dollar

0.674800

35.8629

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032709

1.7384

prohibited from operating a contracting business and that the workers they deployed to PLDT should be regularized under the telecommunications company. PLDT then advised its customers about operational issues, after the Labor Department issued the cease and desist order to a number of its service providers requiring them to stop rending services to PLDT. The country’s largest telecom company earlier reported a net income of P6.9 billion in January to March, up by 39 percent from P4.9 billion in the same period last year. Consolidated core income reached P6.1 billion in the three-month period, up 14 percent from a year ago. Core income, excluding that of unit Voyager, rose 23 percent year-on-year to P6.7 billion, which if annualized would put the company ahead of its income guidance of P23 billion to 24 billion for 2018. PLDT’s consolidated service revenues amounted to P36.7 billion, up 3 percent year-on-year.

Meralco needs P14b to relocate 10,000 poles along 5 railway projects By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said it needs to relocate more than 10,000 electric poles at a cost of P14.155 billion to pave the way for the construction of five railway projects of the Department of Transportation. “Our initial ballpark estimate is for us to be able to relocate all the affected poles in all these five priority projects of the DOTr, we will be needing P14.1 billion. There’s a cost sharing between Meralco [30 percent] and DOTr [70 percent],” Meralco senior vice president Ronnie Aperocho said. About P9.916 billion of the relocation cost will be charged to DOTr, while P4.239 billion will be charged to Meralco as project cost, subject to approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission. The rail projects include the 12.6-kilometer PNR North 2 project (390 poles), 38.2-km PNR North 1 project (1,395 poles), 25-km Metro Manila Subway project (238 poles), 56-km PNR South Commuter Railway project (1,884 poles) and the 208-km PNR South Long Haul project (6,435 poles). “This estimate is based on preliminary cost design estimate and for budgetary purposes…to agree to shoulder adjustment costs based on actual relocation costs,” Aperocho said. Aperocho said a memorandum of agreement was being finalized for the pole relocation to avoid major issues and potential sources of disputes.

SM PRIME Holdings Inc., one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, said Monday net income climbed 16 percent in the first half to P16.6 billion from P14.39 billion in the same period last year on double-digit growth in mall revenues and residential sales. SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated revenues increased 15 percent in the six-month period to P49.77 billion from P43.25 billion a year ago. Operating income also increased 16 percent to P23.36 billion from P20.11 billion. “SM Prime’s expansion projects in various progressive provincial areas in the Philippines, as well as bolstered presence in Metro Manila, allowed the company to maintain double-digit growth in all of our businesses,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said. “We intend to deliver more integrated developments in the coming years anchored by lifestyle malls, luxurious yet affordable residences and other complementary amenities across the country. We believe that synergy among our businesses is key to sustaining our revenue and income growths, while also improving the lives of the communities we serve,” Lim said. Mall revenues, which accounted for 58 percent of total revenues, rose 12 percent in the first half to P28.71 billion from P25.68 billion a year earlier. SM Prime had 77 malls, including 70 in the Philippines and seven in China, as of end-June. The company opened SM Center Imus in Cavite, SM City Urdaneta Central in Pangasinan and SM City Telabastagan in Pampanga in the first half. Two more malls will open this year, including SM City Legazpi in Albay and SM Center Ormoc in Leyte. SM Prime’s residential revenues climbed 23 percent to P17.05 billion in the first half from P13.91 billion in the same period last year.

645 firms keep getting tax breaks for over 15 years A TOTAL of 645 profitable companies are still receiving tax incentives even after 15 years in the business, depriving the government of billions of pesos in revenues, an official of the Finance Department said Monday. Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the data proved that investment perks given usually to big or multinational companies had become redundant and unnecessary. Chua said data reported by investment promotion agencies as mandated under the Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act showed the government in 2015 gave away P86 billion worth of income tax incentives to firms that paid out a total of P83 billion in dividends to shareholders. “So our question is, why are we supporting certain firms if they are inherently profitable and they pay even more dividends than the incentives they receive? And these are dividends, which is just a fraction of profit because part of profit is the one you retain as earnings,” Chua said during a recent hearing on the proposed corporate tax reform law conducted by the House ways and means committee. The committee, chaired by Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua, so far conducted five hearings on House Bill 7458, which aims to lower corporate income tax while reorienting the current complicated investment incentives system that has led to such redundant, unnecessary perks to select enterprises registered with the Board of Investments, Philippine Economic Zone Authority and 12 other IPAs. Cua along with Rep. Raneo Abu and Rep. Aurelio Gonzales jointly authored HB 7458, which Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said would be among the priority bills of the House under her leadership. The proposed reforms in the CIT system comprise Package 2 of President Duterte’s comprehensive tax reform program.

Julito G. Rada

Business

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks end flat ahead of GDP data

HE stock market closed virtually ﬂat Monday ahead of Thursday’s release of the gross domestic product ﬁgures.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose minimally by 2.08 points, or 0.03 percent, to 7,817.31 on a value turnover of P5.6 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 117 to 92, with 36 issues unchanged. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc., owned by conglomerate Ayala Corp., climbed 3.6 percent to P41.95, but sister unit Globe Telecom Inc. fell 2.7 percent to P1,800. Transpaciﬁc Broadband Group International Inc., which is bidding to become the country’s third major telecommunications ﬁrm, jumped 11.1 percent to P0.70, while A shares of sister unit ATN Holdings

Inc. A, formerly Jabpract Mining and Industrial Corp., surged 9.9 percent to P1.33. The B shares of ATN advanced 12.5 percent to P1.35. The rest of Asian markets were mixed on Monday with early gains pared by continuing concerns about the brewing China-US trade war, while the yuan struggled to maintain momentum after the Chinese central bank moved to support the unit. Traders started the day on an upbeat note, tracking their New York and European counterparts following recent painful losses. The gains came as data on Friday showed that while the US economy saw a slowdown in jobs creation in July, the pace of hiring remained strong over the past three months. The report also showed wage growth remained tepid, helping ease worries about an overheating economy.

The result provided some muchneeded cheer to markets, which brushed off a warning from Beijing that it would impose new tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods if Washington pushes ahead with levies on $200 billion of Chinese imports. However, while reports said unofﬁcial talks have been held between Beijing and Washington, trade tensions continue to rise, with a top White House adviser calling China a bad bet and saying its economy—the world’s second biggest— was struggling. By the end of trade Monday Tokyo was 0.1 percent lower, reversing a morning rally, while Shanghai tumbled 1.3 percent. Seoul dipped 0.1 percent. Hong Kong was up 0.3 percent in late trade but well down from the gains of more than one percent seen soon after the open. Sydney added 0.6 percent, Singapore

gained 0.8 percent and Taipei was 0.1 percent higher. Bangkok was ﬂat while Jakarta jumped more than one percent despite an earthquake that rattled the island of Lombok and killed dozens of people. The yuan’s early gains petered out, having made small gains Friday after the People’s Bank of China unveiled measures making it harder to bet against the currency, which has suffered steep losses in the past two months. The unit, which is wallowing around lows not seen for more than a year, bounced back soon after the announcement. It extended the gains Monday morning before going into reverse. The bank’s measure was similar to a move when the currency went into freefall following a devaluation three years ago that rattled global markets. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.95 17,270 98.5 1,689,810 2.74 5,000 135 1,574,770 1.84 720,000 33 39,600 6.6 1,700 16.4 1,500 14.3 673,300 3.81 157,000 1.53 5,000 806.5 710 0.59 10,878,000 77.45 2,535,380 1.01 295,000 11.8 37,900 21.2 1,000 45.4 25,600 200 2,010 104.4 1,140 85 220 29.55 54,300 205 90,110 1,820 550 84.2 6,350 1.19 9,000

1,031,823 166,241,002.50 13,500 212,839,517 1,345,350 1,310,115 11,234 24,600 9,621,788 591,270 7,650 578,815 6,400,960 195,110,652 297,300 449,818 21,225 1,166,520 402,044 119,406 18,715 1,618,715 18,352,530 1,012,550 534,705 10,710

819,333 -71,295,506 -7,515,203 -403,090 4,114,416 85,733,140 -560,115 -759,330 4,960,518 -16,840 -

37.1 15.28 0.7 1.15 0.235 3.2 15.48 195 39 21.1 49.9 71.7 1.8 10.4 15.76 10.58 7.42 4.92 1.61 15.4 62.1 24.7 7.42 14.2 2.34 276.2 4.86 3.08 26.1 12.8 19.1 368.8 6.85 2.21 4.11 8.9 5.16 1.18 11.8 55.55 6.1 4.73 2.5 3.25 1.74 13 68.05 5.25 0.125 1.11 130 2.54 2.43 1.41

INDUSTRIAL 37.5 786,500 15.5 570,400 0.74 17,997,000 1.18 314,000 0.238 3,420,000 3.25 1,595,000 15.5 389,400 195 170 41 305,700 21.15 19,000 50 9,330 72.1 4,320 1.8 91,000 10.48 227,600 15.9 759,800 10.8 32,200 7.42 499,800 4.92 5,117,300 1.61 2,000 15.54 117,900 63.4 7,960 25 126,500 7.46 5,145,100 14.2 588,100 2.36 1,586,000 280 355,370 4.9 81,000 3.08 5,000 26.2 386,500 13.12 647,300 19.1 740,700 371.2 280,830 6.86 4,500 2.21 195,000 4.11 132,000 9 392,300 5.18 783,000 1.18 331,000 11.86 27,500 55.95 401,940 6.1 43,100 4.73 313,000 2.7 206,000 3.25 10,000 1.74 865,000 13.1 107,400 68.4 543,850 5.28 41,200 0.125 3,300,000 1.16 1,238,000 132.4 712,190 2.54 55,000 2.45 15,129,000 1.41 18,950,000

29,478,140 8,806,322 13,276,910 366,980 810,130 5,161,150 6,035,784 33,150 12,080,360 401,610 466,485 310,024 165,030 2,397,150 12,030,144 347,470 3,733,103 25,493,563 3,220 1,827,992 503,050 3,149,460 38,337,617 8,576,148 3,763,630 99,138,580 396,380 15,400 10,144,360 8,470,050 14,332,044 104,222,902 30,845 435,380 543,580 3,509,111 4,140,837 392,080 325,566 22,482,855 264,640 1,480,490 533,690 32,500 1,515,550 1,406,824 37,208,276 216,579 413,870 1,390,900 93,560,796 140,900 37,058,790 27,602,640

-9,452,970 98,202 -52,540 2,313,870 -5,983,096 57,105 -459,000 -18,200 -422,296 2,680,772 -1,864,772 -14,378,318.00 812,164 296,055 20,240 -732,039 -1,806,342 25,084,942 -6,056,900 -6,005,814 -1,914,838 14,576,514 -32,810 -205,500 -248,894 52,450 550,312.50 -61,350 506,110 202,810 17,400 24,517,939.50 30,571,837 -272,460 -98,940

