Manila Standard - 2018 August 17 - Friday

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Tolentino

Pimentel III

Nograles

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Roman

Del Rosario

Aguilar

Manicad

Benitez

Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio stands tall as among outsiders but ‘friends’ of the ruling PDP-Laban party whose name has been submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte, the party’s chairman, by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, party president as among 24 persons in the 2019 mid-term elections.

VOL. XXXII • NO. 183 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

PDP-Laban wants Sara in its lineup Draws up 24 senatorial prospects

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Cua

Dela Rosa

Padilla

Lapid

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ENATOR Aquilino Pimentel III has submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte the names of 24 persons that the ruling PDP-Laban plans to include in its 12-person senatorial slate in May 2019, including presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

“I am writing to you to get your opinion on the senatorial slate our political party is form-

ing to be fielded in the coming May elections,” Pimentel told the President in a letter.

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FM Jr. better qualified—Rody

Tulfo

Alunan

By Nat Mariano and Rio N. Araja PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte might “make true on his word” to step down if former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wins his electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the President is exasperated finding the next qualified leader to take over the highest seat of the government.

“He has said that he thinks Senator Bongbong Marcos is one of the better-qualified leaders to succeed him. If there are developments and he will win the protest and he becomes vice president, yes, he will make true on his word,” said Roque in a press briefing, stressing that it is Duterte’s genuine wish to step down if there’s a Next page better-qualified leader to take over.

Cayetano

Roque

Angara

Villar

Poe

Ejercito

Arroyo: I’d rather write my memoirs

By Maricel V. Cruz

Binay

SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Thursday that she will resume writing her memoirs when she finishes her third term in the House of Representatives and that she has no plans to run in next year’s elections.

The 71-year-old Arroyo is on her third and last term as representative of Pampanga province.

“I have no plans to run for anything. I plan to work on my memoirs, to resume writing my memoirs.

Other than that, I haven’t given much thought about what to do to occupy my time,” she said in a TV interview.

Speaker to speed up debates on Cha-Cha

By Maricel V. Cruz and Julito G. Rada SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday vowed to facilitate discussions on Charter change at the House of Representatives but said she doubts if the propose shift to a federal form of government would take place during her term as Speaker.

“It might not... be completed in my remaining time in office, especially [since] there will still be a plebiscite,” Arroyo said in a TV interview. “But I hope to move it forward as far as I can

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PDEA chief goes on leave amid P6.8-b shabu fiasco

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BoC men in trouble over sugar smuggle

By Rio N. Araja

By Vito Barcelo CUSTOMS Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has relieved several officials at the Manila International Container Port who allegedly conspired with smugglers to convey P15 million worth of sugar at the MICP by issuing a bogus lifting order from his office.

He also said Customs will inspect 4,000 abandoned and misdeclared shipments at the Port of Manila and MICP following the foiled attempt to smuggle Next page

PH five crushes Kazakhstan SPORTS A8

200 US papers strike back at Trump attacks

FOLLOWING the claim that P6.8 billion worth of shabu had slipped past authorities and made its way into the streets, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general Aaron Aquino has taken a “long planned leave to be with his family.”

Meanwhile, members of the minority block in the Senate on Thursday sought a Senate probe into the shabu shipment that entered the country through the Manila International Container Port and slipped past the Bureau of Customs.

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WASHINGTON—US newspapers big and small hit back Thursday at President Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on the news media, launching a coordinated campaign of editorials stressing the importance of a free press.

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PCOO reminded: Careful, careful

By Nat Mariano AN OFFICIAL of the Presidential Communications Operations Office has admonished all PCOO personnel to “be mindful” of their posts even on their personal social media accounts after a video posted by Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson using female body parts as a mnemonic device to promote federalism drew flak online.

In a memo issued Monday, PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, chairperson of the agency’s gender and development Next page

Duterte softens stand on ABS-CBN PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte appeared to have a change of heart in so far as renewing the franchise of television network ABS-CBN is concerned.

After saying that if he could have his way, he would make sure ABS-CBN’s franchise is revoked, Duterte said he only made the statement because he was still hurt by the network’s actions against him, including reporting the allegations of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that he has billions in hidden wealth as well as failing to air his political ads but not returning the money he paid for air time.

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Two holidays on August 21 MALACAÑANG said Thursday the announcement to declare Aug. 21 as a regular holiday because of the celebration of Eid al-Adha was recommended by Commission on Muslim Filipinos.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

5 SC aspirants go through wringer

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Judicial and Bar Council on Thursday started vetting the five nominees aspiring for the most coveted post in the judiciary, which was left vacant following the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno through quo warranto proceedings.

The seven-member council led by Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio subjected the aspirants to questioning, including how they accumulated their high incomes as reflected in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Supreme Court Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin and Diosdado Peralta attributed the increase in their incomes to their allowances and their wives’ incomes.

Besides Bersamin and Peralta, also vying for chief justice post are high court Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Andres Reyes Jr. and Judge Virginia Tejano-Ang of Tagum City, Davao del Norte Re-

Duterte taunts Trillanes over drug-test push MALACAÑANG on Thursday shrugged off the challenge of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to President Rodrigo Duterte and his family to undergo drug testing, after the lawmaker tested negative for illegal drug use.

“The President was elected by the people. If he wants to undergo drug testing, he will do it, but not because someone commanded him to do so,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

Meanwhile, Roque said the President has access to information pointing to Naga City, the home of Vice President Leni Robredo, as a “hotbed of shabu.”

“I’m sure he has access to information indicating certain areas to be hotbeds of shabu. And he must have seen in the report that Naga is one of them,” the Palace spokesman added.

“I don’t think it’s something that the President would say from thin air because he has access to all information that even you and I don’t have access to,” he said.

The President made the remark tagging Naga last Tuesday, as he discussed a possible constitutional succession following his stated desire to step down from office, with Robredo next in line— but not Duterte’s preferred successor.

Asked whether the President had political intentions behind his pronouncement on Naga, Roque said there was none. Nat Mariano

Speaker...

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during my time as Speaker. And so I hope that those who follow after will pick up from where we left off in this Congress,” she said.

At the same time, the former president played down speculation that she would become the prime minister under a federal system, saying the federal constitution submitted by the consultative commission to the President and Congress advocates a presidential system of government.

“So there is no Prime Minister to speak of,” she said.

Arroyo also said she opposed term extensions for elected officials as well as the cancellation of May 2019 elections—which her predecessor, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, had pushed.

Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said a shift to a federal form of government would fortify the competitiveness of local government units and create a better environment for investors.

During the 6th Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center, Lopez agreed with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III that a review of the financial implications of shifting to a federal system is imperative.

BoC...

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P15 million worth of sugar and the recent seizure of P6.8 billion worth of illegal drugs concealed in magnetic lifters.

Lapeña said they were alerted on the smuggled sugar after it was declared as refractory mortar, a building material like cement, which was consigned to Don Trading.

He said Don Trading had attempted to smuggle the 5,000 sacks of sugar into the country.

Lapeña declined to name the BoC-MICP officials he relieved pending an investigation, but said they were customs examiners, appraisers, intelligence officers and employees at the MICP. Lapeña said aside from facing administrative charges, the BoC-MICP officials would also face criminal charges for conspiring with smugglers to smuggle the sugar by recommending a lifting order without the approval of the office of the commissioner.

“I will make them answer for this violation of the law. The BoC personnel recommended the lifting of an alert order on goods that were found to be smuggled,” he said.

He said the recommendation order was “fake” and did not pass his office for review or approval.

gional Trial Court Branch 1.

Maria Milagros N. Fernan-Cayosa, a JBC regular member representing the IBP, noted that Bersamin’s SALN had a “remarkable increase” of P2 million from 2014 to 2015, and by P3 million from 2016 to 2017. On the other hand, Peralta’s SALN increased by more than P5 million from 2015 to 2017.

Bersamin said his SALN was a joint declaration with his wife.

“The jump in my SALN was caused by the cash deposit made by my wife,” he said, noting that his wife is a businesswoman importing and selling high-end movie-making equipment.

“She deals with the government sporadically but I told her not to offer anything to the Supreme Court,” Bersamin said.

Peralta said he also submitted a joint declaration with his wife, Court of Appeals Associate Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta.

Bersamin and Peralta added that they both receive allowances as members of the electoral tribunal.

Both justices also said they also receive remuneration when they became head of the Bar Examination

PDP-Laban...

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Duterte and Pimentel are the chairman and president, respectively, of the ruling PDP-Laban.

Pimentel said from within the party, the PDP-Laban is considering the following: Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go; Francis Tolentino, Representatives Karlo Alexei Nograles, Zajid Mangudadatu; Geraldine Roman, Monsour del Rosario, Alfredo .Benitez and Dakila Carlo Cua, singer Freddie Aguilar and former news anchor Jiggy Manicad.

From outside the party, Pimentel said the can recruit “friends” such presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte; Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald dela Rosa; actor Robin Padilla; former senator Lito Lapid; former secretary Rafael Alunan; columnist Ramon Tulfo; Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque; and Rep. Pia Cayetano.

Pimentel said he is also seeking reelection under PDP- Laban. He also mentioned five re-electionist senators who belong to the majority coalition: Senators Cynthia Villar, Juan Edgardo Angara, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay.

“I hope that the party leadership can sit down with you, as the party chairman, at the earliest possible time so we can talk about party matters and prepare for the fast approaching May 2019 elections,” he said.

Pimentel said Mayor Duterte should run for senator next year to give Mindanao greater representation in the Senate.

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Asked why the declaration of Muslim holiday coincided with the Ninoy Aquino Day, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the religious observance usually depended on the suggestion of the Muslim community in the country.

“That really depends on the suggestion of our Muslim brothers and sisters. It’s just like Ramadan which depends on the phases of the moon,” he said.

“The Palace only relied on the recommendation of the Commission on Muslim Filipinos.

They were the ones who recommended it,” he explained.

Roque also stressed that employees would only get the usual benefits during a regular holiday.

“They will only work for one day, why will they receive two-holiday worth of benefits?” he said.

200...

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Leading the charge was The Boston Globe, which had issued an appeal for this drive—accompanied by the hashtag #EnemyofNone—that has been joined by more than 200 newspapers around the country.

“Today in the United States we have a president who has created a mantra that members of the media who do not blatantly support the policies of the current US administration are the ‘enemy of the people,’” the Globe editorial said.

“This is one of the many lies that have been thrown out by this president, much like an oldtime charlatan threw out ‘magic’ dust or water on a hopeful crowd,” it added in a piece entitled “Journalists are not the Enemy.”

PCOO...

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committee, said all government employees must not be remiss on their duties and responsibilities as public servants.

Badoy underscored the important role of PCOO in mainstreaming gender issues as they “play a crucial role in raising public awareness and shape public opinion.”

“Hence, please be mindful of the content you post or share on your personal social me-

PDEA...

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Under Senate Resolution 849, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV, Risa Hontiveros and Leila de Lima said the repeated incidence of huge shipments of drugs being smuggled into the country and slipping past inspection at Customs was a wake-up call for officials to look into the possible misdeeds of the officials and employees of the bureau.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said drug syndicates were devising new ways to slip past the drug net laid out by the government to prevent the entry of illegal drugs.

Barbers, chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs, made the assessment after hearing the

Committee. Peralta was chairman of the Bar Committee in 2014 while Bersamin was chairman in 2017.

“Because of my Bar chairmanship, perhaps I will report another jump in my SALN next year,” Bersamin said.

Peralta said he also received a lump sum from the Social Security System after he reached the age of 65 because, before his entry to the judiciary, he was a lawyer in the private sector and a law professor.

He said the amount he received, which was more than P1 million, was also reflected in his SALN. If he was named chief justice, Bersamin vowed to grant more powers to the JBC to avoid making appointment “mistakes” to the judiciary.

“The JBC will need a lot more muscle to look into the qualifications of aspirants for judicial positions,” Bersamin said.

Bersamin was among the eight high court magistrates who voted to nullify the appointment of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice in May due to her alleged lack of qualification for the post.

“It seems to me that somehow there are still people who did not deserve [but] managed to be appointed to these positions,” Bersamin said.

“Her experience as mayor of one of the country’s highly successful cities eminently qualifies her to speak for Mindanao, for peace and order, for the environment, and for the socioeconomic upliftment of the marginalized sectors,” Pimentel said.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that among the present crop of young leaders, Mayor Duterte was the only potential national leader.

“I am not endorsing her. I’m just saying among young leaders, I think you can agree with me that we are looking at Sara,” Lacson told reporters in a news forum.

“Make no mistake, if the next leader of our country would emerge from the young, fresh and new faces in national politics, my top choice right now is Sara Duterte,” he also said.

Lacson described the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte as “strong-willed, stern, vibrant, and progressive-minded,” and said she has obviously good leadership qualities.

The young Duterte had been tagged as the mastermind behind the House coup that replaced Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez with former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Speaker.

She has neither confirmed nor denied such talk.

Arroyo said Thursday Mayor Duterte was poised for national politics, noting that children of presidents like her have played a “prominent role in national political life.”

“I am one example. Noynoy Aquino is another example. The children of President Estrada are very active in national political life. Mar Roxas is also a descendant of

a president,” Arroyo told ABS-CBN News.

“Judging by history, really, I think that Mayor Sara Duterte will become an important national figure,” she said.

President Duterte on Wednesday asked the PDP-Laban for its continued support to address the pressing issues of the day.

Duterte, chairman of the PDP-Laban, made his appeal during the first anniversary of PDP-Laban Cares at the GSIS Building in Pasay City on Wednesday night.

“As we [undergo] reforms in this administration, our unity is now more important than ever. I therefore ask the continued support of PDP-Laban and its partners in creating practical solutions to address the root cause of our nation’s problems,” he said.

The President challenged his fellow PDPLaban members to remain committed to the party’s vision of liberating the Filipino people from the clutches of poverty, conflict, crime, illegal drugs, and corruption “through the promotion of justice, equality, and good governance.”

The President had earlier said that he would resign as president if the likes of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Senator Francis Escudro would succeed him.

But Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said nobody would believe the President because he had already threatened to resign several times.

Instead of talking about quitting and insulting Vice President Leni Robredo, the President should act on the country’s most serious problems, Aquino said, pointing to the increase in the prices of goods and services and the illegal entry of drugs. With PNA

Meanwhile, Malacañang released the list of regular holidays and special non-working holidays for 2019.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 555 on Aug. 15, which also includes Nov. 2 (Saturday) and Dec. 24 (Tuesday) as two additional non-working days throughout the country.

The two dates have been added “to strengthen family ties by providing more time for the traditional All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day and Christmas Day commemorative activities, and will promote domestic tourism as well.

The 2019 regular holidays include: January 1 (Tuesday)—New Year’s Day; April 9 (Tuesday)— Araw ng Kagitingan; April 18—Maunday Thursday; April 19—Good Friday; May 1 (Wednesday)—Labor Day; June 12 (Wednesday)—Independence Day; Aug. 26 (last Monday of August)— National Heroes Day; Nov. 30 (Saturday)—Bonifacio Day; Dec. 25 (Wednesday)—Christmas Day;

and, Dec. 30 (Monday)—Rizal Day. Special non-working days, on the other hand, are February 5 (Tuesday) – Chinese New Year; Feb. 25 (Monday) –Edsa People Power Revolution Anniversary; April 20—Black Saturday; Aug. 21 (Wednesday)—Ninoy Aquino Day; Nov. 1 (Friday)—All Saint’s Day; Dec. 8 (Sunday) —Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary; and, Dec. 31 (Tuesday) – Last Day of the Year.

The proclamation declaring national holidays for the observance of Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha, two major feasts of Islam, will be issued after the dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar (Hijra).

“To this end, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall inform the Office of the President of the actual dates on which these holidays shall respectively fall,” the proclamation stated. Nat Mariano, PNA

Trump’s treatment of the press is also encouraging strongmen such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey to treat journalists like enemies, the Globe argued.

The coordinated effort comes amid Trump’s persistent claims that mainstream media outlets that publish articles critical of him are churning out “fake news.”

Free press advocates argue that Trump’s efforts threaten the role of the news media as a check against abuse of power in government and imperil the constitutional First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press.

The New York Times, one of the most frequent targets of Trump’s criticism, ran a short, seven-paragraph editorial under a giant headline with all capital letters that read “A FREE PRESS NEEDS YOU” and with the statement

that it is only right for people to criticize the press, say, for getting something wrong.

“But insisting that truths you don’t like are ‘fake news’ is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy.

And calling journalists the ‘enemy of the people’ is dangerous, period,” the Times wrote.

Across the country, other papers joined in, defending their place in society—from upholding the truth to simply saving people time.

Free press advocates say Trump is a real threat to the role of the press.

“I don’t think the press can just sit back and take it, they need to make their case when the most powerful man in the world tries to undercut the First Amendment,” said Ken Paulson, a former editor-in-chief of USA Today who heads the Newseum’s First Amendment Center and is dean of communications at Middle Tennessee State University. AFP

dia accounts, as well as other publications and press releases your office may publish,” Badoy said.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque earlier said Uson’s actions should not determine the fate of PCOO’s budget next year as lawmakers questioned the additional funding being sought by the office.

“Mocha Uson is not synonymous with PCOO. She is one of the workers of PCOO. PCOO has many workers who quietly do their jobs,” Roque said, adding that even President Rodrigo Duterte was “not cool” on the video. testimonies of Customs and PDEA officials at the initial hearing on P6.8 billion worth of shabu.

But Derrick Carreon, PDEA spokesman, pleaded with the media “not to put malice” as to why Aquino was on a leave.

“Ma’am, this is personal. I am just wondering why people have been putting malice to something that has long been planned ago. It has absolutely nothing to do with the series of events,” Carreon told the Manila Standard when asked about Aquino’s leave.

“I would like to implore all concerned. This is the 10th call that I got with regard to that. That has nothing to do with whatever happened. The President [Rodrigo Duterte] did not put him on leave. It was planned a long time ago for his family.”

Carreon said Aquino also deserved to take a vacation like any other official.

“For your information, I live five minutes away

Duterte...

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“That was really hurting. Sometimes I blurt it out, but I have learned to live with it actually. Sometimes I just get mad,” he said, adding that he would now rather “let it pass.”

House Bill No. 4349, which seeks to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise for 25 years, is still pending at the committee level in Congress.

from PDEA. My boss lives [here] in PDEA. I don’t think it is not proper for him to give time for his family. That [leave] has nothing to do with the recent event. I beg [you] to allow my boss to have some privacy,” he said.

A PDEA source said Aquino was on leave from Aug. 15 to Aug. 31.

“Let’s just wait for the result of the investigation.

PDEA will submit everything [to] the committee on dangerous drugs in Congress,” Carreon told the GMA News Online interview.

He said the agency had “leads or suspicions.”

“Yes, he [Aquino] said that,” Carreon said.

He said “if you have connections with Malacanañg, [you can check that out]... It [leave] was planned a long time ago. It was filed a long time ago.” With Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Nat Mariano

Give HOV traffic scheme a chance, Palace tells critics

By Nat Mariano FOLLOWING the criticism the Metro Manila Development Authority received on banning single-passenger cars On Edsa during rush hours, the Palace appealed Thursday to the public to give the policy “a chance.”

Asked about the Palace’s position on the matter, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said “the President does not really micromanage. He lets the members of the Cabinet implement their programs, and as long as those are not illegal, he approves them.”

In other developments: • More than 6,000 drivers were caught and warned during the first two days of the dry run for the implementation of the Expanded High Occupancy Vehicle traffic scheme along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from 7 am to 10 am and 6 pm to 9 pm Monday to Friday.

On Thursday, the MMDA recorded at least 2,715 motorists while a total of 3,353 were caught on Wednesday violating the new traffic policy aimed at reducing the volume of private vehicles which, according to the agency, remains a major cause of the worsening traffic problem along the 23.8-kiometer highway.

• A pro-administration lawmaker on Thursday said the MMDA should first consider synchronizing the flow of buses plying Metro Manila’s most important highway instead of banning “singles” on Edsa.

“More than the volume of private vehicles, discipline remains the biggest cause of Metro Manila’s carmageddon and buses are the biggest culprits,” Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said as he thumbed down the driver-only car ban policy to be implemented by the MMDA. Sarmiento, vice chairman of the House committee on transportation, said while Edsa traffic might ease with the “driver-only ban” on Edsa, other smaller Metro Manila streets would definitely absorb the volume of vehicles, which would only widen the area of the gridlock. With Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz

FM...

From A1 “What he’s worried about is if he were to use the constitutional succession, then the successor may not be qualified, then he expressed a preference on who he thinks is qualified,” Roque said.

In a speech in Malacañang on Tuesday, the President mentioned his wish to cut his term short as he was getting tired.

“My chase against graft and corruption seems to be endless and it has contaminated almost all government departments and offices,” Duterte said.

Roque said that while the President mentioned Marcos and Senator Francis Escudero as among those qualified to replace him, his top choice was Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.

In 2016, Robredo defeated Escudero, Marcos and Cayetano in the vice presidential race.

Robredo’s lawyer on Thursday said there was no legal way that Duterte could allow anyone, except the vice president, to succeed him if he decided to quit.

“Any action contrary to this provision of the Constitution cannot be countenanced.

Even the President cannot provide what the Constitution does not prescribe. As to Secretary [Harry] Roque’s statement that Duterte will resign if Marcos wins the protest, then his resignation will never happen because as far as we are concerned, Marcos will never win in the protest,” he added.

Arroyo...

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Political observers said that Arroyo is a shoo-in if she runs for the Senate.

But Arroyo said her focus now is to help Duterte build a lasting legacy.

“I am not interested in a legacy as Speaker,” she said. “I am interested in helping President Duterte with his legacy during my short time as Speaker.”

