Manila Standard - 2018 September 27 - Thursday

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‘BORA SHUTDOWN, TAX REFORM LED TO LOWER GROWTH’

By Nat Mariano THE Palace said Wednesday the closure of Boracay and the full implementation of the comprehensive tax reform package have contributed to the slower economic growth outlook this year. (Related Story on B1) The statement came as the Asian Development Bank slashed the economic growth outlook for the Philippines from its previous estimate of 6.8 percent to 6.4 percent for 2018, and from 6.9 percent to 6.7 percent in 2019.

VOL. XXXII • NO. 224 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

“We expected this slowdown vis-à-vis our growth target for the year, given that certain policy decisions, such as the closure of Boracay and the full implementation of our comprehensive tax reform package which would benefit the country in the long-run, contributed to the deceleration,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.

Despite the slowdown, he said, the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals were resilient, strong and stable amid the skyrocketNext page ing prices of commodities.

NFA chief caused it all---Palace ‘Singlehandedly triggered rice crisis, inflation, ratings drop’

By Nat Mariano, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

WAR OF WORDS.

HE Palace on Wednesday blamed outgoing National Food Authority chief Jason Aquino for “singlehandedly” aggravating inflation with the rice crisis during his watch, which in turn led to the decline in President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval and trust ratings.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque (left) blames outgoing NFA chief Jason Aquino Wednesday for aggravating what the former describes as inflation with the rice crisis that has gripped the country.

Malacañang Photo, PNA

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“This Jason Aquino, I think he singlehandedly created this problem with rice which has been a contributor to the rising inflation rate. He must be held accountable,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in an interview with radio

Fired-up Trump draws snickers at UN AMERICAN President Donald Trump began his speech before the United Nations Tuesday by bragging about how his administration had accomplished more than any in US history. Next page

Lotto jackpot reaches P765 M THE lottery jackpot for Ultra Lotto 6/58 has jumped to an estimated P765 million, making it the highest jackpot prize in the Lotto history, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan said on Wednesday.

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P765,000,000 WEATHER ‘Paeng’ weakens near Batanes TYPHOON “Paeng”—the 16th weather disturbance to hit the country this year–has slightly weakened on Wednesday as it continued to move north at a slow pace.

In its 4 am forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Paeng” was last observed Next page

dzMM. “If you remember the tête-à-tête of Presidential Chief Legal Counsel [Salvador Panelo], the President said he accepted Aquino’s Next page

2 senators press for SC action on Trillanes arrest

Labor protests: P20-wage hike measly amount

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

By Vito Barcelo

SENATORS Francis Escudero and Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday called on the Supreme Court to act swiftly on the petition of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who has asked the tribunal to throw out President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation No. 572, which revoked his amnesty for rebellion and coup d’etat cases.

“While rebellion is bailable, the crime of coup d’etat is not. Bail, therefore, will not be a matter of right on the part or Senator Trillanes and he can be detained once an order of arrest is issued by the RTC [regional trial court],” Escudero said on his Twitter account Tuesday night.

“I, therefore, urge the SC to act on the petition of Senator Trillanes, one way or the other or, in the alternative, to issue a TRO [temporary restraining order] while the case is pending before them.”

“The right of a person to liberty cannot be made to depend on the Court’s… lack of action on an issue,” he added.

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PRESIDENTIAL PORTRAIT. An unidentified man paints Wednesday a diptych of President Rodrigo Duterte along Antonio Rivera St. in Manila, following a survey by Pulse Asia taken from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7, where he obtained a score of 75 percent, down 13 points from 88 percent in June. Norman Cruz

SC sets aside shading threshold issue

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has set aside the 50-percent threshold being used in determining the validity of the votes in the election protest filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.

The PET made its decision even as

Marcos’ lawyer on Wednesday described as a “non-issue” the 25-percent ballot shading threshold to be used in the recount of the votes between Marcos and Vice President Leni Robredo.

Vic Rodriguez told ANC that the PET was just stating, “as a matter of fact, that apparently the Commission on Elections decreased the threshold from 50 percent Next page to 25 percent.”

THE Alliance of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines slammed the Metro Manila wage board’s decision to grant a P20 per day increase to minimum wage workers in the National Capital Region, saying the “paltry” adjustment would not help them in the face of rising inflation.

“With the kind of extraordinary inflation that we have, it’s demeaning. It’s insensitive. If the wage board will officially announce a P20 wage hike adjustment, the workers will be very angry rather than be happy,” said Alan Tanjusay, ALU-TUCP spokesman.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had announced the wage board decision earlier this week, which was much lower than the P320 wage hike the ALUTUCP sought in July.

Tanjusay said the wage board was becoming irrelevant and obsolete.

“This is not the real change that the President had promised. This is not the

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‘OFWs unpaid

by Qatar’s Lusail’ LONDON—Dozens of migrants, including Filipinos, working on Qatar’s $45 billion World Cup final city of Lusail have gone unpaid for months, Amnesty International said Wednesday, the latest rights accusation against the 2022 tournament host.

Mercury MENA “failed to pay its workers thousands of dollars in wages and work benefits, leaving them stranded and penniless” in the country, according to the London-based rights group.

However in response, football’s governing body FIFA accused Amnesty of being “misleading” and said the nonpayments were not connected to the 2022 tournament.

Amnesty alleges that at least 78 employees from Nepal, India and the Philippines had not been paid since February 2016 and were owed an average of $2,000 (1,700 euros)—for some the equivalent Next page of several months’ wages.

TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS. Educators Hannah Angela Lejano (second from left) from Parañaque City and Ronalyn Quijano (third from left) from San Pablo City, Laguna win Monday the biggest prizes—a brand new house and lot as well as van respectively during the PLDT-Smart Gabay Guro’s 11th Year in paying tribute to teachers held at the Mall of Asia. Also in photo are (from left) celebrity athlete Andrew Wolff; FOTON Philippines executive vice president Ana Parado, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones; GabayGuro chairperson, PLDT SVP & Smart CFO Chaye Cabal Revilla; Edu Manzano; Pops Fernandez; PLDT and Smart Wireless Sales and Distribution head Alex Caeg; PLDT-Smart Foundation president Esther Santos; and PLDT and Smart Marketing head Andrew Santos.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Escudero: Quarrying on-hold bad for economy

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE suspension of quarry operations in the Philippines could worsen the inflation rate in the country, Senator Francis Escudero said Wednesday.

He said a plan by the Environment department to temporarily suspend quarrying in eight regions would only undermine the government’s efforts to bring down inflation.

“Amid the government’s efforts to control inflation, here is a policy decision from one agency that will erase whatever little gains they have achieved at reining it in,” Escudero said.

He warned the government on the effects of the department’s move on commodity prices, particularly construction materials, as it could harm the administration’s infrastructure spending project under the “Build, Build, Build” program.

“The basic problem is this will have inflationary tendencies on cement and aggregates, and will impinge upon the administration’s Build, Build, Build project, not to mention that it’s sweeping and clearly arbitrary,” Escudero said.

News

Duterte critics demolish ’Red October’ ouster plot

By Nat Mariano

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte says the “Red October” plot will not succeed without the help of the military, claiming some soldiers were in cahoots with the opposition in working for his ouster.

“You know, I will only say one thing about this plot: Nothing will succeed without the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Duterte said in Jolo, Sulu, on Monday.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon described as “a discredited fantasy tale taken from a Tom Clancy thriller” the so-called “Red October” plot to oust Duterte.

“This is an old familiar tune and it sounds like a broken record,” Drilon said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan suggested that the President fire those giving him false and manufactured intelligence reports on the alleged destabilization efforts.

“Whoever is giving the President false and manufactured intelligence

reports must be fired,” Pangilinan said in a statement. Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Escudero doubted that the reported destabilization plot would pose a serious threat to the President.

“While it may be frustrating on his part considering how he treats the AFP upon his assumption as president, I think he is politically mature and experienced enough to understand that he cannot have absolute support of all the soldiers and officers of the AFP,” Lacson said in a text message.

Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Wednesday the so-called “Red October” conspiracy to topple Duterte was real.

“If the President believes that there is a threat, he is working from good information. So we should believe whatever [he

NFA...

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Fired-up Trump...

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He was met by audible gasps and giggles, forcing him to pause in his speech and go off-script.

“Didn’t expect that reaction,” he said, “but that’s okay.”

He said it with an awkward laugh, that was met by an even louder round of chuckles.

Trump continued his speech, which lasted for an additional 34 minutes, according to the Washington Post.

“The moment marked a pointed rejoinder from the international community to a president who has delighted in poking traditional US allies and partners in the eye on trade, security alliances and general diplomatic bonhomie,” the Washington Post added.

‘Paeng’...

SPARRING SESSION? Senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao (center) watches as Congressmen Lito Atienza (left) and Manny Lopez crack jokes during a break from the Senate hearing on a bill renaming the portion of Radial Road 10 traversing Bonifacio Drive at Anda Circle up to Marala bridge at the foot of Estero De Marala Station in the city of Manila into Mel Lopez Boulevard. Sonny Espiritu

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at 725 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes. Its wind intensity was 170 kilometers per hour near the center and its gustiness up to 210 kph.

It may bring light to at times moderate rain over northern Luzon and is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Sept. 29.

The weather bureau said Metro Manila and the rest of the country would have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms.

Temperature in Metro Manila ranges from 25-33 degrees Celsius; Tuguegarao City 24-33 degrees Celsius; Baguio City 15-24 degrees Celsius; Angeles City 25-32 degrees Celsius; Lipa City 24-33 degrees Celsius; Metro Cebu 2433 degrees Celsius; and Metro Davao 25-33 degrees Celsius. PNA

Lotto...

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“It was in February 2018 when Ultra Lotto jackpot prize worth P331,971,464 million was won by two lucky persons.

It’s been seven months of waiting. So you can feel the excitement of the people,” he said.

The P765-million jackpot prize will be up for grabs during the Lotto 6/58 draw this Friday at 8 pm The jackpot has surpassed the P741.1million Grand Lotto 6/55 in November 2010 won by a “balikbayan” in Olongapo City, Zambales.

While waiting for the 6/58 draw this Friday, Balutan encouraged the gaming public to try buying tickets on other Lottery games such as Super Lotto 6/49 with P60-million jackpot prize and Lotto 6/42 with P35-million jackpot prize.

2 senators...

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Escudero issued the call after Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Elmo Alameda of Branch 150 ordered the arrest of Trillanes for rebellion in connection with the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege. Trillanes has posted bail of P200,000 for his temporary liberty, but has a coup d’etat case before Branch 148 for his role in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny.

On Sept. 6, Trillanes asked the Supreme Court to issue an injunction against his impending arrest, after Duterte revoked

is saying],” Arroyo told reporters.

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said the “Red October ouster plot” “is no less than a fictional scenario being stirred by Duterte and his cabal of militarists to preempt and suppress the people’s growing discontent over soaring prices, state-sponsored rights violations and lingering corruption in the bureaucracy.”

Duterte said the country’s military and police forces could easily talk with him if they deemed he was unfit to continue being President.

But he said he was hurt to find out that some soldiers were in cahoots with the opposition in a plot to oust him.

“It was painful because those from the Liberal Party, and even some people in the military, are communicating with the rebel soldiers,” Duterte said.

“I can’t understand where their loyalty lies,” the President said as he visited the wounded soldiers at the Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital.

“That’s my resentment toward those soldiers. I won’t mind if they get mad at me. That’s nothing. But to be in cahoots with the enemy? With Macon RamosAraneta and Maricel V. Cruz

SC...

Marcos is contesting Robredo’s victory in the 2016 vice presidential election, claiming her camp had cheated.

The PET, through Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, partially granted the motion filed by Robredo asking it to abandon its earlier ruling in favor of the 50 percent shading threshold over the 25 percent threshold that was used by the Commission on Elections during the 2016 election.

“After assiduously going through the parties’ comments and arguments, the Court herein resolves to partially grant the subject motion insofar as setting aside the use of 50 percent threshold in the revision proceedings is concerned,” the PET ruled.

The PET also decided to set aside the use of the numerical threshold in segregating votes and instead ordered the revisors to refer to election returns generated by the vote-counting machines in the 2016 elections.

The ER is a document in electronic and printed form directly produced by the VCM showing the date of the election, the province, municipality and the precinct in which it was held, and the votes in figures for each candidate in a clustered precinct where the VCM was used.

Under the new guidelines, the segregation and classification of ballots will be done by referring to the ERs generated by the machines in the elections.

“In this way, the reading of the VCM is mimicked and verified/confirmed. Also, in using the ERs generated by the VCMs used in the 2016 elections and not merely adopting a specific threshold, the Tribunal’s revision procedure will be more flexible and adaptive to calibrations of

the voting or counting machines in the future,” the PET said.