0.246 62 12.3 0.97 6.1 31 1.65 1.67 1,019 6.15 12.4 7.1 998 6.63 58 5.4 0.61 4.48 18 0.78 5.12 0.037 1.33 2.81 138.9 986 0.77 1.6 457 259 0.33 0.209

0.241 59.7 11.98 0.92 6.08 30 1.24 1.22 1,000 6.02 12.1 6.85 978.5 6.03 56.8 5.39 0.59 4.18 17.72 0.71 5 0.037 1.29 2.77 136.5 966 0.77 1.57 430 254 0.31 0.209

HOLDING FIRMS 0.246 4,280,000 60.1 1,571,530 12.04 10,772,300 0.97 62,000 6.1 113,900 30.85 61,300 1.33 231,878,000 1.35 53,797,000 1,000 258,860 6.06 197,000 12.2 3,001,000 7.1 54,800 978.5 39,550 6.03 14,500 58 1,099,470 5.4 19,000 0.59 1,504,000 4.39 4,010,000 17.8 1,601,900 0.77 41,703,000 5.12 27,681,200 0.037 2,300,000 1.29 1,111,000 2.77 1,141,000 136.5 171,780 979 170,130 0.77 25,000 1.59 211,000 457 90 259 23,450 0.315 26,300,000 0.209 40,000

1,036,550 94,699,295 130,572,934 57,270 694,750 1,865,950 331,327,230 75,902,900 260,889,235 1,199,093 36,742,860 388,507 39,013,530 87,639 63,617,410 102,536 893,830 17,506,840 28,503,340 31,565,360 140,915,123 85,100 1,438,390 3,180,560 23,585,642 165,693,415 19,250 333,620 40,120 6,031,516 8,401,000 8,360

200,360 8,723,049.50 -45,186,508 682,590 154,250 6,124,860 -161,757,420 526,689 17,011,732 -9,386,815 29,362,741.50 854,550 -7,461,084 -3,873,900 4,017,533 -5,807,894 -22,325,860 -424,890 -320,000 -

7.72 0.98 14.2 2 0.75 41.95 3.2 4.63 0.44 0.97 1 0.211 0.43 10.2 27.05 0.61 1.48 1.22 1.68 4.05 4.76 0.68 0.46 0.5 3.68

7.44 0.96 14 1.98 0.73 40.6 3.16 4.6 0.435 0.96 0.98 0.208 0.415 9.69 26.55 0.58 1.43 1.21 1.54 4.05 4.69 0.66 0.45 0.49 3.52

32,389,493 1,942,620 26,620 63,780 794,410 392,268,000 1,924,040 1,079,620 709,100 111,400 342,660 1,771,840 974,200 12,216,901 7,880,555 256,730 10,377,270 4,210,190 55,150,670 89,100 30,146,940 71,924,680 1,674,800 5,336,250 9,993,790

-469,630 84,039,745 -567,440 -138,300 125,290 43,000 84,970 2,587,490 1,130,480 -466,530 -5,926,320 -4,776,230 -1,121,640 -3,500 2,711,570

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

59 97.25 2.7 136.8 1.89 33.2 6.67 16.4 14.32 3.89 1.53 830 0.56 76 1.02 11.9 21.2 45.8 200 105.3 85.1 30 204 1,900 84.2 1.19

59.95 100.5 2.74 136.8 1.94 33.2 6.67 16.4 14.32 3.89 1.53 830 0.61 77.45 1.02 11.94 21.25 45.8 200.2 105.3 85.1 30.1 205 1,900 84.9 1.19

59 96.5 2.68 135 1.77 33 6.6 16.4 14.26 3.72 1.53 806.5 0.55 75.8 1 11.8 21.2 45.4 200 104.4 85 29.55 201.2 1,820 84.2 1.19

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

37.65 15.5 0.75 1.15 0.235 3.21 15.48 195 39.9 21.1 50 71.7 1.82 10.64 16 10.62 7.52 5.02 1.61 15.56 63.5 24.7 7.45 14.86 2.45 277 4.9 3.08 26.25 12.8 19.24 377 6.85 2.26 4.17 8.97 5.5 1.19 11.8 56.4 6.3 4.73 2.65 3.25 1.76 13.2 68.5 5.28 0.127 1.18 130 2.6 2.47 1.55

38 15.56 0.77 1.18 0.24 3.26 15.58 195 41 21.25 50 72.1 1.82 10.64 16.08 10.8 7.57 5.03 1.61 15.56 63.5 25.3 7.58 14.92 2.45 280 4.9 3.08 26.4 13.2 19.4 377 6.86 2.29 4.17 9 5.5 1.19 11.86 56.4 6.3 4.73 2.7 3.25 1.77 13.2 68.65 5.28 0.129 1.18 133 2.6 2.48 1.55

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

0.245 61.95 12.16 0.92 6.08 30.95 1.24 1.22 1,002 6.15 12.4 6.85 998 6.63 57 5.39 0.61 4.19 17.82 0.72 5.03 0.037 1.33 2.81 138.8 986 0.77 1.58 431 258.4 0.315 0.209

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

7.59 0.97 14 1.98 0.73 40.65 3.18 4.6 0.435 0.96 0.98 0.211 0.42 9.73 26.95 0.61 1.45 1.22 1.54 4.05 4.76 0.66 0.455 0.495 3.57

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

20.2 1.97 3.26 37.35 1.14 7.28 0.76 6

20.25 2.05 3.26 38 1.15 7.3 0.76 6.04

19.94 1.97 3.2 37.35 1.13 7.18 0.76 5.98

20 1.98 3.26 37.7 1.15 7.2 0.76 6

785,000 189,000 47,000 5,878,400 1,163,000 606,500 1,000 3,487,000

15,752,261 374,800 152,860 222,099,470 1,330,880 4,374,770 760 20,920,730

-1,609,256 26,540,595 796,939 9,575,027

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

14.4 24.3 1.41 0.46 0.048 13.02 4.3 10.1 0.055 70 8.46 7.02 6.75 2.1 25.65 929.5 1,850 5.42 272.2 4.01 2.09 85.9 13.44 7.89 0.134 3.6 3.78 14.8 4.05 1.05 25.85 0.425 4.71 7.08 2.82 2.25 2.2 8.99 10.98 8.9 3.45 8.15 113.6 5.44 1,396 0.91 0.375 46.6 88.45 8.36 2.21 1.08 0.65 5.05 0.74 11.86

14.4 24.6 1.41 0.48 0.048 13.3 4.8 10.52 0.06 70.1 8.47 7.02 7.3 2.1 26.2 930 1,865 5.42 279.8 4.15 2.09 87.3 13.44 7.89 0.135 3.64 3.78 14.8 4.1 1.06 25.95 0.425 5.03 7.5 2.83 2.25 2.37 9 10.98 8.9 3.55 8.15 113.6 5.56 1,396 0.92 0.405 47.1 88.5 8.68 2.34 1.11 0.83 5.14 0.74 11.86

14.08 23.5 1.4 0.46 0.046 13.02 4.3 10.08 0.055 69.35 8.45 6.86 6.75 2.09 24.25 929.5 1,766 5.4 272.2 3.85 2.09 85 12.7 7.65 0.131 3.32 3.54 14.68 4 1.03 25.5 0.42 4.71 7.08 2.75 2.08 2.15 8.7 10.98 8.5 3.45 8.15 105 5.38 1,355 0.9 0.365 46.6 88.2 8.26 2.17 1.07 0.65 4.99 0.72 11.8

SERVICES 14.1 24.55 1.4 0.48 0.047 13.22 4.6 10.32 0.056 69.35 8.45 6.99 7.3 2.1 24.3 930 1,800 5.41 279.8 3.9 2.09 86.85 12.7 7.89 0.132 3.32 3.56 14.78 4 1.03 25.5 0.425 4.94 7.5 2.82 2.14 2.29 8.75 10.98 8.88 3.54 8.15 105 5.38 1,355 0.92 0.395 47.1 88.45 8.49 2.28 1.1 0.7 5.1 0.74 11.84

22,000 46,400 46,000 5,590,000 5,300,000 8,800 95,000 4,743,100 38,340,000 184,160 4,100 1,675,700 9,700 24,000 190,600 510 42,150 78,600 5,710 3,125,000 3,000 983,970 20,500 28,100 16,240,000 17,904,000 159,000 1,500 1,835,000 374,000 804,200 70,000 41,000 6,731,800 1,438,000 1,908,000 96,000 4,175,200 10,000 4,600 10,000 1,170,000 137,470 705,100 42,215 4,729,000 13,490,000 875,100 110,160 146,900 23,258,000 2,928,000 765,307,000 4,557,100 3,763,000 602,400

311,090 1,120,995 64,620 2,645,450 246,000 116,444 439,640 49,249,798 2,177,150 12,849,174 34,685 11,580,848 67,295 50,380 4,720,220 474,295 75,963,695 425,324 1,577,270 12,532,640 6,270 85,404,415.50 261,040 219,559 2,147,690 61,181,930 568,390 22,042 7,349,880 386,660 20,561,605 29,700 197,830 48,888,304 4,023,850 4,104,890 213,650 36,633,878 109,800 40,408 35,050 9,535,500 15,383,155 3,823,616 57,588,350 4,318,110 5,343,550 40,944,015 9,741,997.50 1,239,507 52,396,490 3,209,200 562,651,370 23,103,138 2,750,860 7,129,066

-4,104 69,000 -8,123,396 -1,549,422 -63,693 -40,367,205 266,240 -2,384,038.50 -1,140,680 -405,090 -558,155 5,924,959 2,364,400 962,243 3,550 -77,773 206,640 -4,975,340 97,050 -134,000 15,679,825 -5,945,405.50 654,533 -2,293,540 -1,657,770 -2,859,360 -8,820,494 64,800 449,196

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

0.0025 1.59 3.83 23.8 1.51 1.97 0.3 7.7 2.06 0.218 0.132 0.136 0.0088 1.54 4.6 1.2 0.55 1.1 0.012 0.012 3 4.39 15 32.7

0.0026 1.68 3.83 24.5 1.51 2.08 0.31 7.7 2.08 0.225 0.135 0.136 0.0094 1.6 4.65 1.2 0.56 1.1 0.012 0.012 3.02 4.45 15.34 32.7

0.0025 1.56 3.79 23.2 1.5 1.95 0.3 7.2 2.04 0.21 0.128 0.131 0.0086 1.51 4.55 1.14 0.54 1.07 0.012 0.011 2.95 4.34 14.52 31.8

MINING & OIL 0.0025 125,000,000 1.63 17,609,000 3.8 191,000 24.4 70,700 1.5 90,000 2.08 4,206,000 0.31 260,000 7.3 32,000 2.06 7,908,000 0.216 1,780,000 0.13 11,550,000 0.131 1,380,000 0.0092 63,000,000 1.6 408,000 4.6 5,553,000 1.17 691,000 0.56 6,000 1.07 1,006,000 0.012 7,600,000 0.011 114,300,000 3.02 48,000 4.4 592,000 15.16 11,840,900 32.3 2,033,600