Arroyo assumed the speakership last month, following the ouster of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez hours before Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address.

Majority of House members ousted Alvarez a few months after he had a run-in with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in February over the latter’s establishment of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago political party.

Alvarez said Hugpong is an opposition party, drawing the ire of the Davao City mayor.

Arroyo said she had no hand in planning her predecessor’s ouster.

“The reason I resisted having an in-depth interview up to today is that I wanted the story of the Speakership fight to be relayed and to be recounted by those who played an active role in it, so by this time it should be very clear that I did not aspire and I did not campaign to be Speaker,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo’s surpise election as Speaker was reportedly orchestrated by congressmen unhappy with Alvarez and supported by Duterte-Carpio and other political parties.

The former president agreed that DuterteCarpio was a “rising star” in the political landscape.

News

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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CHED flagged for underutilization of funds t

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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HE Commission on Audit has flagged the Commission on Higher Education over its low utilization rate of the P7.789-billion fund for free tuition law.

In an audit report, state auditors said only P1.448 billion, or 18.11 percent of the funds was used for the first year of the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. “According to the management, the low disbursement rate was due to the delayed/late submission by the state universities and colleges (SUCs) of the billing statements

supported with the required documents enumerated in the guidelines,” the report read.

The P8-billion fund was allocated for one school calendar for two semesters.

The allocation for two semesters translated to P7.789 billion, but P210 million went to operational and administrative costs.

The per-semester allocation

amounted to P3.894 billion for the 114 SUCs, which means that the P1.448-billion spending had a utilization rate of 37 percent.

CoA has cited higher utilization rates for two other major CHEd programs -- the K-to-12 transition scholarship program and the five-year Philippine California Advanced Research Institute -- with utilization rates of

44.55 percent and 55.64 percent, respectively.

“Management reasoned out that this was due to the delayed submission of required documents by the scholars and HEIs (higher education institutions), inadequacy of documents and the deferment/ termination of the grants for various reasons,” CoA said.

CHED, however, said the de-

Qatar’s emir Al Thani set to visit PH; meet Du30

US warns PH on procuring Russian subs

By Francisco Tuyay

A UNITED States defense official advised the Philippines to carefully review its plan in acquiring a submarine from Russia in the light of existing US-PH relations.

US Assistant Secretary of Defense Randall Schriver said the procurement of the Philippine Navy of a special underwater craft from Russia should be assessed in terms of the long time alliances between the US and the Philippines.

“I think they should think very carefully about that,” Schriver said.

Last week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had said that Russia is willing to provide soft loans to the Philippine government for the acquisition of a first-ever submarine for the Philippine Navy.

He said that Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad was already preparing to send its sailors where the submarine could be procured, for study and training on submarine operations preparatory to the acquisition of the sophisticated naval craft.

Schriver said acquiring future submarines from Russia intended for the Philippine military would be awkward because of the decades-long US-PH alliance.

“If they would have to proceed with purchasing major Russian equipment, I don’t think that’s a helpful thing to the alliance and ultimately, I think we can be better partner that the Russians can be to the Philippine people,” Schriver said.

The US defense official added that inserting a Russian submarine to Philippine Navy’s inventory would somehow affect its capability in the future in case it operates side-by-side with US forces to address security challenges.

US and Philippine military forces have been conducting annual exercises using US-acquired equipment, even as Washington plans to transfer defense articles to its allies and partners of US standard equipment under the Foreign Military Sales.

By Vito Barcelo QATAR’S Emir Shiekh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is expected to visit the Philippines to meet President Rodrigo Duterte later this year and strengthen ties in areas of security, trade and investments, Malacañang said.

Qatar was one of President Duterte’s stops when he visited the Middle East in April last year, where the president thanked the Qatar’s Emir for protecting the welfare of Filipino workers in that country.

Malacañang made the announcement after Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman AlThani paid a courtesy call to President Duterte on Wednesday.

The Qatari official is in the country for a two-day official visit, which is expected to strengthen bilateral ties between the Philippines and Qatar.

CONTRABAND. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña inspects the misdeclared sugar worth P15 million in a container van intercepted by the Bureau of Customs Intelligence Investigation Services led by Alvin Encinso of the Manila International Container Port. Norman Cruz

Justice remains elusive for Kian, family—PAO chief A YEAR after, justice has remained elusive for the family of slain teenager Kian Delos Santos.

The 17-year-old Delos Santos, a student at Catholic was alleged by the police as a drug courier for his father and uncle. The teenager was shot dead by policemen after he allegedly resisted arrest in Caloocan before dawn of Aug. 16, 2017.

But a CCTV footage later revealed that around two to three policemen were seen dragging a man matching the description of Delos Santos to an alley where he was later found dead.

Witnesses later claimed that Delos

Santos, a Grade 12 student, was told to run and given a gun before he was shot.

In a Senate hearing, the policemen said they only learned of Delos Santos' alleged drug links a day after they shot him dead.

The three policemen only recently started presenting evidence for their defense before a Caloocan court, PAO Persida Acosta said in a radio interview.

She added, however, that the prosecution will rebut the officers' defense before the trial is closed.

Acosta also expressed dismay that prosecutors cited the findings of a police autopsy saying Delos Santos was shot

only twice and from a distance – which was contrary to PAO's autopsy that the teenager was shot three times, twice at point-blank range.

On Wednesday, Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said the policemen involved in the killing of Delos Santos have been dismissed, while also reiterating the PNP’s commitment to human rights.

"Palagi naman natin binibigyan ng caution or reminders yung mga commanders on the ground na sumunod sa ating POP (police operational procedure) at respetuhin yung karapatang pantao ng bawat Pilipino," Albayalde said.

Trillanes told to answer Calida’s plea on ‘Vigilant’ case

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has required opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to comment on the petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family seeking to enjoin the lawmaker from conducting a legislative inquiry into the alleged conflict of interest arising from their security agency’s multimillion-peso contract with government agencies.

layed submission of billing claims by the SUCs as required by CoA and the Department of Budget and Management resulted in the low utilization of free tuition funds.

It also cited the delays in the submission of scholars’ documents in the K to 12 faculty scholarship program, where only P1.515 billion of its P3.4-billion funding was used.

“Considering the allegations contained, the issues raised and the arguments adduced in the petition, it is necessary and proper, without giving due course to the petition, to require the respondent to comment on the petition and application for restraining order and/or preliminary injunction,” the SC said in an en banc resolution.

The SC gave Trillanes a non-extendible period of 10 days within which to submit his comment on Calida’s petition.

The resolution came after Calida, his wife Milagros and children Josef, Michelle and Mark Jorel filed on Tuesday a petition asking the SC to stop Trillanes’ plan to investigate the alleged conflict of interest arising from the multimillion-peso contracts their security agency’s secured from government agencies.

In a 39-page petition, the Calida family sought the issuance of temporary restraining order stopping Trillanes

from conducting what they described as “void” legislative inquiry into Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc.’s (Vigilant) contracts with government agencies.

Trillanes along with other opposition senators had filed a resolution calling for such an investigation, but the petitioners claimed that Trillanes decided to carry out the inquiry on his own despite the lack of Senate’s action allowing such an investigation.

‘Balangiga Bells ‘fate’ known in 2-3 months’ THE decision on the possible return of the Balangiga Bells to the Philippines will be known in two to three months from now, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday.

Cayetano made the statement after a news report said that American lawmakers oppose the return of the bells.

“We’ll know within two to three months,” Cayetano said, adding that he hopes that the transfer would occur within the year.

The US embassy in Manila on Saturday said US Defense Secretary James Mattis notified the US Congress of their intention to return the war booty to the Philippines.

While no specific date has been set, the embassy said “it (return) will now be processed.”

Cayetano called this a “welcome development.”

“My first time in Congress, the first speech I’ve heard was what language should we use in the session hall. The second speech I heard was the return of the Balangiga Bells, and every Congress after that is a speech on the return.

It’s (been) 20 years since I became a congressman,” Cayetano said.

“After several decades since it was taken, it’s such a welcome development and I thank Defense Secretary James Mattis because he paid such detailed attention to this request,” he added. PNA

EU sets aside €2 million for ‘Minda’

THE European Commission has allocated €2 million in humanitarian aid funding to provide life-saving assistance to those most in need in the conflict-prone southern province of Mindanao.

“Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes due to continued conflict in the Mindanao region. They left everything behind and are struggling to sustain their day-to-day lives,” said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. “This assistance underlines the EU’s solidarity with the people of the Philippines. It will ensure that the most vulnerable have sufficient means to get through these difficult times.”

The ongoing violence in Mindanao has resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. With access to basic services hampered and livelihoods disrupted, hu-

manitarian needs in the region remain high. Most recently, fighting between government forces and armed groups have displaced over 50,000 people since the beginning of July. According to the latest data available, at least 500,000 people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in the region, including more than 270,000 displaced people and some 100,000 out-of-school children.

The EU funding, channelled through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, will help address the most pressing needs of the affected populations, both displaced families and members of host communities.

The aid will focus on the provision of crucial support including food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, and emergency education, as well as increased protection of the impacted communities.

MONEY TALK. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chaiman of the Senate committee on economic affairs, grills Central Bank Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo (right) during a hearing on the inflationary efects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. Lino Santos

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The wherewithal of federalism on the federal government. And so he laments that prosperity and woe on the state (sub-national) level depend on alliFR. RANHILIO ances and allegiances. “Good and corCALLANGAN dial relations exist between federation and state if they are of the same party, AQUINO however the relationship between fedIT MIGHT be helpful, as we take up the eration and states governed by the oppesky issue of the wherewithal of fed- position party is to the contrary.” One eralizing, to find out how others have experience is instructive. There was divided the pie and allocated resources nothing in the Malaysian Constitution between the central government and that stood in the way of states entering into financial arrangements with the sub-national entities.

Khairil Azmin Mokhtar did an inter- a company. And when one state deesting study that he titled “Federalism manded advance payment of royalties, in Malaysia: A Constitutional Study of this certainly afforded the contracting the Federal Institutions Established by state some relief. But the question was the Federal Constitution of Malaysia soon raised as an issue of law whether and their Relationships with the Tradi- advance payment of royalties constituttional Institutions in the Constitution.” ed a “loan” that states were forbidden For a federal state to exist both in law from contracting. While the Federal and in fact, Mokhtar argues, both the Court held that such payments did not federation and the sub-national gov- bear the character of loans, Parliament ernments should be guaranteed finan- was unhappy about the derogation of its cial independence, to enable each level fiscal supremacy and the diminution of its control—and it of government to amended the law perform its conin such wise as to stitutionally ormake such paydained functions. ments subject to By this premise, Here are some the approval of the it will not be corexamples. federal governrect to ask how the ment. central governFor German ment will finance federalism, an elthe regions. The very question suggests that one is still ementary principle is “fiscal equaliconfined to the unitary paradigm of a zation” which includes both vertical central government allocating funds to equalization—equalization between local governments. Rather sub-nation- different levels—and horizontal fiscal al units should have revenue generat- equalization— which refers to transing power to a degree markedly greater fers within the same level. Arthur than that conceded either by constitu- Gunlinks study entitled “The Länder tional provision or by statute (largely and German Federalism” in the Isthe latter) to local government units. sues in German Politics series, identiStates or regions constituting the fed- fies five stages of fiscal equalization. eration should not await the goodwill There is first the vertical distribution or the benevolence of the grantor. Says of separate and joint tax ventures. The Mokhtar: “The grant is a constitutional Federation and the Lander have an right of the receiving government, and equal claim to current revenue to covthe right is essential to maintaining its er costs of government on their levels, sovereignty and independence as an endeavoring, as far as practicable, at a fair balance, avoiding an overburdenequal partner in the federation.”

But Mokhtar admits that in Malay- ing of taxpayers and providing unisia, that fiscal and monetary policy formity of living conditions in the terare federal concerns entrenches the ritory of the federation. The general strength and the centralized position of rule is that one source of funds can be the federal government, and although taxed on only one level. But it is also the states of Malaysia are given the clear that German federalism eschews means by which to raise their own rev- the principle that the federation has enues, they are still chiefly dependent Turn to A5

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Undaunted

PENSEES

T

HE country’s top economic managers were the least perturbed when the gross domestic product grew at a disappointing 6 percent in the second quarter of 2018. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., after digesting the second-quarter figures, were one in saying that the economy was still robust and that it would recover in the remaining two quarters of the year.

The economy grew 6 percent in the April-to-June period, slower than 6.6 percent in the first quarter and bringing the first half average to 6.3 percent. The figure was below the government’s target range of 7 percent to 8 percent for the year.

Economic managers listed the closures of Boracay and some mining operations, a stagnant agriculture sector, higher inflation and trade imbalance as some of the factors that contributed to the lackluster performance in the first half.

But Dominguez said the economic numbers in the second semester remained “very promising” and that the year’s second-

quarter gross domestic product growth of 6 percent was a mere “exception that does not indicate a medium-term trend.”

Domestic demand, he said, was still robust, while investments grew in the first half of this year.

The country’s exports of goods and services recovered by a doubledigit growth of 13 percent in the second quarter from 6.5 percent in the previous quarter, he added.

The government, according to him, is doing its share to boost the economy. Government expenditures increased by almost 20 percent in the six-month period, the highest first-semester spending effort since 2003. The tax effort of

15.23 percent was the country’s highest first-semester tax effort, he said.

“Our tax effort is now at par with the best-managed economies in the region. It is a tax effort we can very well sustain, especially with the subsequent packages of the comprehensive tax reform program now being deliberated [by the Congress],” Dominguez said.

Espenilla, meanwhile, noted that the Philippine economy was resilient, citing strong macro-economic fundamentals and a prudent fiscal position. The central bank chief said that a relatively high foreign exchange reserves position and the strong banking system were safeguarding the country from external threats.

The 6-percent growth in the second quarter remains among the fastest in Asia. The Philippines, however, must address the weaker links in the economy, especially the agriculture sector, on which a significant portion of the population is still dependent.

Wanted: Passengers pines. If done through community associations or families living in the same community, two or three passengers can be accommodated if they are ALEJANDRO going in the same direction of schools DEL ROSARIO or places of work. My niece with three LONG lines of commuters at every of her daughters have been doing it station of the Metro Rail Transit along even before the ban on single passenger Edsa, the country’s major highway, is was thought of by the MMDA. Not only does it save them money a familiar sight. Every now and then, taxi cabs plying the route have a sign from the continuing rise of gasoline pasted on the back windshield: Wanted and diesel prices at the pump. Together as passengers and talking is a good drivers.

But the most familiar sight on Edsa time as any for bonding to while away are private cars carrying only one pas- the boredom of being stuck in traffic. senger or just the driver alone without But a family occupied car stuck in any passenger. The daily breakdown traffic was seen with three of its young of the MRT might be too fat fetched occupants texting and watching video to hope for. But banning the single-car games. Welcome to the world of IT occupant during the peak traffic hours and mobile phones. So much for family from 7 to 10 am and 6 to 9 pm might bonding.

President be the answer to ready to step easing traffic on down?

Edsa.

Saying he’s tired Some 3,000 of corruption in violators of the This scheme is government, PresiMMDA dry run dent Rodrigo Duof the ban last an idea whose time terte said he was Wednesday were has come in the ready to step down stopped and Philippines. before the end of warned that the his term in 2022. next apprehension Oh, really now? would include a This isn’t the first stiff fine and sustime Mr. Duterte pension of driver’s license. The suspension or confiscation said he would shorten his term. But in of license is the hard part. Drivers and his announcement last Wednesday, the car owners know how difficult it is to same day the Senate and the House were retrieve or get a new license at the Land conducting a hearing on the multi-million peso conflict of interest in the placement Transportation Office.

The MMDA rule on Edsa could give of Department of Tourism ads by former rise to a Wanted: Passenger recruit- DoT secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo to the radio-TV program of her brothers Ben ment call.

The High Occupancy Vehicle or HOV and Erwin Tulfo. In the House, an inquiry only rule is nothing new. It is being done into the billions of pesos of smuggled in major cities and roads in the United shabu shipment was being held.

These scandalous issues must have States to ease traffic during rush hours.

In some instances, traffic regulators im- set off the President’s “I’ll resign because I’m fed up with government plement a special fast lane for HOVs. Carpooling and ride-sharing are idea corruption. “ whose time have come in the PhilipTurn to A5

BACK CHANNEL

The curse of inflation crease in prices will come down from the current high of 5.7 percent in July to below 5 percent so that the inflation rate for next year (2019) will moderate to 3.7 percent and further to 3.2 percent in 2020.

AT A Senate hearing yesterday, ThursGunigundo is telling only half of the day, Aug. 16, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi- story. He talks of an “average” inflanas and administration (Department of Finance and Department of Agriculture) officials sounded sanguine about inflation. They did not seem worried Then again, Duterte about the inflation rate which under is not your average President Duterte had risen to its highpolitical leader. est in six years.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Gunigundo, in fact, thinks the rate of in-

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

tion rate for January to July of 4.5 percent, instead of the July inflation rate of 5.7 percent.

When did a consumer buy a kilo of rice, vegetable or even hamburger on an average basis? Any food bought during January to June has already been consumed or become fertilizer

by July. It’s foregone cost. When it comes to basic commodities, what matters is current prices, not average prices.

Inflation is not like a grading period in school here your grades are “averaged” monthly or semestrally to determine your average grade or your standing Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

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can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

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Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The politics of moderate growth

The good economist

be strong in the third quarter “amid external uncertainties from trade tensions.”

In the same report, AMRO reported that China posted a 6.7-percent growth, slower than its 6.9-percent take in the same quarter last year. In the same quarter, Japan posted a onepercent growth in the second quarter, slower than the 1.6 percent registered last year. Uncertainties on global trade, read that, the impact of spike in oil prices and the continuing tit-for-tat on tariff of goods and services among the world’s biggest economies, will definitely affect growth in the last two quarters of the year.

Noted the macroeconomic research group in the August report: “The uncertainties over global trade outlook

window fallacy.”

Hazlitt’s one lesson was that when analyzing an economic proposal, a good economist: ERIC “…must trace not merely the imJURADO mediate results but the results in the long run, not merely the primary conIN A recent meeting to discuss meas- sequences but the secondary conseures to mitigate the impact of soaring quences, and not merely the effects on inflation, Speaker Gloria Macapagal some special group but the effects on Arroyo and the Duterte administra- everyone.” tion’s economic managers tackled the Hazlitt believed that failure to apply possible lowering of tariffs on various this lesson was the most common source food imports. of economic error. He had written extenHowever, Cabinet officials were sively on the economy during the Great unanimously against the proposal to Depression of the 1930s, and he knew reduce to zero the tariff on some ag- that, especially in politics, there is a tenriculture products, citing the scheme’s dency to stress the short term benefits of adverse effect on local producers. a policy while ignoring the longer term Arroyo displayed good economics. and often unintended consequences.

The Cabinet displayed bad economics.

Trade restrictions between nations A bad economist sees only what imme- have important secondary effects. The diately strikes the eye; the good econo- proponents of tariffs and import quotas mist also looks beyond. The bad econo- on foreign goods almost always ignore mist sees only the direct consequences the secondary effects of their policies. of a proposed course; the good econo- Tariffs and quotas may initially protect mist looks also at the longer and indi- Filipino workers who make similar prodrect consequences. The bad economist ucts at a higher cost. But there will be unsees only what the effect of a given pol- intended secondary consequences. icy has been or will be on one particuConsider, for example, the import lar group; the good economist inquires quotas restricting the sale of foreignalso what the effect of the policy will be produced sugar in the US. As a result of on all groups. these quotas, the In 1946, Henry domestic price of Hazlitt, a famous sugar in the US economic journalhas been approxiist, wrote a book mately twice the We must not entitled, Economprice of the rest ics in One Les- ignore the long-term of the world for son. This eco- consequences or the many years. The nomics primer, proponents of this which builds on an secondary effects. policy—primar1850 essay by the ily sugar producFrench economic ers—argue that journalist, Frederic the quotas “save Bastiat, is perhaps jobs” and increase the all-time bestemployment. No doubt, the employment selling treatise in economics. of sugar growers in the US is higher than The book starts with the story of a it would otherwise be. But what about the young boy who breaks the window of a secondary effects? shopkeeper by throwing a ball through The higher sugar prices mean it’s it. As a result, the shopkeeper hires a more expensive for US firms to proglazier (a glass repairman) to fix the duce candy and other products that use window. Some observers, noting the a lot of sugar. As a result, many candy highly visible employment of the gla- producers have moved to countries like zier, argue that the broken window is a Canada and Mexico, where sugar can be good thing because it created a job for purchased at its true market price. Thus, the glazier. However, as Hazlitt stress- employment among sugar-using firms in es, this is wrong because it ignores the the US is lower than it otherwise would secondary effects. be. Furthermore, because foreigners sell If the shopkeeper had not spent the less sugar in the US, they have less purfunds fixing the window, he would have chasing power to buy US products. This, spent them on other things, perhaps a too, reduces US employment. pair of shoes, new clothes, or similar Once the secondary effects of taritems. If the window had not been bro- iffs and trade restrictions are taken ken, employment in these other areas of into consideration, there is no reason production would have been larger and to expect employment to increase as a the community would have had both result. There may be more jobs in fathe window and the items purchased by vored industries, but there will be less the shopkeeper. Once the secondary ef- employment in others. Tariffs and trade fects are considered, it is clear that de- restrictions reshuffle employment rathstructive actions such as those resulting er than increase it. But those who fail from floods and typhoons, and destruc- to consider the secondary effects will tive public policy such as tariffs and miss this important point. import quotas, harm a society and fail In sum, we must be good economists. to expand net employment. The view We must not ignore the long-term conthat destructive acts and trade barriers sequences or the secondary effects. create employment and are good for the economy is now known as the “broken eric.jurado@gmail.com

CROSSROADS

JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ HERE’S to all of us laboring in the salt mines, day in and day out, who have been continuously advised that rapid growth will be our fate for much of the rest of this administration. Let’s brace ourselves in case there is a hiccup along the way. From breakneck speed, our economy will grow at a moderate pace, at least for the rest of the year. But let’s not be overly concerned. Such is the fate of most other countries in the Asia-Pacific. And, better still, we will be faring better than most countries in the world including the two fastest-growing economies in the last few years—China and India.