Any issue on the segregation and classification of the ballots by the ER will be resolved by the assigned revision supervisor based on the guidelines set by the Tribunal.

After the revision process, the PET said, all objections and claims by both parties will be resolved by the tribunal during the appreciation stage, taking into consideration the intent of the voters.

“The Tribunal understand that there are instances where the ERs are not included in the documents inside the ballot boxes. Thus, in the absence of the ERs inside the ballot boxes, the HRs shall use the certified true copies of the Ers, which the Tribunal is already in the process of obtaining from the Comelec,” the PET said.

Nonetheless, the high court defended its earlier decision for a 50-percent threshold in determining the validity of votes.

According to the tribunal, it never received any documents from the Commission on Elections to back Robredo’s claim that the poll body adopted the 25 percent threshold through Comelec en banc Resolution 16-0600 prior to the commencement of the revision proceedings that started on April 2, 2018.

In fact, the PET noted, the Comelec merely submitted the Random Manual Audit Guide where it uses the 25 percent threshold.

“All told, there was no legal basis for the Tribunal to amend the 2010 PET Rules, particularly on the revisions of ballots. The RMA guidelines of the Comelec, which pertain to an entirely separate and distinct activity as the Comelec itself acknowledge, do not suffice,” the PET said.

the amnesty granted to him by President Benigno Aquino III in 2011.

He failed to get immediate relief from the Court, however, which paved the way for the issuance of arrest order against by Makati RTC Branch 150.

Lacson, meanwhile, said only the Supreme Court can decide whether Trillanes IV should face a military court even as a civilian.

“How could a sitting senator who has resigned in the Armed Forces of the Philippines be considered a member of the AFP and face the court martial proceedings? It’s quite confusing,” Lacson said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“And it’s only the Supreme Court eventually or finally [that] can interpret if it’s right or wrong,” he added.

He said he does not believe efforts to put Trillanes in jail have any connection to the alleged destabilization plot against the Duterte administration.

“As it is, the Trillanes episode came ahead of the oust plot issue. I don’t see any connection,” he said.

Detained Senator Leila de Lima said that under ordinary times, the decision of the Makati RTC resurrecting the rebellion case of Trillanes would be extremely unusual. But these, she said, are not ordinary times.

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resignation because he will no longer be able to handle it. So, I know he’s gone. But I was surprised someone told me yesterday that he’s still sitting at the NFA Council,” he said.

“He should be relieved. That’s why I said the deputy administrator must be the one to lead until General [Rolando] Bautista becomes the NFA administrator,” he said.

“My point is, his resignation has already been accepted, so why does he still attend the NFA Council [meeting]?” Roque added.

In a press briefing Tuesday, Roque said he would file charges against Aquino if no one else would do it. However, he clarified that charging the ex-NFA chief of technical malversation is not enough as evidenced by then-President Benigno Aquino’s case with the Disbursement Acceleration Program.

“It must be graft and corruption because [of the] damage to both government and the public,” he said.

Roque said Duterte made it clear that whoever cannot deliver government service must not only be fired but also be held liable.

The chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, meanwhile, welcomed moves by the NFA Council to improve its local palay procurement efforts by raising the buying price of palay to P20.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, the panel’s chairman, said the NFA Council’s plans to provide incentives to rice farmers by increasing the buying price of palay would allow it to purchase palay from local farmers and shore up stocks of NFA rice.

Nograles’ statement was in response to the statement of Agriculture Secretary and NFA Council Chairman Emmanuel Piñol that the NFA Council had approved the provision of incentives to rice farmers selling their palay to the government.

“The buying price of NFA remains at 17 pesos per kilo, but we will come up with incentives that when quantified would reach 20 pesos per kilo,” Piñol said in a news briefing following his first meeting with the NFA Council.

Piñol announced that the NFA would give transportation incentives to farmers who would sell their crops to the government. They will likewise be entitled to receive farm equipment.

These developments are proof, Nograles said, that President Duterte made the right move by giving jurisdiction of the NFA to the DA via Executive Order 62.

Signed on Sept. 17, EO 62 also reorganizes the NFA Council, designating the secretary of Agriculture as NFA chairman.

“I agree that the NFA should be returned

Dozens feared buried in Naga landslide site SIXTY people died from a landslide in Naga City in Cebu, its disaster office said Wednesday as the search for the dozens more who may have been trapped under soil and rocks entered its seventh day.

The landslide struck Sitio Sindulan in Tinaan village after heavy rain on Thursday morning, burying dozens of houses near a quarry site.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat on Wednesday appealed to the government and private sectors for more assistance to the families of the miners who died in Itogon, Benguet, and of whom many were from Ifugao and the sole breadwinners.

Baguilat started the campaign for help for the missing immediately after it was known that scores of miners were killed in the landslides caused by the heavy rain from Typhoon “Ompong” that battered Northern Luzon.

Authorities were still searching for 28 missing residents in Naga City, Cebu’s disaster office head Baltazar Tribulano told DZMM radio.The searchers were also on the lookout for rain that could trigger fresh landslides as the slopes remained loose, he said.

With PNA to the DA so that the needs of farmers can be addressed. Our farmers have many needs, and the NFA is one of the agencies involved in providing support to our farmers,” he added.

While Nograles lauded the additional incentives given to rice farmers, he reiterated his recommendation for the NFA Council to increase the buying price of palay to P22 a kilo.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, meanwhile, said he wants to ensure that the poor get priority in the distribution of affordable NFA rice, after the government moved to make the grain available in supermarkets.

He said the intention of the government to expand the outlets for NFA rice was good.

“But because the supply of NFA rice is limited and commercial rice costs so much, we need to make sure the poor, who eat only once or twice a day, benefit from these moves,” he said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said small farmers need an affordable system of certification for organic products.

Villar said “farmers find the cost of third party certification with the tag price ranging from P42,000 to P150,000 per crop, valid for only one year to be exorbitant.”

“This amount is way beyond the purse of small farmers... Only rich farmers or corporations can afford third party certification.

The provision has become a deterrent and disincentive for small farmers comprising a large percentage of the farming population,” Villar said.

To address this, Villar authored Senate Bill 1911 which proposes the establishment of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) as an alternative to third-party certification.

PGS, which will only cost farmers P600 to P2,000, is built on trust and integrity of farmers and consumers who conduct the certification process themselves through adherence to certification standards, guidelines, regulation and processes, similarly observed by third party certification.

Also on Wednesday, the Bureau of Customs denied there was rice hoarding in Mindanao sub-port.

In a statement, the BOC said rice shipments at the sub-port of Mindanao Terminal, Misamis Oriental, were being released without delay even though only one X-ray machine was operating.

“We would like to set the record straight that there was no instance at this sub-port of alleged hoarding of rice,” said Port of Cagayan de Oro District Collector Floro Calixihan Jr. President Duterte had earlier instructed the Department of Agriculture to go after rice hoarders and smugglers.

Labor protests...

not,” he said.

Tanjusay said the wage boards in From A1 Western Visayas and Davao region have increased the daily wage rates at P40 and pagbabago that you and I and this P56 respectively to enable workers in the administration aspire. Definitely region to cope with rising inflation.

‘OFWs...

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‘Bora shutdown...

In some cases this had “ruined lives,” said Amnesty, which urged the Doha government to pay the workers, some of whom took out huge loans to secure a job in the super-wealthy Gulf state.

One worker, Ernesto, a piping foreman from the Philippines, told Amnesty he was in greater debt after working in Qatar for two years than before he arrived in the country.

Other laborers from Nepal said they had to take their children out of school or sell land to cover debts incurred by working in Qatar.

“By ensuring they get the wages which they are owed, Qatar can help these migrant workers to rebuild their lives,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s director of global issues. AFP

“Per ADB’s updated outlook, the Philippines’ growth remains the second highest in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“Our economic managers are committed to the country’s long-term vision and are swiftly addressing issues affecting our growth prospects to sustain high growth and make it inclusive,” he added.

The GDP forecasts of ADB were below the administration’s annual growth target of 7.0 percent to 8.0 percent for the two-year period.

The Manila-based multilateral bank also revised its inflation forecast to 5.0 percent from 4.0 percent, above the government’s target of 2.0 percent to 4.0 percent.

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News Lakas-CMD party urges members: Come home

By Maricel V. Cruz LIKE Lazarus, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats—the party that propelled Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the highest position in the land, is stirring up and getting ready for resurrection.

All but abandoned by its members, the same politicians who at one time or another won under the party are returning.

This as House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez announced his return to the Lakas-CMD under the leadership of Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) president Martin Romualdez.

Romualdez, the former House Independent Bloc Leader and a three-term congressman of Leyte, is the LakasCMD president while former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. is the party chairman.

“Lakas will be lakas again! [Lakas will be powerful again],” said Suarez.

“I went back to Lakas-[CMD],” he added.

Suarez lost the Lakas-CMD leadership when he lost in the three-cornered race for the minority leader post in the House in the 16th Congress.

Suarez has resigned as president of the United Nationalist Alliance, whose standard bearer, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, lost the presidency to President Rodrigo Duterte.

With his comeback to the then ruling party, Suarez said “I am not surprised if [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] will return.”

Arroyo is currently a member of President Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban.

The former president has yet to be given a significant role in the PDP-Laban although she in effect deposed the PDP-Laban secretary general, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, the position, when she was overwhelmingly elected Speaker a few hours before Duterte delivered his third State of the Nation Address.

Suarez disclosed that his previous party, UNA, replaced him as its party president last week without informing him about the former vice president’s decision.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

CONFERMENT.

The Ateneo de Manila University conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree, honoris causa, on former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario (middle) who is shown with Rev. Father Jose Ramon T. Villarin SJ, president of the university, and Mrs. Gretchen del Rosario. The conferment was given to Del Rosario for staunchly defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, raising the standards of economic diplomacy and proactively ensuring the safety and security of overseas Filipinos everywhere.

PDEA nabs 5 HK nationals linked to drug syndicate

By Rio N. Araja

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HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has arrested five Hong Kong nationals allegedly linked to the 14K or the Hong Kong Triad international drug syndicate operating a kitchen-type shabu laboratory in a condominium unit in Pasay City.

Director General Aaron Aquino led the raid on the Pasay condominium on the strength of a search warrant, and seized 80 kilos of shabu with an estimated value of P544 million and other chemicals and drug equipment after a fourmonth long surveillance.

“We have noticed that they are bringing in big luggages [which we believed stuffed with shabu] inside this condo unit. Our conclusion is that they are smuggling into our country crystalized shabu. They then repackage it here,” Aquino said.

He said the clandestine laboratory could produce 40 to 50 kilos of shabu every week.

PDEA agents conducted a buy-bust operation at Aseana Power Station along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City at around 5 am and nabbed chemists Lam King Wah, 35, and Wong Ka Lok, 38.

The duo yielded two kilos of shabu worth P13.6 million, and 16 liters of chemicals.

Four hours later, the same operatives conducted another operation that resulted in the arrest of Lam Wing

Bun, 52, and Lam Ming Sun, 56, both chemists, in front of the Red Planet Hotel in Manila.

Authorities were able to confiscate from the two arrested Chinese nationals one kilo of shabu worth P6.8 billion.

Another Chinese drug suspect, Lin Hua Sen, 42, was nabbed by the PDEA. Aquino said a probe on how these Hong Kong nationals were able to bring in shabu into the country is ongoing, but said that it was likely that they are using a backdoor entry in Mindanao or maybe into seaports.

He said the Hong Kong nationals are suspected members of the 14K or Hong Kong Triad drug syndicate.

“I would like to highlight that intelligence and information that led to these succesful operations came from our international counterparts from the Hongkong Narcotics Bureau and the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission of China. This is actually a product of our enhanced cooperation and collaboration,” Aquino said.

With PNA

SC rejects Peter PAL earns 4-Star honors from APEX in Boston Lim’s plea to stop By Joel E. Zurbano reinvestigation of drug case

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim seeking to stop the Department of Justice from reinvestigating the drug charges filed against him.

“Acting on the petition for certiorari [with prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction] . . . the Court resolves to dismiss the petition for failure to show any grave abuse of discretion in rendering the challenged order and resolution which, on the contrary, appeared to be in accordance to the facts and the applicable law and jurisprudence,” the resolution stated.

In his petition, Lim assailed the validity of DoJ’s order issued last March creating a new panel of prosecutors to conduct a reinvestigation of the case after the dismissal of the case last December by another panel of prosecutors was met by strong criticisms from various sectors.

Recently, the DoJ found a probable cause to indict Lim on charges of sale, administration, dispensation, trading, delivery and transportation of illegal drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. A case has been filed against him before a trial court which has issued an arrest warrant against him.

Lim is now considered a fugitive after he failed to surrender to authorities.