313,600 28,890,050 725,950 1,696,750 135,400 8,512,130 80,000 231,062 16,289,720 377,210 1,519,130 183,180 573,500 637,070 25,552,130 808,220 3,300 1,087,490 91,200 1,307,700 142,310 2,608,350 177,042,074 65,371,035

-810,930 -41,750 166,010.00 -545,010 84,400 2,887,320 -2,200 176,000 -915,830 -24,520,335

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2I

24.3 505 101.1 106.8 5.3 100.8 1.03 1,020 1,049 999 77.35 80.15 75.2 75.35 75.8

24.7 505 101.9 106.8 5.3 101 1.03 1,020 1,049 1,000 77.35 80.15 75.2 75.35 75.8

23.4 503 101.1 106.8 5.22 100.1 1.03 1,010 1,049 985 77.35 80 75.2 75.2 75.8

PREFERRED 24.6 240,600 505 12,880 101.9 99,370 106.8 210 5.22 265,900 101 12,190 1.03 10,000 1,010 2,050 1,049 25 1,000 1,070 77.35 100 80.15 170,790 75.2 25,000 75.25 13,900 75.8 500

5,807,810 6,503,400 10,047,107 22,428 1,395,640 1,227,839 10,300 2,090,500 26,225 1,067,940 7,735 13,663,318.50 1,880,000 1,046,365 37,900

3,355,130 -1,301,475 49,250 -

LR WARRANT

2.45

2.33

WARRANTS 2.35 783,000

1,851,650

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.27 3.17

5.27 3.19

5.15 3.08

5.2 3.08

5,008,054 12,130,620

129,200 -2,110,780

FIRST METRO ETF

116

116.7

116

460,953

31,447

25,090

PROPERTY 7.7 0.97 14.2 1.99 0.74 41.95 3.16 4.61 0.435 0.96 1 0.21 0.42 10.18 26.7 0.59 1.46 1.21 1.68 4.05 4.73 0.68 0.46 0.495 3.66

4,237,600 2,004,000 1,900 32,000 1,075,000 9,404,400 605,000 234,000 1,630,000 115,000 346,000 8,460,000 2,300,000 1,222,400 293,800 425,000 7,139,000 3,473,000 34,101,000 22,000 6,388,000 106,987,000 3,680,000 10,768,000 2,802,000

USD TECH B2

1.02

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

19,822,711

INDUSTRIAL

87,543,120

HOLDING FIRMS

415,440,054

PROPERTY

220,057,756

SERVICES

943,462,937

MINING & OIL

378,107,787

GRAND TOTAL

2,069,286,012

SME

967,200 3,879,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 116.3 3,960 1

DDS

24,700

VALUE 1,891.40 (up) 6.39 650,569,492.68 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,958.30 (up) 39.17 850,709,258.70 HOLDING FIRMS 7,789.55 (down) 60.41 1,489,667,972.55 PROPERTY 3,802.55 (up) 33.34 1,502.80 (down) 2.06 920,008,717.97 SERVICES MINING & OIL 10,335.60 (up) 37.55 1,336,846,373.236 PSEI 7,817.31 (down) 2.08 334,205,006.052 All Shares Index 4,660.44 (down) 7.85 5,599,612,524.12 Gainers: 92; Losers: 117; Unchanged: 36; Total: 245

NLEX moves construction of road link to early 2019 By Darwin G. Amojelar NLEX Corp. said on Monday it is on track on the construction of an expressway linking the North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway in the first half of 2019. The start of construction for the first section of the NLEX Connector project, stretching from C3 Road in Caloocan City to España Blvd. in Manila, is scheduled on May 2019, based on the contractual agreement NLEX signed with the Department of Public Works and Highways, NLEX, however, said the company and DPWH agreed to push for an aggressive timeline to move the construction schedule to January 2019 instead. The new schedule will ensure the early completion of the NLEX Connector, which is seen as a crucial infrastructure needed to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila. The aggressive timeline was in consideration with the joint right-of-way or ROW program of NLEX and DPWH. The company also reported that acquisition of the ROW was also on track, with the DPWH committing to provide the ROW requirements to jumpstart the construction of the NLEX Connector project ahead of its original contractual schedule. NLEX and DPWH are working closely for the timely completion of the project by December 2020 ahead of the original schedule of May 2021. The company said Public Works Secretary Mark Villar even created in 2017 a task force for faster and efficient ROW acquisition and delivery. The P23.3-billion NLEX Connector Road project is an 8-kilometer, all elevated four-lane expressway which would extend the NLEX southward from the end of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 in C3 Road in Caloocan City to PUP in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The project is expected to provide seamless expressway connection between key growth areas like Metro Manila and North and Central Luzon and the Clark-Subic corridor. Around 35,000 motorists, especially cargo trucks, who are expected to benefit from the project, will have an option to skip congested public roads since the road will traverse mostly along the Philippine National Railways’ alignment.

Yao’s bank posted P348m in 1st 6 months By Julito G. Rada

PUBLICLY-LISTED Philippine Business Bank, the financial arm of the Yao Group of Companies, said net income in the first half of 2018 climbed 16 percent to P348.2 million from P299.8 million a year ago as core businesses remained strong. PBB said in a disclosure to the stock exchange core income reached ₱669.9 million in the first six months, up 58 percent from ₱422.7 million year-on-year. Interest income expanded 40 percent to ₱2.5 billion from ₱1.8 billion in 2017. Pre-tax pre-provision profit rose to ₱613.1 million from ₱520.4 million, an 18-percent increase on year. “Following the streamlining of our core lending and account management processes in 2016, the business momentum that we built in 2017 continues to this day. We are seeing sustained strong demand for financing, even as competition for funding has stiffened,” bank president and chief executive Roland Avante said. Non-interest income rose 54 percent to ₱158.8 million from ₱103.1 million a year ago. Avante said the core income of ₱669.9 million highlighted the robust business model the bank has developed. “In 2017, we needed nine months to raise ₱670 million in core income; in 2016, it took the whole year. Loans and receivables expanded by ₱18.7 billion or 31.9 percent versus last year. PBB has come a long way from its days as a trading-oriented bank. We see good opportunities for PBB in the next six months that should allow us to be selective in funding various projects and businesses,” Avante said. Total loans and receivables stood at ₱77.5 billion in the first six months, up 32 percent from a year ago. As a result, total resources expanded 26 percent to ₱92.9 billion.

World

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Patten hits back at Beijing over press club row in HK HONG KONG―Former British governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten said it was “quite simply wrong” for Beijing to urge the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club to cancel a planned speech by an independence activist. Patten’s comments came after China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stepped in to ask the club to cancel the talk by Andy Chan of the Hong Kong National Party, a group threatened with a ban. Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under an agreement that granted it limited autonomy and protected its way of life for 50 years, giving it rights unseen on the mainland including freedom of speech. But concern is growing that those freedoms are being eroded by an increasingly assertive Beijing. “There is no justiﬁcation for censoring people because you don’t like what they have to say,” said Patten in comments emailed to AFP as the FCC row escalates. He said freedom of speech was one of

BEATING THE HEAT. People gather in a wave pool at the Caribbean Bay water park in Yongin, outside Seoul, on Aug. 6, 2018. AFP

the “hallmarks of an open society living under the rule of law” and was protected by the handover agreement. “I have consistently argued against the idea of advocating independence for Hong Kong,” added Patten, who has spoken several times at the FCC. “But I also continue to argue for Hong Kong’s liberties and local autonomy. It is quite simply wrong for Beijing’s Communist foreign ministry to get involved with an issue which should be determined within Hong Kong.” Chan’s talk is due to take place on August 14 and is part of a “club lunch” tradition that has seen an array of speakers, including Chinese ofﬁcials, address members and the media. In a statement Monday the FCC said it championed freedom of speech and the press, and “fully respects the law”. “We believe that in free societies such as Hong Kong it is vitally important to allow people to speak and debate freely, even if one does not agree with their particular views,” the club said. AFP

Evacuation after Lombok quake kills 91 M ATARAM, Indonesia― Indonesia evacuated hundreds of tourists from popular resorts and sent rescuers fanning across the holiday island of Lombok Monday after a powerful quake killed at least 91 people and reduced thousands of buildings to rubble.

The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake sparked terror among tourists and locals alike, coming just a week after another deadly tremor surged through Lombok and killed 17 people. Rescuers on Monday searched for survivors in the rubble of houses, mosques and schools that were destroyed in the latest disaster on Sunday evening. “There are challenges: the roads were damaged, three bridges were also damaged, some locations are difﬁcult to reach and we don’t have enough personnel,” said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. An operation was also under way Monday to evacuate some 1,200 tourists

from the Gili Islands, three tiny, coralfringed tropical islands a few kilometers off the northwest coast of Lombok that are particularly popular with backpackers and divers. Margret Helgadottir, a holidaymaker from Iceland, described people screaming as the roof of her hotel on Gili Air collapsed when the quake struck. “We just froze, thankfully we were outside,” she told AFP tearfully from a harbor in Lombok where she had been evacuated to. “Everything went black, it was terrible.” Footage posted online by Nugroho showed hundreds crowded onto powder-white beaches desperately waiting

for transport off the normally paradise Gilis. “We cannot evacuate all of them all at once because we don’t have enough capacity on the boats,” Muhammad Faozal, the head of West Nusa Tenggara’s tourism agency, told AFP, adding two navy vessels were on their way. “It’s understandable they want to leave the Gilis, they are panicking.” Local disaster ofﬁcials said 358 tourists had been evacuated so far. At least one person, an Indonesian holidaymaker, was killed on the Gili islands while another tourist died on nearby Bali. But it was Lombok which bore the brunt of Sunday evening’s quake.