This is the prognosis of most economists as the world awaits the result of the ongoing battles in the global economic front based essentially on the politics of oil and tariffs recently unleashed by the oil producers and the world’s biggest economy—the United States. The confluence of events engendered by these developments has brought back fears of negative global economic growth and, of late, the return of the horrors of the Great Depression in the United States.

In its latest report, the influential Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office noted that economic growth within its research area—the seven Asean countries, namely, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam plus China/Hong Kong, Japan and Korea—is expected to moderate due to “continuing uncertainties in global trade and the strengthening of the US dollar.” In addition, it particularly advised that the growth in China and Japan will continue to

The curse...

From A4

in class at the end of the school year.

Average, of course, is when you refer to people of lesser capability or intelligence.

Even then, a consumer won’t like being referred to as having average mentality.

Most of the lowering in inflation rate in the future is what you call “base effect.”

Meaning the rate has gone up so high that the rate of increase must slow down. So an inflation rate of 5.7 percent means that from 100 points in 2017 the index went up to 105.7 points in July this year.

If prices rise by another 5.7 points, the index will rise to 111.4 (5.7 plus 105.7). The inflation rate reflected is not another 5.7 percent but 5.39 percent (111.4 minus 105.7 is 5.7; 5.7 divided by 105.7 is 5.39).

Since 5.39 is lower than 5.7, you can say inflation is lower because of base effect. It does not mean prices have stopped rising. It still means prices have kept rising on top of already very high prices of goods.

In the meantime, the BSP has raised interest rates three times to a total of one percentage point. If early this year, you could borrow loans at 6 percent, the rate is now 7 percent. Higher interest rates increase the cost of doing business because it makes capital (borrowed money) more expensive. Businessmen, of course, pass on the higher cost of money to their consumers—you and me. And the problem with rising interest rates is that banks don’t bother to revert to the original or lower interest rates even if the inflation rate has come down.

Summing up, BSP DG Gunigundo

The wherewithal...

From A4

the principal right to income generation only with the attendant obligation to share the Länder. The second stage of the equalization scheme is “horizontal distribution of joint tax revenues”.

The Länder derive their income principally from personal income tax and corporate tax—with corporations taxed at the place where the production facilities are to be found, rather than at the location of the head office. Under this stage, the “local yield principle” also obtains: the Länder keep what they yield. Obviously, this means that the rich sub-national entities remain rich, while the poor continue to chafe in their misery, although the poorer Länder have consistently argued that the funds should be distributed on the basis of need or population. The third stage, “horizontal distribution based on tax capacity” where the needs of the Länder that have revenue below the per capita average receive supplementary

We should all brace for a slowdown. That’s all there is to it.

and the renewed dollar strength will continue to pose strong headwinds with downward pressure on asset prices and capital flows. While policy settings in the region continues to be supportive of growth, the near-term risks continued to be characterized by potential upside surprises in US wage growth/inflation triggering a faster than expected Fed rate hike.

The downside risks to emerging markets, asset prices and capital flows could interact with further escalation of global trade tensions which can be mutually reinforcing.”

In plain language, AMRO is all but advising that we should all brace for a slowdown. How to react to that expected slowdown is the hurdle we

should all be working on right now.

If we leave the doomsayers to their own devices, the proposed measure is single minded—get Duterte and his economic initiatives out of the way.

Bring in the old, tired measures of the past...and voila! We will have a brighter future ahead of us.

Just check the latest statements coming from this group. Using the impact of the last two typhoons, with losses in the billions of pesos, the continuing downward growth pressures, in and out of the country, from the second quarter, the chorus of antiDuterte doomsayers is to decry government inaction and that a crisis is not only upon us but will be staying for good. Instead of suggesting solutions to what they are hallucinating about as a crisis, they are coming out in full force, denying each and every effort of this administration correcting the situation such as the hike in interest rates and the zeroing out of tariffs on certain basic goods, among others. These groups seem to be wishing the country even more problems rather than making suggestions to resolve these as should be expected of people of goodwill. They are having a field day being do-gooders.

That is the problem. I have serious doubts that our politics and with it the economic and business environment would ever rise up to the level of First World countries. Or at least mid-level, high income states such as Singapore. I remember in the early 70s the late Singapore founding father and long-time Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew ribbing then-President Ferdinand Marcos in one Asean Leaders meeting that the Philippines will never be able to rise up to mid-level economic status within the foreseeable future. Too much democracy will derail its run, Lee said, or r words to that effect.

How true. It’s not the system that’s at fault, I think. It’s the politics that these guys are practicing. Grabe.

blames three factors for the rapid rise in prices to five-year highs on three factors – 1) the rise in crude prices from $57-58 per barrel in end-2017 to $72-75 (every dollar increase translates into 0.3 percent-point on inflation); 2) the weather, and 3) the TRAIN Law. Government technocrats have various estimates on the direct impact of TRAIN on the inflation rate – 0.4 to 0.7, which means that the July inflation could have been just 5 (without the .7), were it not for TRAIN. At the hearing, Senator Bam Aquino wanted to know the indirect or cascading impact of TRAIN on the inflation rate. The BSP and DoF could not give a ready answer. My estimate: Without TRAIN, inflation should have been two percentage points less.

Just how bad can inflation be for you?

Aside from burning holes in your pocket, high inflation could destabilize purchasing power, destabilize the economy, and destabilize a sitting government. Inflation hurts the poor more and deeply because according to one UP economist P61 of their budget is eaten up by food. The rich spend only 40 percent of their budget on food. Inflation also deepens poverty because income is a matter of purchasing power. The P10,000 you used to earn could buy P570 less or 14 kilos of rice less. Inflation will worsen poverty and poverty incidence.

Recent history is replete with stories of strongman governments brought down by inflation spiral.

“Inflationary crises, like the one looming over Turkey, are bad news for any government, but they are especially dangerous for a certain subset of authoritarians: Populist strongmen,”

says an analysis by the New York Times yesterday.

“They [populist strongmen] are unusually prone to creating this sort of crisis, unusually inhibited from fixing it and unusually slow to recover. They have, on average, higher rates of inflation and more artificially undervalued currencies. Their central banks are less independent, making them less capable of intervening,” says the NYT article on inflation and strongmen.

Recalls the NYT: “Before Turkey, there Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, who oversaw their country’s fall from prosperity to ruin, partly by plowing into an inflationary crisis.”

“When this happens in democracies, elected leaders are typically replaced with new ones who eventually rein inflation in. It has happened many times in Latin America alone: In Nicaragua, Chile, Peru and Argentina. Other sorts of authoritarianism, run by a party, military or monarchy, may collapse, as happened in Brazil, but often they have the will and flexibility to impose some sort of reform.”

“Populist strongmen—because of their relationships to their citizens, their fellow elites and to their own policymaking apparatus—tend to be different. Mr. Maduro printed more money, worsening the crisis dramatically. A decade earlier, Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe did much the same thing, to much the same effect.”

Now, will high inflation hurt President Duterte? One thing you can say about the President: He is not your average political leader.

funds from what is left of the VAT, after 75 percent has been distributed to the different Länder. In other words, 75 percent of VAT is distributed to the Länder on the basis of population— and when the revenue of the unit still remains lower than the per capita average, from the remaining 25 percent of the VAT is taken what is needed to approximate equalization of Länder share. Horizontal fiscal equalization refers to same-level transfers from richer units to poorer units, allowing for differentiated assistance. This allows the Länder to provide as far as possible the same services to all Germans. Finally there are federal supplementary grants—transfers from the federal government designed to diminish disparity between the sub-national units.

Under the Constitution of India, there are two gigantic consolidated funds: “the Consolidated Fund of India”— consisting of all revenues received by India and loans raised through the issuance of treasury bills and all moneys received by the national government.

By contrast “the Consolidated Fund of the State” consists of revenues received by the Government of a State as well as loans it raises by the issuance of similar bills. Instructively for us, Shukla (updated by Pal Singh), writing on the constitutional law of India wryly comments: “In any Federation, the problem of allocation of resources is necessarily difficult, since two different authorities (the national and the regional governments each with independent powers) are raising money from the same body of taxpayers. The constitutional problem is simplified if it is possible to allocate separate fields of taxation to two authorities. But the revenues derived from such a division, even where it is practicable, may not fit the economic and financial requirements of each authority.” Thus it is that the Constitution of India attempts a solution to the problem by itemizing what revenues from which sources the federation may raise and which, in respect to the States.

What is clear however is the necessity of some central coordinating body that constantly calibrates the delicate

biznewsasia@gmail.com

FROM WHERE I STAND

Wanted:...

From A4

But Mr. Duterte set a condition that he would only relinquish the reins of government to former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Senator Francis Escudero because Vice President Leni Robredo is unfit to be President.

In case Mr. Duterte has forgotten his law that he studied in San Beda College, the Constitution provides that the vice president elected by the people is the only one who could succeed to the presidency in the event of death or resignation of the incumbent president due to his physical incapacity to continue in office. The law is clear on this. To

balance between the needs of the federation as such and the regions or the states. Equally important is the role of the Supreme Court of the Constitutional Court (in the case of the ConCom Draft, the Supreme Court) that will rule with definitiveness on which revenues are properly federal, which are regional.

Ratnapala and Crowe, commenting on the Australian Constitution, teach, like the Germans, that the balancing act must involve “vertical fiscal balance” which occurs when regional units have flexible sources of revenue that allow them to deliver the services they are obligated to render, and horizontal fiscal balance which is disturbed when there is gross disparity between the incomes and the revenue of sub-national entities.

They propose four conditions for the economic viability of a federation: the free movement of goods and services, capital and people across borders; the grant of power to the central government to legislate with respect to interstate and overseas trade and commerce compatible nonetheless with the autonomy of the regions; the grant of power

allow Mr. Duterte to choose his preferred successor is a circumvention of the Constitution.

There are rumors and speculations President Duterte is gravely sick. No one really knows about his real physical condition, except probably his close friend and Special Presidential Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go. Can the Senate summon Bong Go and compel him under oath to disclose the true state of the President’s health?

The people have a right to know. If the President’s doctors can issue a certificate attesting to his clean bill of health, well and good. The millions of Filipinos who voted him to office will be glad President Duterte can continue his war on illegal drugs and campaign against government corruption.

to state governments to legislate with respect to trade within the state; finally, the grant of fiscal power to the central and state governments in proportion to their need to carry out their administrative operations and provide essential public goods within their levels.

Two things are clear: It is not reasonable to expect a hard and fixed formula for the minutiae of allocation at the very outset, although general parameters and margins must be set. Also, the allocation of resources, the sharing of revenue and the distribution of fiscal powers will be as analogous as the very concept of federalism—since, I have always maintained, that while there are some elements that mark a federation in contrast to a unitary state, federalism takes many forms and admits of different permutations.

We cannot be spared these shadows that presage the dawning of a different day. rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

News

A6

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

2 fugitives from China, US busted by Immigration

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration arrested two foreign fugitives who were wanted in the United States and China for sexual offense and economic crimes, respectively—in what authorities described as part of the agency’s intensified drive against foreign criminals.

The American fugitive, identified as Stacey Thomas, was arrested at the Bagong Buwan Teresa Heights in Fairview, Quezon City—wanted by federal authorities in Texas for being a sex offender.

In a separate operation, the BI nabbed Jiang Houlong in Pasay City who is wanted by Chinese police for economic crimes.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Thomas was arrested at the request of the US Embassy in Manila which sought his deportation to the US so he could stand trial for his crime.

Houlong, on the other hand, had been hiding in the Philippines for embezzling millions of dollars through bogus investments.

Thomas is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a US District Court in Western Texas where he was charged with the crime of abusive sexual contact, an offense akin to sexual assault.

Official sources said Thomas had been on the FBI’s wanted list since July 2010 when the court warrant was issued.

BI intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, who heads the bureau’s fugitive search unit, said Thomas was an undocumented alien due to the cancellation of his passport by the US government.

He added the American had fled to the Philippines in August 2010, barely a month after the arrest warrant against him was issued.

Both Thomas and Houlong were detained at the BI detention facility in Taguig City pending their deportation.

House panel Oks ‘Bangko sa Baryo’ THE House committee on banks and financial institutions has approved the proposed Bangko sa Baryo bill which seeks to widen the access of the country’s unbanked sectors to financial services.

This developed as deputy majority leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte welcomed the approval of House Bill 5629 at the committee level, saying the measure was in keeping with President Rodrigo Duterte’s agenda to harness digital technology in accelerating inclusive growth.

Villafuerte said his measure would now be easier to implement with the National ID system that the government was about to put in place, following its signing into law of the Philippine Identification System Act

by Duterte last Aug. 6.

“With its prompt approval of this bill at the plenary level, the House of Representatives will be sending yet another message of its unequivocal support for President Duterte’s vision for high growth and financial inclusion for all Filipinos, most especially those in faraway barangays that have remained out of the economic mainstream,” Villafuerte said.

“In step with the Duterte administration’s goal of financial inclusion for all Filipinos,” Villafuerte added.

He urged the House leadership to prioritize the approval of HB 5629 in support of the government’s stepped-up drive for financial inclusion.

Under the bill, there would be “cash agents” to help serve the banking needs of people living in faraway places without banks.

Authorized cash agents, under Villafuerte’s proposal, “should be able to assist in performing a broad range of bank services, including forwarding account opening applications, cash-in and cash-out services, and initial customer identity verification—especially for anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism efforts.”

Villafuerte said HB 5629 would help encourage saving and investing among Filipinos, of whom 60 percent remain unbanked, according to World Bank estimates.

In addition, Villafuerte said in the bill that more than 36 percent of all municipalities in the country had no banking presence.

Citing Asian Development Bank studies, Villafuerte said only 28 percent of Filipino adults own a bank account and only about 15 percent save money with a formal financial institution over a 12-month period, while only 10 percent borrow money from formal institutions over a similar timeframe. Maricel V. Cruz

ALERTNESS UP. Thousands of students from Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao, Quezon City, participate Thursday in the 3rd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill aimed at inculcating in people the importance of being alert for a possible major temblor that may hit any part of the country, which lies on different fault lines. Andrew Rabulan

Cop, 3 lawyers nabbed in drug ops

By Joel E. Zurbano

A

POLICE officer and three lawyers were arrested separately in the cities of Makati and Taguig by police authorities and, in another, with close coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation, officials said Thursday.

National Capital Region Police Office director Guillermo Eleazar identified the drug dealing suspect in Taguig City as Police Officer 1 Jeffrey Amador, 29, resident of 23 F. Providencia Street, Barangay Central Signal, Taguig City.

Eleazar said Amador was arrested in their rented apartment around 8:45 pm on Wednesday.

He added police from the Southern Police District and the NBI made the arrest.

In a related development, and only five days after the raid at Time in Manila, a popular party hub in Makati City, police sought out Thursday a search warrant and found more illegal

substance and paraphernalia inside the establishment, police said.

During the search, the authorities placed under arrest three lawyers who, according to Southern Police District spokesperson Jenny Tecson, represented themselves as the legal counsel of the night club.

“While the orderly search was ongoing, three personalities who claimed to be lawyers of one of the business owner (sic) of the bar entered the premises, took several pictures and videos of the scene, intimidated the members of the searching team without proper and prior coordination,” said Tecson.

“Eventually, they were placed under arrest for obstruction of justice,” she added.

The SPD identified the “lawyers” as Leni Rocel Elmido Rocha, 22, of San Antonio, Pasig City; Jan Vincent Sambrano Soliven, 32, of Bahayang Pag-asa, Imus Cavite, and Romulo Bernard Alarkon, 33, of Bahay Bukid, Camarines, Caloocan City.

Tecson said around 11:20 am, the Makati City police station led by its chief Senior Supt. Rogelio Simon implemented the warrant issued by Makati City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Elmo Almeda.

The warrant came following the successful raid conducted last Saturday when the SPD and local police operatives nabbed at least 123 customers, 57 of them foreigners, and 31 bar employees, and seized prohibited substance including cocaine, marijuana and party drug ecstasy.

SPD chief Tomas Apolinario, Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar, as well as Makati City Hall and barangay officials were also present when the authorities served the search warrant.

Prior to Amador’s arrest, his 22-yearold wife Michelle went to the NBI, filed a complaint and informed the authorities about the drug dealing and other illegal activity of her husband.

The NBI informed the Southern Police District, where the suspect was recently assigned, and the NCRPO about the wife’s complaint and the entrapment operation ensued which led to the suspect’s arrest.

Recovered from the suspect were five plastic sachets of shabu, one .45-cal. pistol with one magazine, and five live ammunitions.

Eleazar, SPD chief Tomas Apolinario Jr. and PNP Director Oscar Albayalde presented Amador to the media Wednesday night at the SPD headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa where the suspect admitted that he was indeed a drug dependent since he became a police officer.

“Yes sir, I am a drug dependent but I am not a pusher,” said Amador when he was asked by Albayalde about his alleged involvement in drug dealing activity.

Ex-mayor charged with graft

By Maricel V. Cruz

THEY’RE STILL THERE. NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar inspects Thursday different illegal drugs seized during a follow-up in Operation Drug Raid at Timebar in Makati City. Lorraine Alberto

Coalition helps Ips on path to self-sufficiency WHILE indigenous peoples enjoy rich natural resources, cultures, and histories, they remain to be some of the most marginalized and impoverished groups in the Philippines.

Most of the communities’ ancestral domain rights are challenged, limiting their potential to strengthen their cultural integrity and empower them to live sustainably, according to Zero Extreme Poverty 2030.

This is a coalition of civil society organizations that aims to reduce extreme poverty in the Philippines by 2030, has been helping IPs on the path to self-sufficiency.

ZEP2030 believes that extreme poverty can be addressed through collective and organized efforts on the following: Health, Education, Environment, Livelihood and Employment, Agriculture and Fisher-

ies, Peace and Human Security, and Partnerships for Indigenous Peoples.

These form the seven clusters of poverty alleviation programs from ZEP2030 working toward social justice, it said in a press statement.

Specific to the program area of Partnerships for Indigenous Peoples, ZEP2030, together with the Indigenous Peoples Leadership and Enterprise Development Academy of the Assisi Development Foundation, gather IP leaders nationwide to provide the practical livelihood training and application to their communities.

A two-year program was developed for the IP fellows who have the potential to form an enterprise that can lead to a more sustainable livelihood for their communities.

The products of some of these so-

cial entrepreneurs from IP communities are showcased at Advocafé, a café and restaurant that allows the general public to help IPs, as 100 percent of the net income go to capacity building of IPs. On its fourth run of supporting social enterprises from IP communities, IP LeD and ZEP 2030are launching 11 new social enterprises, coinciding with the eighth anniversary of Advocafé. These new social enterprises are: Robusta coffee from Gubang Farmers Association—Kalinga Robusta coffee from Cagaluan Coffee Farmers Association—Kalinga Almaciga Resin from Sangkalan ng mga Tagbanua sa Labtay, Samahan ng mga Katutubo sa Napsan at Bagumbayan, and Samahan ng Tagbanua sa Brgy.

Simpukan Incorporated—Tagbanua (Palawan)

FOR allegedly cutting corners in the implementation of a core shelter project, a former mayor in Mindanao was charged with graft by the Ombudsman at the Sandiganbayan.

Former mayor Rosalinda Penera of Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte was charged owing to the alleged questionable disbursement of public funds to facilitate a core shelter project from 2010 to 2013.

Ombudsman prosecutors filed one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Penera.

Her co-accused included former Santa Monica officials Dianette Evangelista, Aurea Menil, Gilbert Dagcuta, and Lei Amor Laplana, and Rodulfo Arlan as private respondent.

Penera and her co-accused allegedly used their positions to favor Arlan for the acquisition of a parcel of land in Poctoy, barangay T-Arlan, worth P980,000 for the town’s core shelter project.

Ombudsman investigators said the accused was able to complete the t ransact ion despite the absence of an appropriation ordinance and prior authorization from the municipal council.

The Ombudsman recommended a bail of P30,000 for each of the accused.

Sports

A7

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Beach Volley Republic Tour Manila Open blasts off today EVERYTHING is all set for the Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour Manila Open, which fires off today (Friday) at Sands SM By The Bay. All eyes will be on the new partnership of Sisi Rondina and rising star Babylove Barbon in the three-day, double gender tournament which will start at 8 a.m.

Rondina and Barbon, who will be at the forefront of University of Santo Tomas’ quest for a third consecutive UAAP beach volleyball crown next month, will be among the 16 women’s pairs that will vie for the P20,000 top prize.

The Perlas tandem of Dzi Gervacio and Bea Tan are also tipped to contend for the gold.

Incidentally, Rondina and Gervacio were teammates in the FIVB Beach World Tour 1-Star Manila Open last May, as the two sand court veterans made it to the quarterfinals, the highest among the four Philippine pairs.

Other entries in the women’s division are National University’s Klymince Orilleneda and Antonnete Landicho,

UST 2’s Gen Eslapor and MJ Ebro, Far Eastern University’s Ivana Agudo and Marianne Calinawan, Smart’s Grethcel Soltones and Alyssa Eroa, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta’s Princess Deana Estanislao and Janine Padue, University of the East’s Manalo and Ritual, College of Saint Benilde’s Felicia Cui and Kaila Mendoza, Air Force’s Anna Abanto and Jennifer Manzano, University of the Philippines’ Jessma Ramos and Justine Dorog, and UP 2’s Abi Goc and Mikee Osorio.