The businessman asked the SC to nullify the order issued by resigned Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, which effectively voided the resolution that dismissed the charges against him for lack of probable cause.

THE New York-based Airline Passenger Experience Association gave Philippine Airlines a 4-Star Major Regional Airline rating award during a special ceremony held in Boston, USA on Monday.

The new 4-Star honors given by the world-renowned and non-profit airline customer association is the latest in a string of international victories notched by the Filipino flag carrier.

These recognitions include the 4-Star Global Airline certification from London-based Skytrax in February 2018 and a “2nd Most Improved Airline in the World” ranking from the annual Skytrax passenger survey released in June 2018.

The APEX award is the result of a fully “Certified, Validated, Verified” rating program based on passenger feedback on PAL’s overall flight experience in five sub-categories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista dedicated the latest award to the Filipino people and to PAL’s loyal customers, as he accepted the award on behalf of the flag carrier

during the APEX awards ceremony in Boston.

“We are truly humbled by this latest vote of confidence from our valued customers. This new 4-Star APEX award is another victory for the Philippine Airlines team of dedicated professionals, coming after the 4-Star global rating certified by Skytrax earlier this year,” said Bautista in a statement.

Overall ratings were certified by an external audit firm hired by APEX. The association processed verified itineraries that were validated by geolocation from over 50 million verified airline generated itineraries. More than 500,000 flights by passengers from around the world were rated throughout the year ending on July 31, 2018.

“We are extremely proud of the results of our passenger driven Official Airline Ratings program with TripIt,” said APEX chief executive officer Dr. Joe Leader.

“Of nearly 500 airlines rated worldwide, less than 9 percent were rated by their passengers at the highest Five Star Airline level and only the next 14 percent reached the prestigious Four-Star Airline tier,” he added.

The award will spur the legacy carrier to step up its service enhancement program as PAL introduces new aircraft, routes and product innovations.

PAL has begun deploying the sophisticated Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A321neo aircraft on key international routes.

The A350 now operates the nonstop Manila-London route and will inaugurate Manila-New York nonstop flights

by Oct. 29, 2018, marking another milestone (the longest commercial flight ever operated by a Philippine carrier).

The A321neo now serves Brisbane, Sydney and Port Moresby, and will also fly the much-awaited Manila-Sapporo (Japan) route that opens on Oct. 8.

“This new accolade comes with a fresh challenge: We should never rest on our laurels but must always remain focused on our primary role to provide a pleasant and comfortable travel experience for all our passengers, in the air and on the ground. Thus, this latest award as 4-Star major regional airline will inspire us to keep getting better and achieve more until we attain the coveted 5-star status as a prime player in global aviation,” said Bautista.

INC’s ‘Lingap’ outreach drive expands in US’ 2 states ‘LINGAP sa Mamamayan,’ the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s local and internatiotnal outreach program providing free livelihood assistance to needy communities, successfully held two milestone—“Aid To Humanity, Fight Poverty” activities at separate locations in New York and Connecticut, in what the Filipino church called “part of its continuing mission to positively and concretely affect the lives of people and raise human dignity in depressed and needy areas all over the world.”

The latest Aid To Humanity drive last Sept. 14 chose Queensbridge, Long Island in New York City as the epicenter of the humanitarian campaign after it came to the INC’s attention that 48 percent of Long Island’s residents are rent burdened and 19 percent live along

the poverty threshold, thus barely able to scrape a decent living.

“We reached out to the Queensbridge community through the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation by distributing 1,200 goodwill bags. This is just the beginning. We are determined to sustain our assistance efforts in the area and expand to longer-term initiatives such as livelihood programs,” INC general auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. said.

Santos also explained that “poverty is poverty, whether you’re in America, the Philippines or elsewhere” and that the INC’s current drive was to “make even a small dent, through these acts of assistance, in the global fight against poverty.”

April Simpson, president of the Queensbridge Tenant Association, narrated most of the Queensbridge

houses were opened in 1939 and currently provide basic shelter to over 7,000 tenants from all walks of life.

“Positive emotions were received during the livelihood event. Many residents eagerly lined up to receive goodwill bags to lighten their load in basic necessities. We’re all extremely grateful to you [the Iglesia Ni Cristo] for coming out here and giving back to the community,” Simpson noted.

Prior to the distribution of goodwill bags, attendees witnessed a 30-minute INC introduction video focusing on the homegrown Filipino Church’s many outreach projects throughout the world.

Clips included, among many others, images of eco-farming and community settlement projects in Africa and the Philippines.

Stop meddling in my disbarment case, Mayor Sara tells Marquez

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte filed an affidavit opposing the bid of lawyer Midas Marquez to meddle on her disbarment case pending in the Supreme Court.

In an affidavit obtained by Manila Standard, Mayor Duterte filed the affidavit on Sept. 21 which contained the exchanges of messages between her and Bruce Rivera, who is allegedly close to a certain Gemma Sotto, whose son, in turn, works for Marquez.

The affidavit states that Sotto has been trying to reach Mayor Duterte during the first week of September but did not get any reply from the mayor.

Sotto then told Rivera to inform Mayor Duterte that she wants to hand her a Supreme Court document, which is apparently pertains to the mayor’s pending disbarment case.

“I have consistently refused to meet with Gemma Sotto. However, she was able to contact and meet my chief of staff, Atty. Raul Nadela, Jr. on 13 September 2018. During the said meeting, Ms. Sotto informed Atty.

Nadela that she and Atty. Marquez worked together to push Sheriff Abe Andres to execute an affidavit about my case and require the complainants to file a Motion to Withdraw their complaint based on the said affidavit,” the affidavit reads.

Mayor Duterte said that she felt humiliated by the actions of Sotto and Marquez especially since it might have a wrong impression to the public that she was trying to manipulate people to resolve her disbarment case.

“My reputation and honor are very important to me and to cast doubt in it is truly unacceptable. I have patiently waited for the decision of the Supreme Court as I have always maintained from the beginning that I will face the consequences of my actions which have been the subject of the said case,” the affidavit reads.

Additionally, Mayor Duterte said on her affidavit that while the participation of Marquez is only through the words of Sotto, she does not doubt about their connection to each other.

She said that on Aug. 6, Sotto approached her in Malita, Davao Occidental if she has any disagreements or objections with Marquez’s bid for the post of Associate Justice.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the nomination of MR. JESUS SANTOS DOMINGO, Chief of Mission, Class I, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to New Zealand with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and the Independent State of Samoa, with the inclusion of Cook Islands in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty two (32) copies on the above nomination to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 834-2713, 831-1824, 831-0527, 832-9830, 834-2706 and 551-1989.

26 September 2018.

(MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Red October

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

about 1,000 workers to work overtime, paying more than the P1.3 billion that the employees were seeking.

EMIL P. *** JURADO I analyzed the latest Pulse Asia survey of President Duterte. There was a WHEN President Rodrigo Duterte big drop in his approval and trust ratstarted talking about an alleged ouster ings. The same decline also happened plot by the communists, the opposition, to his Cabinet members.

This can only mean that the people the Magdalo group and his critics in are showing signs of discontent, given civil society, I had serious doubts.

I cannot believe that former soldiers the gut issues that they continue to and the Liberal Party could become al- struggle with.

People also do not seem to like minlies with communists. They know too well that the communist agenda is to ions of the President—Harry Roque, Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa oust anybody in power.

So is Red October real, or just part of —so much so that they did poorly in a psy war to divert the people’s atten- they survey for possible winners in the tion from the real ills hounding them? Senate race.

This should be a wake-up call to the Now comes the President claiming that some elements of the military and President and his official family on the police are involved in the plot. I what they should be attending to. *** don’t think it’s likely. This is a presiOne of my friends in the legal profesdent who doubled their salaries and sion asked me to enumerate the legacy gave them more perks.

Mr. Duterte did not identify who of Marcos which I wrote about.

1. The Judiciary Development Find, these soldiers are. But could they be that stupid? They know that no mili- the basis of the financial benefits of the tary action against the President can members of the judiciary 2. The Philipsucceed without a people power compine Amusement ponent. Likewise, and Gaming Corno mass action can poration, an alternative source of succeed without Is it real, or is it a revenue to fund military support. miscellaneous acI have been a distraction? tivities of the govjournalist for nearernment ly 70 years and I have seen a lot.

3. The Export And now I don’t Processing Ausee any coup attempt. So what is the thority to attract foreign investments 4. The Movie and Television Review President talking about?

I think it’s all psy war, meant to dis- and Classification Board 5. The Philippine Coconut Authority tract the people. to develop and enhance coconut pro*** This month I am reminded of the duction and export 6. The Philippine Tourism Authority tragedy that occurred to some 900 7. Laws on socialized housing Customs employees who worked over8. Specialized hospitals like the time. They claimed some P1.3 billion in pay, but this had not been given them Philippine Heart Center, the Lung because the Customs commissioners Center of the Philippines, the Nationappointed by President Aquino did not al Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine Children’s Hospital, pay attention to them.

Some of the 900 have already died among others 9. The establishment of the biggest and many have retired.

They have not gotten what is due oil company now known as Petron 10. A nuclear power plant them despite a September 2013 deci11. Geothermal power plants as a sion by the Supreme Court, penned by Justice Antonio Carpio, that it was the source of energy 12. Exploration and drilling at obligation of the Board of Airline Representatives—an organization of both Malampaya 13. The importance of culture domestic and foreign airlines—to pay 14. Venues for the promotion of arts the employees for the overtime work and culture and the holding of internathey rendered.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, tional conferences.

Marcos issues 2,036 presidential however, the Customs commissioners sided with the airlines. Did they get decrees and out of these only 67 have free tickets to many countries? This is been repealed or amended.

Interestingly, one of the 67 is the law the tragedy.

I know this because the Customs em- on coup d’ etat. ployees sought my help. www.emiljurado.weebly.com What is ironic is that Customs hired

Too much credit

TO THE POINT

A

MAKATI judge issued a warrant of arrest Tuesday against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who on the same day ended his threeweek campout at the Senate, surrendered, had himself booked, and then posted a P200,000 bail.

Trillanes, jailed for his attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration, was granted amnesty by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2011. But President Rodrigo Duterte said the amnesty was null and void.

Judge Elmo Alameda found for the government and said he was convinced that Trillanes failed to file his amnesty application with the Department of National Defense because he failed to pro-

duce copies of the document.

Alameda ignored footage of Trillanes filing the application as well as a certification from former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that amnesty was in fact granted.

The senator is a vociferous critic of Mr. Duterte and his family, whom he had accused of having secret bank accounts and being involved in the illegal drug trade.

But Trillanes was in no way bogged down by his fate. If anything, he sports the look of the crusader, relishing what he says is his persecution. He believes he puts a face to all the President’s critics who are being silenced in one way or another.

Indeed the issue inflates an ego that has perfected—and profited from—the “rebel” mentality.

Despite this, we do not accept the latest Palace spin that Trillanes’ fate was a gift to him be-

cause of the political mileage it generated. Spokesman Harry Roque does not fool us when he says the administration practically did Trillanes a favor.

What is happening with Trillanes was the result of the administration’s propensity to reject all criticism and brand even wellmeaning observers as enemies of the people.

Trillanes was given the opportunity to present himself a crusader anew because of Mr. Duterte’s sensitivity to critics and almost-instinctive tendency to retaliate when other people do not agree with what he does or says.

It’s a tendency that promises to bring more trouble to the President, who should instead be showing us what wonders collaboration and yes, even dissent, could do for a country that struggles to break free from the evils of its past.

Addressing teachers’ woes taking out loans left and right, from wherever they can. And this has been exploited by large banking institutions.

While the law provides that only thrift and rural banks be accredited by EARLY this month, ABS-CBN News the DepEd for purposes of extending featured an exclusive interview of loans to teachers, giant banking instisome teachers who fell victim to the tutions have managed to penetrate the incompetence of some personnel of teachers’ market by acquiring small either the GSIS or the Department of thrift and rural banks, in the process, Education, depending on which side flooding the teachers’ with an abyss of funds for them to avail themselves of. we are to believe.

According to the news, some teach- Legitimate thrift and rural banks have no capacity to compete with this. ers were shocked Unfortunately, to discover that DepEd has acthe loans they obcorded these tained from GSIS thrift banks had since doubled The DepEd should backed by gidue to the failure ant commercial of the government help teachers acquire banks the necesinsurance compa- financial literacy. sary accreditany to collect their tion. monthly amortiBut of course, zation from their even with their salaries.

The GSIS, however, pointed to the vast resources, these titans of the DepEd, blaming the agency for its banking institutions face risks in exfailure to automatically deduct the tending loans to the teachers, courtesy monthly amortization from the teach- of DepEd Circular No. 5.