The shallow tremor sent thousands of Lombok residents and tourists scrambling outdoors, where many spent the night as strong aftershocks including one of 5.3-magnitude rattled the island. The quake knocked out power in many areas, and parts of Lombok remained without electricity on Monday. Nugroho said up to 20,000 people may have been evacuated from their homes on Lombok and paramedics, food and medication were badly needed. Hundreds of bloodied and bandaged victims were treated outside damaged hospitals in the main city of Mataram and other hard-hit areas. AFP

Manila

IN BRIEF

Standard

TODAY HEAD OFFICE: PBCOM Tower, 6795 Ayala Avenue corner V.A. Rufino Street, 1226 Makati City Customer Care: (02) 777-2266 or 1-800-10-777-2266 (Domestic Toll Free)*Email: customercare@pbcom.com.ph*Website: www.pbcom.com.ph

Attack on Hiroshima remembered

TOKYO―A bell tolled Monday in Hiroshima as Japan marked 73 years since the world’s ﬁrst atomic bombing, with the city’s mayor warning that rising nationalism worldwide threatened peace. The skies over Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park were clear, just as they were on August 6, 1945, when an American B-29 bomber dropped its deadly payload on the port city dotted with military installations, ultimately killing 140,000 people. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, standing at the park near ground zero for the annual ceremony, appealed for a world without nuclear weapons and sounded the alarm over increasing nationalism. Without naming speciﬁc nations, he warned that “certain countries are explicitly expressing self-centered nationalism and modernizing their nuclear arsenals.” They were “rekindling tensions that had eased with the end of the Cold War”, he added. He urged the abolition of nuclear weapons, in a year when President Donald Trump pledged to increase the US nuclear arsenal. “If the human family forgets history or stops confronting it, we could again commit a terrible error. That is precisely why we must continue talking about Hiroshima,” Matsui said. “Efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons must continue.” But his call highlighted Japan’s contradictory relationship with nuclear weapons. AFP

Hun Sen denies election results falsified

PHNOM PENH―Cambodia’s strongman Premier Hun Sen Monday rejected claims the results from last month’s widely criticized election had been falsified, saying he would stake his life on their accuracy. Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party claimed it won all 125 parliamentary seats in the deeply flawed July 29 poll, cementing the country as a one-party state and extending his 33-year grip on power. Opposition figures had called for a boycott of the vote after the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved last year in a crackdown that saw one of its leaders charged with treason. Turnout was a whopping 82 percent, leading Hun Sen to dismiss the campaign to shun ballot boxes as a failure. But independent observers did not take part and rights groups pointed to voter intimidation. In a speech to athletes in Phnom Penh, the bombastic Hun Sen, 66, denied “vote cheating [and] inflating figures” of turnout. He dared opposition leaders to join him and swear on their lives over the claims. “I swear to die from all forms...to die in a car accident, a plane crash, an electrocution, a lightning strike, anything that leads to death,” he said. “Do you dare to swear or not?” “Those who have alleged the figure [of turnout] was inflated, please swear. Swear to die all together,” he added. Some 6.9 million votes were cast in the national election. But nearly 600,000 ballots were spoiled in a sign of resistance to a vote which opposition members called a “sham” and “false.” The United States threatened to broaden visa restrictions on senior Cambodian officials, while the self-exiled co-founder of the disbanded opposition described it as a “terrible setback”.AFP

New security measures on bridge

SYDNEY―Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge illegally will now cost offenders A$22,000 (US$16,300) after authorities Monday raised the fine more than sixfold as part of new security measures. The New South Wales state government will also install anti-climb mesh, higher fencing and more cameras to deter people from scaling the world-renowned landmark. The move comes after a mentally-ill man sparked a major police operation and caused hours of traffic chaos when he climbed the bridge in April during an hours-long stand off in the morning rush-hour. It took almost six hours to get him down and multiple lanes on the bridge were closed amid fears he planned to jump. “The people of Sydney have had enough of being held to ransom by one person, irrespective of their circumstance, with a personal agenda to seek attention and cause gridlock across our city,” said the state’s Roads Minister Melinda Pavey. “While we are sympathetic to someone’s personal situation, illegally climbing the bridge is not only extremely dangerous, it also endangers the lives of thousands of drivers who use it every day.” The fine, which used to be A$3,300, is now in line with the penalty for illegally climbing the nearby Sydney Opera House. AFP

BALANCE SHEET (Head Office and Branches)

BALANCE SHEET (Parent Bank and Financial Subsidiaries)

As of June 30, 2018

As of March 31, 2018

As of June 30, 2018

ASSETS Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets - Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets - Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans - Net Loans and Receivables - Net Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures - Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture & Equipment - Net Real and Other Properties Acquired - Net Other Assets - Net TOTAL ASSETS

As of March 31, 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ASSETS 942,031,187.37 14,942,126,909.40 652,889,585.58 291,840,997.74 3,426,896,404.49 14,015,623,992.54 3,147,597,274.34 51,814,429,329.10 866,775,000.00 51,452,447,382.42 504,793,053.32 536,656,876.83 1,050,534,780.67 1,616,825,685.34 633,059,285.07 5,699,918,556.33

P 98,770,430,564.80

899,023,577.92 14,674,362,628.89 1,135,628,751.26 380,850,287.94 3,015,692,403.23 14,224,622,733.21 3,163,066,476.56 51,349,855,428.79 1,765,200,000.00 50,073,648,482.11 488,993,053.32 459,004,048.28 1,041,255,262.62 1,640,694,003.14 610,098,963.96 5,772,986,732.29 98,367,141,298.09

Cash and Cash Items P 972,339,520.81 Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas 15,003,245,209.77 Due from Other Banks 851,845,368.60 Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss 291,840,997.74 Available-for-Sale Financial Assets - Net 3,426,896,404.49 Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets - Net 14,015,623,992.54 Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans - Net 3,147,597,274.34 Loans and Receivables - Net 53,621,669,686.16 Interbank Loans Receivable 866,775,000.00 Loans and Receivables - Others 53,277,054,238.60 General Loan Loss Provision 522,159,552.44 Other Financial Assets 599,117,901.269 Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures - Net 26,301,445.58 Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture & Equipment - Net 1,717,514,174.23 Real and Other Properties Acquired - Net 702,232,776.82 Other Assets - Net 6,304,746,309.62

TOTAL ASSETS

100,680,971,061.96

929,719,491.82 14,730,415,192.66 1,310,248,780.90 380,850,287.94 3,015,692,403.23 14,224,622,733.21 3,163,066,476.56 53,009,773,462.04 1,765,200,000.00 51,748,879,646.24 504,306,184.20 529,173,302.69 26,743,313.77 1,740,919,440.38 678,990,198.99 6,376,226,914.59 100,116,441,998.78

LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Bills Payable: BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) Other Deposit Substitutes Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES

157,798.39 72,546,148,176.22 11,383,487,674.49 589,415,000.00 10,794,072,674.49 678,713,776.82 1,985,348,220.52

P 86,593,855,646.44

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings

P 14,278,374,781.56 1,700,406,643.89 -3,802,206,507.09

TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

P 12,176,574,918.36

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

P 98,770,430,564.80

LIABILITIES 187.78 73,295,229,333.37 Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss P 157,798.39 9,831,343,490.26 Deposit Liabilities 74,259,862,426.72 Bills Payable: 11,518,568,837.49 9,831,343,490.26 Interbank Loans Payable 724,496,163.00 7,000,093.76 Other Deposit Substitutes 10,794,072,674.49 719,169,970.6 Special Time Deposit 2,321,058,552.15 Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities 695,700,402.77 86,173,801,627.93 Other Liabilities 2,099,903,312.28 TOTAL LIABILITIES P 88,574,192,777.65

TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

P 10,815,938,980.20

Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a. Gross NPLs b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c. Net NPLs d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%)

Financial Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitment Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Trust Department Accounts Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts Agency Accounts Others 9,484,522,145.43 TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

54,045,140,734.51 1,725,918,352.09

53,581,934,854.62 1,743,086,372.51

2,377,981,312.47 4.40% 668,365,566.84

2,360,805,236.87 4.41% 1,027,746,045.91

1.24% e. Ratio of total allowance for credit losses to gross NPLs (%) 93.81% f. Ratio of specific allowance for credit losses on the gross TLP to gross NPLs (%) 72.58% Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance for credit losses 1,361,135,278.40 DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross allowance of credit losses 17,276,839.55 Ratio of DOSRI loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to gross TLP (%) 0.03% Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables 10,874.41 Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) 0.00% Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises b. 2% for Medium Enterprises

1.92% 94.55% 73.83%

P 14,278,125,906.49 1,714,340,051.89 -3,885,758,474.44 70,800.37 P 12,106,778,284.31

14,278,125,906.49 1,721,098,424.36 -3,877,500,378.23 69,310.53 12,121,793,263.16

P 100,680,971,061.96

100,116,441,998.78

1.06%

968,515,337.30 1,486,763,987.90 1,094,173,014.47 38,316,704.32 1,899,303,264.81 5,183,762,194.02 1,030,852,041.06 4,152,910,152.96 145,113,147.38

P 10,815,947,650.20

930,682,636.57 413,297,939.83 1,101,985,444.47 38,622,804.32 1,609,926,864.84 5,241,942,719.91 1,122,659,824.13 4,119,282,895.78 148,070,665.99 9,484,529,075.93

Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

LUCIO L. CO

RALPH C. NUBLA, JR. LEVI B. LABRA GREGORIO T. YU DAVID L. BALANGUE JESUS S. JALANDONI, JR. EMMANUEL Y. MENDOZA

GILDA E. PICO

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS

JOHN HOWARD D. MEDINA EVP-Chief Operations Officer JAIME VALENTIN L. ARANETA EVP-Branch Banking ERIBERTO LUIS S. ELIZAGA EVP-Corporate and Commercial Banking ALAN E. ATIENZA SVP - Treasurer

15.25% 12.47% 12.47%

)S.S.

We, Arlene M. Datu and Patricia May T. Siy, of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters 1.30% set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief.

11.13% 3.78%

(SGD.) ARLENE M. DATU Controller, SVP

(SGD.) PATRICIA MAY T. SIY President & CEO

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 24th day of July 2018 at City of Makati, affiants exhibiting their SSS nos. 0356633451 and 0373099955, respectively.

We, Arlene M. Datu and Patricia May T. Siy, of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief. (SGD.) PATRICIA MAY T. SIY President & CEO

CARMEN G. HUANG BUNSIT CARLOS G. CHUNG

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 1. List of Financial Allied Subsidiaries (excluding Subsidiary Insurance Companies) 1. Banco Dipolog, Inc. a Rural Bank 2. List of Subsidiary Insurance Companies 1. PBCom Insurance Services Agency, Inc. 3. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Consolidated Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) 15.12% b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) 12.34% 1/ c. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) 12.34%

0.03% City of Makati 10,874.41 0.00%

15.21% 12.37% 12.37%

PATRICIA MAY T. SIY

PATRICIA MAY T. SIY President & Chief Executive Officer

17,068,767.06 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) City of Makati )S.S.