Completing the cast are Rizal Technological University’s Macie Candido and Jona Mae De Lima, Kempal’s Roma Doromal and Jasmine Nabor, Adamson’s Hannah Nicole Infante and Gracelchen Ave, and Ateneo’s Jules Samonte and Ponggay Gaston.

The 16-team competition will be divided into four brackets, where the top two teams in each groups after the single-round preliminaries advance in the knockout quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals are also one-match affairs.

With a fiery card, Zanieboy Gialon could be pointing to the right direction

Gialon storms to 3-shot golf lead B

ACOLOD—Zanieboy Gialon went on an early birdiebinge for a six-under 29 en route to a 65, spoiling what could’ve been another Jobim Carlos-Kim Joo Hyung early face-off by storming to a three-stroke lead over Carlos in the second round of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Carlos and Kim, who had dueled for two of the three titles in the Mindanao swing of the Philippine Golf Tour last month where Gialon missed the cut in all stops, took the 1-2 posts at the close of their morning stint in another sweltering day, only to yield the spotlight in the face of Gialon’s sizzling start that netted him the lead at 132.

Also removed from the leaderboard were erstwhile joint leaders Gerald Ro-

Hong Kong Cyclothon welcomes Hammer Series CYCLING is gaining a following both as a leisure activity and a sport in the Philippines.

The government and some organizations see it as an alternative mode of transportation that can help promote an environment-friendly community. In Hong Kong this coming Oct. 14, cycling enthusiasts will be in for a treat as the anticipated annual Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon, in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, gets set to host the Asian leg of the revolutionary international professional Hammer Series for the first time ever.

The Hammer Series 2018, which kicked off in Stavanger, Norway in May and continued in Limburg, Netherlands in June, will have its finale at Hammer Hong Kong, a Union Cycliste Internationale Asia Tour Class 1.1 Road Race, with 11 UCI WorldTour teams (an unprecedented number) converging on Hong Kong’s shores, putting the international spotlight squarely on the city.

The Hammer Series is different from other professional races, as only a team can win, not an individual rider, and Hammer Hong Kong is designed to allow fans to see some of the world’s best teams race up close and personal in two races: Hammer Sprint and Hammer Chase.

The team that accumulates the most points in total from Stavanger, Limburg and Hong Kong will be crowned Hammer Series 2018 champion.

In addition to the professional Hammer Series, amateur cyclists from around the world can put their speed and endurance to the test by participating in the equally exciting 30km or 50km rides. Participants can cycle through the diverse cityscape against Hong Kong’s world-famous skyline, from Tsim Sha Tsui to Tsing Yi, Ma Wan and back to Tsim Sha Tsui. The 50km riders will also streak through three tunnels and enjoy the fantastic view from three spectacular Hong Kong landmarks: Tsing Ma Bridge, Ting Kau Bridge and Stonecutters Bridge. This breathtaking ride is a “must-do” for cycling lovers and professionals alike.

To register, please visit register.hongkongcyclothon.com or email hongkongcyclothon@hktb.com for inquiries.

sales (74), Keanu Jahns (74) and Jay Bayron (75), enabling Gialon, Carlos and Kim to take the top three spots halfway through the P3.5 million event sponsored

by ICTSI. Gialon, who snapped a run of poor plays in Mindanao with a joint 11th finish in the Bacolod Golf Challenge at Binitin last week, rattled off six birdies in the first nine holes to move four-up over Carlos with nine holes to play. Though he slowed down at the

back with three bogeys against two birdies, the Davaoeño ace kept his spot on top with an eight-under overall, moving 36 holes away from ending a year-long title spell in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “My putting clicked early on. I just hope to sustain it in the last two rounds,” said Gialon, who birdied the first two holes inside six feet, strung up three straight from No. 4 then drilled in a sidehiller from eight feet on the ninth.

But Carlos, Kim and at least three others gained from Gialon’s backside slide with the Apo leg winner birdying three of the last four holes at the front to fire a 67 for a 135.

Carlos actually played through pain (back and neck) in the first seven holes at the back but recovered after taking some

pain reliever, sinking birdies from four feet on No. 6 and from 12 feet on the next before capping his fiery windup with another four-footer.

“I was stretching my body the whole day. It was hurting but still manageable,” said Carlos, aiming for a third victory in two months after scoring a breakthrough at PGT Asia Riviera last June.

Kim, who edged Carlos by one to nail his first pro win at Pueblo de Oro, actually recorded the first frontside 29 early in the day that spiked his 65, putting him back in the hunt at 136 after a fumbling 71 in his first foray at the tight, tree-lined, hazard-laden par-70 Marapara layout.

“I finally hit the putts that I should have made in the first round,” said Kim, who used his putter just 25 times after a 34-putt effort Wednesday.

PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications continues to support athletes representing the country in the international arena, this time providing communication and connectivity support to the Philippine national team competing at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

Composed of more than 270 athletes, the Philippine team is set to face the best Asian athletes in Jakarta and Palembang from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2.

Smart, through the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), turned over Smart Prepaid LTE SIMS and load cards that the Filipino athletes can use on Smart World Data Roaming Manager - an international service that Smart subscribers abroad can access to easily manage mobile internet usage.

POC Secretary General Patrick Gregorio believes that the communication support is essential to the delegation’s performance.

“The success of the Filipino athlete would depend on the support of the Filipino people. We need that communication line para solid ang suporta natin,” said Gregorio.

The Philippine national basketball

team players and coaches together with Smart Head of Community Development and Partnerships, Gabby Cui and PLDT Global Head of International Retail Business, Jojo Quiamas during the turnover of the Smart Prepaid SIMs and load cards.

During the send-off practice before the team flew to Indonesia, Smart committed its support to the Philippine national men’s basketball team, pledging connectivity for the players during the tournament. They were provided Smart Prepaid SIMs and load cards, plus premium access to Free Bee, an app that delivers crystal-clear calls to the Philippines for free, without requiring internet connection from their families back home.

After a few challenges just days leading to the Asian Games, the team is now ready to raise the Philippine flag with the last-minute inclusion of Filipino-American NBA star Jordan Clarkson raising hopes for a medal finish.

Asked about their preparation for the games, Assistant Coach Ricky Yumayang said that the team has been training rigorously.

“Given the time constraints that we’re

facing, we are working hard every day to practice and hone our skills with Coach Yeng Guiao. Everything is going as planned,” Yumayang said.

“Right now, we are doing our best to take care of ourselves mentally and physically, so we can achieve our goal as early as the first round,” said veteran basketball player Asi Taulava.

Representing the country together with Clarkson, the all-star roster consists of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Maverick Ahanmisi, Raymond Almazan, Beau Belga, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, and James Yap, Magnolia Hotshots’ Paul Lee, San Miguel’s Christian Standhardinger, GlobalPort Batang Pier’s Stanley Pringle, Blackwater Elite’s Poy Erram, and NLEX Road Warriors’ Asi Taulava.

Despite being abroad for several days, the players won’t have to worry about keeping in touch with their families and fans back in the Philippines.

“We believe that these tools give them a unique advantage which will allow them to communicate with their families even away from home,” said Gabby Cui, Smart assistant vice president and head of community development and partnerships.

Charles Maxey

Indigenous Games 3rd Smart backs Philippine basketball team leg in Ifugao

The Philippine National Basketball Team players and coaches together with Smart Head of Community Development and Partnerships, Gabby Cui and PLDT Global’s Head of International Retail Business, Jojo Quiamas during the turnover of the Smart Prepaid SIMs and load cards.

PSC okays P500k assistance to Kadayawan Festival THE Philippine Sports Commission recently approved a P500,000 sponsorship to give boost to the ongoing 33rd Kadayawan Festival in Davao City.

In a board meeting dated Aug. 1, the national sports agency okayed the granting of P500,000 assistance requested by Festival director Renato “Gatchi” Gatchalian, Jr. for the staging of the annual Kadayawan.

The PSC has been a regular partner

of the city government of Davao’s Kadayawan Festival as it also supported the Dragonboat Festival and Dula Kadayawan last year.

Under the Office of PSC Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, PSC also conducted the Kadayawan Girls Volleyball Tournament in 2018 that gave opportunities for elementary girls volleyball teams from public schools to compete.

Aside from the city-funded sports festival through the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor’s Office, the Kadayawan Festival Executive Committe (Execom) also lined up a bigger Dula Kadayawan, featuring indigenous games of the city’s tribes, set today at the Davao City’s People’s Park and the Dragonboat Festival that was held over the weekend at the city’s Sta. Ana Pier.

IT’S ALL systems go for the staging of the 3rd leg of the Indigenous Peoples Games in the province of Ifugao on Aug. 21 to 23.

A total of 400 participants from 11 local government units (LGUs including Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Banaue, Hingyon, Hungduan, Kiangan, Lagawe, Lamut, Mayoyao, and Tinoc are expected compete in the three-day competition which will feature the traditional sports and games of the IPs. Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, who oversees the project implementation, said he is very excited to witness the unique traditional games of the Igorot.

“This is our third leg of the IP Games following the two previous ones in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and Davao del Norte. We very excited to witness and learn from the unique traditional games in Ifugao,” he said.

Ifugao Provincial Sports Coordinator Maureen Inhumang, for her part, said they have worked in close coordination with the Indigenous Peoples Education for the selection of the participating LGUs and traditional games that will be played.

The 11 municipalities will be divided into six cluster teams who will compete in the traditional games such as pating race, akkad, hanggul, volleyball in g-string, bowot, lattik, labba race, kadang-kadang, paktilan, bultong, log race, guyyudan, pig catching, munbayu, and munparti ya munlagim.

Maxey said that the food for the participants as well as collared and round neck t-shirts, and transportation subsidy will be provided by PSC while the venues will be provided by the host province.

Ifugao governor Pedro G. Mayam-o is expected to grace the opening ceremony.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

A8

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

Perpetual Altas on a roll Games Today (The Arena in San Juan) 8 a.m. Arellano vs LSGH(jrs) 10 a.m. JRU vs EAC-ICA (jrs) 12 nn Arellano vs CSB (srs) 2 p.m. JRU vs EAC (srs) 4 p.m. Lyceum vs Letran (jrs)

THE University of Perpetual Help Altas are on a roll Turnovers, free throws and driving shots from Prince Eze and Kim Aurin put the Altas in the direction they wanted to go.

Aurin showed the way with a career-high 22 points for the Altas, who finished with a 74-68 verdict over the Mapua Cardinals yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Sports Center in San Juan.

Eze added 18 points for the Altas, who picked up their third straight win in the 94th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

Jeffrey Coronel added 14 points in helping the Altas post their fifth triumph in seven matches, allowing the Las Piñas based cagers to climb to third place overall.

The 6’11” Eze sank one of two charity tries in the last 1:48, halting the Cardinals rally from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and giving them some space, 67-64.

A steal and a drive, followed by layup which came following Eze’s block, allowed Aurin to bounce back from a couple of errors midway in the period, putting the Altas further ahead, 71-64, in the last 1:14.

“Mapua is a tough team. We were up by 11 points. But they moved back to within two points. Tamang tama ang pasok ko kay Aurin. He had a couple of blunders kaya ko nilabas.

Buti na lang, nakabawi,” said Altas coach Frankie Lim. Warren Bonifacio shot 13 points for the Cardinals, who fell to 2-6.

Earlier in the junior side, the San Sebastian Staglets leaned on reserve player Joshua Perez’s defensive stop at the buzzer to pull off an unforgettable 52-51 upset win over the San Red Cubs, who the Recoletos cagers have never beaten in 11 years.

The Staglets squandered a 12-point edge they earned in the last 5:30 as the Red Cubs threatened to within a point off a charity from Joshua Lazaro with 1:16 left.

When Lazaro made a driving a layup at the buzzer, Perez tapped the ball away from his hands, forcing a scramble for the loose ball.

Peter Atencio

Red Bull Kumite comes to PH FOR the first time ever, Red Bull Kumite is coming to the Philippines.

Red Bull Kumite is a showdown between the best Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition players in the world. The tournament is returning for its 4th year on a global stage with the finals taking place in Paris, France.

Red Bull Kumite is the best international invitational Street Fighter V tournament, reaching gamers all over the world, with qualifications now open across new territories. Each game takes place inside a cage until only one player is left standing.

This will be the first time the Philippines will be sending a regional representative – happening on Sept. 29 at Chaos Nightclub, City of Dreams in Manila, one (1) winner will be flown to Paris, France, to represent the country on November 10th for the Last Chance Qualifier.

The tournament is now on its fourth consecutive year as a global e-sports event. Qualifiers have been taking place all over the world since April, with national qualifiers expected to finish on October. Seven other countries including Japan, The United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Belgium host pre-qualifiers wherein winners get a trip to Paris and a secured slot for the Last Chance Qualifier.

The tournament will take place in three parts: QUALIFIERS – Eight (8) countries will be hosting offline tournaments, taking place across the world from April to October.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER – 256 players will battle for the last two (2) remaining spots in Paris, France on November 10, 2018.

WORLD FINALS – A total of sixteen (16) players (2 from the Last Chance Qualifier; 14 of the best Street Fighter V Players invited by Red Bull) will square off in a series of head-to-head battles on Nov. 11 to determine the 2018 Red Bull Kumite Champion.

The Philippines’ Stanley Pringle blows by his Kazakhstan defender Maxim Marchuk during their teams’ men’s basketball preliminary Group D game at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. AFP

PH five crushes Kazakhstan

By Peter Atencio

PBA resumes: Bolts face Dyip; TNT vs NLEX

F

ILIPINO-AMERICAN Jordan Clarkson was around when the the Philippine national team came off with a strong start and swamped Kazakhstan, 96-59, in their first game in the 2018 Asian Games men’s basketball tournament at the GBK Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard came straight from the airport and was around in the second half when the Filipinos were already in full control of the game.

Living up to the praises heaped on him by coaches Tab Baldwin and Tim Cone, Stanley Pringle scored a team-high 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists as the Filipinos went t o wo r k e a rly a nd le d , 22 -2 , f r om whe r e t he K a z a k h s neve r r e c ove r e d f r om .

Christian Standhardinger added 15 markers and five boards, while James Yap made 12 points and six rebounds.

Paul Lee had 10 points.

The Filipinos struck hard from the outside in the second period, with Yap, JP Erram and Pringle unloading treys which moved the Filipinos out of range, 41-20, before the first half was over.

They coasted to a 64-43 spread in the last 9:07 of the third behind another three-pointer from Pringle.

By the time Clarkson had entered the venue, two triples from Lee found their mark as the Filipinos grabbed a 29-point edge, 81-52.

“We were able to disrupt their (Kazakhs’) offense. We were able to challenge their shots. Our anticipation was good and that’s because of the scouting that we did and the implementation and the execution of our

Games Today (Ynares Center-Antipolo) 4:30 Columbian Dyip vs Meralco Bolts 7:00 p.m. NLEX vs TNT

By Jeric Lopez

game plan,” said coach Yeng Guiao, praising his coaching staff, led by Caloy Garcia.

True enough, Kazakhstan proved barely a threat to the Filipinos. They shot only 13 of their 32 two-point attempts (41 percent) and bricked most of their treys, sinking only five of 28 attempts (18 percent).

The win gave the Filipinos a chance at surpassing their seventh-place finish four years ago.

The Philippines can enter the quarterfinals with another Kazakhstan loss in their game China.

Clarkson will be suiting up for the Philippines when it takes on powerhouse and gold-medal favorite China on Tuesday.

Anton Bykov hit 13 points for Kazakhstan.

In Group A, Patiphan Kiahan led with 18 points as Thailand won over Mongolia, 87-86.

They share the lead with South Korea, which trounced Indonesia, 10465, with Ricardo Ratcliffe scoring 30.

The Scores: Philippines 96—Pringle 18, Standhardinger 15, Yap 12, Lee 10, Tiu 9, Norwood 7, Almazan 6, Erram 5, Belga 5, Taulava 5, Ahanmisi 4.

Kazakhstan 59 – Bykov 13, Gavrilov 9, Yergali 8, Zhigulin 7, Kuanov 6, Bazhin 6, Chsherbak 6, Maidekin 2, Marchuk 2, Yagodkin 0, Murzagaliyev 0, Satkeyev 0.

Quarters: 16-9, 41-20, 61-43, 96-59.

WITH only less than two weeks of break, the Philippine Basketball Association resumes as its season-ending 2018 Governors’ Cup kicks off with two intriguing tiffs for a start.

Back-to-back runner-up Meralco takes on Columbian Dyip at 4:30 p.m., even as sister teams NLEX and TNT KaTropa duke it out at 7 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City today in the conference’s first pair of games.

Everyone is now back in equal footing in another chase for a championship.

For one, Meralco is hoping that third time’s the charm.

The Bolts, who will once again parade two-time reigning Best Import Allen Durham, finished as bridesmaid to Barangay Ginebra in the last two versions of the tournament.

For Meralco coach Norman Black, health should be wealth for his team as it continues its hunt for that elusive first championship.

“Health will be our primary concern. With everyone back now, we’re hoping we can stay healthy to once again contend for a championship,” said Black. “We’ll work very hard to hopefully get it this time.”

Durham will be challenged by the Dyip’s fresh reinforcement, Akeem Wright.

In the second game, the Tropang Texters will parade Mike Glover, a former import of NorthPort (formerly GlobalPort), as their reinforcement.

On the opposite side, the Road Warriors will have Olu Ashaolu, who already played in NLEX’s last game in the Commissioner’s Cup, as their import.

Indonesia’s richest man goes for gold JAKARTA—Billionaire tobacco tycoon Michael Bambang Hartono may not be the oldest competitor at the Asian Games, but he is the richest.

The 78-year-old head of cigarette giant Djarum Group is set to represent host Indonesia on its bridge team at the world’s second-biggest multi-sport event, which kicks off Saturday in Jakarta and co-host city Palembang.

Hartono was narrowly beaten in the age category by 81-year-old Malaysian bridge player Lee Hung Fong—who is seven decades older than the youngest athlete, nineyear-old Indonesian skateboarder Aliqqa Novvery Kayyisa.

But unlike his octogenarian bridge rival, Hartono, along with brother Robert, has been named Indonesia’s richest man by Forbes magazine which also ranked him the 75th wealthiest in the world.

Hartono is estimated to have a net worth of some $16.7 billion from his interests in tobacco, banking and communications.

Talk about business—especially his tobacco fortune—wasn’t on the table when Hartono gave a rare media interview this week, however.

“I play bridge to keep my memory sharp. My other hobby is tai chi, which helps me stay focused,” he told domestic news agency Antara.

Hartono—who reportedly started playing bridge at age six—was instrumental in convincing a sceptical Olympic Council of Asia to give the card game its first spot at the Asian Games.

“At first, the OCA declined to include bridge, as it appears to resemble gambling,” he told Antara.

Hartono, who has competed several times in the World Bridge Championships, said he is shooting for gold at the Asian Games.

But he’ll forego a 1.5 billion rupiah ($102,000) cash prize that the Indonesia’s government gives top medallists.

“If I managed to win gold, I would do-

Indonesian billionaire tobacco tycoon Michael Bambang Hartono announces his participation as a competitor on Indonesia’s bridge team at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. AFP

nate the government’s cash prize to the athletes training program,” he said.

Indonesia is hosting some

11,000 athletes and 5,000 officials from 45 Asian countries for the August 18 to September 2 Games. AFP

DoF studying 5% tariff on agri products

By Julito G. Rada THE Finance Department is carefully studying the proposal to reduce the tariff on imported agricultural products to 5 percent.

“That was a suggestion. We are studying it,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in a news briefing.

“But I’m a little bit uncertain now on what is really the conditions from some people from the House [of Representatives],” he said. “We are looking at it.”

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in an earlier briefing that the Duterte administration was considering a uniform tariff of 5 percent.

“We want to make it five, so it’s simpler, more uniform. A standard rate like five is kind of neutral” and “does not affect the consumption of goods,” Diokno said in a statement.

Economic managers said in a Senate hearing the planned tariff cuts would not significantly affect revenue collection.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, however, said the decision should be weighed carefully.

“Before you change the tariff rate, you have to conduct public consultations and get the views of the producers. On the other hand, you have to look at the interest of consumers,” he said.

Beltran said it was a balancing act between the level of protection for producers and consumer interest.

Beltran said for chicken and fish, the potential revenue losses at a 5-percent tariff would be around P2.8 billion.

The reduction of tariff on imported agricultural products was one of the counter-inflation moves that House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other chamber leaders reportedly agreed upon with the economic managers. Imported meat was reportedly removed from the list after industry lobbying.

The Rice Tariffication Bill was also discussed in the Senate. The bill aims to impose a 35-percent tariff on imported rice from other Southeast Asian countries in lieu of quantitative restrictions.

IN BRIEF DMCI sees lower nickel shipments

DMCI Mining Corp. said Thursday it expects a significant drop in nickel shipments in the second half after a strong performance in the first half.

DMCI Mining president Cesar Simbulan Jr. said while the company enjoyed a strong first-half performance, the company’s dwindling inventory and the current weather condition were making it difficult for the company to make shipments.

“We are expecting a drastic drop in nickel shipments in the second half because our old stockpile is nearly depleted. Weather conditions will also make it difficult for us to ship what is left in our inventory,” he said.

DMCI Mining has 100,000 to 150,000 metric tons of mid-grade stockpile left in its Zambales mine and 500,000 MT of stockpile in Palawan mine.

DMCI Mining recorded an 88-percent improvement in nickel shipments in the first half to 482,762 wet metric tons from 257,120 WMT a year ago.

Majority of the shipments came from the old stockpile of Berong Nickel Corp.