DepEd Circular No. 5 defines the ers as authorized by law.

Be that as it may, whoever should be order of payment or deduction from faulted, one teacher’s loan of P170,000 a teacher’s payslip, identifying the has doubled to P340,000 due to the in- banking institutions as the least pricompetence and negligence of either ority. And to top it all, DepEd Circular No. 5 ensures provides that in no agencies.

Unfortunately, this is not the only case shall these deductions reduce the problems that our teachers face to- employee’s monthly net take home day. As fellow columnist Gary Olivar pay (NTHP) to an amount lower than pointed out, with teachers, sadly lack- P5,000.

If a teacher receives a monthly salaing in the fundamentals of financial literacy, have become one of the pri- ry of P20,000, she is bound to receive a mary targets of lending institutions, Turn to A5

Disappearing act: What happened to Hong Kong’s Umbrella Art?

By Laura Mannering ILLUMINATED under a spotlight at London’s British Museum, hand-drawn sketches of Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement are part of a new exhibition on dissent that offers a rare glimpse of the artworks produced during the prodemocracy rallies.

The months-long demonstrations, which kicked off on Sept. 28 four years ago, brought parts of the city to a standstill as protest camps took over areas normally clogged with traffic and com-

mercial hustle.

Images of some of the thousands of posters, banners, drawings, sculptures, shrines and caricatures that adorned walls, bridges and roads in the tentfilled camps have been gathered online and in library archives.

But the original works have largely fallen out of view.

With Beijing tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city and fears that freedom of speech is being curtailed through moves such as a ban on a proindependence party and the prosecution

of Umbrella Movement leaders, some feel it is safer to send the art abroad.

Fong So was one of dozens of local artists who sketched the protests and his works are on display as part of the British Museum’s “I Object” exhibition.

He has given his entire collection of more than 100 Umbrella Movement sketches to the museum. A yellow umbrella, symbolic of the protest, printed with the lyrics of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, is also on display at the current show from an anonymous donor.

The movement earned its name after

Turn to A5

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Opinion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Power goals OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ DURING the last week of May, the Luzon grid was placed on yellow alert for three consecutive days due to the high power demand reaching 10,532 megawatts (MW), while the grid’s available capacity is 11,387 MW, leaving less than 1,000 MW as the National Grid Corporation’s operating margin.

This caused unexpected shutdowns and thin power reserves. Previously, the Luzon grid was placed several times on yellow alert—specifically in February and April 2018.

At present, to our understanding, we fall below or possess no power reserves as observed by global industry standards.

Energy officials including Secretary Alfonso Cusi admitted the need for additional capacity. While it is apparent that the country’s power supply problem has been persistent, it is also worsening as the peak power demands during the month of May increase, from 8,304 MW in 2013, 10,054 MW in 2017, and this year with 10,876 MW marking its highest demand to date.

Luzon’s power demand is projected to maintain an upward trend in the following years. Energy officials have noted that the increase in demand came from those areas outside the service of Mer-

alco. This is augmented by the demands from the infrastructure development program by this administration. Given the low operating margin and reserves, it is not impossible that we shall soon face darker nights as power shortage is expected to hit the country.

With the Build Build Build program of this administration, we can address this power supply problem by allowing

We need power plants that will respond to the energy needs of the country without compromising environmental standards.

construction of new power plants that are compliant with standards provided for by our laws.

One promising infrastructure project is the 258USD power plant with 1,200-megawatt capacity to be built in Atimonan, Quezon. To our knowledge, this project has complied with all the legal and administrative requirements.

The Energy Regulatory Commission

has yet to issue a Notice to Proceed, as there are pending protests.

Increasing power supply would decrease the cost of electricity to the benefit of the consuming public. The cost efficiency spreads across the board, covering ordinary Filipinos, small- to large-scale businesses, and the government. This benefit is undeniable.

While we do not disregard the environmental concerns, we cannot be paralyzed by this fear. Technology is available to clean coal emissions. The power plant in Atimonan, to our understanding, is an ultra supercritical power plant. They are the first to utilize HELE—high efficiency, low emissions technology.

Reality check. The transition to an entirely renewable energy structure will take time. An acceptable interim is to allow construction and operation of power plants that produce cheap energy and utilize clean technology. To us, this is a win-win situation as we take steps to implement a 100-percent renewable energy system.

I urge our government officials to have an open mind and consider practical solutions, particularly in light of the rising cost of energy and power shortages experienced in our country. Projects such as the Atimonan Power Plant should be allowed, having guaranteed that these take into consideration the energy needs of the country without compromising strict environmental standards.

The PNP pension problem DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA THE Philippine National Police owe its retirees an explanation.

A few weeks ago, six months of pay differential out of the total of 32 months still owed by the government was released to PNP retirees. The problem is that not all police retirees got the long- awaited money. Only a portion of the retirees were able to receive the extra Christmas bonus of sorts. There seems to be people who are more equal than others.

When former President Gloria Arroyo increased the pay of active police and military personnel, the pay rise for retirees was delayed for a couple of years. This is what is now being paid by the government in tranches but as we can see, it is a very slow process.

Many have already died and if we extrapolate further, it will probably take another five years for the 26 months remaining to be fully paid. To compound the problem, the PNP leadership did not even bother to issue an explanation or say when the rest of the differential pay will be released.

This thing has never happened before. The Department of Budget and Management has always released funds to pay retirees in full. There were stories circulating before the release of this fund that only those members of the PNP retirees’ organization who have paid their yearly dues will be included. It is not known whether this is the case or whether this is just fake news.

At the very least, the PNP leadership should come out with an explanation to avoid rumors and other conspiracy theories from spreading. It is interesting to note that the AFP have settled all back pay differentials for all AFP retirees while the PNP has still 26 months left. I am hoping that it is simply lack of funds preventing the release of the funds and not the PNP using the money for other purposes as

Addressing...

From A4

net take-home pay of P15,000 after taxes, PhilHealth, GSIS and HDMF contributions being first on the list of allowable deductions, are deducted.

Now, if the same teacher has borrowed money from a non-stock savings and loan association or SLA and the monthly amortization is P5,000 and said SLA has secured an authority to deduct, her salary is reduced further to P10,000.

And if that same teacher secured a loan from Land Bank and the monthly amortization is P4,000, that would leave her with only P6,000. But if this teacher got another loan from a private thrift bank and she has to pay P3,000 every month for the loan, the private thrift bank does not get paid. It is because the NTHP threshold is P5,000.

In other words, DepEd Circular No. 5 is designed to protect the teachers from their utter lack of financial lit-

it has happened before. Six months’ pay differential may not seem much to many but with prices of all goods like medicines going up, even a small amount can go a long way to help retirees who need maintenance medicines just to stay alive. *** Although the approval and trust ratings of President Duterte have gone down, the numbers are still the envy of any politician anywhere in the world.

President Trump for instance has an approval rating of about 36 percent and a disapproval rating near 60 per cent. Russian President Putin whose approval rating has consistently been

high also took a hit when he increased the retirement age of Russian men to 65 years and women to 60 years. Since the life expectancy of Russian men is 66 years, it is understandable why the men are protesting against Putin’s pension reform. They will not have much time to enjoy retirement. Chinese leaders of course, do not have to worry about approval ratings.

With all the problem that the country is currently experiencing, it is remarkable that President Duterte can still generate high approval ratings. To top it all, majority of Filipinos support his war on drugs even if thousands have been killed in the process, most of them poor. This is perplexing. Have we changed that much in values?

In spite of the disapproval by the Catholic Church of government methods not to mention the objections of human right groups, people are still lauding the President even in the absence of any independent, verifiable and credible survey that could tell

the public the real state of the drug problem. We have no accurate picture whether we have substantially lessened the problem or not. The public is simply relying on what they read in the papers and the pronouncements coming from the President himself.

Anyway, it is not expected that we will be seeing any policy change in the drug war anytime soon. On the other fronts, like the economy, response to disasters, his ongoing war with Senator Trillanes, peace and order and foreign affairs, his grade—if we have to be objective about it—has got to be mixed. Very good in some and mediocre at best on the others. On the economy for instance, even if our economic managers continue to tell us that inflation is not that big of a problem, the fact remains that the high prices of goods are beginning to hurt the pockets of people. This in the end will be the one that will determine whether the President will stay up there in his last three remaining years or will go down to earth because the economy is beginning to stall.

Right now, exports are flat, our balance of payments deficit is ballooning, and the international reserves are down. The peso is also one of the worst-performing currencies in the region and foreign investment pledges have gone down. All these cannot be ignored and swept under the rug. Yet, the government still wants TRAIN 2 passed and implemented instead of holding it in abeyance to give the people time to recover from what TRAIN 1 has done to their purchasing power.

Most countries in the region have consistently avoided increasing the price of gasoline to avoid inflation and protests from the public. Yet, the government went ahead and increased the tax for gasoline which is now the highest in the region. The President always had the ability in the past to bounce back in his approval rating but if the sky rocketing prices will not start stabilizing real soon, it is going to be hard for the President to recover.

Still, the President should take his 75-percent approval rating any time.

eracy as they fall prey to the numerous lending institutions. It ensures teachers would have at least P5,000 left in their pockets after all those deductions.

Unfortunately, as the giant commercial banks have found ways to run around the law in seeking accreditation from the DepEd for the thrift banks acting as their front, they could also have found way to run around DepEd Circular No. 5.

According to bank insiders, Unionbank is reportedly on the brink of reaching an agreement with the GSIS, allowing the latter to intervene and refinance the teachers’ loans. Reportedly, GSIS will assume all the teachers’ loans extended to them by Unionbank.

With GSIS now serving as the teachers’ creditors, the loans could now be paid as GSIS happens to be among the top priorities when it comes to deductions from the teachers’ salaries, thereby defeating the purpose of DepEd Circular No. 5.

This is not to say that teachers should be encouraged to renege on their loans

particularly those extended by private thrift banks, be the legitimate ones or those fronting for large commercial banks.

Rather, as Olivar says, it would be prudent if DepEd (and the GSIS for that matter) would help in re-educating the teachers in matters of financial literacy, and help them avoid falling prey to the numerous lending institutions hounding them.

And as the country celebrates this month of September in their honor, no more propitious reward can be given these teachers other than according them such opportunity. *** Thanks for the heads up. Dear friend Faith Bacon called my attention to my last column to straighten up some information which I had missed. First, she said the Lopezes had divested of their interests in Maynilad since 2007.

And albeit delayed, the Lopezes had also been addressing the West Tower pipeline leak.

My sincere apologies.

Are there retirees who are more equal than others?

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

How Taiwan developed a strong export trade Trade and Industry—take a leaf out of the strategy that Taiwan implemented in order to develop a world-competing export trade. The strategy was born RUDY ROMERO almost immediately after the Chiang Kai-shek group fled to that island in ONE gets the feeling, when reading 1949. their observations regarding this counThe first thing that the Chiang-led try’s current economic malaise, that Nationalist government did was to enits economic managers believe that gage the services of SRI (Stanford Rethe increasingly worrisome merchan- search Institute) to develop an export dise trade imbalance is a problem that trade plan for Taiwan. will eventually just go away. They are In line with its reputation as a firstwrong. The problem is not going to go rate research institution, SRI immeaway anytime soon, with all the dire diately set about doing an inventory implications of that for the BOP (bal- of all the island’s resources, particuance of payments) and the external larly its manpower and natural revalue of the peso. sources. SRI’s approach was guided The principal reason why the current by a philosophy consisting of two merchandise trade imbalance is unlike- parts, namely, (1) making the best ly to dissipate in quick fashion is that of use of what resources were available the four export groups—the Big Four in Taiwan and (2) knowing what re—that the Philippines used to be able to sources it would have to bring into the depend on, only one, coconut products, island. The inventory revealed that is still there. The other three are gone long-neglected Taiwan was not withas export-trade prime movers. The first out resources and that, with governto go was wood products; the ban on ment guidance and assistance, many log exports enactnew industries, ed several decades most of them ago put an end to small, saw the such exports. The light of day. One instability of the of the potential The first thing copper concenindustries that trates market, oc- that the Chiang-led SRI spotted for casioned by the Nationalist government development was rise of substitute did was to engage the a shipbreaking raw materials, industry: old vesknocked out min- services of Stanford sels were brought ing products as Research Institute to into Taiwan’s a leading source harbors and there develop an export trade of export trade broken up, the revenues.

And plan. dismantled parts the termination recycled into new in 1974 of the Taiwan-built vesLau rel-La ngley sels or exported.

Agreement, with To borrow a its large, preferential-price for Philip- tired, old phrase, the rest is history. pine sugar, wrote finis to the major role Taiwan slowly but painstakingly built a of sugar as a Big Four export product. world-class merchandise export trade.