(SGD.) ARLENE M. DATU Controller, SVP

187.78 74,957,632,554.51 9,831,997,236.26 653,746.00 9,831,343,490.26 359,855.32 7,000,093.76 753,261,379.13 2,444,397,428.86 87,994,648,735.62

1,387,603,210.22 1/ Common Equity Tier 1 is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

11.19% Return on Equity (ROE) (%) 2.87% Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) 15.10% 12.25% b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) c. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ 12.25% 1/

CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS

930,682,636.57 413,297,939.83 1,101,985,444.47 38,622,804.32 1,609,926,864.84 5,241,942,719.91 1,122,659,824.13 4,119,282,895.78 148,063,735.99

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Members

SUSAN P. CO

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

968,515,337.30 1,486,763,987.90 1,094,173,014.47 38,316,704.32 1,899,303,264.81 5,183,762,194.02 1,078,852,041.06 4,104,910,152.96 145,104,477.38

LEONARDO B. DAYAO Vice Chairman

ROBERTO Z. LORAYES

14,278,374,781.56 1,707,165,016.34 -3,792,200,127.74 Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts 12,193,339,670.16 Retained Earnings 98,367,141.09 Minority Interest in Subsidiaries TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Financial Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commitments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Trust Department Accounts Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts Agency Accounts Others

ERIC O. RECTO Chairman

Doc. No. 334 SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 24th day of July 2018 at City of Makati, affiants exhibiting Page No. 68 their SSS nos. 0356633451 and 0373099955, respectively. Book No. XXXIV Series of 2018. (SGD.) ATTY. GERVACIO B. ORTIZ JR. NOTARY PUBLIC City of Makati until December 31, 2018 IBP no. 656155 - Lifetime Member MCLE Compliance No. V-0006934 Doc. No. 335 Appointment no. M-104 -(2017-2018) Page No. 68 PTR no. 6607879 Jan. 3, 2018 Book No. XXXIV Makati City Roll no. 40091 Series of 2018. 101 Urban Ave., Campos Rueda Bldg. Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City

(SGD.) ATTY. GERVACIO B. ORTIZ JR. NOTARY PUBLIC City of Makati until December 31, 2018 IBP no. 656155 - Lifetime Member MCLE Compliance No. V-0006934 Appointment no. M-104 -(2017-2018) PTR no. 6607879 Jan. 3, 2018 Makati City Roll no. 40091 101 Urban Ave., Campos Rueda Bldg. Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City

Member: Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation Maximum Deposit Insurance for each Deposit P500,000.00

ARLENE M. DATU SVP - Controller ANGELO PATRICK F. ADVINCULA Corporate Secretary

LGUs

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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

NCRPO lauds Joy, QCPD for aiding community work By Rio N. Araja

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office director Guillermo Eleazar on Monday cited Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte as an outstanding local executive of the year. The Quezon City Police District, headed by Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr., also received the outstanding police district award. The awarding was part of the activities of the NCRPO’s 23rd Police Community Relations Month for awardees’ contributions in the prevention and eradication of illegal drugs and crime. “I feel really ecstatic to have been a recipient of this award considering that I am just a vice mayor, but it feels good to know that your work has been recognized and that your work has been successful,” Belmonte said. She thanked the police as the city government’s partner in “the area of eradicating illegal drugs and subsequently criminal activity.” “I hope to sustain this good relationship with the police force and to ensure also that with whatever program they might have, like the anti-tambay program, that we can be a good partner with them to ensure also that this program is successful,” the vice mayor said.

Ambush kills 3, injures Leyte prison chief By Ronald O. Reyes TACLOBAN CITY—At least three regional jail personnel were killed while their chief sustained wounds in an ambush at Barangay Cadac-an in Abuyog, Leyte on Monday. Supt. Geraldo Aro, the outgoing corrections chief at Leyte Regional Prison, survived the ambush by still unidentified gunmen at 11:55 am while onboard their service vehicle with plate number SAA3973. Assailants onboard a closed van fired at them, police said. The police identified the victims as jail personnel Jelanie Almario, Randy Pantano, and Nelson Padagdag. A source said Aro was heading to Tacloban to catch a flight out of town. The ambush happened after the formal turnover ceremony of the new corrections chief at the prison facility at around 9 am. Based on the Bureau of Corrections special order dated July 25 signed by Director Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Aro is being transferred to Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Mindoro Occidental. Replacing Aro is Corrections Chief Superintendent Danilo Dador, according to the special order published by BuCor’s website.

Taguig named CROWN winner for consistency THE National Nutrition Council named the Taguig City government as one of the 2nd Year Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition Maintenance Awardees. The Council gave a plaque and P200,000 cash prize to Taguig City Nutrition Committee members during the 2018 Nutrition Awarding Ceremony held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on July 31. Taguig City is the sole recipient of the award from the National Capital Region. “It is an honor for our beloved city to receive its 2nd Year CROWN Maintenance Award—an award that serves as a testament to our city’s collaborative hard work in providing quality health programs for our constituents,” Mayor Laarni Cayetano said. In giving the award, the NNC cited the city’s various programs to eradicate malnutrition which include: The “Laging Alagaan Nutrisyon ni Inay” (Taking Care of Mothers’ Nutrition), where pregnant women, especially those still in their teenage years, are taught a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle to ensure a safe pregnancy; and The “Operation Timbang Plus” in which the height and weight of children up to 5 years old in each barangay are collated in order to determine the child’s nutritional status (either underweight, severely underweight, wasted, severely wasted, stunted, severely stunted, overweight, obese, normal) and from there, come up with programs such as exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months and appropriate complementary feeding programs. Taguig also has the Dietary Supplementation Program under which undernourished children in the city are fed for 120 days to help them get the nutrition their bodies need. The city government also encourages families with children to set up their own urban community vegetable gardens by providing seedlings, planting materials and conducting farming classes. “I am beyond grateful to all those involved that we have achieved this prestigious recognition. With this outstanding collaborative effort, we are now one step closer in achieving the National Nutrition Council’s top award - the Nutrition Honor Award, which will serve as a legacy that our administration never stops its fight against malnutrition,” said Mayor Cayetano. With the conferment of the 2nd Year CROWN Maintenance Award, the city now aims for the Nutrition Honor Award which is the highest award given by the NNC. Joel E. Zurbano

Makati Mayor Abigail Binay accepts a plaque of recognition as Outstanding Local Chief Executive of the Year 2018 from Police Director Eduardo Serapio Garado, director of the Police Community Relations of the Philippine National Police, during the culminating ceremony of the 23rd Police Community Relations Month celebration held at the NCRPO grandstand at Camp Bagong Diwa. Looking on is National Capital Region Police Office Acting Regional Director, Police Chief Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar.

Binay named top local exec for assisting cops By Joel E. Zurbano

AYOR Abigail Binay was named one of the 2018 outstanding local chief executives for her exceptional support for the projects of the Philippine National Police and her commitment to improve the logistics of the Makati City police force.

Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar on Monday gave to Binay the plaque of recognition during the culminating ceremony of the 23rd Police Community Relations Month celebration held at the grandstand of National Capital Region Police Office in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. Binay thanked the National Capital Region Police Office for the recognition, reiterating her continued support for the local police force. “I am deeply grateful to the NCRPO for honoring me with this rare achievement in my journey as a public servant. We in the city government of Makati are inspired all the more to provide our

full support to national agencies like the PNP that are our indispensable partners in keeping Makatizens safe and sustaining our city’s progress and development,” she said. Binay underscored the importance of strong local government unit support in continuously building up the capability of national government agencies in the protective sector to promote safe and resilient communities where citizens are truly empowered. The award was the second recognition received by Binay for her support for the protective sector. Last Aug. 2, the city chief executive also received recognition from the Bureau of Fire

Protection for her remarkable support for the national agency. During the 27th anniversary celebration of the fire bureau held at the Camp Aguinaldo AFP Commissioned Officers Club, Quezon City, Mayor Binay was awarded the Medalya ng Pambihirang Paglilingkod-Degree of Lakan Award. Undersecretary Eduardo Año, officerin-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, together with BFP Chief, Dir. Leonard Bañago, presented the award to Binay. Under the guidelines of the Revised BFP-PRAISE (Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence), the Degree of Lakan Award may be given to any local chief executive who has (1) notably contributed fire trucks, ambulances, parcel of land, PPEs, and firefighting equipment to the BFP; or (2) constructed or renovated a fire station with an annual aggregate amount of not less than P5 million.

NEW ‘LIGA’.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (third from right) congratulates the newlyelected directors of the Liga ng mga Barangay who paid him a courtesy call following their victory. From left are Fernando “Doc” Mercado, Bong Marzan, auditor Nelson Ty, Basie Boliche, and Carlo dela Cruz.

Davao dismisses 7 ASU workers for stealing shoes By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The City Government of Davao dismissed seven employees of Ancillary Service Unit for cases of qualified theft. The employees were caught on CCTV footage stealing shoes from the confiscated items they retrieved from a demolished store in Toril, Davao City. The video recorded the seven employees stealing shoes and putting it on their own bags while disposing of the confiscated items in front of the office of ASU in Magsaysay Park here. ASU head Paul Bermejo said they have been receiving complaints from vendors about their lost items after the demolition team confiscated the products they were selling. “This is not the first time that we have received complaints, however, it is the first time that we have a concrete evidence to verify the complaints,” Bermejo said. Bermejo said on July 6, his attention was called by personnel of Magsaysay Park who were manning the CCTV owing to the actions of some of his employees. “The vendor, who is a member of Badjao tribe also came to me after the incident. We immediately conducted an investigation and through that, we found out that the team really took the demolished items,” he said. Asked if the ASU employees would face charges, Bemojo said there was some compromise agreement made with the dismissed employees. “We let them choose between voluntary resignations or we will file charges against them and eventually they will be terminated. They chose the former,” he said. Bermojo then reminded his employees to follow the standard procedure of their office and avoid committing the same mistake that can ruin their reputation at work. The ASU’s standard procedure is to dispose of the demolished items three days after the demolition took place. Failure to claim the items will lead them to donate the items in the different centers of the city, he added.

Munti launches better MCC citizen ID RESIDENTS of Muntinlupa can now enjoy the convenience of cashless transactions as the city government, in partnership with the Lingkod Muntinlupa Foundation and PayMaya recently launched the MCC Plus or the expanded Muntinlupa Care Card, the country’s most advanced citizen card ID program. Student scholars, senior citizens, small businesses and other beneficiaries can now have access to the new MCC Plus card, which combines an ordinary ID with the technology of a prepaid card of PayMaya, the digital financial arm of PLDT and Smart’s Voyager Innovations. Through the new card, Muntinlupa residents will be able to receive cash benefits and allowances from the city government and use their accounts to pay for goods and services in some 5,000 small businesses and benefi-

ciaries of the city’s Joint Resources Financing Program zero interest loan. Residents can also avail of free rides to ejeepneys plying the city by tapping their MCC Plus cards onto the sensors inside the vehicles. Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said the city takes pride in MCC Plus, the country’s most advanced LGU card that will bring more convenience to its constituents. He said that since its launch in 2015, the MCC program already has over 200,000 cardholders and the partnership with PayMaya will bring more opportunities for the city’s residents in the growing digital economy. MCC Plus cards can also be used to shop online and in-store, pay bills, or buy prepaid cell phone load from all networks using the PayMaya app.

At the launch of the MCC card are (from left) PayMaya head of domestic services Lawrence Ferrer, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, a beneficiary family, Lingkod Muntinlupa Foundation program director Grace Salvador, and PayMaya COO and managing director Paolo Azzola.

hE Foreign Service Institute and Oceana Philippines recently gathered relevant agencies, members of the academe, and stakeholders to discuss future plans to sustain and further strengthen the protection of the Philippine Rise.