DMCI Mining reported a net income of P316 million in the first half, a 731 percent increase from P38 million a year ago, as revenues surged 114 percent to P978 million from P458 million.

Jenniffer B. Austria

DTI launches online business registration

THE Trade Department on Thursday launched Project One, an online portal for business registration information in compliance with the Ease of Doing Business law.

The department said it would now rely on government technology as an innovative solution to eliminate red tape in the bureaucracy. It will focus on government processes and automate manual procedures, from filing and processing to payment.

“Project One is an example of how GovTech streamlines the business registration process while providing a more pleasant business customer experience,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

The agency will also develop the One Philippine Business Number, which would address the difficulties of getting business registration numbers from different government offices.

It will also develop an online app that focuses on the end-to-end registration process that can be done by filling up a single form through the web, and ideally with a smartphone. “This is our ultimate goal―that our people can set up a business as easy as buying a movie ticket with your phone,” Lopez said. Othel V. Campos

SBITC, Royal Cargo support Luzon growth

SUBIC Bay International Terminal Inc., the fastest growing Philippine subsidiary of global port management ICTSI, teamed up with Royal Cargo Inc. to provide seamless movement of goods to and from North and Central Luzon and help small and medium-sized enterprises expand their operations.

SBITC and Royal Cargo teamed up to provide the Filipino business community in North and Central Luzon a world-class and highly efficient 4PL combination delivering superior customer service and attractive pricing.

“The joint efforts of the terminal and Royal Cargo have increased cold-storage options that will improve the quality of refrigerated cargo coming in and out of the country in a fast and efficient manner. This creates opportunities within the value chain to allow local businesses to promote their market further outside of traditional centers like Manila,” said SBITC president Roberto Locsin.

SBITC’s New Container Terminals (NCT 1 & 2) would be utilized by local businesses at their utmost advantage, expanding their market operations even outside the Philippines.

“The North Hub will take us one step closer to helping companies across the country achieve growth and expand the new markets such as the Asia-Pacific region. With SBITC, we are now able to provide a direct connectivity to major Intra-Asia and global ports which makes our operations a lot easier,” said Royal Cargo president Elmer Sarmiento.

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

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PSALM starts rebidding of Malaya plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores

BULACAN WATER DEAL. The consortium of Manila Water Company Inc. and wholly-owned subsidiary Manila Water Philippine Ventures sign a joint venture agreement with the Bulacan Water District for the design, construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, operation, financing, expansion and management of the water supply system and sanitation facilities of the water district. Shown during the signing of the agreement are (from left) joint venture selection committee chairman Robina Reingin, Bulacan Water District chairman Sabina Farin, Manila Water Philippine Ventures Consortium president Abelardo Basilio, Bulacan Water district general manager Ermelo Hernandez, Manila Water Philippine Ventures north Luzon regional business development head Robert Baffrey and legal counsel Medardo Devera.

Dennis Uy acquires 45% stake in ISM for P1.28b

By Jenniffer B. Austria

D

ENNISON Holdings Corp. of Davao Citybased businessman Dennis Uy is acquiring a 45.13-percent stake in ISM Communications Corp., a listed company led by businessman Eric Recto, for P1.28 billion.

ISM Communications said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its executive committee approved on Wednesday the subscription by Dennison Holdings to all of the company’s 883,730 million unissued common shares at a price of P1.45 apiece.

The subscription price represents a 47.8-percent discount to the stock’s closing price of P2.78 per share Wednesday.

ISM Communications said 25 percent of the P1.28 billion purchase cost would be paid upon subscription, while the 75-percent balance would be settled before end-2018.

“The shares subscribed by Dennison

is equivalent to 45.13 percent of the resulting outstanding capital stock of the company,” ISM Communications said.

The deal is exempted from the mandatory tender rule of the Securities Regulation Code.

Rule 19.3 of the Securities Regulation Code exempts any purchase of securities from the unissued capital stock from the mandatory tender offering requirement.

“Provided, the acquisition will not result to a fifty percent or more ownership of securities by the purchaser or such percentage that is sufficient to gain control of the board,” the rule stated.

ISM Communications disclosed in June that Uy planned to participate in the company’s P2.5-billion private placement.

Under the plan, the company will issue 841.945 million treasury shares and the remaining 883.730 million unissued shares of the authorized capital stock via private placement at a minimum issue price of P1.45 apiece.

ISM Communications said it intended to use the proceeds of the issuance to fund the investment opportunities currently being pursued by the manage-

NLEX expects to complete Harbor Link before yearend

By Darwin G. Amojelar

NLEX Corp. said Thursday it expects to complete the construction of the P10.5-billion North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10 by the end of the year.

“Our team has been working double-time to complete the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 as scheduled. We are confident that our government partners will help us realize soon our vision of providing fast and safe travel experience to the public through this project,” NLEX senior vice president for tollway development and engineering Raul Ignacio said.

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an 8.25-km elevated expressway

traversing the North Luzon Expressway from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City and Caloocan City and extending to Radial Road 10, Navotas City.

Including the extension to R10, the total project cost is P16.5 billion.

The operator of NLEX said the right-of-way accomplishments by the Public Works Department for the project stood at 95 percent.

The available ROW was 96-percent delivered in Valenzuela City and 86 percent in Caloocan City.

“We are committed to deliver the remaining right-of-way so we can finish this important infrastructure that will decongest traffic in Manila as soon as possible,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

Agrinurture cleared to import rice THE National Food Authority granted an ‘original proponent status’ to listed Agrinurture Inc. for its unsolicited joint venture proposal for the financing and purchase of imported rice to help augment the country’s buffer stock.

Agrinurture said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it received a letter from NFA acknowledging receipt of its proposal and that the company was considered and recognized as original proponent.

Under the proposed JV agreement, the ANI consortium will finance the supply of NFA rice with no cashout on the part of government.

Both parties will jointly determine the origin, suppliers, delivery and arrival periods, packing and loading and discharging ports.

The NFA will solely determine the

type of commodity to be imported, specifications and quantity.

As accepted by NFA, the ANI consortium will import 500,000 metric tons of rice, equivalent to two weeks of national inventory of subsidized NFA rice per quarter.

Agrinurture said as NFA would not release a single peso for the purchases, the state-run agency could use its budget to buy more palay from local farmers or import more rice as needed.

Under its mandate, the NFA is required to ensure national food security and to stabilize supply and prices of staple cereals like rice both in the farm and consumer levels.

The agency is required to maintain a rice buffer stock good for 15 days, and good for 30 days during lean months.

ment.

Uy also owns several listed companies including Chelsea Logistics Holdings Inc., Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc., 2Go Group Inc. and Philippine H2O Ventures Corp.

ISM was originally incorporated under the name Itogon-Suyoc Mines Inc. to engage in the mining business.

The stockholders of ISM approved in 2002 a restructuring plan for the company, which involved the change in corporate name to its present name and the change in primary purpose to engage in the business of telecommunications, multimedia and information technology.

The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the amendment of the articles of incorporation of ISM on Nov. 11, 2016, to reflect its primary purpose as a holding company.

ISM owns 32 percent of Acentic GmbH (Acentic), a German provider of internet connectivity and inter-room entertainment solutions for the hospitality industry. The company also owns a 37.1-percent stake in Philippine Bank of Communications.

POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. is rebidding the operations and maintenance service contract of the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Rizal province.

PSALM president Irene Joy BesidoGarcia said the first round of bidding for the Malaya plant contract in May was declared a failure.

“The first round of bidding for OMSC Malaya TPP generated two bidders. One bidder was disqualified during bid evaluation, while the lowest ranking bidder was post-disqualified.

We have declared failure of bidding and we have commenced the second round with the publication of invitation to bid on Aug. 2018 and conduct of prebid conference [Wednesday],” Garcia said.

PSALM invited bidders to participate in the procurement of the OMSC for the Malaya plant with an approved budget of P213 million. Bid submission was set on Aug. 30.

PSALM previously declared Mindoro Grid Corp. as the lowest bidder to operate and maintain the Malaya thermal power plant during the first round of bidding in May. Mindoro Grid offered P227 million on May 30, lower than the P258million bid of Soosan ENS Co. Ltd. The Malaya power plant OMSC had an approved budget of P264 million in the first bidding.

Among the responsibilities under the service contract were the day-to-day upkeep, management and maintenance or repair of the power plant and its equipment.

PSALM manages the Malaya plant through an OMSC. The current operator of the power plant is STX Marine Service Co. Ltd. whose contract will expire on Aug. 25, 2018.

The Malaya power plant was designated as a ‘must-run’ unit by the Energy Department. As an MRU, it is required to run and provide the needed power supply as deemed necessary to ensure the reliability of power supply in the Luzon grid, particularly in times of supply shortfall, system security and voltage support.

The Malaya plant consists of a 300MW unit with a once-through type boiler and a 350-MW unit fitted with a conventional boiler.

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Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market drops; Jollibee down

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HE stock market fell Thursday, joining a global sell-off on concerns over Turkey’s financial crisis.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 23.56 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,517.36 on a value turnover of P5.4 billion. Losers beat gainers, 108 to 91, with 49 issues unchanged.

Casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. lost 2.1 percent to P9.50, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty declined 2.3 percent to P889.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, fell 2.6 percent to P266.80, while International Container Terminal Services Inc., the largest port operator, decreased 2.7 percent to P87.05.

The rest Asia stocks drifted lower Thursday, although they clawed back

some ground on news that China and the United States would hold trade talks.

Equities across the region suffered steep losses at the opening bell, with Tokyo and Shanghai off by more than one percent, dragged down by a weak session on Wall Street as traders fretted over possible contagion from Turkey’s currency crisis.

Japan’s main Nikkei 225 index shed 1.20 percent in early trade and China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite opened weaker by 1.17 percent after another day of volatile trading driven by Turkey.

But surprising news that the world’s top two economies would hold talks in a bid to bury the trade hatchet dented investors’ pessimism and even pushed some Asian markets into the green.

China’s Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, the deputy representative on international trade negotiations,

225 closed down 0.05 percent to end at 22,192.04 while the wider Topix index was down slightly more, losing 0.64 percent.

In the final hours of trade, Hong Kong was down 0.6 percent while Shanghai was 0.3 percent lower.

Despite the positive news of US-China talks, nervousness over the Turkish currency crisis lingered in the background and kept bulls on the back foot.

On Wednesday, Ankara hiked tariffs on imports of several US goods in retaliation to American sanctions, the latest step in a tit-for-tat spat between the two NATO allies that shows little sign of easing.

The crisis has sent the Turkish currency into free fall and sparked concerns that European banks and other emerging markets exposed to the unit could also suffer. With AFP

will meet senior US treasury official David Malpass at Washington’s invitation, the ministry in Beijing said in a statement.

Traders saw a glimmer of hope of a detente in the ongoing trade battle that has seen the two sides hit each other with reciprocal tariffs on goods worth $34 billion, with much more threatened.

Washington and Beijing plan to launch a new round of tariffs on $16 billion worth of goods from each country on August 23.

“It is hard to tell how the talks will go but it’s a positive signal that the two countries are looking for some compromise plan,” said Makoto Sengoku, market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.

“If they were determined to fight it out, they wouldn’t meet.”

After a see-saw session, the Nikkei

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018

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

59.75 93 2.58 128.7 1.72 32.85 16.38 14.42 3.82 8.66 0.66 1.57 0.57 74 0.99 21.2 45.5 198 105.1 29.3 201.6 1,815 83.8 1.24

59.75 93.5 2.73 131.5 1.82 32.85 16.38 14.54 4.15 8.66 0.66 1.57 0.57 74 1.01 21.3 46.45 198 105.1 30 201.6 1,840 84 1.24

59.25 92.2 2.55 128.7 1.72 32.65 16.38 14.4 3.76 8.65 0.66 1.52 0.54 72.85 0.98 21.2 45.25 196.5 105 29.2 198.3 1,805 83.8 1.24

FINANCIALS 59.25 4,000 92.8 954,150 2.73 99,000 131.2 1,594,710 1.82 161,000 32.75 57,700 16.38 9,700 14.46 228,300 4.05 478,000 8.65 10,000 0.66 35,000 1.52 42,000 0.56 665,000 73.8 1,989,230 1 349,000 21.3 500 45.45 635,600 196.5 60 105 220 29.9 10,900 198.7 228,070 1,840 125 84 4,010 1.24 3,000

238,750 88,456,594 255,010 208,163,550 280,980 1,891,130 158,886 3,302,072 1,896,690 86,520 23,100 64,050 362,460 145,799,623 346,060 10,620 28,921,385 11,835 23,118 323,890 45,318,959 226,560 336,698 3,720

238,750 -69,805,077 140,913,228 -85,360.00 -916,034 -72,915,545.50 -27,603,425 -11,735,646 -57,923 -

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

35.5 16 1 1.23 0.238 118.9 3.36 15 41.5 21 90 1.8 7.66 10.26 15.6 10.5 7.3 7.01 15.82 63.3 27.05 7.23 13.78 2.35 270.4 4.96 3.33 25.5 13.2 19.14 360 0.186 6.88 2.17 4.15 8.9 5.04 7.95 1.19 11.94 56.3 6.26 4.8 2.66 1.75 13.24 82.05 5.2 1.07 134.2 2.64 2.43 20.5 1.48

36.9 16.84 1.1 1.28 0.238 129 3.36 15 43 21 90 1.84 7.66 10.6 15.78 10.6 7.35 7.05 15.94 63.5 27.8 7.58 13.78 2.35 270.8 5.05 3.33 25.5 13.78 19.14 361 0.193 6.89 2.18 4.15 9.15 5.1 7.95 1.2 11.94 56.55 6.26 4.8 2.66 1.75 13.4 82.1 5.22 1.07 134.2 2.64 2.46 20.5 1.55

35.15 15.96 0.96 1.18 0.237 118.9 3.26 14.5 40 20.6 90 1.8 7.66 10.2 15.6 10.44 7.29 7.01 15.8 63 27 7.23 13.32 2.3 266.8 4.92 3.24 24.85 13.2 18.86 351.2 0.186 6.88 2.16 4.11 8.85 4.99 7.5 1.11 11.72 56.25 6.25 4.8 2.54 1.7 13.02 79.4 5.19 1.02 130.6 2.64 2.38 20.5 1.47

INDUSTRIAL 36.5 1,069,600 16.84 3,921,000 1.1 37,663,000 1.21 5,745,000 0.237 270,000 128.9 190 3.32 1,128,000 14.6 564,000 41.95 428,800 20.6 1,500 90 30 1.84 18,000 7.66 1,500 10.6 506,300 15.6 162,300 10.44 36,100 7.3 174,200 7.05 12,659,300 15.8 253,800 63.45 450,590 27.4 82,600 7.25 232,100 13.32 387,900 2.31 725,000 266.8 635,710 5 124,700 3.3 14,000 25 1,206,700 13.3 264,000 18.9 1,390,700 351.2 189,170 0.193 1,890,000 6.89 4,600 2.17 102,000 4.11 37,000 9.15 645,500 5 282,400 7.5 153,900 1.12 1,970,000 11.94 79,300 56.45 146,340 6.25 200 4.8 618,000 2.64 1,138,000 1.73 49,000 13.4 41,300 80 478,670 5.2 117,500 1.06 336,000 133 272,240 2.64 12,000 2.43 2,230,000 20.5 100 1.55 5,707,000

39,029,090 64,268,850 39,475,790 6,796,490 64,190 23,301 3,743,010 8,282,260 17,827,100 31,355 2,700 32,600 11,490 5,232,638 2,534,840 378,128 1,271,010 88,877,882 4,020,704 28,524,548 2,230,945 1,694,301 5,217,180 1,671,220 170,858,808 619,385 45,980 30,522,340 3,556,374 26,335,428 67,323,116 355,490 31,649 221,160 153,310 5,800,605 1,412,718 1,173,470 2,279,090 935,688 8,264,438.50 1,251 2,966,400 2,962,560 84,050 545,572 38,317,429 611,060 346,950 35,967,041 31,680 5,404,510 2,050 8,665,430

690,375 -4,625,104 -99,750 -11,850 -1,677,890 445,186 -2,066,560 -2,700 9,200 -577,828 1,909,968 10,430 -346,320 -17,541,820 916,632 -442,337.50 -1,394,310 -1,953,624 11,550 -55,914,672 -6,600 -15,209,530 -693,416 2,867,658 -24,403,458 -43,450 -103,750 -1,403,170 10,000 -3,257,859 1,516,800 -10,354,645.50 5,200 -15,885,417 -35,970 -2,050 -118,150

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 FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.305 57.85 12.36 0.98 6 36.7 1.33 1.32 941 6.05 11.56 7 4.89 0.227 910 6.08 52.5 5.49 0.61 4.29 17.7 0.66 4.73 0.037 1.46 2.79 2.83 146 2.83 930 0.81 1.58 450 257 0.34 0.22

0.335 58.6 12.36 0.99 6.1 37.6 1.39 1.4 943.5 6.05 11.7 7 5.42 0.227 911 6.08 53.8 5.49 0.61 4.39 17.7 0.67 4.84 0.037 1.48 2.8 2.83 146.1 2.83 930 0.81 1.59 450 257 0.345 0.22

0.28 56.1 12.12 0.96 6 34.15 1.29 1.32 931 5.99 11.26 7 4.6 0.227 887 6.08 52.15 5.49 0.59 4.29 17.32 0.63 4.7 0.037 1.39 2.75 2.8 145 2.68 920 0.81 1.58 412 255.4 0.33 0.22

HOLDING FIRMS 0.28 46,100,000 56.35 1,370,940 12.28 4,401,200 0.96 5,000 6.1 234,600 34.15 746,000 1.36 40,104,000 1.38 2,567,000 936 177,290 6.04 1,283,300 11.7 3,126,500 7 38,300 5.42 29,300 0.227 10,000 889 215,670 6.08 3,700 52.85 526,050 5.49 2,100 0.6 3,000 4.38 2,121,000 17.32 4,677,500 0.65 4,377,000 4.82 21,484,000 0.037 3,700,000 1.48 2,325,000 2.78 680,000 2.8 3,000 146 320,470 2.68 12,000 930 137,430 0.81 1,000 1.59 157,000 412 40 257 320 0.33 9,540,000 0.22 20,000

14,155,050 77,909,075 54,024,004 4,880 1,430,330 26,689,700 53,984,200 3,489,790 166,096,355 7,729,191 35,886,594 268,100 142,082 2,270 192,909,425 22,496 27,787,043.50 11,529 1,800 9,122,190 81,618,356 2,849,430 102,934,260 136,900 3,340,310 1,889,320 8,450 46,697,207 32,310 127,558,185 810 249,040 16,860 81,830 3,215,900 4,400

-57,102,870.50 -13,537,464 1,408,730 1,179,865 302,480 -39,401,220 2,287,869 -19,270,244 -77,427,150 -6,402,657 8,647,710 -52,508,310 73,950 14,929,180 -556,000.00 12,529,012 -80,334,925 -

8,926,316 3,014,810 826,660 339,570 802,070 100,262,960 1,118,550 7,419,690 283,314 2,676,350 2,820 494,460 2,724,500 39,550 3,495,656 7,283,890 590 2,470 2,332,400 450,720 5,037,130 61,552,190 11,411,910 551,550

-711 -41,650 -22,900,985 -868,750 -6,525,320 -249,760.00 -851,250 381,230 133,100 179,524 2,346,665 -807,370 -59,130 28,315,210 277,540 -

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

7.8 1.04 13.14 1.94 0.76 41.1 3.04 4.61 5.52 0.45 0.94 1 0.219 0.4 9.75 26.65 0.59 0.118 1.48 1.2 1.57 4.8 0.61 0.445

7.8 1.04 13.38 1.98 0.76 41.4 3.16 4.62 5.68 0.45 0.94 1 0.227 0.4 10 26.85 0.59 0.129 1.49 1.21 1.57 4.97 0.62 0.455

7.5 1.01 13.12 1.94 0.73 40.6 3.03 4.5 5.52 0.44 0.94 0.97 0.218 0.395 9.65 26.2 0.59 0.118 1.47 1.2 1.5 4.78 0.6 0.445

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

NAME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

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

0.51 3.68 35 20.2 2 3.2 35.75 1.15 7.4 0.77 6.3

0.51 3.68 35.65 20.25 2 3.2 36 1.15 7.4 0.79 6.39

0.5 3.58 35 19.9 1.97 3.2 35.4 1.14 7.18 0.77 6.21

0.5 3.59 35.65 20.1 2 3.2 35.4 1.14 7.2 0.79 6.29

1,018,000 356,000 3,300 2,317,100 115,000 2,000 6,489,100 947,000 477,800 134,000 4,824,000

515,850 1,285,980 117,110 46,534,210 229,100 6,400 230,843,475 1,083,270 3,465,848 105,000 30,420,867

5,100 -105,500 -25,455,877 -123,877,270 -24,955 792,489

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR 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 NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS 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

13.84 25 1.43 0.465 0.045 13.68 5.75 9.69 0.065 70.45 6.7 8.45 2.22 25 1,923 5.46 326 11.1 3.85 88.6 12.3 7.85 0.127 2.98 3.72 15.04 3.9 1.03 19.4 0.465 5.3 6.8 2.92 2.12 8.38 11.18 8.5 3.68 111.2 5.28 1,375 0.88 0.385 44.55 82.95 8.39 2.24 1 0.66 5.03 0.78 11.8

13.9 25 1.43 0.465 0.045 13.68 8.55 9.69 0.068 71.95 6.72 8.6 2.23 25 1,975 5.48 327 11.1 4.08 89.6 12.3 7.85 0.129 3.26 3.73 15.04 3.9 1.05 19.98 0.465 5.36 6.84 2.95 2.2 8.38 11.5 8.84 3.7 111.2 5.3 1,380 0.89 0.395 44.6 82.95 8.39 2.26 1.03 0.67 5.08 0.78 11.8