The fact is that this country’s export Their achievements would not have system has experienced a structural been possible without steadfast handshift. The Philippines has ceased to be holding on the part of the government. essentially an exporter of merchandise. Government was a true partner of the Today it is primarily an exporter of la- Taiwanese private sector in that gamebor, either totally (as in Overseas Fili- changing endeavor. pino Workers) or partially (as in semiIn this country the government has conductor manufacturing and other largely limited itself to providing fisassembly-type production o perations). cal and other incentives to potential The economic managers—the Sec- investors, whether these are or are not retary of Trade and Industry in par- located in facilities provided by PEZA ticular—should stop glossing over (Philippine Export Zone Authority). the trade-deficit problem and conduct The government ought to emulate the a searching review of the economic Taiwanese export development model. landscape, with a view to determining Does the government have to engage where the new export industries will the services of SRI or a similar institube coming from. It is simply no longer tion to get this country out of its tradeenough to provide fiscal incentives deficit quagmire? It doesn’t. The Deand believe, as in the film “Field of partment of Trade and Industry (DTI) Dreams” that “If you give them incen- has the resources to do the job. All that tives, they will come.”

DTI has to do is to get off its backside I strongly suggest that our economic and begin to deploy determination and managers—especially the Secretary of creativity.

BUSINESS CLASS

Disappearing...

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protesters used umbrellas to defend against police tear gas on Sept. 28.

“I consider the collection of sketches a documentation of a piece of contemporary history. So, it’s good to see it enter a museum”, Fong told AFP. He describes the political situation in Hong Kong as “more and more suffocating” and says he plans to send away other politically sensitive works.

Alvin Wong, founder of Hong Kong’s Urban Sketchers group, brought together hundreds of sketches by 31 artists in a book entitled “Sketches under the Umbrella”, published in 2015.

“All these sketches belong to Hong Kong people. We shouldn’t keep them in our own sketchbooks. We have to tell everybody what we saw,” Wong told AFP. He has sent copies to libraries around the world, mainly in the United States, and says only a few bookstores in Hong Kong would stock it.

Politically sensitive titles have been steadily removed from many city bookshops, particularly since the disappearance in 2015 of five booksellers— known for publishing gossipy accounts of China’s political leaders—ho resurfaced in custody on the mainland.

In storage Although Umbrella art and memorabilia were part of local exhibitions soon after the movement, the largest trove is now in storage at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) library, where the public can only view it as a digital catalogue.

The majority of works were donated by artists and activists who rescued them from the protest camps to create the Umbrella Movement Visual Archive.

The library collection ranges from scrawled slogans on placards to bags, jewellery, kites and sculptures, reflecting the fact that the public, not just accomplished artists, created the ad hoc landscape that became a hallmark of the movement.

But the whereabouts of some major

pieces, including the famous 12-foothigh (3.6-meter) wooden “Umbrella Man” statue, remain a mystery.

Artist Sampson Wong, co-founder of the visual archive group, said they handed over the collection because they lacked the funds and manpower to preserve it.

The library is a “reliable institution”, Wong told AFP, adding: “It preserves a part of the movement that in some years could be overlooked.”

With the democracy camp still on the back foot after the protests failed to win political reform, there is little appetite among activists to mount a public exhibition of the works.

And with concerns over the erosion of freedoms, some who created or collected pieces may prefer to keep them to themselves, says Clarisse Yeung, cofounder of the visual archive, and now a district councilor.

Online photo collections like the wide-ranging Umbrella Movement Art Preservation Facebook page, put together by Hong Kong artist Kacey Wong, also provide a shareable digital resource.

But some feel the physical works should go on show once more.

Oscar Ho, associate professor of Practice in Cultural Management at CUHK, says Hong Kong’s new governmentfunded art museum M+ should devote a gallery to the artworks.

“It’s like the whole world is interested except the institutions of Hong Kong,” says Ho, who has delivered lectures globally about Umbrella art.

M+ told AFP it was still “carefully evaluating this recent past” and would not currently consider Umbrella Movement works for its collection.

Hong Kong-born academic Dan Tsang, a former visiting Fulbright scholar at CUHK researching how to archive protest culture, says he is concerned that works not yet gathered from the public may be thrown away or sent out of the city.

“I think people like to touch and see the real thing, the actual artwork—it’s different from just looking at a digital image on a computer screen or phone,” he said. AFP

News

A6

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 Standard mst.daydesk@gmail.com TODAY Manila

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Former QC prosecutor meted out 2 years jail Investigation found that Navales actually received P103,000 from De A FORMER Quezon City prosecutor Leon in three tranches.

Navales, in his defense, admitted who demanded P100,000 from a private complainant was sentenced by the having received the money but clariSandiganbayan to two-years imprison- fied that it was merely a loan from De ment, but he will not spend a single Leon.

However, the court did not believe minute in prison.

The antigraft court’s Fifth Divi- Navales’s defense because he met De sion, in a decision, found former Leon less than a month before the Assistant City Prosecutor Edgar Na- money was handed out to him and vales guilty of graft and meted out to he failed to present any document him a minimum prison term of six showing proof of the loan.

Navales said he was willing to remonths and one day to a maximum of two years, four months, and one turn the money to De Leon as soon as he has the funds and denied allegations day.

The court also ordered HIM to of bribery.

In addition, the anti-graft court pay a fine of P200,000 and to suffer a “special temporary disqualification,” questioned the propriety of a city meaning he can not seek government prosecutor borrowing money from a Republic of the Philippinesperson with a pending complaint in employment forPROVINCIAL about six month from GOVERNMENT OF ORIENTAL MINDORO P r ov i n c i a l C a p i t o l C o m p l ex , Calapan City 5200, Mindoro office. the day the decision becomes final and hisOriental BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE “It is simply implausible that of executory.

Thus, Navales will not serve time in all the financing that the accused TO BID could secure, he innocently chooses jail since he is qualified to IBINVITATION seek probaNO. CW-2018-193 Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy.

Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental one from a Mindoro person who has a tion, his sentence being less than six to get 1. The Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro (PGOM) through the pending FY 2018 Generalcase Appropriation Act under the Any person before him. years imprisonment.

General Fund 2018 intends to apply the sum of Fifty Nine Million Two Hundred Forty Six Thousand One Hundred Eighty Eight Pesos & 85/100 (Php 59,246,188.85) being the approvedof Budget forright the Contract (ABC) would to payment comprehend the mind Court records indicate that Navales under the contract for Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy. Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid money opening. the solicited from the demanded P100,000 from a certain that 2. The PGOrM now invites bids for Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy. complainant the promise of Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. in Completion of the Works is four hundred ninety eight days includes (498 days) including Reynaldo de Leon, exchange for a curing period. Bidders should have completed within ten (10) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a a favorable resolution of his case in single completed contract similar to the Project worth at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible favorable resolution of the complaint bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. return,” the Sandiganbayan said. the latter had fi led.

Item No. DESCRIPTION Qty/Unit

By Maricel V. Cruz

I Billboard II Temporary Facilities III Embankment w/ Spreading & Compaction IV Lay-out V Structure Excavation & Backfill VI Foundation Fill w/ Compaction Republic the Philippines VII Reinforcingof Steel VIII Concrete Works JUDICIAL REGION NATIONAL CAPITAL IX Masonry Works (CHB) REGIONAL TRIAL X Cement Plaster Finish COURT XI Steel Truss119, Pasay City Branch XII Pre-Painted Metal Roofing Ceiling XIII SHIGETO Drainage Canal w/ Catch Basin XIVTOMINAGA, Tileworks w/ Conc. Topping XV Petitioner, XVI Plumbing -versus-XVII CASE CesternCIVIL Tank (3m x 3m NO. x 2m)R-PSY-18-30736-CV XVIII Fab. Installation of window grill & Railings AUTINAXIX V. QUILANTANG, OFFICE OF Doors & Windows XX REGISTRAR ElectricalOF Works THE CIVIL PASAY XXI Painting CITY, THE XXII CIVIL REGISTRAR Water System GENERAL

1.00 unit 1.00 unit 2400 cu.m 2136 sq.m 453 cu.m 43 cu.m 115,295 kgs 728.00 cu.m 3,084.00 sq.m 5,459.00 sq.m 57,681.00 kgs 2,020.00 sq.m 1332 sq.m 1.00 lot 534.00 sq.m 1.00 lot 2.00 units 1090.00 sq.ft 1.00 lot 1.00 lot 1.00 lot 2.00 units

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Accident delays MRT-3 operations along EDSA A

N ACCIDENT involving maintenance vehicles of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 caused delays on its operation Wednesday morning, officials said.

The MRT-3 management said two unimogs or maintenance service vehicles accidentally collided between Buendia and Guadalupe stations while doing maintenance works on its electrical system and tracks.

“Due to the accident, the insertion of trains which usually begins at 4:30 am

only started at 5:30 am,” the management said in its advisory.

The collision of the two unimogs caused injuries to six MRT personnel, officials said.

The MRT started its operations with eight trains inserted to the railway line as of 6 am.

“MRT-3 started passenger operations with the first train being only in Cubao,” according to the MRT-3. “Additional trains are being inserted and are loading passengers as of this time,” it added.

The Department of Transportation has deployed additional buses to assist affected passengers.

The MRT-3 usually operates from 5:30 am until 11 pm during weekdays. PNA

BI opens new satellite office in Las Piñas City

By Vito Barcelo WITH the significant increase in the number of foreigners in the country, the Bureau of Immigration has opened a new satellite office in Las Piñas City to cater to hundreds of clients in the city that need not go to the main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the opening of the BI Las Piñas Field Office aimed to widen the bureau’s reach, and at the same time pro-

vide convenience to the bureau’s growing clients.

The BI chief said the new field office would also provide all the needs of clients, mostly foreigners, in terms of extending their visas and other legal process that may require them to legally stay in the country.

“Through the years, we have noticed a significant increase of foreigners transacting in our office,” he said, adding, “ there is a need to open new satellite offices in strategic areas, not only in metro Manila

but in nearby suburbs.”

The BI Las Piñas Field Office, along with several other government offices, is part of the Government Service Express, located at the Ground Floor of SM SouthMall.

SM Southmall’s GSE was launched this Monday and was attended by SM and BI’s key officials.

“We are thankful to the management of SM Southmall for providing us space that will help us achieve our goal of providing better and more accessible public service,” said Morente.

Robredo endorses MacalintalStandard for LP senatorial bet Manila

TODAY

AND PHILIPPINE STATISTICS OFFICE. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in Respondents. the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” x----------------------------------------------x Bidding is restricted to Filipino ORDER citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least seventy interest ordated outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Beforefive thispercent Court(75%) is a petition July 8, 2018.

By Rio N. Araja

BAC The petitioner alleged, among othersSchedule that: heof is of Activities legal age, 1. National, Pre-Procurement Conference : September 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at BAC Japanese with address at 5204, Niitomi, Koyama cho, Office Kimotsuki gun, Kagoshima Pre., Japan and thru the undersigned 2.

Advertisement/Posting of IB counsel at Unit 250 Valero Plaza, 124 Valero Street, Salcedo Bulletin Board of the PGOM : September 27, 2018 Village, Makati City and– www.ormindoro.gov.ph respondent Autina V. Quilantang is PGOM Website : September 27, 2018 GEPS Website – www.

September 27, 2018 likewise of legal age, Filipino withphilgeps.net last known address at 8th :Street, Newspaper of General Nationwide : September 27, 2018 Pildera II, NAIA, Pasay City; on August Circulation 1, 1991, petitioner and respondent were married at Pasay City, solemnized by Rev. Pedro 3.

Issuance of Bidding Documents : October 01, 2018-October 22, 2018 P. Rollon; to irreconcilable differences, the parties decided 4. due Pre-Bid Conference : October 08, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at to part ways; they filed a Notification of Divorce in Japan which BAC Office was granted on February 14, 1998; the fact of said divorce was 22, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. at 5.

Deadline of Submission of Bids : October BAC duly entered and recorded in the official Family Register of theOffice 6. issued Opening BidsHead in sealed envelope Cho, Kimotsuki gun, petitioner byofthe of Kimotsuki a) Eligibility Requirements and Technical Proposal : October Kagoshima, b)Pref., Japan, per Certificate of Divorce issued by 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Office: Financial Proposal the Japanese Embassy in at the Philippines; said divorce was October 22, 2018 10:00 a.m. at BACthe Office likewise registered with the Civil Registrar of Manila in compliance 4.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from Bidsthe andmarital Awards Committee of the PGOM and inspect the with the Administrative Order No. 1; and thus, to set Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. of Mondays to Fridays. records straight, he filed this instant petition for judicial recognition 5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested of a foreign divorce and thereafter the cancellation of thebidders from October 01, 2018 to October 22, 2018 from the address below andtoupon payment a non-refundable fee for the bidding documents in the amount of certificate of marriage pursuant Rule 108 ofofthe Rules of Court.

Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 50,000.00).

Finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Electronic Procurement System (Philgeps) same is website herebyofgiven due course and this is shall set for and the the Procuring Entity, provided thatcase bidders payinitial the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not hearing 2018 later thanon theOctober submission18, of their bids.at 8:30 in the morning, at the th session hall of this Court located at 4 Floor, Room 407, Hall of 6. The PGOrM will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 08, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol Justice Building, Harrison Street, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

Complex, Camilmil,F.B. Calapan City, which shall be open to prospective bidders and interested parties. persons interested may haveCapitol any Complex, opposition 7.AllBids must be duly received and by thewho BAC Secretariat, Camilmil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro on or thereto may appear and showA.M. cause, if they have any, whybythe before October 22, 2018 at 9:30 All bids must be accompanied a Bid Security in any of the acceptable forms andpetition in the amount stated ITBgranted.

Claus 18. said should notinbe Bid shall bebe on published October 22, in 2018 10:00 A.M. at of BAC Office, Provincial Capitol Complex, Camilmil, Letopening this Order theat newspaper general Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.

Bids will be opened presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to circulation, at the expense of the petitioner, onceina the week for three at the address stated.

Late bidslet shall notOrder, be accepted.

(3)attend consecutive weeks.

Likewise, this together with the 8. The PGOM reservesbe theserved right to reject andOffice all bids,ofdeclare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any copy of the petition, uponany the the Solicitor time prioratto contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability General 134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, to the affected bidder orAuthority bidders. (PSA) at EDSA, Quezon City and Philippine Statistics 9. Local For further please referCity. to: the Civilinformation, Registry of Pasay MR. R. ICAL SO JULIO ORDERED. Head, BAC Secretariat September 6, 2018, Pasay City.

   

Bids and Awards Committee Office Provincial Capitol Complex (Sgd.) BIBIANO G. COLASITO Camimil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro Acting Presiding Judge Tel. Nos. (043) 286-7120 (043) 286-7447 (MStandard-Sep. 27, Oct. 4 & 11, 2018)

VICE President Leni Robredo on Wednesday endorsed the candidacy of her lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, to join the senatorial race in 2019.

She said Macalintal was in the shortlist of the opposition Liberal Party, where Robredo is the chairperson.

Macalintal is “very deserving,” she said.

“The [mere] fact that he is in the shortlist is a vote of confidence from me,” she said.

“All my lawyers know how difficult it is to fight the [legal] battle with [ex-senator Ferdinand] Marcos. That’s why we have to choose someone who will really fight for the truth,” she added.

She said the opposition trusted Macalintal and the others who would be in their shortlist.

But Macalintal said he had not de(SGD) ORLANDO B. TIZON cided BAC ifPGDH-PTIEDO he would join in the senatoCHAIRPERSON rial race.

(MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

CONTINUING PROBE. (from left) Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General, Aaron Aquino, Sr. Supt.

Eduardo Acierto, Customs Deputy Collector for Passenger Service lawyer Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang and Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service agent Jimmy Guban testify in Wednesday’s resumption of the Senate inquiry into the P6.8 billion worth of ‘shabu’ smuggled into the country and the possible lack of coordination among the Bureau of Customs, the PDEA and the PNP. Ey Acasio

Republic of the Philippines PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF ORIENTAL MINDORO P r ov i n c i a l C a p i t o l C o m p l ex , Calapan City 5200, Oriental Mindoro

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID IB NO. CW-2018-193 Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy. Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro 1. The Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro (PGOM) through the FY 2018 General Appropriation Act under the General Fund 2018 intends to apply the sum of Fifty Nine Million Two Hundred Forty Six Thousand One Hundred Eighty Eight Pesos & 85/100 (Php 59,246,188.85) being the approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy. Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. The PGOrM now invites bids for Construction of New Provincial Jail Center and Facilities (Phase II), Brgy.

Pag-asa, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. Completion of the Works is four hundred ninety eight days (498 days) including curing period. Bidders should have completed within ten (10) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single completed contract similar to the Project worth at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Item No. DESCRIPTION I Billboard II Temporary Facilities III Embankment w/ Spreading & Compaction IV Lay-out V Structure Excavation & Backfill VI Foundation Fill w/ Compaction VII Reinforcing Steel VIII Concrete Works IX Masonry Works (CHB) Republic ofFinish the Philippines X Cement Plaster XI NATIONAL Steel Truss CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION XII Pre-Painted Metal Roofing REGIONAL TRIAL COURT XIII Ceiling XIV Drainage Canal w/ Catch Basin Branch 119, Pasay City XV Tileworks w/ Conc. Topping XVI TOMINAGA, Plumbing SHIGETO XVII Cestern Tank (3m x 3m x 2m) Petitioner, XVIII Fab. Installation of window grill & Railings XIX Doors & Windows -versusCIVIL CASE NO. R-PSY-18-30736-CV XX Electrical Works XXI Painting AUTINA XXII V. QUILANTANG, Water SystemOFFICE OF

THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF PASAY

Qty/Unit 1.00 unit 1.00 unit 2400 cu.m 2136 sq.m 453 cu.m 43 cu.m 115,295 kgs 728.00 cu.m 3,084.00 sq.m 5,459.00 sq.m 57,681.00 kgs 2,020.00 sq.m 1332 sq.m 1.00 lot 534.00 sq.m 1.00 lot 2.00 units 1090.00 sq.ft 1.00 lot 1.00 lot 1.00 lot 2.00 units

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion CITY, THEinCIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL as specified the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known the “Government ProcurementOFFICE. Reform Act.” AND as PHILIPPINE STATISTICS

Respondents.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. x----------------------------------------------x

ORDERSchedule of BAC Activities

1.

Pre-Procurement Conference : September 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at BAC Before this Court is a petition dated July 8, 2018.

Office The alleged, among 2. petitioner Advertisement/Posting of IB others that: he is of legal age, Japanese Bulletin National, with address cho, 27, 2018 Board of the PGOM at 5204, Niitomi, Koyama : September Website – www.ormindoro.gov.ph : September 27, 2018 Kimotsuki PGOM gun, Kagoshima Pre., Japan and thru the undersigned GEPS Website – www. philgeps.net : September counsel at Unit 250 Valero Plaza, 124 Valero Street, Salcedo 27, 2018 Newspaper Nationwide Circulation : September Village, Makati Cityof General and respondent Autina V. Quilantang is 27, 2018 likewise legal age, Filipino with last known address at 8: thOctober Street,01, 2018-October 22, 2018 3. ofIssuance of Bidding Documents Pildera II, NAIA, Pasay City; on August 1, 1991, petitioner and 4.

Pre-Bid Conference : October 08, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at Office respondent were married at Pasay City, solemnized by Rev.BAC Pedro 5.

Deadline Submission of Bids October 22, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. at P. Rollon; due to of irreconcilable differences, the parties: decided Office to part ways; they filed a Notification of Divorce in JapanBAC which Opening of Bids in sealed envelope was 6.granted on February 14, 1998; the fact Proposal of said divorce was22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Office a) Eligibility Requirements and Technical : October duly entered and recorded b) Financial Proposal in the official Family Register of the : petitioner October issued 22, by 2018 the Head Kimotsuki Cho, Kimotsuki gun, at 10:00ofa.m. at BAC Office Pref.,may Japan, Certificate Divorce issued 4.Kagoshima, Interested Bidders obtainper further informationoffrom Bids and Awardsby Committee of the PGOM and inspect the the Japanese in the Philippines; the A.M. saidtodivorce Bidding DocumentsEmbassy at the address given below from 9:00 4:00 P.M.was of Mondays to Fridays. likewise registered with the Civil Registrar of Manila in compliance 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from October 01, 2018 to October with thefrom Administrative Order and thus, to set the marital 22, 2018 the address below and No. upon1; payment of a non-refundable fee for the bidding documents in the amount of records straight, he (Php filed 50,000.00). this instant petition for judicial recognition Fifty Thousand Pesos of a foreign divorce and thereafter the cancellation of the It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Electronic Procurement System (Philgeps) certificate of marriage pursuant Rule 108 of the Rules ofthe Court. and the website of the Procuring Entity,to provided that bidders shall pay applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not laterFinding than the the submission their petitionofto bebids. sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby given due course and this case is set for initial 6. The PGOrM will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 08, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol hearing Camilmil, on October 18, 8:30 in the morning,bidders at the Complex, Calapan City,2018 which at shall be open to prospective and interested parties. hall this Courtbylocated 4th Floor,Capitol RoomComplex, 407, Hall of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro on or 7.session Bids must beof duly received the BACat Secretariat, Camilmil, Justice Building, F.B. Harrison Street, Pasay City, Metro Manila. before October 22, 2018 at 9:30 A.M. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in any of the acceptable forms andAll in the amount stated in ITB Claus persons interested and 18. who may have any opposition thereto may appear and show theyA.M. have theProvincial Capitol Complex, Camilmil, Bid opening shall be on October 22, cause, 2018 at if10:00 at any, BAC why Office, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to said petition should not be granted. attend at the address stated. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Let this Order be published in the newspaper of general 8.circulation, The PGOMatreserves the rightofto the reject any and allonce bids, declare failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any the expense petitioner, a weekafor three time prior to contractweeks. award inLikewise, accordancelet with Section 41 of RA 9184with and its (3) consecutive this Order, together theIRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. copy of the petition, be served upon the Office of the Solicitor 9.General For further please refer to: Legaspi Village, Makati City, at information, 134 Amorsolo Street, Philippine Authority (PSA) at EDSA, Quezon City and MR. JULIO R.Statistics ICAL Head, BAC Secretariat the Local Civil Registry of Pasay City.

Bids and Awards Committee Office SO ORDERED. Provincial Capitol Complex (SGD) ORLANDO B. TIZON September 2018, Pasay City.

Camimil, Calapan6, City, Oriental Mindoro PGDH-PTIEDO

   

Tel. Nos. (043) 286-7120 (043) 286-7447

(Sgd.) BIBIANO G. COLASITO Acting Presiding Judge

BAC CHAIRPERSON (MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

‘PH short of commitment to IMO’ THE Philippines has ratified only 21 of the 59 different international conventions affecting the welfare of seamen and the shipping industry as a whole, a lawmaker said on Wedneaday.

Speaking during the celebration of Maritime Week, Party-list Rep. Jesulito Manalo of Angkla said that as a full member of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, and a long-time member of the governing IMO Council, “we [the Philippines] have an equal responsibility to adopt and implement, through our own national laws the full range of governing principles that make up the rules by which the maritime industry operates.”

Ironically, seven Filipino seamen were kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria while the country was celebrating Maritime Week.

Five other Filipinos were left unharmed by the pirates who took over the Swiss bulk carrier m/v Glarus.

Unfortunately, Manalo, chairman of the House committee on workers affairs, said, “we have fallen short in this respect having only ratified, as a country 21 of the 59 different international conventions that make up the rules of the sea.”

“And perhaps this is why there is a gap that exists in what we perceive to be compliance on our part, and compliance as viewed by others.

Even within the conventions that we have ratified as a country, the matter of the strict interpretation and full understanding of what a convention means and how it is to be implemented is also a bone of contention across various nation states,” he added. Maricel V. Cruz

Japanese destroyer in Manila THE Philippine Navy will welcome another Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer in the country.

Commander Jonathan Zata, Navy spokesperson, said Murasameclass JS Akebono (DD-108), with its two SH-60K patrol helicopters and 200 officers and enlisted personnel, will be arriving at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor at 8 am of Sept. 27 for a three-day port visit.

“The Japanese delegation is headed by the commander of JMSDF’s Escort Division 5, Capt. Josuke Nakamura. DD-108 has about 200 officers and crew onboard and two embarked SH-60K patrol helicopters,” he added.

The Navy will render a customary welcome ceremony upon arrival of the vessel.

Earlier this month, JMSDF Escort Flotilla 4 docked at Alava Wharf, SBMA, Olongapo City, Zambales for a goodwill visit on Sept. 1-5.

The visiting Japanese ships are the helicopter carrier JS Kaga (DDH184) with five embarked SH-60K patrol helicopters, an Akizuki-class destroyer JS Suzutsuki (DD-117), and a Murasame-class destroyer JS Inazuma (DD-105).

Around 850 officers and crew compose the visiting Japanese delegation headed by flotilla commander, Rear Adm. Tatsuya Fukuda, Capt.