Life

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

health and environment

@MstandardLIFe tuesday, august 7, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte on May 16, 2017 signed Executive Order No. 25, renaming Benham Rise to Philippine Rise, a 24.4-million-hectare undersea region located in the Philippine Sea, approximately 250 kilometers east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela. A day before the first anniversary of the renaming, Duterte signed a presidential proclamation to protect 50,000 hectares of the Philippine Rise as a “strict protection zone.” The protected area includes Benham Bank, which is around 17,000 hectares, declared as a no-take zone, and will be closed to any human activities except for scientific research. Duterte said the presidential proclamation includes the requirement for continuous assessment of coral reef and fish species, which he said is “vital for the management of the Philippine Rise and its resources.” he also committed to capacitate Filipino scientists to fulfill their mandates in conducting scientific research in the Philippine Rise. But despite the presidential proclamation, Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, during the roundtable discussion dubbed “After Philippine Rise Proclamation: What’s Next?,” expressed his alarm about the lack of security around Philippine Rise, which should be subjected to surveillance. “Philippines should be on guard to ensure that even if other countries have military troops, we won’t back out,” he said. “We should also assert our right and honor to name features in the Philippine Rise, but sad to say we failed to stop a country from doing that.” Early this year, Chinese researchers performed surveys in the Rise and named five of its features. Another issue pointed out during the discussion was the need to boost food security measures and develop new The Oceana research of Benham Rise led to the discovery of bryozoans or moss animals, which are colonial animals that encrust corals and rocky surfaces. Bryostatin, a compound produced by common marine bryozoan, is under serious testing for possible anti-cancer properties. fishing grounds for fish sufficiency.

What’s next for Philippine Rise

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources assistant director Sammy Malvas proposed ways to secure food sufficiency and biodiversity conservation in the country; continue fisheries development efforts in the Philippine Rise (Payao Development and Livelihood Support for fishers, among others); strengthen collaboration among government agencies, the academe, and civil service groups; and expand research and conduct more oceanographic surveys. The formal declaration of the Philippine Rise as a fisheries management area of FMA signifies the need to sustainably fish in the area, to ensure future generations would still have fish to eat. Oceana Philippine vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos underlined the need for “strong collaboration for the protection and conservation of the Philippine Rise,” and to restore and conserve the health, richness, and abundance of other marine areas in the country. In his concluding remarks, FSI director general Claro Cristobal emphasized that cooperation between and among agencies and stakeholders is key in the protection and preservation of the Philippine Rise. The cooperation in the domestic sphere, said Cristobal, serves as the basis of how the Philippine government will pursue its interests in the international community.

This slow-growing coral may have a life span of up to 900 years.

Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco) resting on coral. Hawkfish lead a solitary life and are usually spotted at reef drop-offs. Powerful lights reveal the true colors of branching corals in deep sea reefs.

Sponges provide a vital habitat for marine organisms like small fishes.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Oceana/UPLB

The fight against diabetes continues DESPITE of advancements in medical treatments and technology, diabetes remains a prevalent chronic disease that afflicts a huge number of Filipinos. It is the eighth leading cause of death in the country, according to the Philippine Center for Diabetes Education Foundation. There were over 3.7 million cases of diabetes in the last year alone, estimates from the International Diabetes Federation show. At the current rate Filipinos are developing the disease, which is 6.2 prevalence rate among adults, the IDF forecasts there would be at least 183 million diabetic Filipinos by 2045. This grim forecast means that in less than 50 years, if the trend continues, the Philippines would be among the top 10 countries with the most reported cases of diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolism disorder characterized by insufficient production or utilization of insulin by the body, resulting in increased sugar levels in the blood and urine. This condition may lead to long-term damage and failure

of organs, especially the eyes, kidneys, nerves, blood vessels, and limbs. To help curb the rising numbers of Filipino diabetics, Johnson & Johnson Philippines has teamed up with the Philippine College of Diabetology and the Philippine Society of Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism to manage and educate diabetic patients and their families. “The disease itself may be old science but, apart from keeping healthy lifestyles, there are always new developments when it comes to treating diabetes,” says Dr. Erwin Benedicto, senior manager of scientific affairs and medical compliance of J&J (Philippines), Inc. Despite its prevalence, there are several methods to prevent the onset of diabetes, as the disease can be addressed early on by adopting healthy lifestyle habits. “Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of lifestyle and genetic factors. It is a disease not merely related to family history, but also it is a condition that may be caused by lifestyle. So people

should take heart—we can always make the conscious effort to develop a healthier lifestyle or seek proper attention to either avoid or address the disease,” avers Benedicto. While some individuals may be genetically predisposed to developing diabetes, a combination of multiple factors, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle, can vastly increase the Turn to C2

Leading a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and healthy, balanced diet helps prevent onset of diabetes.

Life

tuesday, august 7, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Health and environmental benefits of breastfeeding

Pregnancy 101:

What to eat,

what not to eat Expectant mothers with normal weight need 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester.

XPeRTS say pregnant women need to consume 300 more calories per day than they did before. The additional nutrient requirement is necessary to help with the baby’s growth and development.

According to the US National Institute of Health, pregnant women with normal weight need 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester, 2,200 calories during the second trimester, and 2,400 calories during the third trimester. However, as it is a delicate period, pregnant women are advised against eating just about anything to fulfill these requirements. There are food items that need to be part of their diet and those that don’t. Mary Jude Icasiano, a Wyeth nutritionist, recommends following good eating habits to help in babies’ healthy development.

Go for carbs

Studies reveal that carbohydrates should be part of expectant mothers’ diet, as this nutrient is a big source of energy. Starchy food items such as potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread are good sources of vitamins and fiber, which can help provide the energy to support the baby during pregnancy. Many of such food also provide other important nutrients for their development, including calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

IN CeLeBRATIoN of the World Breastfeeding Week from Aug. 1 to 7, two non-profit groups dedicated to protecting children’s health and the environment cited the benefits of breastfeeding in conserving resources and reducing garbage. Through a joint statement, Arugaan (a support system for women with infants and young children) and the ecoWaste Coalition (an advocacy group for a waste-free and toxics-free future) hailed breastfeeding as the simplest but kindest human act that protects the environment while helping babies grow and develop. “Not like the manufacturing of socalled breast milk substitutes or BMS, breastfeeding is most eco-friendly, involving no forest clearing, no mining, no fossil fuel burning, and no wasting,” said Ines Fernandez, executive director of Arugaan and a long-time breastfeeding advocate. She added, “It uses none of Mother earth’s finite resources in producing the best zero-waste food for babies.” The fact sheet “Green Feeding” published by the International Baby Food Action Network, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India and Arugaan states that: “Breastfeeding is a sustainable and natural source of food and nutrition. on the other hand, industrially manufactured BMS are made from dairy and other agricultural products, which generate greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide during production, transport, and use. Their use also generates a sizable volume of waste, which needs disposal.” “As a waste-free feeding practice, breastfeeding generates no emissions and wastes that pollute and harm the environment,” affirmed Daniel Alejandre, Zero Waste campaigner of ecoWaste Coalition. According to Velvet escario-Roxas, another breastfeeding champion from Arugaan, “the concept of zero-waste is beautifully demonstrated in breastfeeding as nothing is wasted or becomes unwanted at any stage.” “Breastfeeding produces zero waste

Breastfeeding produces healthy and environment friendly food for babies.

in comparison to formula feeding as there is no waste from packaging or from plastic feeding bottles or plastic water bottles,” Roxas said, adding that “breastfeeding also has zero water footprint.” She continued, “Mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies and then continue breastfeeding have delayed fertility, and experience delayed menstruation for an average of 14 months. This ensures that the mothers use fewer menstrual pads and tampons which end up in landfills or incinerators.” echoing the report “Formula for Disaster: Weighing the Impact of Formula Feeding vs Breastfeeding on environment,” Arugaan and ecoWaste Coalition stressed, “Formula feeding is an unnecessary use of the earth’s precious resources and energy supplies.” According to the report, “It produces the waste materials from packaging and non-biodegradable plastics which accumulate in landfill sites, or are burned in open fires or in incinerators, which produce toxic emissions, especially when incinerators are over-burdened by waste.”

Ditch bad fats, get some good fats

eating too many fatty food items is a big no for pregnant women. But this doesn’t mean fats should be crossed out of the list—but it should be the good kind. Good fats play an important role in providing energy and helping in nutrient absorption, as many vitamins are fat-soluble, which means that the body needs fat to use them. Vitamins such as A, D, e, and K are all fat-soluble and are vital to fetal development. Try cutting down on saturated fats like butter, cheese, cakes, and sweets, and instead, start including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, avocados, plant-based oils, and cooked salmon and tuna. Polyunsaturated fats are rich in omega-3 to help develop and sustain the health of baby’s heart, immune system, brain, eyes, and more. Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, are a good source of folic acid, which helps protect babies against birth defects.

Eat fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense foods and key sources of a number of essential nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, folate, and vitamins A and C, which all play a huge role for the mother and baby’s health. eating fresh produce during pregnancy is also an excellent way to manage weight and reduce the risks of health complications and diseases.

Avoid coffee

Supplement daily nutrition

In addition to a healthy diet, a milk that will supplement the mother and baby with essential nutrients also helps. ProMama, a delicious tasting nutritional milk drink, is specially formulated with key nutrients designed to provide support during preconception, pregnancy, and lactation. It is rich in DHA, folic acid, choline, iron and iodine, to help support baby’s brain growth and development.

Coffee-drinkers may have to start limiting, if not avoiding, their daily cups during pregnancy. According to a study, entitled “Maternal Caffeine Consumption during Pregnancy and Risk of Low Birth Weight,” conducted by Jongeun Rhee, et al., high caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with a significant increase in the risk of low birth weight. This risk appears to increase linearly as caffeine intake increases. While small servings shouldn’t have an impact on an unborn baby, it is still best to limit coffee intake during pregnancy. Instead, expectant mothers may opt for decaf coffee or non-caffeinated drinks such as milk, fruit juices, and chocolate drink, among other things.

Progressive lens for presbyopia

Varilux X series of lens uses the revolutionary Xtend technology.

PReSBYoPIA or near vision blurriness is part of aging during which individuals at age 40 and up experience difficulty focusing on objects such as reading materials up close. It can be corrected with progressive lenses that provide seamless vision in near, intermediate, and far distances. Modern progressive lenses no longer have the distinct line found across traditional bi-focals, giving the wearer a more youthful look. ophthalmic optics company essilor launches Varilux X series, its most

advanced progressive lens that uses a revolutionary technology called Xtend. The result, according to essilor, is near vision sharpness and fluidity within arm’s reach. “With the launch of the Varilux X series, 40-year-olds and above no longer have to worry about vision problems. They can enjoy life with clear and healthy eyesight,” said essilor Philippines general manager Dr. emelita Roleda. Go to www.essilor.com.ph for more information.

Globe chief human resources officer Renato Jiao (middle) and Rise Against Hunger representative Jomar Flores (third from left) led the launch of an initiative that helps fund hunger relief activities.