13.8 24.6 1.43 0.46 0.044 13.68 5.35 9.4 0.061 70.4 6.66 8 2.22 24.1 1,923 5.46 320 11.1 3.81 87 12.3 7.85 0.126 2.83 3.72 15.04 3.8 1.02 19.4 0.465 5.21 6.78 2.78 2.12 8.15 11 8.24 3.64 111 5.2 1,341 0.86 0.375 43.95 80.95 8.25 2.18 0.99 0.65 5 0.76 11.64

SERVICES 13.9 24.8 1.43 0.465 0.044 13.68 8.55 9.5 0.063 71.05 6.66 8.6 2.23 24.7 1,970 5.48 327 11.1 4.02 87.05 12.3 7.85 0.129 3.19 3.72 15.04 3.83 1.05 19.56 0.465 5.31 6.81 2.91 2.16 8.2 11.2 8.24 3.7 111.2 5.23 1,368 0.86 0.395 44 81.05 8.29 2.22 1 0.67 5.06 0.77 11.66

11,600 23,500 2,000 1,510,000 12,000,000 2,300 2,777,200 22,293,900 399,470,000 353,310 348,100 174,300 34,000 62,800 43,475 75,600 1,320 400 4,365,000 1,094,610 11,900 25,000 1,550,000 36,964,000 20,000 300 870,000 327,000 1,548,800 30,000 33,600 3,490,300 1,085,000 171,000 2,133,600 89,600 1,700 18,000 1,480 254,700 38,140 7,797,000 1,730,000 5,255,600 634,640 18,500 6,015,000 2,071,000 33,311,000 1,226,100 2,247,000 313,600

160,280 583,655 2,860 698,150 529,000 31,464 18,132,170 211,653,835 25,755,850 25,097,519.50 2,324,094 1,461,629 75,810 1,535,850 85,308,105 413,467 429,244 4,440 17,439,480 95,835,245.50 146,370 196,250 197,640 112,966,670 74,520 4,512 3,336,250 336,420 30,427,490 13,950 176,487 23,755,286 3,100,560 366,890 17,574,465 1,009,728 14,686 65,910 164,516 1,338,090 52,041,085 6,770,830 661,550 231,255,225 51,440,383 152,973 13,266,610 2,091,490 22,111,910 6,190,546 1,712,680 3,660,144

13,900 -42,845 -107,875,452 93,250 -15,368,709.50 31,987,800 -836,600 -8,977,973 13,860 -226,510 -479,860 15,111,366 -8,404,280 -71,670 159,381 3,680 140,068 47,160 9,610,710 698,010 -24,492,215.00 -11,038,948.50 74,450 1,994,680 -1,080,220 327,340 1,126,575 -23,870 -2,283,104

80,300 8,565,330 310,970 1,884,495 8,801,870 94,490 6,690,550 120,210 257,630 34,360 793,640 10,248,150 50,650 8,810 26,644,600 24,900 358,500 309,040 4,818,920 122,102,488 85,732,730 6,000

-36,470 -1,224,360 -899,210 -943,450 4,240,310 159,820 13,200 -410,550.00 1,531,286 -64,961,975 5,212,960 -238,910 -

MS

PROPERTY 7.51 1.01 13.38 1.95 0.74 41.4 3.11 4.57 5.68 0.45 0.94 0.99 0.226 0.395 10 26.45 0.59 0.129 1.47 1.2 1.52 4.94 0.61 0.455

1,171,100 2,948,000 62,300 174,000 1,084,000 2,435,700 363,000 1,632,000 50,600 6,000,000 3,000 501,000 12,290,000 100,000 356,200 275,100 1,000 20,000 1,579,000 375,000 3,303,000 12,534,000 18,728,000 1,230,000

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

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

0.0026 1.56 3.67 20.75 2.02 7.39 1.98 0.206 0.123 0.128 1.48 4.62 1.15 0.55 1.09 0.012 0.011 3.15 4.18 14.2 30.8 0.006

0.0026 1.61 3.67 21.8 2.03 7.49 2 0.211 0.124 0.128 1.49 4.66 1.16 0.56 1.28 0.013 0.012 3.15 4.18 15.92 30.8 0.006

0.0025 1.52 3.6 20.2 1.91 7.29 1.97 0.205 0.121 0.127 1.46 4.62 1.13 0.55 1.09 0.012 0.011 3.04 4.05 13.88 29.8 0.006

MINING & OIL 0.0026 32,000,000 1.61 5,464,000 3.6 85,000 21.6 88,300 2 4,482,000 7.45 12,800 1.99 3,365,000 0.211 580,000 0.124 2,120,000 0.127 270,000 1.46 541,000 4.65 2,204,000 1.16 44,000 0.55 16,000 1.27 21,895,000 0.013 2,000,000 0.011 32,500,000 3.04 100,000 4.09 1,172,000 15.9 8,088,400 30 2,857,900 0.006 1,000,000

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

24.3 500 505 101.6 101 106.4 501 5.32 975 99.5 1.04 102.5 104 112 76 79.1 75.35 75.25

25.95 500 505 101.6 101.5 116 501 5.32 998 99.5 1.04 102.5 104 112 77 80.5 75.6 76

24.3 500 504 101.6 100.5 106.4 501 5.25 975 99.5 1.04 102.5 104 112 76 79.1 75.35 75.25

PREFERRED 24.8 224,200 500 3,000 504 780 101.6 10,300 100.5 1,240 111.9 1,720 501 1,000 5.25 45,500 998 430 99.5 100 1.04 22,000 102.5 2,000 104 10 112 4,660 77 16,080 80.5 28,550 75.6 26,870 75.7 27,530

5,560,770 1,500,000 393,140 1,046,480 125,160 194,926 501,000 238,910 419,480 9,950 22,880 205,000 1,040 521,920 1,222,160 2,297,925 2,031,129.50 2,087,457.50

LR WARRANT

2.31

2.34

2.3

WARRANTS 2.32 223,000

514,090

-

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

5.02 3.09 2.96

5.12 3.09 2.97

5 3.09 2.9

5.02 3.09 2.91

2,340,427 9,270 6,290,260

21,034 -355,720

FIRST METRO ETF

113

113

112

1,131,726

-

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.32 1.01

10.32 1.01

10.32 1.01

31,476 25,916.60

-

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

9,451,718

INDUSTRIAL

86,658,431

HOLDING FIRMS

150,666,533

PROPERTY

84,936,972

SERVICES

602,408,354

MINING & OIL

120,915,591

GRAND TOTAL

1,057,675,255

SME

465,700 3,000 2,157,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 112 10,090 DDS 10.32 1.01

3,050 25,660

VALUE 1,822.79 (up) 2.79 727,807,061.03 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,905.87 (down) 108.15 741,069,299.052 HOLDING FIRMS 7,372.47 (down) 41.22 1,097,992,297.38 PROPERTY 3,703.07 (down) 0.36 1,498.63 (down) 1.20 574,273,228.485 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,901.49 (down) 1.87 1,970,113,607.185 PSEI 7,517.36 (down) 23.56 277,958,457.501 All Shares Index 4,585.40 (down) 9.65 5,398,991,776.39 Gainers: 91; Losers: 108; Unchanged: 49; Total: 248

Golden Bria’s profit jumped 87% to P596m in six months

By Jenniffer B. Austria GOLDEN Bria Holdings Inc., the listed memorial and mass housing unit of the Villar Group, said net income jumped 87 percent in the first half of the year to P596 million from P319 million year-on-year.

Golden Bria said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the growth was boosted by a 55-percent increase in total revenues to P2.6 billion from P1.7 billion in the first half of 2017.

The company said real estate sales, which accounted for 97 percent of the total revenues, increased 55 percent due to the record numbers in real estate sales from both residential units and memorial lots.

The income from memorial chapels, which began operations in March 2017, quadrupled to P18 million from P4 million on year.

Golden Bria said it would focus mainly on the development and aggressive expansion of current projects in the second half of the year, as well as land acquisition for both death care and mass housing projects.

The company said it remained bullish in the specific sectors of the real estate development industry.

Golden Bria earlier allocated P5.9 billion in capital expenditures for 2018, or more than double last year’s P2.8 billion.

“Growing the nationwide presence of both Golden Haven and Bria Homes is our focus for this year,” said Golden Bria chairman Manuel Villar Jr. “Expanding our business to over 50 locations within the past year is an incredible feat which has allowed us to fulfill our promises to our shareholders, establish Golden Haven as the country’s largest integrated memorial park developer, and incorporate the Philippines’ fastest growing mass housing developer, Bria Homes, into the company,” he added.

Golden Haven at the end of the first half of 2018 had over 130 hectares of properties allotted for its death care business development across the country, while Bria Homes had over 550 hectares in 37 cities and municipalities allocated for mass housing projects, showing the company’s confidence in achieving the strong sustained growth it is aiming this year.

The company currently has 40 residential projects and 18 memorial park developments across the Philippines.

Harbor Star buys 30% holdings of tugboat operator

By Darwin G. Amojelar HARBOR Star Shipping Services Inc. said it acquired a 30-percent stake in a tugboat operator in the Manila South Harbor.

Harbor Star said in a stock exchange it bought 30 percent of the outstanding capital stock of High Energy Marine Services Inc. Hemsi is the dominant tugboat operator in the Manila South Harbor after registering its highest recorded midyear container volume this year.

With the acquisition, Harbor Star has interests in the harbor assist operations in the two largest and most active terminals in the Philippines, the other port being Manila International Container Terminal.

Harbor Star is the sole tug assist operator in MICT. Both terminals in 2017 handled a combined arrival of more than 4,000 foreign vessels. Like Harbor Star, Hemsi also operates in Bataan.

Harbor Star posted a net income of P41.01 million in the first six months of the year from P48.69 million in the same period last year.

The company’s revenues amounted to P211.76 million from last year’s P194.35 million.

Lighterage and other marine services rose with a combined revenue of P113.9 million from P88.1 million.

Salvage income also increased by 63 percent to P54.1 million from P33.2 million.

The salvage income was derived from a successfully re-floated MV Jinming Hao 16, a Chinese vessel that capsized in Rawis in Samar and a recognition revenue from a salvage of Barge Robby in Davao.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Assassination trial approved S HAH ALAM, Malaysia― The murder trial of two women accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea’s leader can proceed, a Malaysian court ruled Thursday, in a blow to their families who insist the pair were tricked into carrying out the dramatic hit.

After hearing the prosecution case, the judge said there was sufficient evidence to support a murder charge against Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, who are accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam with the nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Judge Azmi Ariffin said the evidence presented in court since the trial started in October pointed to a “well-planned

INDEPENDENCE DAY. In this picture taken on August 15, 2018, Indian school children perform during India’s 72nd Independence Day celebrations at the India Pakistan Wagah Border post, about 35 kilometers from Amritsar. AFP

IN BRIEF

Church holds vigil for Aretha Franklin DETROIT―The Detroit church once led by Aretha Franklin’s father―and where she first tested her remarkable voice―filled with music once again Wednesday as dozens gathered for a prayer vigil for the ailing “Queen of Soul.”

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and music legend Stevie Wonder were among the latest to visit the 76-year-old icon, as news of her failing health led to a flood of well-wishes this week.

Dozens, including ministers from multiple Detroit-area churches, gathered at New Bethel Baptist Church for a 5:00 am (0900 GMT) service dedicated to Franklin, who influenced generations over a five-decade career.

Few details have emerged about the singer’s condition or illness, but she is said to be in hospice care, surrounded by family and friends.

The singer’s father CL Franklin was a preacher at New Bethel church, where a young Aretha got her start singing gospel music.

And gospel music once again shook the walls of the church during the earlymorning service in honor of the creator of unforgettable hits such as “Respect,” “Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” AFP

Drug dealer sentenced to death BANGKOK―A Malaysian drug dealer dubbed the “Iceman” was sentenced to death Thursday by a court in Thailand after he was convicted of running a narcotics network that funneled huge profits into legitimate businesses.

Tun Hung Seong was arrested in April last year after a tipoff that he had hired a man to smuggle nearly 300 kilograms of crystal meth―known as ice―through the violence-scarred south.

Investigators believe he acted as a gatekeeper to the Malaysian drug market just over the border and laundered money through karaoke bars, hotels and restaurants.

The Bangkok court convicted Tun, 65, on drug trafficking charges alongside two Thai women and a Taiwanese man.

All four were sentenced to death, although the sentences of the Taiwanese man and one of the Thai women were reduced to life imprisonment due to their “useful” confessions.

Situated along the drug-running routes of the “Golden Triangle,” Thailand provides overland routes for the smuggling of meth from factories in lawless parts of neighboring Myanmar and Laos, in a trade estimated to be worth $40 billion a year. AFP

Manila

TODAY

7.

Anent the above, ISELCO II likewise pleads for the consideration and benevolence of this Honorable Commission to grant the cooperative the Authority to Secure Loan so as to minimize the possible effect on the existing RFSC rate upon project implementation and thereby give the cooperative flexibility in managing its finances.

8.

Notwithstanding, ISELCO II shall further look for financial institution that can provide the least financing plan for the benefit of the consumers.

9.

To emphasize the need of the availment of aforesaid loan, Tables on Rate Impact of the Project, indicating possible effects on the existing RFSC rate (PhP0.3693/kwh) of ISELCO II, on project without loan as compared to that which is with loan at 6.5% interest for payable in ten (10) years, are attached hereto and respectively marked as ANNEXES “D” and “E”.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 20 June 2018, an Application dated 2 May 2018 was filed by Applicant Isabela II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO II), seeking the Commission’s approval of its two (2) emergency capital expenditure projects, with application for authority to secure loan from the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

ISELCO II alleged the following in its Application: 1.

That herein applicant is the exclusive franchise holder issued by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to operate an electric light and power services in the following municipalities of the Province of Isabela: Ilagan, Cabagan, San Pablo, Sta Maria, Naguilian, Gamu, Roxas, Aurora, Mallig, Sto Tomas, Delfin Albano, Tumauini, Quezon, Quirino, San Manuel, Burgos, Benito Soliven, San Mariano, Maconacon, Palanan and Divilacan.

2.

That applicant is an electric cooperative duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Philippines, with principal office at Barangay Alibagu, Ilagan, Isabela, where it may be served with summons and other legal processes.

LEGAL BASIS FOR THE APPLICATION

3.

Article III of ERC Resolution No. 26, Series of 20091 as well as other pertinent laws and rul es.

4.

Summary of Identified Problems:

PROPOSED EMERGENCY CAPITAL PROJECTS

4.1.

CABAGAN SUBSTATION- The 10 MVA power transformer of Cabagan Substation was damaged (burned) due to insulation breakdown of the equipment. The existing substation structures and facilities (gantry structures, grounding system, etc.) of Cabagan Substation are in deteriorated condition.

4.2.

The damaged Cabagan Substation was temporarily equipped with power fuse as the main protective equipment of the substation. Pursuant to Section GCR 4.6.1.2 of the Philippine Grid Code (PGC), all substations should be controlled by circuit breakers that are capable of interrupting the maximum short circuit current at the point of connection. Thus, the urgent need for installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation.

4.3.

NAGUILIAN SUBSTATION- The project includes replacing the damaged primary and secondary protection of Naguilian Substation by installing one (1) unit 69kV SF6 Power Circuit Breaker, 15kV indoor switchgear with complete accessories, control protection panel, DC power supply, and two (2) units of 15kV automatic recloser in Naguilian Substation.

4.4.

The scope of works include supply and delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the 69kV SF6 PCB, medium voltage switchgear including its accessories, and automatic recloser, civil and electrical works, testing and commissioning. A copy of the single line diagram is attached hereto and marked as ANNEX “A”.

4.5.

The Energy Regulatory Commission was duly notified of the above incidents. Copies of said Notices are attached hereto and respectively marked as ANNEXES “B” and “C”.

5.

The DENR-NCR now invites all interested PhilGEPS registered contractors/ builders, with the necessary Philippines Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license, manufactures, suppliers, dealers, authorized franchised dealers to bid for the above noted project with the following requirements/output as stated in the approved Purchase Request:

2.

ERC CASE NO. 2018-058 RC

ISABELA II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO II), Applicant. x - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF SUPPLEMENTAL DESIGN AND BUILD FOR THE PHASE 2 OF THE DENR-NCR BUILDING

1.

San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE APPROVAL OF TWO (2) EMERGENCY CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROJECTS, WITH APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO SECURE LOAN FROM THE NATIONAL ELECTRIFICATION ADMINISTRATION (NEA)

for the final verdict.”

The trial is set to resume in November and is expected to go on for several months.

Aisyah, 26, will be the first witness to take the stand when the proceedings restart.

The women are accused of killing Kim Jong Nam―once seen as an heir to the North Korean leadership and a rival to current leader Kim Jong Un―by smearing toxic VX on his face in February last year as he waited to board a flight to Macau.

The pair, who could face death by hanging if found guilty, claim they fell victim to an elaborate plot hatched by North Korean agents and believed they were taking part in a prank for a reality TV show.

South Korea has accused the North of ordering the hit, although Pyonyang denies the accusation.

But the prosecutors, who likened the murder to the plot of a “James Bond” movie, argued the pair were well-trained assassins who knew exactly what they were doing. AFP

Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable CAPEX (RFSC) of the cooperative and availment of loan from NEA at 6.25% interest rate per annum for a period of ten (10) years.

Republic of the Philippines StandardENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Department of Environment and Natural Resources National Capital Region

The DENR-NCR, through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee (RBAC), intends to apply the sum of FIFTEEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (PhP15,500,000.00) inclusive of VAT and all other applicable government taxes to be charged to the GAA CY’ 2017 - Capital Outlay being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment for the “Procurement of Supplemental Design and Build for the Phase 2 of the DENR-NCR Building”. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

conspiracy” with a group of North Korean suspects who are still at large.

“I must therefore call upon [the suspects] to enter their defense on their respective charges,” he said at the Shah Alam High Court outside Kuala Lumpur.

The women, who are set to testify during the defense stage of the trial, looked shocked and tearful as the ruling was handed down.

The judge could have chosen to acquit the women if he thought the evidence was insufficient.

Their families maintain the pair were fooled into carrying out the Cold War-style killing, and had been hopeful they would be acquitted, although state prosecutors insisted they had a strong case.

“She knows nothing, she was fooled. The case [against her] was made up,” Aisyah’s father, Asria, told AFP from the family’s village on Indonesia’s Java island.

Her mother Benah added: “This is unfair.

I wanted her to be released today but if the court refuses what can I do? I can only pray

Anent the above, ISELCO II arrived at two (2) capital projects to address the identified problems. These projects are the result of the technical and economic evaluation performed on several project ideas that were formulated during the planning process. Below are the two (2) projects being proposed as follows: 5.1

Proposed Capital Projects

10. Lastly, evidences2 that will substantiate the allegations and data are likewise attached hereto and respectively marked as ANNEXES.

Proposed Projects

Preparation of Supplemental Design for the Completion of the Interior and Exterior Design, Including Bill of Quantities for the Completion of the DENRNCR 4-Storey Building (30 days) Construction of Approved Design Phase II (180 days)

Delivery of the aforementioned project is required within Two Hundred Ten (210) calendar days upon issuance of the Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the project in the last five (5) years. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

Project Category

Installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation

Safety / Capacity

Substation Project

Installation of primary and secondary protective devices for Naguilian Substation

Safety

Primary Distribution Project

Title

1

2

5.2

Bidding will be conducted through an open competitive bidding procedure using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Project Type

No.

Brief Description / Rationale of the Proposed Projects

Proposed Projects

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to R.A. 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

No.

Title

1

Installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation

Interested bidders must submit their bid proposal from August 14, 2018 to September 04, 2018 and may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from August 14, 2018 to September 04, 2018 from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Twentyfive Thousand Pesos (Php25,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the DENR-NCR website (http://www.ncr.denr.gov.ph) provided that bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

2

The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-bid Conference on August 23, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. at the Conference Room, 4th floor, DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties.

5.3

Installation of primary and secondary protective devices for Naguilian Substation

Bid opening shall be at 10:30 A.M. onwards on September 04, 2018 at the Conference Room, 4th floor, DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Ave., Quezon City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The DENR-NCR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. Moreover, the DENR-NCR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid proposals at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s, waive any formality in the bid requirements, declare the bidding a failure, or award the contract to the bidder whose offer is the most responsive, lowest calculated bid, and most advantageous to the government.

August 10, 2018.

(SGD) EDUARDO C. CALZETA, Ph.D. Vice-Chairperson Regional Bids and Awards Committee

Project Cost (Php)

Title

1

Installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation

51,700,000.00

2

Installation of primary and secondary protective devices for Naguilian Substation

13,700 ,287.00

WHEREFORE, premises considered, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission that after due notice and hearing, the Isabela II Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s (ISELCO II’s) proposed emergency capital projects, installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation including the replacement of the damaged primary and secondary protection of Naguilian Substation, be confirmed and approved, Further, ISELCO II prays that the Honorable Commission grant the cooperative the Authority to Secure Loan from the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

Other reliefs, just and equitable in the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 13 September 2018 at one o’clock in the afternoon (1:00 P.M.), at ISELCO II’s principal office at Brgy. Alibagu, Hagan, Isabela.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1)

The name and address of such person;

2)

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3)

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that it be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

Pasig City, 18 July 2018.

FOR AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

Proposed Schedule

Proposed Projects

RBAC Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd floor, DENR-NCR Bldg.

National Ecology Center East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Tel. No. 932.1371

Replacement of the damaged protective equipment of Naguilian Substation to maintain the safety level of the system

No.