Hideki Mizuta of JS Kaga, Cmdr. Yuki Ochimizu, of JS Inazuma and, and Cmdr. Takeo Kinuyama, commanding JS Suzutsuki. PNA

(MStandard-Sep. 27, Oct. 4 & 11, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Lyceum tries to get back on NCAA track Games Thursday

(Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan) 10 a.m.- LPU vs AU (jrs) 12 nn.- SSCR vs San Beda (srs) 2 p.m.- LPU vs AU (srs) 4 p.m.- SSCR vs San Beda (srs)

WITH its sweep bid spoiled, Lyceum of the Philippines University vents its ire on Arellano University today and tries to close in on a Final Four berth in the 94th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

On the verge of sweeping the elimination round and zooming straight to the finals for the second straight season, the Pirates were hijacked by the overachieving Perpetual Help Altas in a painful 81-83 defeat Tuesday and that burst their sweep bubble.

It also sent LPU to its first defeat after starting the season with a 12game juggernaut.

They would have to start piling up wins again as the Pirates tackle the Chiefs, who possess a 4-8 (win-loss) mark.

LPU coach Topex Robinson, however, said it’s not the end of the world for them.

“We just have to learn from it and try to improve every game,” said Robinson.

With LPU’s streak halted, San Beda now owns the longest active streak this year at six and the reigning titlist is expected to extend it to seven as it squares off with a renewed San Sebastian at 4 p.m.

The Stags, however, have racked up three wins in row capped by an 82-75 win over the Jose Rizal Bombers a week ago, to leapfrog from the bottom to joint seventh with the Mapua Cardinals on 4-9 cards.

And San Beda mentor Boyet Fernandez has a reason to be wary.

“They are playing really well in their recent games and we expect a really tough game,” said Fernandez.

A7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Crash Ryder Cup course for US

S

AINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES—US captain Jim Furyk admits his team are facing a race against time to grow accustomed to Le Golf National as the 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup swings into view.

Furyk counts nine major winners—including a revitalised Tiger Woods—in his 12-man team, but only half of those players have experience of the challenging Albatros course, where precision and control are paramount.

“They are just trying to learn the golf course,” Furyk told reporters on Tuesday.

“I said yesterday, one of our keys, really, would be these three days of prep, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

“I’ve got six guys that have seen the course, six that haven’t.”

Familiarity with surroundings is unlikely to be a problem for European cap-

tain Thomas Bjorn, with Tyrrell Hatton the only member of the team yet to record a top-10 finish at Le Golf National.

“Europe knows this golf course well.

They have played the French Open here,” said Furyk. “We’re trying to figure out the setup and what they have in store for the week. The three days are important.”

Both sets of players completed a full practice round on Tuesday, only 24 hours after the majority touched down following the conclusion of the Tour Championship at East Lake, where Woods clinched his first victory in 1,876 days.

Woods is playing at the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2012, a tie for sixth at this year’s British Open and a runnerup finish at the US PGA Championship convincing Furyk to select him as a captain’s pick.

“I was trying to make the team this year. I was going to be here anyway,” said Woods, who attracted a large following throughout practice.

“At the beginning of the year, Jim asked me to be vice-captain. To have now earned my way on to the team to have not only the vice-captains but all the players who want me on the team, because I was picked; that means a lot to me.

“I felt like I’ve played well enough but I still have gotten the nod from our captain, vice-captain, and as well as the players, and so it just feels great to be

part of this team.”

‘Love and cherish’ His Ryder Cup record makes for sorry reading, a 13-17 record with three halves has seen him emerge on the winning side just once in seven attempts.

Phil Mickelson has fared little better going into his 12th successive Ryder Cup as a winner on only three occasions, but the 48-year-old —the oldest player competing this week—hasn’t lost any appetite for the competition.

“You would think that you would get kind of desensitised to it, but I have come to love and cherish being a part of these weeks even more,” said Mickelson.

“And this week, especially, with the amount of not just talented players, but quality guys that are on our team, being with them has been so special and fun.” AFP

Badala makes mark in PPS Kapatagan tilt

PETE Bandala finally hit paydirt after a pair of strong finishes in Zamboanga Del Norte, upending top seed Wyn Sanchez in the 10-unisex finals to share the spotlight with a streaking Sydney Enriquez in the PPS-PEPP Kapatagan FIRST INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION FIRST INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION age group tennis tournament in Lanao BAC SB 18-005 BAC 18-004 delSBNorte last Monday. who2017-019: lost to Sanchez (Pursuant to Section VI of NEABandala, Memorandum Revised in the (Pursuant to Section VI of NEA Memorandum 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Procedures semis ofBidding the Salug leg andforinElectric the finals Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperativesof IRR-RA 10531 (2017)) Cooperatives IRR-RA 10531 (2017)) the Sindangan stop of the three-stage del COOPERATIVE Norte swing (BISELCO), last month, 1. THE BUSUANGA ISLAND Zambo ELECTRIC 1. THE BUSUANGA ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards got Committee will undertake Alternative back at(BAC) his tormentor with a gutsy through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will undertake Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to submit their Price Alternative Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to 4-2, 1-4, 10-7 victory to claim his first Quotation for the Purchase of the following items: submit their Price Quotation for the Supply and Delivery of Distribution championship in the Group 2 tournaLine Hardwares.

Description Quantity UnitPawnshop ment put up

by Palawansets Lineman’s Climber Set 21 Express Pera Padala.

BISELCO, intends to apply the sum of One million Five Hundred Safety Shoes : Slip resistant, Palawan Oil resistant, Composite toe cap 39 pieces Ninety-Five Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Four pesos (1,595,154.00) The eight-year-old wonder from DiHardhat 39 pieces pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC). Bids polog City later teamed up with Theo Lineman’s Pliers : Induction hardened received in excess with the corresponding ABC shall be automatically cutting edges, diamond serrated jaws, to thwart Marlyn Mesiona and Sanchez be rejected. with built-in insulation crusherVincent Nadal, 33 8-5, in the 10-U piecesdoubles Skinning Knife 33 pieces 2. Any Interested entity may request list of materials through e-mail of the event3presented by Dunlop.

Telescopic Hotstick 35’ pieces address: biselco79@yahoo.com. Bids must be submitted in a sealed Ladder, Fiberglass, 24’ “This kid5 has potentialpieces and it’s inenvelope not later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, Shotgun, Stick, 12’ 3 pieces spiring to see him toughening up folBISELCO Bids and Awards Committee, BISELCO Main BISELCO, intends to apply the sum of ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED lowing setbacks and winning in the cirHeadquarters, Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan.

TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSANDcuit TWO FIVE (PhP1,928,205.00) Include the following eligibility documents in a sealed envelope: putHUNDRED up for young players like him,” pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC). Bids received in Pawnshop president/CEO excess with the correspondingsaid ABCPalawan shall be automatically be rejected. a. Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit Bobby Castro. b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) or TIN Card 2. Any Interested entity must submit their quotation in a sealed envelope not Meanwhile, Maranding will host the c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, BISELCO Bids Awards Committee, Main Certificate or Department of Trade Industryplay (DTI) Registration third and lastHeadquarters, Lanao leg onMabintangen Sept. 28-Oct. JAKARTA—Indonesia has and suspended Liga 1 competition for and an indefinite period BISELCO Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan. the For following d. List done and respective 1. ListupInclude is ongoing. details,eligibility call PPSin ofitsworks top professional footballclients. league after of time,” Gatot Widagdo, mediaindirector documents a sealed envelope: Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract PEPP Program Development director a.

Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit supporters of a rival team clubbed a fan to for the Football Association of Indonesia (ABC) shall be rejected. b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number at (TIN) or TIN Card Bobby Mangunay 0915-4046464. death with iron bars and planks, a football (PSSI), told AFP. c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enriquez added 16- and 18-U ti3. BISELCO reserves the right to said acceptWednesday, or reject any offer/quotation, association spokesman “We’re focused on solving thisorproblem.”

Certificate Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)the Registration reject all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude d. List in of works done and respective tles toclients. her trophy collection while Judy plunging the crisis-prone league into Widagdo said the break competition any item or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved for the Contract (ABC) Ann PadillaBudget matched that two-title feat anotherbyscandal. would allow the fatal shall be into rejected. determined BISELCO and to award the contract to the Bidder with an investigation to share MVP honors in the event sancThe decision follows the weekend death beating and a review of security procedures most advantageous offer, without thereby incurring any liability to the 3. the BISELCO reserves the right to acceptby or reject any offer/quotation, reject tioned the Unified Tennis Philipinterested entities. Sirla, a 23-year-old Persija Ja- among the 18 clubs in of Haringga top flight, fans and all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude any item pines and hosted by Byron John karta fan, who was beaten by a group of the league operator, PT Liga Indonesia Baru. or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as determinedAtay by BISELCO and to award the contract to the BidderLGUs. with most advantageous and Kapatagan Persib Bandung supporters outside a stadiThe PSSI said it would also consult with (Sgd) Engr. Selwin Y. Alili offer, without thereby incurring any liability tofrom the interested entities.a pair of Enriquez, Salug, posted um in the city of Bandung, 150 kilometres FIFA and the Asian Football ConfederaBAC Chairman 6-0, 6-1 romps over Jalia Elumba (16-U) (93 miles) southeast of Jakarta. tion, partly as a way of avoiding sanctions, Engr. Selwin Y. Alili Approved by: and Faith Virgo (18-U), extending her Sunday’s incident was the latest in a Widagdo added. (SGD) BAC Chairman GOLF BACKER. Auto Nation Group Inc. chair Felix Ang (right) shakes hands with impressive run from the Zambo series to spate of football-related deaths in SouthIndonesian football has been beset by Rosalind Wee of Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter and wife of Philippine AmbasApproved by: Tubod last week, while Padilla, from Ozaeast Asia’s biggest nation.

The police said problems in recent years, including poor (SGD) RUTH L. GALANG sador to Indonesia after signing the contract making ANGI one of the Diamond sponmiz City, downed Kimberly Vosotros, 7-5, have detained 16 people in connection management, corruption allegations and forGeneral they Manager (SGD) RUTH L. GALANG sors of the 13th Highlands Ladies Cup set Saturday at Tagaytay Midlands Golf Course.

6-2, and May Insiong, 6-2, 6-1, for the 12General Manager with the killing. eign players dying after going unpaid and beWith them are THLC members Deenna Mendiola and Marissa Vergara. and 14-U diadems, respectively.

“We decided that we are halting the ing unable to afford medical care. AFP

Indonesian league suspended

(MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

SECOND INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION BAC SB 18-003 (Pursuant to Section VI of NEA Memorandum 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperatives IRR-RA 10531 (2017)) 1. THE BUSUANGA ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will undertake Alternative Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to submit their Price Quotation for the Supply, Delivery and Commissioning of 4 units Air Conditioning Units with the following specifications: Spit Type Air Conditioning Unit, 3 TR, 230 Volts, 60 Hz, Single Phase, Ceiling Mounted Indoor Unit, Inverter Type 2. Any Interested entity must submit their quotation in a sealed envelope not later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, BISELCO Bids and Awards Committee, BISELCO Main Headquarters, Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan. Include the following eligibility documents in a sealed envelope: a. Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) or TIN Card c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Certificate or Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration d. List of works done and respective clients.

Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) shall be rejected.

3. BISELCO reserves the right to accept or reject any offer/quotation, reject all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude any item or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as determined by BISELCO and to award the contract to the Bidder with most advantageous offer, without thereby incurring any liability to the interested entities.

(Sgd) Engr. Selwin Y. Alili BAC Chairman

SECOND INVITATION TO BID

SECOND INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION BAC SB 18-002 (Pursuant to Section VI of NEA Memorandum 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperatives IRR-RA 10531 (2017)) 1. THE BUSUANGA ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will undertake Alternative Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to submit their Price Quotation for the Purchase of the following items: Description 1. Meter, KWH, 1 Phase, Class 200, 2W, 240V, Form IS, Socket Type, Electronic 2. Meter Base, CL 200, 4 Jaw

Quantity 200 100

(MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

Unit

1.) Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards Committee, intends to apply the sum of Two Million Six Hundred Sixty-Two Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Six and Twenty Centavos (2,662,846.20) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the CONSTRUCTION OF OFFICE BUILDING EXTENSION. Bids received in excess with the corresponding ABC per Lot shall be automatically be rejected at the did opening.

2.

BISELCO now invites bids for CONSTRUCTION OF OFFICE BUILDING EXTENSION. Bidders should have completed similar projects for the past three(3) years. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the bidding documents.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through Public Bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criteria as specified in the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) Revised Procurement Guidelines for Electric Cooperatives.

4.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from BISELCO Bids and Awards Committee Secretarial at address given below. A complete set of documents may be acquired by interested bidders starting on September 26, 2018 from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee of FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (5,000.00) for each lot for Bidding Documents.

5.

The BISELCO BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference onOctober 5, 2018, 2:00 P.M. at the Conference Room of BISELCO main headquarters, Brgy.