Telco rises against hunger HoW do you beat hunger? You buy food. A simple yet clever idea which Globe Telecom takes advantage of to help fund the initiatives of Rise Against Hunger (RAH), a hunger relief organization that coordinates food distribution all over the Philippines. Globe has launched a program where employees can help fund the RAH projects through in-house meal pre-ordering and seat-reservation app called Taste N’ Go. This is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to engage employees in its social responsibility practices, and part of its continuing partnership with RAH since 2017. For every transaction an employee makes through Taste N’ Go at the Globe cafeteria, RAH receives a donation that funds its feeding program, which is geared specifically toward school children who are experiencing

hunger in the Philippines. The program started on July 3. The Globe cafeteria, located on the 8th floor of its headquarters in Taguig City, features several merchants that offer a variety of food choices. The app allows employees to order meals and reserve seats. “Helping those in need is an integral part of the Globe culture,” enthused Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and senior vice president for corporate communications. She continued, “our Globe employees take their social responsibility to heart, this time in partnership with RAH. Through this partnership, we can continue supporting and helping families who are most in need.” According to RAH executive director Jomar Flores, Globe’s donation will help fund the supplemental feeding of over 10,000 nutritionally-at-risk children.

The fight...

Johnson & Johnson Philippines has likewise supported the endeavors of these professionals with its medical devices, medications, and testing and screening activities. The company’s diabetes medication, Canagliflozin, treats more than eight million patients in the United States and over six thousand patients in the Philippines. Belonging to the class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, Canagliflozin reduces blood sugar through urination, and improves systolic blood pressure as well as the weight of the patient. “We hope to reach more people across the country with the help of hospitals, professional organizations, and government,” says Benedicto. “Diabetes may be afflicting a lot of Filipinos today, but we are confident that if we worked together, if we adopted healthier lifestyles, we could reduce the number of Filipinos with diabetes and eventually win the war against the disease.”

From C1

risk of acquiring the disease. “Leading an active lifestyle, maintaining healthy body weight, and keeping to a balanced diet can greatly prevent the onset of diabetes,” says Benedicto. Simple healthy eating habits, such as replacing sugary drinks with water, choosing foods with lower glycemic index, and eating more home-cooked meals, will contribute to reducing the risk of developing diabetes, he adds. Professional diabetic treatment may be easily found in most clinics and hospitals, from specialists (endocrinologists, diabetologists, cardiologists, and nephrologists) to primary care physicians (family physicians, general practitioners, and internists).

Entertainment

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Cherie Gil reunites with Nora Aunor in ‘Onanay’ SEASONED character actress Cherie Gil reveals that she is really looking forward to doing a scene with superstar Nora Aunor in which she will splash water on her face. “I really want to do it to Ate Guy,” she says. “I still haven’t had the courage though. Everyone knows it’s one of the classic confrontation scenes in my acting career. You know, back in 1985 in the movie Bituing Walang Ningning where I threw water on Sharon Cuneta’s face. It became very popular along with the line, ‘You’re nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!’ I think it would be great if Ate Guy and I will engage in a similar scene.” According to the critically-acclaimed actress, she’s been dreaming of re-enacting that particular scene with the superstar when they were together in the 2015 ASEAN International Film Festival. “Yes, during that time, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award while I grabbed the Best Actress plum for Sonata. As early as then I was pitching in the idea to her and she would agree. I guess, we just waited for the right timing.” Seemingly, Cherie’s wish has the possibility to come true now that she and Nora are working together in the new GMA soap called Onanay. “Well, there’s a chance really, but I still have to make a plan or a moment. That scene should be executed perfectly out of good planning. Let’s see in the coming days.” “Interestingly, Onanay brings back the two award-winning stars together on the small screen after doing Bituin over at the rival channel ABS-CBN sixteen years ago. “That was in 2003 and I just came back from the States. How time flies,” she muses. Would she say there’s a difference now in their working relationship as compared before? “Definitely, I’m more relaxed with her now. Way back then, I admit there’s some distance between the two of us. Maybe, it’s because I was younger and it was a comeback vehicle for me while it was her first soap for the Kapamilya. “But now, we’re already jamming on the set, so to speak. We’re more comfortable with each other. Ate Guy would always look for me every time she arrives on the set. It’s cool.” Cherie is a self-confessed

Noranian. “That’s true! I look up to her. For one, she’s got a pair of stunning eyes. She’s also very humble.” This early, many are asking if they have lots of highly dramatic scenes together in “Onanay.” “Surely! And these would be coming from the heart since the story is about two mothers. It will be intense!” ends Cherie. *** Andrea Torres is all praises to her Victor Magtanggol co-star Alden Richards. “We’ve worked together in various programs before like in Beloved �way back 2012. It’s always a pleasant experience working with him. I witnessed his dedication to his craft and no wonder he is in an enviable position now,” she states. “The sexy star is happy to be reunited with the Pambansang Bae. “I’m just so excited since it’s been a while that we’ve worked in a project together. And now, it’s a huge one. It’s a big-budgeted material. I’m sure it will be a hit specially that its genre (fantasy-drama-action) is appealing to all types of viewers.” Andrea notes that Alden hasn’t changed after all these years. “He’s still the same energetic, down-to-earth and good conversationalist type of guy. He always remains positive. Never will you hear him complain on the set. He’s a good leader,” says Andrea.

In 'Onanay' Cherie Gil is Helena, a former beauty queen and now a wealthy owner of an online fashion magazine.

‘Ang Larawan‘ by Loy Arcenas

‘Tale of the Lost Boys‘ by Joselito Altarejos

‘The Eternity Between Seconds‘ by Alec Figuracion

CINEMALAYA

presents local film fests’ best indies

HE Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival gathers the winning ﬁlms from various local ﬁlm festivals as part of its 14th edition showcase.

Catch The Eternity Between Seconds by Alec Figuracion, a winning entry at the Cine Filipino, bringing home Best Director, Editing, Cinematography, and Sound Design awards. Starring TJ Trinidad and Yeng Constantino, the drama film tells about two strangers who meet in Korea and form an intimate relationship as they bond over their loneliness, conversations and neuroses. This is a story about finding comfort in strangers, fleeting connections and moments that are never meant to last. A Cinema One Originals entry, Paki (Please Care) by Giancarlo Abrahan is a drama-comedy film about 69-yearold Alejandra who is fed up with her husband’s womanizing ways and decides to leave him after 50 years of marriage and living under the same roof. She turns to her three grown-up daughters for support, but none of her offspring seems to endorse her drastic decision. The film stars Dexter Doria, Noel Trinidad, Shamaine Buencamino, Eula Valdes, Ricky Davao, Cielo Aquino, Ina Feleo, Paolo Paraiso, Miguel Valdes, Sari Estrada, Dravin Angeles, Sunshine Teodoro, and Thea Yrastorza. The film also won Best Screenplay for Giancarlo Abrahan, Best Director (shared with Dan Villegas) and Best Supporting Actor for Ricky Davao in the Cinema One Originals. Based on three-act play A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino by National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, with libretto by National Artist Rolando Tinio, Ang Larawan by Loy Arcenas is screening during the Cinemalaya run. Set in pre-World War II Manila, spinster sisters Candida and Paula are gifted with a bewildering portrait by their father Don Lorenzo, a renowned but recluse painter. The sisters, however, reject the attention the portrait receives until sly vaudeville piano player Tony tells them that he knows an American who is willing to buy it for a high price. Tired of being poor, Candida schemes to sell the portrait with naive Paula as bait.

‘Paki (Please Care)‘ by Giancarlo Abrahan

The musical features Rachel Alejandro, Joanna Ampil, Paolo Avelino, Nonie Buencamino, Menchu LauchengcoYulo, Robert Arevalo, Celeste Legaspi, Sandino Martin, Cris Villonco, and Aicelle Santos. It won Best Actress for Joanna Ampil, Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, Best Production Design, and Best Musical Score at the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival. From the Sinag Maynila comes Tale of the Lost Boys by Joselito Altarejos. The film received Best Screenplay, Best Editing and the Box Office Awards. The film centers on the friendship between two men -- Alex (Oliver Aquino), a Filipino mechanic, and Jerry (Ta Su), a Taiwanese aborigine student. The two meet randomly when Alex flees to Taipei from Manila, upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant. A casual conversation develops into a surprising personal connection between them. Both realize that they yearn for a more intimate connection with their mothers. The two men go on a road trip and end up at Jerry’s tribe. The trip eventually makes them reconnect with their mothers and both discover a certain sense of identity and freedom. Actors Oliver Aquino, Ta Su, Kristel Romero, Abai Bashang, Mona Hayung, Joe Black, Lex Bonife, Tiffany Tsai, and Nataleigh Sitoy bring the story to life. For more information, visit www.cinemalaya.org or www. culturalcenter.gov.ph. You may also call CCP Media Arts at 832-1125 local 1704 to 1705 and the CCP Box Office at 8323704.

‘Victor Magtanggol’ premieres on a high note By Clay Moreno PRIMETIME’S newest superhero series, Victor Magtanggol, didn’t just make its presence felt online, it also made a strong debut on July 30 by becoming the second most watched program nationwide. Based on the latest data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (with July 22 to 31 based on overnight data), the Alden Richard-starrer series placed second to the award-winning news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) in the list of top programs in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM). More GMA shows also made it to the list including Magpakailanman, 24 Oras, Lip Sync Battle Philippines, Pepito Manaloto, Kambal, Karibal, Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko, and The Clash. Completing the list were The Cure, Amazing Earth, Inday Will Always Love You, 24 Oras Weekend, Wowowin, Imbestigador, You’re My Destiny,

Tadhana, Sunday Pinasaya, Eat Bulaga, and Contessa. With its programs’ impressive performance in the numbers game, GMA Network was able to retain and even widened its lead against competition for the month of July. GMA garnered an average total day people audience share of 41.8 percent in the NUTAM, beating ABS-CBN’s 36.7 percent. The network’s outstanding nationwide ratings performance was a result of its continued leadership across all dayparts, including the primetime block. The Kapuso Network also maintained its dominance in the viewer-rich areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which respectively account for 72 and 59 percent of all urban viewers in the country. GMA recorded an average total day people audience share of 46.1 percent in Urban Luzon, which toppled ABS-CBN’s 31.3 percent. Kapuso shows took 23 spots out of its top 30 programs list.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

ACROSS 1 Monument 6 Switch positions 10 A few 14 Rubber-tree sap 15 Burger mate 16 Ontario neighbor 17 Fiber- — cable 18 Narrow squeak (2 wds.) 20 Brownie’s org. 21 Debussy music 23 Cameos, maybe 24 Time period 25 1980 Turner launch 26 Rub against 29 Plaited 33 Secluded spots 34 — and desist 35 Perfect for NASA (hyph.) 37 Teases 38 Chalky 39 “— cost you” 40 Malt beverage 41 “The — Mutiny” 42 Knossos locale 43 Going sky-high 45 Sandpaper grade 46 It flies by night 47 Hematite yield 48 First-stringers (hyph.)