5.4

For further information, please refer to:

Replacement of the damaged 10 MVA power transformer of Cabagan Substation to a 12/15 MVA capacity transformer.

Simultaneous to this project is the complete rehabilitation of Cabagan Substation including the installation of the necessary protective equipment to address the safety concern due to the deteriorated condition of the substation and non-compliance with the requirement of the PGC.

Proposed Project Cost

Proposed Projects

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 10:00 A.M. of September 04, 2018. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms in the amount stated in the bidding documents.

Project Description / Rationale

PRAYER

Project Schedule

No.

Title

1

Installation of 12/15 MVA power transformer at Cabagan Substation and site rehabilitation

Start of Project : February 27,2018, Completion Date: February 2019

2

Installation of primary and secondary protective devices for Naguilian Substation

Start of Project : July 24, 2017 Date Completed: September 19, 2017

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson and CEO

PROJECT FINANCING & INDICATIVE RATE IMPACT (MS-AUG. 17, 2018)

6.

The financing of the emergency CAPEX plan will be sourced through the

(MS-AUG. 10 & 17, 2018)

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friday, august 17, 2018

LocaL government units

Joy sends off Gothia booters, urges youth to get into sports

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday called on the youth to actively take part in various sports programs, as she lauded the city’s football club for its participation at the international Gothia football cup.

Belmonte said she is happy to be in a position to encourage more young players from the city to grow with the sport.

“Soccer is a sport that we can compete in internationally because height is not that important in soccer as it is in other sports,” she added, noting more homegrown Filipino players have a fighting chance to excel internationally in the sport.

Belmonte, who assisted in providing financial support and training for the delegation, voiced her all-out support for the teen booters.

The vice mayor was elated to share that the city’s football program was community-based and had touched the lives of underprivileged children from Payatas and out-of-school youth.

“Our very first team was composed of the children of our Payatas scavengers and they were called ‘Payatas Pazawayz.’ We later encouraged our OSY’s and other grassroots youth to participate in our training program from over 10 barangays,” she said.

The Quezon City Football Club tied up with Laos Football Club that provided free training to the teen footballers.

The Quezon City Football Club made waves in the first stage of the Gothia Cup presently being held in Qingdao, China, with its Boys-13 team tying for the top spot prior to the knockout stages.

MATH WHIZZES. Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar (center) lauds the young math wizards from Las Piñas City National Science High School who won in recent international mathematics competitions. Also in photo are Councilor Mark Anthony Santos, DepEd Division Superintendent Dr. Loreta B. Torrecampo, Las Piñas Science Principal Jennifer T. Erispe, and math teacher-trainer Warlita Arzuga (See story below)

Group out to solve killings C

OTABATO CITY—Officials of Pikit, North Cotabato have formed a task force that would look into the string of killings in the town which has victimized at least seven persons the past several days.

Called Task Force Pikit, the group headed by Mayor Sumulong Sultan and with tribal leaders, police and military officials as members, aims to put a stop to the recent cases of shooting incidents that took place in several remote villages of the locality.

“Expect that there would be a high presence of military, police, and militiamen in the villages where the recent shootings took place,” Chief Insp. Ronnie Castañares, Pikit police chief, said in a radio interview.

The latest shooting incident took place Wednesday in Barangay Manualanan where two victims, identified as Raphael arellano and Rommel Santander, both of Barangay Silik, were waylaid.

“The victims were on board a multicab vehicle when ambushed by armed men with .45 caliber pistols,” Castañares said.

On Tuesday, motorcycle-riding gunmen also shot

dead Nasrudin Lantawan, a son of a village councilor from Barangay Balong in the Manualanan area.

On Monday, gunmen ambushed and killed two militiamen and a pregnant woman in Barangay Ginatilan of the same town. Slain were Richard Wacan, 26, and Ronald Lachica, 35, both members of the Civilian armed Forces Geographical Unit and residents of Barangay Bualan, and hasna Mohammad Buka, 39, an expectant housewife.

Two students, identified as Keise Mohammad Buka, 14, and Dante Boboy Jr,. 16, were injured in the same ambush incident that took place around 2 p.m. in front of the Datu Dalandag National high School in Barangay Ginatilan.

Last aug. 4, bonnet-wearing armed men also gunned down Bonnie Gayak, former treasurer of Barangay Buliok, along the highway in Barangay

Fort, Pikit.

Castañares said the rash of killings has caused “panic and fear” among town residents, prompting the Municipal Peace and Order Council to convene Monday to tackle the concern. he said additional security forces would be placed in the villages of Pagangan, Manualanan, Ladtingan, Ginatilan, Lagunde, Balong and Bualan, to deter similar incidents in the future.

“We also asked for the deployment of personnel from the army’s 7th Infantry battalion to these areas,” he added.

Moreso, the police official said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was also urged to help in ensuring peace in communities near their acknowledged areas along the Liguasan marshland in Pikit.

Castañares said the killings are rooted in land conflict concerning vast hectares of an estate in the boundaries of Pikit and aleosan towns. “There are parcels of lands in that area contested by these families since 2007, particularly in Sitio Valencia, Pagangan, Pikit, and Sitio Tubac in aleosan,” he said. PNA

Las Piñas lauds 3 HS winners of international math contests STUDENTS from Las Piñas City National Science high School recently won in an international mathematics competitions held in Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Mayor Imelda T. aguilar congratulated young math wizards Coleen adrianne L. Panganiban, Silver Medalist at the 14th International Mathematics Contest held in Singa-

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL C OURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT & EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF MANDALUYONG CITY SPS. WILSON T. DE VERA AND NORA J. DE VERA Mortgagee/s, -versus-

FRE-MC18-1052 FOR: Extra-Judicial Foreclosure of Estate Mortgage under Act No. 3135, as amended

SPS. ABUDANCIO G. MARCIAL AND ELIZABETH E. MARCIAL and All the persons claiming under their rights, Mortgagor/s. x----------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’s SALE Upon Extra-Judicial Petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended by Act 4118 filed by Sps. Wilson T. De Vera and Nora J. De Vera, as Mortgagee, against Sps. Abudancio G. Marcial and Elizabeth E. Marcial and All the persons claiming under their rights, as Mortgagor/s, and with postal address and a residents of No. 624 F. Blumentritt Street, Hulo, Mandaluyong City, to satisfy the mortgaged indebtedness which as of May 22, 2018 amounts to PESOS: ONE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND & 00/100 ONLY (Php 1,400,000.00) Philippine Currency, excluding penalties, liquidated penalties, past due interest, attorney’s fee in the amount of Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 200,000.00) Philippine Currency, past due, other charges, taxes and cost of the foreclosure, the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Mandaluyong City or his duly authorized deputy will sell at PUBLIC AUCTION to the HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH OR MANAGERS CHECK and in Philippine Currency on the 24th day of August 2018 at 9:00 o’clock a.m. or soon thereafter in front of the main entrance of the Hall of Justice Building, Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City, the following real estate property together with all the improvements existing thereon, to wit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. -19410Registry of Deeds – City of Mandaluyong A PARCEL OF LAND (LOT 12 BLK. 4 OF THE SUBD. PLAN PSD-04-000814, BEING A PORTION OF BLK. 29, Psd-04-003363, LRC REC. NO.), SITUATED IN THE BARRIO OF HULO, MUN. OF MANDALUYONG, METRO MANILA. BOUNDED ON THE CW., ALONG LINE 1-2 BY LOT 13 BLK. 4, ON THE NW & SW., ALONG LINE 2 TO 4 BY ACCSEEN 3, ON THE NW., ALONG LINE 5-6 BY LOT 8 BLK. 13 (Integral Chemical). ON THE NE., ALONG LINE 5-6 BY LOT 7 ON THE SE., ALONG LINE 6-7-1 BY LOT 9 & 10 ALL OF THE SUBD. PLAN. BEGINNING AT A POINT MARKED “1” ON PLAN, BEING S. 5 DEG. 55’E., 1303.40 M. FROM (OVER) BLIM #2, MUN. OF MANDALUYONG, METRO MANILA, THENCE N. 49 DEG. 52’W., 7.66 M. TO PT. 2; N. 47 DEG. 50’E., 1.71 M. OTP PT. 3; N. 43 DEG. 48’W., 2.04 M TO PT. 4; N. 43 DEG. 45’E., 9.00 M TO PT. 5; S. 51 deg. 26’E., 9.02 M. TO PT. 6; S. 40 DEG. 55’E 3.97 M TO PT. 7; S.40 DEG/39’W., 7.17 M TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING AN AREA OF NINETY EIGHT SQ. METERS AND SEVENTY ONE DECIMETERS. (98.71).

“All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-entitled time and date.”

“In the event the public auction should not take on the said date, it shall be held on August 31, 2018, 9:00 A.M. or soon thereafter without further notice.”

Prospective bidders or buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the title of the said real property and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Mandaluyong City, Philippines, 27 July, 2018.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ERWIN N. BARATA Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Sheriff (Sgd.) MELVIN E. VALLES Sheriff IV WARNING: It is absolutely prohibited to remove, deface, or destroy this Notice of Sheriff’s Sale on or before the date of Auction Sale under penalty of the law.

Copy furnished: Sps. Wilson T. De Vera and Nora J. De Vera Blk. 5 Loy 1-B, SS Briogade Village Wester Bicutan, Taguig City Sps. Abudancio G. Marcial and Elizabeth E. Marcial and All the persons claiming under their rights No. 624 F. Blumentritt, Hulo, Mandaluyong City (MStandard-Aug. 3, 10 & 17, 2018)

pore from July 27 to 30; alisha V. Ullah, Bronze Medalist at the 2018 International Mathematics Wizard Challenge in Indonesia; and Gian Gaviola, Bronze Medalist at the International Kangaroo Mathematics CompeManila tition (Philippine leg).

MARANAW LUZON SHIPPING Standard aguilar lauded the TODAY COMPANY, INC. efforts of the students and their mentors.

Notice of Resignation/Ejection “Continue to be 1. YOICHIRO ITO Director - Resigned as of AUGUST 5, 2018

a good role model to your fellow students and to bring pride to your school and to Las Piñas City,” she told them.

Present during the courtesy call of the students at the Las Piñas City hall were Councilor Mark anthony Santos, Dr. Loreta B. Torrecampo, division superintendent, Principal Jennifer T. Erispe of Las Piñas City National Science high School, and teacher-coach Warlita arzuga.

2. HIRONARI NAGAI New Director as of AUGUST 13, 2018 (MS-AUG. 17, 2018)

MARANAW LUZON SHIPPING COMPANY, INC. Notice of Retirement 1. LEILANI GUBAT - Head Accounting Dept. as of SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 2. GUILLERMO D. ESPIRITU Manager as of DECEMBER 31, 2016 (MS-AUG. 17, 2018)

MARANAW LUZON SHIPPING COMPANY, INC. Notice of Resignation 1. LOU FRANCIS P. SIMPELO Admin Clerk as of JUNE 8, 2018 2. ALEMAE M. TAPAWAN Admin Assistant as of JULY 24, 2018

Republic of the Philippines MUNICIPALITY OF SANTO DOMINGO Province of Ilocos Sur BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE ======================================================= INVITATION TO BID for the PROCUREMENT OF FARM EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND INPUTS

The Municipality of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur, through the RA 7171 – Municipal Share intends to apply the sum of Forty million one hundred forty seven thousand seven hundred twelve & 90/100 pesos (P 40,147,712.90) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Farm Equipment, Supplies and Inputs. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Municipality of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur now invites bids for the Procurement of Farm Equipment, Supplies and Inputs. Completion of the Works is required Sixty (60) Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II: Instruction to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, 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 Municipality of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from August 17 – September 06, 2018; 8:00AM – 12:00 AM; 1:00PM – 5:00PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased 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).

(MS-AUG. 17, 2018)

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that CITYLAND INCORPORATED, (owner/ developer), has filed with this Board for the sale of condominium units of ONE PREMIER located in Alabang Premier, Alabang Zapote Road, Brgy. Almanza Uno, Las Piñas City, specifically described as Lot 3-A-3-D, Psd-00-093911, covered by TCT No3005-2017003443, with a total area of 1,828 square meters.

That the above owner/developer has issued an Affidavit of Undertaking in lieu of the proof of compliance to the modes and manners provided by RA 7279 as amended by RA 10884. That within six (6) months after the issuance of the License to Sell, the owner/developer of the main project shall submit the proof of compliance per HLURB`s revised IRR by which the developer of the main project can fulfill and satisfy the balanced housing development requirement.

All papers relative thereto shall, upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the name of the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

The Municipality of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 24, 2018 at 9AM at the Conference Hall, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur which shall be open to all interested parties.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before September 06, 2018, 9AM at the Office of the BAC Chairman, Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Municipality of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: MA. CORAZON V. TADENA, Ph.D BAC Secretariat LGU – Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur (077) 726 - 4036

Quezon City, Metro Manila, JUN 05, 2018.

(SGD) LUIS T. GONZALES BAC Chairman

(SGD) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer in Charge (MS-AUG. 10, 2018)

(MS-AUG. 17, 2018)

Navotas hands 7 patrol cars to city police

By Jun David NaVOTaS Mayor John Rey Tiangco recently led the blessing and turnover of seven new police mobile vehicles to the Philippine National Police in the city.

The vehicles are expected to be deployed to various Police Community Precincts in the city and will be used in patrolling communities to boost police visibility and mobile capability.

“We aim to provide additional law enforcement resources and improve the logistical capabilities of our local police force.

Through this, we can bolster our peace and order campaign and ensure Navoteños are safe and protected,” he said.

“We look forward to the enhanced performance and faster response of our police units in their respective areas of deployment and responsibility,” he added.

Tiangco also called on PNP-Navotas to preserve the good condition of the patrol cars so they can serve well and last for years. also present during the turnover were city Councilors Reynaldo Monroy, Carlito de Guzman Jr., and Neil adrian Cruz; Liga ng Barangay president Enrico Gino-Gino; Sangguniang Kabataang Federation Chairperson Jodile Cañete; and Navotas Chief of Police PS Supt. Brent Madjaco.

GSIS allots P2-b emergency loans to storm victims ThE Government Service Insurance System has allotted P2.08 billion in emergency loans for its active members and old-age pensioners who were affected by calamities in Cavite (tropical storms “henry,” “Inday” and “Josie”); in Marikina City (“Josie”); and in the municipality of Rizal in Palawan (typhoon “Vinta”).

The application deadline for Rizal, Palawan, is aug. 25, and for Cavite and Marikina is Sept. 9. a total of 39,450 active members in the calamity areas who have no existing emergency loan may apply for a P20,000 loan. a total of 27,231 members who have not yet fully paid their emergency loan may apply for an amount of P40,000, from which the outstanding balance will be deducted.

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

culture and media

friday, august 17, 2018

Giorgio Tsoukalos claims aliens visited

ALIENS EXPERT.

Giorgio Tsoukalos, host of Ancient Aliens on History channel, believes the bizarre Filipino legends and folktales could prove his theory that humans are not alone in the universe.

the Philippines By nat mariano

A

NCIeNT Aliens host Giorgio Tsoukalos believes that the Philippines’ bizarre accounts of legends and folktales could prove his theories that humans are not, in fact, alone in the universe.

“I’m trying to figure out what the initial spark for such particular stories or legends,” he said during the History Con 2018 held at the World Trade Center on Aug. 10-12.

Tsoukalos affirmed when asked if he believes aliens had set foot in the country.

Tsoukalos even urged the audience to visit the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila, which, he said, is one of the greatest museums on the planet. “You should all visit the museum,” he exhorted.

“Go into that museum and look for the references of ancient flying horses and fire creatures that can turn from an animal to an ancient being,” said Tsoukalos.

The aliens expert headlined the powerhouse roster of international and lo-

cal stars who graced this year’s History Con in Manila by History Channel.

Tsoukalos attended the first History Con in 2016.

“I am so happy to be back. This is actually tremendous,” he enthused.

“Two years ago, I had the best weekend of my life right here at the World Trade Center. It’s really awesome to have been invited back.”

Tsoukalos also discussed some ancient astronaut theories in his exclusive presentation for truth-seekers and conspiracy fans, entitled “Mysteries of the Past.”

Joining Tsoukalos in the convention were Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick, Yeoh Mong Chin of Who Runs the World, Ride n’ Seek host Jaime

Dempsey, The History Hustle host Simon Yin, and Filipino actors Xian Lim and Diego Loyzaga who both host the new season of Celebrity Car Wars.

A trip down memory lane

Tagged as the Asia’s biggest entertainment convention, this year’s History Con featured interactive displays from over 400 exhibitors that harked back to the Philippines’ storied past.

History lovers were in awe watching the reenactment of the Battle of Manila during the Spanish times, featuring a replica tank in a set and a handful of soldiers in full costume.

The attendees were also treated to a historical adventure as Mystery Manila mounted a World War II-themed breakout room, in which participants had to infiltrate the Japanese camp and literally unlock their way out.

Life-size replicas of internationally popular superheroes and comic figures, ranging from Superman to Voltes V,

Local and international celebrities, together with Philippine government officials and other guests, open the third History Convention in Manila.

were also displayed, giving attendees a chance to strike a pose and take a selfie with their childhood favorites.

And who said about forgetting the past?

Antique collectibles like old post stamps, retro Coca-Cola designs, and a bunch of special classic cars like Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and Chevrolet Camaro SS were all displayed in good shape.

History makers

History channel recognized 10 notable Filipinos “who have made a significant contribution to the Philippine culture” at the second History Maker Awards.

As 2018 marks the 100th year anniversary of Philippine Cinema, many of

the awardees were veteran actors and actresses who have made an indelible mark on the local film industry such as Albert Martinez, Sharon Cuneta, Aga Muhlach, Nora Aunor, Christopher De Leon, and Vilma Santos.

Honorees also included The Philippine Azkals, multi-awarded journalist Jessica Soho, real estate businessman and triathlete Victor Consunji, and internationally acclaimed singer and thespian Lea Salonga.

History recognized their unbelievable fortitude, steely ambition, impeccable track record, decades of showcasing talents, notable experiences, and inspiring passion and team spirit.

History Con 2018 features (from left) Simon Yin of The History Hustle, Diego Loyzaga of Celebrity Car Wars, Katheryn Winnick of Vikings, Tsoukalos, Mong Chin of Who Runs the World, and Jaime Dempsey of Ride N' Seek.

Interior design exhibit showcases adaptive reuse solutions THe graduating batch of the Philippine School of Interior Design will mount an exhibition exploring adaptive reuse as a solution to design problems.

Adaptive reuse is the process of reusing old buildings or sites for a purpose other than which it was built for. For the exhibit, entitled “Juxtapose,” interior design students take the challenge of marrying the past and present with designs that breathe new life into historical spaces.

Seventeen booths will be mounted to challenge the audience, proponents of the conservation of cultural heritage, and developers to find creative solutions in the restoration and rehabilitation of historical structures. Juxtapose seeks to help Filipinos further understand our cultural and historical identity.

The exhibition will walk the audience through three galleries, namely Tahanan, Pangkalakal, and Pang-industriya.

Focusing on residential buildings like the iconic bahay na bato, the Tahanan gallery will feature booths such as “The bar beneath…in San Juan,” “The Vigan Atelier,” “Small Space, Big Living,” “Modern Filipino Haven,” “Bridal Boudoir,” and the “Marahuyo Spa and Tea House.”

Meanwhile, the Pangkalakal gallery will showcase booths reminiscent of the streetscapes of escolta and Avenida Rizal like the “La Moneda Bookshop and Café,” “CC Café + Creatives,” “Little Café Museum,” “Café 308,” “Kusina Aduana,” and “Below Zero Gelateria.”

Finally, the Pang-industriya gallery will highlight design solutions for old industrial sites as will be demonstrated in the booths “Fit Street,” “DorModerno,” “Station No. 15,” “Polo estacion,” and Gentleman’s Barber Lounge.

The graduation exhibit will be held on Oct. 1-31 at the penthouse of Santolan Town Plaza in San Juan City.

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La Moneda Bookshop and Café

Gentleman's Barber Lounge

Station No. 15

Dor-Moderno

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Entertainment

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor

Sharon launches SocMed network

TELEVISION KINGS team up in new drama

Primetime king and drama king Dingdong Dantes and Dennis Trillo are starring in the anticipated TV drama, ‘Cain at Abel.’

Sharon Cuneta is celebrating her 40th year in the business with a grand concert happening next month.

AS THE megastar celebrates her 40th year in show business, she launched the SharonCunetaNetwork as part of a year-long merrymaking that will climax in a grand, major concert My 40 Years, Sharon on Sept. 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The SharonCunetaNetwork officially synergizes her newest online platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The SharonCunetaNetwork provides exclusive and original content on everything about the megastar and her projects (past, present, and future) in film, television, music, live performances, and endorsements.

It will also peek into her colorful and inspiring personal life as a mother, wife, sister, and friend.

On Facebook, her newest official handle is SharonCunetaNetwork; on Twitter it’s @SharonCunetaNet; on Instagram it’s @SharonCunetaNetwork; and on YouTube it’s Sharon Cuneta Network.

These are all additional platforms that reinforce Sharon’s personal social media accounts which include her verified Sharon Cuneta Facebook Page with over one million followers; her @sharon_cuenta12 Twitter account with 1 million followers; and @reallysharoncuneta Instagram account with over 631,000 followers.