51 Fake leather 53 All-purpose MDs 56 Sticker number (2 wds.) 58 Inbox contents 60 Before, in combos 61 Page-bottom directive 62 Incite to strong indignation 63 Watery expanses 64 Yacht basin sight 65 Light lunch DOWN 1 Tramp 2 Collects maple sap 3 Jazzy — James 4 Aloha token 5 Goes beyond 6 Take place 7 Sheep refuge 8 Glacier’s calf 9 KLM rival 10 Favor a motion 11 Aloud 12 Marathon unit 13 Congers 19 Cubs’ shortstop — Banks 22 — kwon do 24 Shaggy-haired oxen

25 Soft-drink buy 26 “Puppy Love” singer 27 Seethes 28 Cowboy event 29 Existence 30 Loan figure 31 Cafe customer 32 Airheads 34 Face part 36 Swiss artist 38 Hang around 39 OPEC member 41 Spasm 42 Picnic items 44 Lets up

45 Show sorrow 47 Not active 48 Woe is me! 49 Pitchfork part 50 Is, to Pedro 51 “— Zapata!” 52 Treats a sprain 53 It had three parts 54 Galileo’s hometown 55 Arctic carrier 57 CD- — 59 Big extinct bird

Similarly in Mega Manila (with ofﬁcial data from July 1 to 21), the Network ruled competition with an average total day people audience share of 47.2 percentversus ABS-CBN’s 29.5 percent. Notably, the Kapuso Network took the lion’s share in Mega Manila’s top-rating programs with 25 spots out of the top 30 list belonging to GMA. Nielsen data is gathered through a greater number of sampled homes nationwide in comparison to Kantar Media. With approximately 900 more homes surveyed in Total Urban and Rural Philippines compared to Kantar, Nielsen data is statistically considered more representative of the total TV population. In 2018, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement’s client pool covers a total of 34 clients/subscribers consisting of 8 local TV networks including ABSCBN, TV5, Aksyon TV, CNN Philippines, and Viva Communications Inc., among others; 3 regional clients; 2 blocktimers; and 21 agencies (17 media agencies, 3 consulting agencies, 1 digital agency).

Janine Gutierrez and Alden Richards in a scene from 'Victor Magtanggol'

Entertainment

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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018

'Signal Rock' is a story of the people living in an island town where they are confronted by their struggle for relevance in a changing world, forcing them to shift their morals and family values.

TNT Boys owning the stage at the Big Dome during the TNT All-Star Showdown.

Where the signal is

TNT artists in ultimate showdown at Big Dome WHILE different fan groups got together at the Araneta Coliseum to cheer for their favorite singers on July 28, they went home declaring the TNT All-Star Showdown a huge treat as they witnessed a four-hour show jam-packed with worldclass performances. Fans were all praises for the sold-out concert—also this year’s longest and biggest musical showdown—as the TNT singers took the entertainment scene’s most historic stage. The TNT Boys received a standing ovation from the crowd after showing they could both entertain and belt live, while Janine Berdin owned the crowd with her performances of past and presents hits, as well as her ﬁrst single, to prove she is the New Gem of OPM. Sam Mangubat showcased his versatility through song-and-dance numbers, giving concert-goers a taste of what to expect from his upcoming solo concert, while Noven Belleza brought inspiration as he sang from the heart and performed with Karla Estrada. The concert also delighted the crowd with surprise collaborations, including Froilan Canlas and BoybandPH’s performance of “Pa’no Ba,” a song written by the TNT songsmith and included in the group’s latest album. Eumee also hyped the audience when she teamed up with Shanti Dope. On social media, fans raved about their experience watching the TNT AllStar Showdown, and some were even demanding another one. Also standing out in their multiplesong solo numbers and duets were Marielle Montellano, Arabelle Dela Cruz, Froilan Canlas, Reggie Tortugo, Steven Paysu, Ato Arman, Anton Antenorcruz, and Eumee. The TNT artists are midway through an exciting year. Days before the concert, Eumee and Janine released their ﬁrst singles titled “Bratatat” and “Biyaya,” respectively, under the newly launched TNT Records. Marielle and Sam also recently released their latest singles called “Talaga Ba” and “Clueless” under Star Records. Noven also proved to be a hitmaker as he won the LSS Hit of the Year award for “Tumahan Ka Na” at this year’s MOR 101.9 Pinoy Music Awards. Sam, meanwhile, stayed atop the radio station’s charts for several weeks with his previous single “Pagka’t Nariyan Ka.” Viewers, meanwhile, can look forward to the airing of TNT All-Star Showdown on ABS-CBN.

ROCK-SOLID

N BIRI Island, a 5th class municipality in the province of Northern Samar, there’s a magniﬁcent rock formation popular to local tourists. The impressive natural wonder, carved through ferocious waves of the Paciﬁc Ocean and the San Bernardino Strait, holds a lot of interesting stories, most of which told by local elders.

For cinephiles, Biri Island is known to them as the to Vicky is to get a good signal by scrambling on the setting of the romantic movie Iisa Pa Lamang, which strange rock formations on the island. But the better life they hope for starred by Richard Gomez, Dawn goes down the drain when Vicky, toZulueta, and Maricel Laxa. It’s the gether with her daughter, flees her same island where Chito Roño shot husband, who turns out to be abusive. the 2003 film Spirit Warriors topThis leaves Intoy, poor but with a gift billed by Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hiof gab, to be resourceful and come up lario and Danilo Barrios. with a master plan to help his sister and Now, fifteen years later, Roño is his niece from their adversity. He steps giving Biri another well-deserved up to become the hope of the family to exposure as the notable rock formaprotect its members get them safely. tion on the island province becomes The lead and the rest of the characthe backdrop of Signal Rock, another ters are all based on real people and film which story, according to the acthe story is inspired by true events that claimed director, hits close to home. took place in the 90s. “It is a story of the people living in “Signal Rock is a simple yet realistic an island town, which barely offers drama,” says Roño. “It talks about any hope in itself. It is a story of a ordinary people in a remote province struggle for relevance in a changing area. The people there usually try their world, forcing them to shift their luck abroad. We heard so many stories morals and family values, if pit about it, but this one, this is the story of against keeping together. Intoy and those left behind.” the rest of the characters are all based Director Chito Roño handThe film is also produced by his on real people,” the 64-year-old box picked the actors who will play production with his Director of Phooffice director shares. the important roles in the film. tography Neil Daza and written by the To begin with, “signal rock” refers award-winning Rody Vera. to the tip of one of the huge rock forDistributed by Regal Entertainment, mations in Biri that protrudes into the Inc, Signal Rock is also an entry to the sea. It’s where some of the struggles of upcoming Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino the central character are shown. Film Festival 2018, which runs from “I want to give my all for this passion Aug. 15 to 21. project. There are some things here that Completing the cast are Elora EsI did for the first time and I’m proud paño, Mara Lopez, Francis Maof it. Also the location is very beautiful gundayao, Daria Ramirez, Arnold and I bet, those who will watch the film Reyes, Nandiing Josef, Archie Adawill appreciate the Philippines more,” mos, Sue Prado, JayR Versales, KeRoño says. ana Reeves, Julia Chua, Kokoy De The film revolves around Intoy Santos, Jomari Angeles, Rubu Ruiz, (Christian Bables), who lives in an Mon Confiado, Ces Quesada, Lee impoverished fishing island, taking O’Brian, and Dido Dela Paz. care of his parents, while waiting for “To be more realistic, we stayed in his sister Vicky, an overseas Filipino Samar for 15 days. Until now it’s still worker, send them money. a very remote province. We tried to Just like many women on the island, immerse ourselves in the local comVicky has flown to a foreign land, and munity, we walked to our location married a foreigner, as a practical way shoot, we stayed in houses where to help their families back in the Philiplocals live. We basically discovered pines. In 'Signal Rock' Christian Bables the real life and struggle of people Since Intoy lives in a remote area, play Intoy, a carefree no-hoper there and we can attest that there’s getting in touch with Vicky through a in a small town, who decides to hardly any signal in the area,” the mobile phone is a constant struggle. help his sister in Finland win a seasoned director ends. The only way to get through a call child custody battle.

DIGITAL MEDIA

Fun continues in all-new season of

‘THE BOOBAY AND TEKLA SHOW’ AFTER a successful and hilarious run earlier this year, comedic duo Boobay and Tekla are back for a second season of GMA Online Exclusives’ The Boobay and Tekla Show beginning today. The digital comedy program racked up over a million views and had thousands of loyal online fans for more of the duo’s comical ﬂairs. Their signature self-deprecating humor along with a variety of challenges and various discussion topics in pop culture certainly caught the attention of online viewers and had them hooked on each fun episode. On its second season, prepare for more hilarious banters that will surely have mom, dad, and even young adults laughing from the other side of the screen. The brand-new episodes feature fresh gimmicks such as food trips, highly-requested challenge videos, interviews with celebrity guests, truth or dare games, as well as remakes of the popular videos “Dear Boobay and Tekla” and “24 Questions,” which showcase the wacky, naughty, and wickedly entertaining humor of the duo. Join the fun and catch the hilarious episodes of The Boobay and Tekla Show every Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00 p.m. exclusively on GMANetwork.com and GMA Network’s Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/gmanetwork).

Binibining Pilipinas Queens visit children with cancer THE Binibining Pilipinas 2018 queens attended to one of their commitments paying a visit to the cancer-stricken children at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, in Quezon City on Thursday last week. Led by Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray, Binibining Pilipinas International Ma. Ahtisa Manalo, Binibining Pilipinas

Miss Universe Philippine Catriona Gray attends to one of her commitments —paying a visit to the cancer-stricken children at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

Supranational Jehza Huelar, Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Eva Patalinjug, Binibining Pilipinas Globe Michele Gumabao along with 1st runner-up Vickie Rushton and 2nd runner-up Samantha Bernardo, the queens cheered up some 40 young cancer and hematology patients, handing out toys, reading stories and playing with them as they watched a special balloon show presentation. Gray and the rest tried their best to be a source of inspiration and hope to the kids whom they also treated to servings of favorite ice cream products from Dairy Queen (DQ) and meals from Taco Bell. “I can’t help but get a little emotional, knowing the pain that these little kids experience. I share their pain as I have experienced losing both my parents to cancer,” Huelar said. “I am grateful to Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) for giving us the opportunity to take a break from our schedules to be able to share our blessings, fulfill charitable works, most especially, to the sick and less fortunate,” said Gray who also expressed excitement on the news that she will be competing in Thailand, a country so close to her heart, recently confirmed as the host for this year’s Miss Universe pageant to be held on Dec. 17 at the Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi. “I’m happy it’s going to be held in Asia because I think we make a celebration of pageants like no other. I really hope all my friends and supporters could come and watch,” said the 24-year old Fil-Australian Gray who is a part of Young Focus, an organization that finances educational programs. Eton B. Concepcion

The comic duo Boobay (right) and Tekla