All platforms in the SharonCunetaNetwork will carry her patented signature and it will be the official online source of all information and updates on the megastar, something that countless, loyal Sharonians will surely love and enjoy. These platforms will also further re-introduce Sharon and her amazing body of work that spans four decades to a new generation of fans who recognize and idolize her as one of the stellar judges of ABS-CBN’s top-rating singing and impersonation competition Your Face Sounds Familiar; as one of the powerhouse coaches of The Voice Of The Philippines in three of its successful seasons; as one of the stars of Star Cinema’s blockbuster hit, the romantic-comedy Unexpectedly Yours; and as a high profile endorser of such huge brands as McDonald’s, Petron and Magnolia Chicken 3-Way. As an initial offering, the SharonCunetaNetwork will feature oneof-a-kind webisodes that document different facets of Sharon’s career and personal life. This includes her exciting on-going journey leading to the landmark event My 40 Years, Sharon –considered one of the most highly-anticipated and grandest musical and industry events of the year with Louie Ocampo, Mell Villena, and Ryan Cayabyab as musical directors with Zsa Zsa Padilla, Kuh Ledesma, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Basil Valdez, and Gary Valenciano as her special guests.

For tickets to My 40 Years, Sharon contact 552-7473, 815-1953, and TicketNet at 911-5555 or log on to www.ticketnet.com.ph.

MPO counts 20 The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), one of the country’s premiere and most versatile orchestras, under the baton of its founder and music director Maestro Rodel Colmenar, ups the ante this year as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The highlight of the celebration

is a grand concert, MPO Opus 20: Trailblazing Music Excellence, featuring the country’s best in the classical and pop music scenes. It takes center stage on Sept. 1 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

All set to chronicle MPO’s trailblazing history of musical achievements in the last 20 years, the concert highlights the performances of special guests—US-based singer Lani Misalucha, world-acclaimed Filipino pianist Raul Sunico, premiere mixed-chorale ensemble the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers, and many other surprise guests.

Maestro Colmenar is proud of MPO’s solid passion for music, the only reason that propels the orchestra to achieve the depth and breadth of musical excellence that it carries in its name. He says, “This concert will showcase our history. There is a wealth of memorable repertoire attached to every milestone in our colorful career and that is what we hope to bring to our audience during the night’s performance. We promise to give them a grand time as they walk down memory lane with us.”

The MPO has the distinction of pioneering innovative programs that sought to bring the orchestra closer to the communities “sustainably bridging the gap between diverse cultural perspectives and proving that music (in all forms) is a gift for all and not just for the chosen few.” The mission remains the same, Colmenar adds, “to bring classical music right to the heart of the Filipinos.”

The 20th founding anniversary of MPO kicked off last year when the orchestra featured world-renowned Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu as guest artist in its preanniversary classical performance at the CCP on June 17, 2017. After the Sept. 1 event, there will be more performances in 2018 lined up for MPO to commemorate its 20th year.

Founded in 1998, MPO to date, has performed in more than 500 concerts and partnered with over a hundred companies in bringing music to the community. Some of the acclaimed productions they mounted featured the unrivalled local and international artists such as pianists Cecile Licad, Ingrid Sala Santa Maria, Aileen Chanco, Raul Sunico, well-known violinists Anastasia Chebotareva, Alexander Tumescu and Oscar Yatco, conductors Eduardo Browne, Mark Kadin, Dmitri Liss and Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, among others.

MPO also takes in being a stalwart in Philippine musical theater productions staged at the New Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila like The Sound of Music, King and I, Cinderella, Noli Me Tangere,The Opera, Bituing Walang Ningning, The Musical Annie, and currently Ang Huling El Bimbo.

Tickets to MPO Opus 20: Trailblazing Music Excellence are available at TicketWorld Outlets and TicketWorld.com.ph, (02) 891-9999.

For inquiries, contact MPO office at 0917-5478787, 0917-576-2502, manilaphilharmonic@gmail.com or through our Instagram account, @ manilaphilharmonic.

By Darwin Pesco

G

MA Network’s prized actors Dingdong Dantes and Dennis Trillo are teaming up to take the lead for the upcoming series, Cain at Abel.

The network announced its powerhouse series on Aug. 10 at a story conference of the primetime soap attended by the two versatile actors, supporting cast and directors. The series will feature the two television kings for the first time after the 2010’s Endless Love.

The collaboration of actors has been awaited by many viewers, and it will finally happen soon. Even now, fans are

eagerly waiting for the premiere of the much awaited primetime series.

Back in 2013, the series was announced starring Amazing Earth host Dingdong Dantes together with Alden Richards. Now, Dennis Trillo is joining in after his romantic comedy series, The One That Got Away.

Also, Dennis shared a photo of him and Dingdong on Instagram teasing

the fans for their role as brothers in the forthcoming soap opera. Until now, the two phenomenal actors have yet to reveal whom they will portray in the series.

Additionally, the story is based on the conflict between the Biblical figures and siblings, Cain and Abel.

Dingdong and Dennis will be joined by all-star Kapuso actors and actresses.

Joining on board are Solenn Heusaff, Sanya Lopez, Chanda Romero, Ronnie Henares, Carlo Gonzales, and Boy 2 Quizon.

Directors Mark Reyes V and Don Michael Perez will direct the anticipated series, which will air soon on GMA Telebabad.

Jericho’s ‘HALIK’ kissed by more viewers nationwide

By Clay Moreno

‘Halik,’ dubbed as the most daring primetime series, stars Jericho Rosales and Yen Santos.

ABS-CBN’s latest primetime show, Halik, which stars Jericho Rosales, Yam Concepcion, Sam Milby and Yen Santos, is shaking up the competition on primetime.

Based on the latest data released by Kantar Media, more viewers nationwide watched the premiere of the newest Kapamilya primetime series compared to its rival show last Monday (Aug. 13).

The drama that tackles infidelity and extramarital affairs received a national TV rating of 18.2 percent versus the 10.6 percent of its rival on GMA, Inday Will Always Love You. Its hashtag #AngUnangHalik reached the top spot of Twitter’s trending topics list, receiving thousands of tweets.

The episode introduced viewers to Lino (Jericho) and Jacky (Yen), two lovers separated by their families who will be reunited by destiny. It also showed the tragic reason behind their separation.

What will Lino and Jacky do when fate brings them back together? What has changed in their lives since they last saw each other?

Halik airs every night on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.

HOLLYWOOD

Gregory Peck’s grandson to play Spock in new ‘Star Trek’ ACTOR Ethan Peck— both Nimoy and Quinto took whose grandfather was Holon the role in the 2009-16 relywood legend Gregory booted trilogy.

Peck—has been cast as icon“We searched for months for ic half-Vulcan science officer an actor who would, like them, Spock in CBS’s Star Trek: bring his own interpretation to Discovery. the role,” Kurtzman added.

The hiring sees the rela“An actor who would, like tively obscure 32-year-old them, effortlessly embody boldly go where stars ZachSpock’s greatest qualities, beary Quinto and—most fayond obvious logic: empathy, mously—Leonard Nimoy intuition, compassion, confuhave gone before. sion, and yearning.”

“Through 52 years of telePeck—known for ABC sitvision and film, a parallel com 10 Things I Hate About universe and a mirror uniYou —will be unveiled in the verse, Mr. Spock remains the second season of Star Trek: only member of the original Star Trek: Discovery’s Spock will be played by Gregory Peck’s (left) Discovery, due for release in bridge crew to span every era grandson, Ethan (right). early 2019 on the CBS All Acof ‘Star Trek,” executive process streaming service. ducer Alex Kurtzman said in Known for his quiet dignity, a statement.

Peck’s grandfather was one of the great stars of Hollywood’s “The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, golden era, starring in such classic movies as Roman Holiday brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn be- and Cape Fear. He picked up five Oscar nominations, winning tween logic and emotion.” for To Kill a Mockingbird, and died in June 2003 at the age of 87.

The show launched in 1966 with a five-year mission “to boldly The announcement comes days after British star Patrick go where no man has gone before,” and became a multi-billion- Stewart, 78, revealed he would be reprising his role as Jeandollar cultural phenomenon, adored by fans the world over.

Luc Picard in a new CBS Star Trek series centering on the charNimoy was introduced as Spock in the original series, as the acter’s life post Star Trek: Next Generation, which ran from first officer to Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and 1987 until 1994. AFP

Motoring

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

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LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE. In this file photo taken on July 30, 2017 McLaren’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso waits for the start of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season, McLaren announced on August 14, 2018. AFP

Alonso moves on: F1’s loss, Indy’s gain H

IS TWO world championships now a distant memory, Fernando Alonso has finally had enough of life in the slow lane with McLaren.

The Spaniard is revered as a master of his metier, but his reservoir of patience with an underperforming car has finally hit empty.

The only surprise about Tuesday’s announcement that he was moving on to Indycar from 2019 was that it had not come sooner.

Since his return to ailing McLaren he has displayed great stoicism and humour as the famous British team struggles to produce a car to match the might of Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull.

The 37-year-old, the first Spanish driver to be crowned world champion, has long nurtured a dream to emulate the late Graham Hill and land motorsport’s coveted Triple Crown.

And his move to IndyCar in 2019 may well see him realise the ambition.

He has two legs in the bag, the Monaco Grand Prix and this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. That leaves the fabled Indy500 -- he led the field on his debut in 2017 before his engine blew.

Born in Oviedo, in the Asturias province of northern Spain, Fernando Alonso Diaz inherited his passion for driving fast cars from his father.

Jose Luis was an amateur kart racer and presented his son with a replica pedal F1 car.

His parents said Alonso showed a competitive spirit at a young age and, like F1 legend Michael Schumacher before him, Alonso embarked on a karting career.

He won three Spanish karting titles before winning the world juniors in 1996.

Natural speed He eventually graduated to Formula 3000 where he attracted the attention of the Formula One talent-spotters.

Flavio Briatore, the flamboyant Italian playboy became Alonso’s personal manager and guided his career, eventually bringing him to Renault where he claimed the world title for the first time in 2005, at 24 the then-youngest ever champion.

He defended his title the following season, calling on a combination of natural speed and competitive instincts, allied with supreme race-craft and an iron will to win, that invited comparisons with Schumacher.

In 2007 he switched to McLaren, but it proved a fractious time alongside a

rookie named Lewis Hamilton.

He jumped stables back to Renault for 2008 and 2009, before Ferrari came calling where he followed in the footsteps of late aristocratic compatriot Alfonso de Portago, who raced for them in the 1950s.

He finished second in the world championship three times for the Italian marque, before rejoining McLaren in 2015.

Whilst leaving the door open for a possible return to F1, Alonso gave every indication in an emotion-charged message on Instagram, that he was bidding F1 goodbye for good.

Written as if to a lover he said: “You were not expecting me and I was not sure if I want to know you.

“When I barely knew how to walk, I ran straight towards the noise, the circuits, without knowing anything about you.

“We had very good times, some unforgettable, others really bad. We have played together against incredible rivals. You played with me and I learned how to play with you too.

“I have seen you changing, sometimes for good and sometimes for—in my opinion—bad.

“I know you love me but be sure, I love you too.”

The winner of 32 Grands Prix typically has promised to see out the 2018 season with “more commitment and passion than ever”. AFP

Pilipinas Shell solidifies standing as Subaru’s preferred fuel provider

STRENGTHENING a long-standing partnership based on shared values such as honesty, integrity, and respect, Motor Image Pilipinas, Inc., the local distributor of Subaru, continues to choose Shell as their fuel of choice in powering their vehicles.

Their alliance was reaffirmed in a signing ceremony held at the Subaru Manila Bay Showroom last May, led

by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation President and CEO Cesar Romero and Motor Image Pilipinas General Manager Gerry Hernandez. Other signatories were Kit Bermudez, Pilipinas Shell Retail Marketing and Strategy Director, and Joey Picadizo, Motor Image Pilipinas Branch Operations Manager.

“We at Shell are very proud of our brand,” Romero said. “This is why we are also very fastidious in choos-

Terra topbills Nissan VisMin tour IN ITS commitment to bringing its innovative products to more people in the Philippines, Nissan is taking its Nissan Intelligent Mobility Tour to the Visayas and Mindanao region.

The all-new Nissan Terra headlines this showcase of the Japanese automaker’s latest technologies in the market.

The upcoming leg of the event will showcase the Japanese automaker’s most advanced technologies in the market, giving customers from the region the chance to experience the future of mobility this August and September:

—SM Iloilo September 14–16, Friday to Sunday—SM Cagayan De Oro September 21–23, Friday to Sunday—SM Davao

The all-new Nissan Terra is headlining the event as the brand’s first mid-size SUV and a vehicle fullyequipped with Nissan Intelligent Mobility, a technology developed to transform cars into drivers’ partners on the road through various features. The Terra will be on display alongside Nissan’s best-selling vehicles such as the Nissan Navara, Nissan Almera, Nissan Juke, and Nissan Urvan. Customers will be August 17–19, Friday to Sunday able to take all of these vehicles —SM Cebu out on test drives to discover each August 24–16, Friday to Sunday model’s strengths and capabilities.

ing the brands that we want to be associated with and Subaru is certainly one of them. We highly value their trust and partnership.”

Speaking on behalf of Subaru, Hernandez said, “It is truly a privilege to be in partnership with Pilipinas Shell.

Same with Subaru, we uplift the brand image by providing excellent service to our customers. We look forward to further propagating our alliance in the years to come.”

Car purchases made with Subaru will be given an efficient head start for their journeys with a Shell Welcome Kit containing Shell Fuels and Shell Select and Deli2go vouchers.

It also comes with a Shell Motorist Guidebook containing tips for effective car maintenance and worry-free travels.

Subaru recommends the Shell V-

Power fuels line developed by Shell’s remarkable global team of scientists.

Now with DYNAFLEX technology, Shell’s most advanced fuels are designed to provide high-quality performance and efficiency for different kinds of driving occasions.

By providing quality fuel products and services to motorists around the world, Shell gained its foothold as a global leader in power and energy that pioneers next generation technology in developing new energy sources for a reliable energy mix, producing smarter products and promoting its smarter use. Shell continuously builds smarter infrastructure, providing energy efficient engineering solutions that ultimately promote clean and efficient transport, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and a new energy feature to address the energy challenge.

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

C4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2018

‘KONA

H

MOMENT’

YUNDAI Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines, had its own ‘Kona Moment’ as the brand experienced its best performing month in 2018 thus far. July sales amounted to 3,279 units, the second time the brand has breached the 3,000 limit for 2018; 8.8% less from the 3,594 units sold in July 2017.

This puts the total January to July 2018 sales to 19,236 units, a marginal decline of 8.2% from the same period of the previous year. Segment results show the Passenger Car (PC) segment has slowdown by 14.5%.

The Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment continued to take center stage as the brand’s growth driver. The LCV segment increased by 6.2% as the introduction of the New Kona, HARI’s Sub Compact SUV model, contributed to 13% of the overall sales for the month of July.

The PC segment maintains the bulk of units sales for the brand by accounting to two-thirds of the total vehicles sold in the market from January – July 2018. Led by the Eon and Accent, the two name plates remain to be top sellers in their own subsegments; with the Accent sitting mightily in the top 3 of the Industry’s Passenger Car Segment.

The Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) segment owned the remaining one-third of the brand’s vehicle sales. Driven by the Kona, Tucson, and H-100, the LCV segment has maintained an upward growth tra-

jectory in both the Year-to-Date and Year-on-Year measures; 6.2% and 58.3% respectively.

Sales and Economic Outlook The Philippine economy is still at its transitory phase as a result of all the reforms rolled out by the current administration. A continually rising inflation, the devaluing of the local currency, increasing world oil prices, and the excise put on automotive vehicles have influenced the market to hold on to their purchase of bigticket items. Optimistic expectations, however, continue to take hold as the economy is likely to pick-up the pace in the second quarter of 2018.

Demand-side factors such as positive business and consumer confidence and the increasing investments of the current administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program would be enough to balance out any perceived negative outcomes in the economy.

Hyundai continues to endure as the brand remains buoyant amidst the disruptions faced by the industry.

We expect transitory effects begin to fade the sale of automotive vehicles to stabilize in the coming months as these.

‘‘

In the midst of all the uncertainty faced by the automotive industry, Hyundai has proven itself to weather the odds with its strong start in the second half of the year.

Expect more to come for the rest of 2018 as we will not let this ‘Kona moment’ pass us by.

—Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI President and CEO

Oh My Gas! Seaoil promo redux SEAOIL, the largest independent fuel provider in the Philippines, will award another four lucky motorists with a lifetime supply of free gas. The “Lifetime Free Gas, Oh My Gas!” promo, still the only one of its kind in the world, has kicked off for the second year in a row.

“Last year’s ‘Lifetime Free Gas’ promo was so successful, and was received so well that we decided to run it again this year.

This is not just to thank our loyal customers, but also to celebrate the successes of SEAOIL over the past years,” said SEAOIL CEO Glenn Yu. SEAOIL is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Apart from a lifetime sup-

ply of gas, SEAOIL customers can expect to win over 100,000 instant prizes through peeloff cards. Thirty (30) P10,000 worth of SEAOIL gift cards will also be raffled off in the monthly draws.

To qualify, a customer must gas up at least P500 worth of Extreme 97, Extreme 95, Extreme U, Extreme Diesel fuels and/or SEAOIL Lubricants at any SEAOIL station nationwide.

Customers can double their chances of winning if they register at www.lifetimefreegas.com.

This year, the company also announced new brand influencers, true SEAOIL believers who bring credibility and recall to the brand. They are international car

racer Marlon Stockinger, TV host and radio DJ Joyce Pring, and Atoy Llave, founder and owner of A-Toy Customs, the leading car customizer in the Philippines.

SEAOIL has also forged a strategic partnership with independent fuel company, Caltex Australia in support of the company’s plans for growth in the next five years. CAL is a 100% publicly-owned company in Australia and does not share any ownership with the local Caltex.

The “Oh My Gas” promo runs from August 18 to November 18, 2018. Winners of this year’s promo will be determined via three monthly draws on September 19, October 19 and November 29.

Next-gen Starship: Hyper-efficient truck SHELL Lubricants and AirFlow Truck Company have unveiled a new hyper fuelefficient truck dubbed the Starship.

The next-generation vehicle was designed and built by the companies with the aim of demonstrating what is possible in reducing energy demand in freight transportation. It uses currently available technologies to minimise the amount of energy it takes to transport a load of cargo from one point to another. The truck is currently on public display at the Shell Make the Future California event at the Sonoma Raceway.

“We seek projects such as the Starship initiative to keep Shell at the leading edge of technology development and energy efficiency. Working with AirFlow Truck Company and other suppliers gives Shell Lubricants the opportunity to align with innovative companies to explore what is really possible in fuel efficiency” says Robert Mainwaring, Technology Manager for Innovation, Shell Lubricants. “ Tr a n s p o r t accounts for more than one quarter of the world’s total energy use and one-fifth of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions: 72 % of which is attributable to road transportation of which trucks make up a significant part. Increasing efficiency and fuel economy in the commercial transport sector could therefore make considerable progress to help reduce emissions.”

With new fuel economy regulations on the horizon across the globe and the need for continuing advances in fuel economy, Shell Lubricants recognises that a holistic approach to making advances is important.

However, obtaining significant fuel economy improvements in heavy duty trucks is a challenging process given the size and construction of a tractor and trailer and it is an area which has not had much focus in recent decades.

“Shell firmly believes that collaborative, co-engineering, relationships are essential to the effective reduction in emissions and enhancements in efficiency and have developed such co-engineering relationships with several world leading OEMs,” said Mainwaring. “The relationship with the AirFlow Truck Company and other suppliers to build the Starship Project is part of a collaborative process led by Shell that encourages coengineering, and has resulted in a truck that will be used to challenge how trucking efficiency is defined. In recent years, we developed a concept car which explored the role that light weighting, streamlining and lubrication played in personal transport. Starship is the Shell Concept Car’s equivalent for

freight transport.”

Shell provided technical consultation on engine and drivetrain components, as well as recommendations for lubricant needs for use in the Starship Project truck. The truck is using Shell’s next generation, low viscosity, fully synthetic heavy duty engine oil. The use of fully synthetic base oils, plus advanced additive technology provides protection against wear, deposits and oil breakdown.

“As the leader in heavy duty lubricants we have a responsibility to the industry beyond simply our products. That’s why I’m so proud of this collaboration with AirFlow Trucking—which provides a unique opportunity to explore ways to improve fuel economy in transport application. Moving forward, we need creative solutions to the world’s energy challenge such as Starship that will benefit our customers, drivers and the wider world for years to come” says Chris Guerrero, Global Brand Manager, Heavy Duty Lubricants Ahead of its first public display at the Shell Make the Future event in Sonoma, the companies continued to fine tune the truck. In May 2018, Shell and AirFlow Truck Company demonstrated the performance of the Starship on a US coastto-coast drive: beginning in California and ending in Florida. The truck carried the maximum viable amount of freight within the allowed gross vehicle weight of 80,000lbs/36,287kgs.

The lessons learned from the Starship Project are globally relevant. The trucking sector worldwide is united in the challenge to “go further with less,” to reduce fuel consumption while maximising load, both in pursuit of lower costs and to meet fuel economy regulations. The truck operates with modern Class 8 engine technology, the demands of which are replicated worldwide; higher temperatures, mechanical and corrosive wear, minimising deposit build-up and the need for extended oildrain intervals and engine life.

A large selection of innovative technologies to aid (fuel) efficiency are commercially available in many markets around the world, and a range of these was used in Starship. These are therefore solutions that truck owners around the globe can readily implement to realise benefits in their own vehicles. The Starship project is one step in the journey to target the world’s global energy challenge; a journey that will benefit the trucking sector directly and the wider environment.

The Starship Project truck is powered by a 6-cylinder engine with 400 horsepower and 1850-foot pounds of torque/2,508 newton metres. The standard engine has been calibrated with the transmission to run at very low speeds and down to 800 rpm. A 5,000-watt solar array on the trailer roof charges and stores power in a 48- volt battery bank , and is sufficient to power the normal truck loads such as lights, wipers, blower motors, gauges, air conditioning and heating, microwaves, and other electrical components.