6, Coron, Palawan. Attendance is optional, which shall be open only to interested parties who purchased the Bidding Documents.

6.

Bids must be delivered at the address below beforeOctober 12, 2018, 2:00 P.M. All bids must be accompanied with Bid Security of any acceptable form in the amount stated on ITB. Bids will be opened immediately after the deadline of bid submission in the presence of Bidder’s representative who choose to attend. Late Bids will not be accepted.

7.

BISELCO BAC reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to annul the bidding process, and reject all Bids at any time prior to the contract award, or not to award the contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder/s.

8.

For further information, please refer to:

pcs pcs.

BISELCO, intends to apply the sum of SIX HUNDRED NINETY THOUSAND (PhP 690,000.00) pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess with the corresponding ABC shall be automatically be rejected.

2. Any Interested entity must submit their quotation in a sealed envelope not later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, BISELCO Bids and Awards Committee, BISELCO Main Headquarters, Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan. Include the following eligibility documents in a sealed envelope: a. Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) or TIN Card c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Certificate or Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration d. List of works done and respective clients.

Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) shall be rejected.

3. BISELCO reserves the right to accept or reject any offer/quotation, reject all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude any item or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as determined by BISELCO and to award the contract to the Bidder with most advantageous offer, without thereby incurring any liability to the interested entities.

(Sgd) Engr. Selwin Y. Alili BAC Chairman

BISELCO BAC SECRETARIAT Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan Mobile No. 09274483532 E-mail Address: biselco79@yahoo.com Noted by:

Approved by:

Approved by:

(SGD) ENGR. SELWIN Y. ALILI BAC Chairman/TSD Manager

(SGD) RUTH L. GALANG General Manager

(SGD) RUTH L. GALANG General Manager (MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

(MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

(SGD) RUTH L. GALANG General Manager

(MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

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

A8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

NLEX Road Warriors rout Blackwater Elite, 124-106

By Jeric Lopez THE NLEX Road Warriors gave their coach Yeng Guiao a rousing welcome back.

The Road Warriors sent erstwhile league-leader Blackwater Elite back to earth with a resounding 124-106 triumph in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Larry Fonacier converted six triples on his way to 24 points while Aaron Fuller likewise had the same output and added 20 rebounds for a monster double-double as they led the NLEX charge.

NLEX improved to a fair 4-2 slate while dealing Blackwater its first taste of defeat.

The Elite, on the other hand, lost the tournament lead with the loss, dropping to 4-1 in a second place tie with Barangay Ginebra.

With Guiao, who coached his first game this conference after serving the National Team, back at the helm, NLEX methodically attacked Blackwater in the first half.

The Road Warriors took the first and second quarters by five points each, leading to a 55-45 advantage at intermission.

Continuing their surge, they then broke the game wide open in the third, extending their lead to 23 points, 8158, after a Kenneth Ighalo triple at the 5:14 mark of the period.

Ighalo himself had a splendid night, adding 18 points for the Road Warriors.

The shell-shocked Elite was unable to answer and put up a fight as it helplessly watched its four-game winning run snapped.

Henry Waller led Blackwater with 16 markers but his partner Mike DiGregorio was held to only five points.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Beer cut ties with longtime import AZ Reid.

After the Beermen lost two of their last three games, the management decided to let go of Reid in exchange for a former NBA player.

Blackwater Elite guard Roi Sumang (center) tries to sneak in a layup against three Blackwater elite defenders, from left: Bong Galanza, Cyrus Baguio and Asi Taulava. PBA Media

PH tied at top of standings at World Chess Olympiad G RANDMASTERS Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez pulled off hard-earned victories while International Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia escaped with a draw from an inferior position to lift the Philippines to a 2.5-1.5 win over Slovakia and stay on top after the second round of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia Tuesday night.

The United States-based Sadorra caught GM Christopher Repka into his opening preparation to gain material advantage and hammer out a 37-move win of a Slav Defense while Gomez fought his way out of a difficult position to eke out a 63-move triumph over GM Tomas Petrik of a Ruy Lopez.

For Garcia, an Olympiad newbie, he came into the endgame a pawn down but managed to create disturbing bishop and queen threats to escape with a draw in 65 moves of a Dutch Defense with IM Viktor Gazik to help seal the

pulsating win for the Filipinos, who are ranked lower than the 48th-seeded Slovakians at 54th.

FIDE Master Joseph Mari Turqueza, a last-minute replacement to IM Haridas Pascua, who was complaining of headaches and sinusitis, in the second round, ran out of opening tricks and lost to IM Martin Nayhebaver in 41 moves of a Sicilian battle.

The Philippine team, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, thus remained in a huge 41-country group on top that included

powerhouse United States, which has Cavite-born GM Wesley So as board two player, with four match points.

The win came a day after destroying San Marino, 4-0, in the opening round Monday.

It will play No. 18 Croatia, which crushed Monaco, 3.5-.5, in the third round being played at press time.

The women’s squad, in contrast, succumbed to Slovenia despite a smashing victory by WGM Janelle Mae Frayna over WIM Laura Unuk on top board.

WFM Shania Mae Mendoza and WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego lost their way and suffered painful defeats at the hands of WGM Jana Krivec and WFM Teja Vidic, respectively, on the last two boards.

WIM Catherine Secopito split the point with WFM Lara Janzelj on second board.

They play the Venezuelans next.

Blue Eagles beat UE Warriors WITH Matthew Nieto held to his lowest output this season, teammate Raffy Verano stepped up.

For three quarters, Verano and four other teammates scored baskets that helped the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles coast to their third straight victory with an 89-62 swamping of the University of the East Warriors in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament Season 81 at the Arena in San Juan.

Playing a game of precision, the Blue Eagles drew 12 points from Verano, his highest in three games, as they went on to claim their third consecutive triumph in four matches.

Meanwhile, Sean Manganti fired 18 points and the winning jumper in the final second, allowing the Adamson Falcons to escape a close encounter with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 69-68, and pull off their fourth consecutive victory.

Manganti’s heroics came three seconds after Akhuetie Bright’s jumper allowed the Fighting Maroons to taste the lead for the last time.

A 6’3” standout from California, Verano knocked in eight points in the last 3:22 of the second period as Ateneo took

Games Saturday

(at the Arena in San Juan) 1 p.m. Adamson vs NU 4 p.m. UST vs Ateneo

control with a 14-point lead, 37-23.

He was no longer around at the start of the fourth period after he suffered an ankle injury, and by then, the Blue Eagles were on their way to posting a 24-point win over the winless Warriors.

The Blue Eagles, with William Navarro adding 11 points, and the pair of Anton Asistio and Jollo Mendoza chipping in nine, have so far registered their highest team output this season and handed the Warriors their fourth consecutive loss.

“We wanted to make sure of two things. We gave importance to our rebounds. Secondly, UE always has fast starts. We wanted to make sure that we could match that,” said Ateneo assistant Sandy Arespacochaga.

The Blue Eagles were in full control of the boards, outrebounding UE, 4625, with Angelo Kouame making eight points and hauling down 15 rebounds.

The Blue Eagles also made a season record of 24 assists, which is the most by any team this season. Peter Atencio

ON THE RIGHT TRACK. World number two Caroline Wozniacki—who beat Katerina Siniakova in their match at the Wuhan—is looking for a good run to secure a return to the WTA Finals, which she won last year. AFP

Knights rally past Navotas in MPBL Datu Cup BACOOR—San Juan earned its third straight win the hard way by pulling off a come-from-behind 81-74 triumph over Navotas in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Strike Gymnasium here Tuesday night.

The Knights, who are being supported by Go-For-Gold, bucked a slow start and needed a spark from ex-pro John Wilson.

Wilson scored 16 of his 28 points, including 10 straight points in a blistering fourth quarter run that allowed San Juan to take control of the game, in the payoff fourth period. An 11-0 run allowed the Knights to wipe out a 61-50 deficit.

The former Ginebra stalwart added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double performance, powering the Knights to their eighth win in nine games and a tie for the lead with the Bataan Risers-Zetapro in the northern division of the team standings.

Defense also keyed the Knights’ win as they held the Clutch without a field goal in the final 5:24 to pull off a win. San Juan took advantage of Navotas’ 23 miscues and translated it to 28 points off turnovers. The Knights also outscored their rivals inside the paint, 42-24.

The Clutch, who squandered a 12-point lead in the third period, 58-46, absorbed their fifth loss in nine games.

In the nightcap, host Bataan blasted a shorthanded Pasig team, 84-59, to get back on the winning track.

Gab Banal, returning from a brief stint playing for the Philippine 3 x 3 team in Shanghai and the IECO Green Warriors in Macau, led the way for the Strikers with 25 points and nine boards.

His squad improved its win-loss record to 5-4.

The loss was the eighth in nine games for the Pirates, who fell deeper into the bottom of the team standings.

Olympian Kim teaches young gymnasts

By Peter Atencio

Many-time Olympic medallist Nellie Kim (center) joins young gymnasts during her gymnastics clinic yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

MANY things need to be done if the Philippines is to level up in the world stage of gymnastics.

Retired gymnast and many-time Olympic medallist Nellie Kim said this while on a two-day visit where she conducted clinics to members of the national team and club-level aspirants alike yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

“Two things should go together. No. 1 is the facilities. No. 2 is for coaches to come here and share knowledge, and how to use facilities,” said Kim, who is now the vice president of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), the governing body of the sport.

The 61-year-old Kim, became well-

known when she tied for the gold medal on the floor exercises with Nadia Comăneci after scoring 9.95 in that event finals, and won gold in the team competition for Russia during the 2000 Moscow Olympics.

At that time, Russia, with Kim performing, won the team event over the Comăneci-led Romania.

She and Comăneci are among the few gymnasts who were able to score perfect 10s during an Olympic meet.

Kim made her observations known while watching how elite athletes and young aspiring gymnasts do their routines on Day 1.

She told sports officials led by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion that when young athletes do their toe stands, it has

to be straight because if its crooked, it will lead to point deduction from the judges.

Gymnasts doing twists must have their legs extended all the way, and not bent, which will be another cause for deductions.

She introduced many changes in the sport after being elected president of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee.

In 2006, Kim helped design the Code of Points, which ended the use of the perfect 10, and introduced uncapped scoring for gymnasts.

Over the last 12 years, Kim said the sport of gymnastics has changed a lot, and among the first things to undergo a makeover were the apparatus that were used in the vault and the number of tumbling passes from four to five, and back again.

IN BRIEF LTFRB freezes TNC applications THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board issued a moratorium on accepting new applications for transport network companies.

The regulator issued Memorandum Circular No. 2018-016, suspending the acceptance of all new applicants for TNC accreditation for transport network vehicle service to allow the board to closely monitor the existing accredited TNCs and those subject for renewal and/or evaluation.

MyTaxi.Ph and U-Hop Transportation Network Vehicle System Inc. have pending applications to extend their permits to operate as TNCs. Newly accredited TNCs include Hype Transport Systems Inc., GoLag Inc., iPara Technologies and Solutions Inc., Hirna Mobility Solutions Inc., Micab Systems Inc. and E-Pick Me Up Inc. The LTFRB said Citmuber Corp., Aztech Solution International Corp., Unified Transport Operations League SMESOFT Inc. and iHitchonline Inc. were under evaluation by the board.

The agency increased in February the number of TNVS to 66,750 units from 47,500 units in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Pampanga. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business

ALI pegs interest for P8-b bond offer

PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. set the interest rate for its P8-billion fixed-rate bond offering at 7.0239 percent per annum.

Based on the final prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ayala Land said it would issue in October the P8-billion five-year bonds, which represents the sixth and final tranche from its P50-billion debt securities program filed in 2015.

Net proceeds from the bond offering will be used to partially finance the company’ general corporate requirements, including construction of additional office buildings hotels, retail developments and other leasing projects within its mixed-use estates.

Offer period will be from Sept. 24 to Sept. 28 while issue date was set on Oct 5.

The bonds will be listed with the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

Ayala Land tapped BDO Capital and Investments Corp., BPI Capital Corp., Chinabank Capital, First Metro Investments Corp., PNB Capital, East West Banking Corp. and Standard Chartered Bank as the joint lead underwriters and joint book runners for the bond offering.

Jenniffer B. Austria

URC buys out Calbee in joint venture firm

By Jenniffer B. Austria JAPAN-BASED snack confectionary manufacturer Calbee Inc. agreed to sell its stake in Philippine joint venture Calbee-URC Inc. to partner Universal Robina Corp., the food manufacturing arm of the Gokongwei Group.

Calbee said in a statement posted on its website it signed a share transfer agreement with URC involving the sale of 32.7 million shares, which is equivalent to a 50-percent stake in Calbee-URC, for P170.60 million.

The transfer of shares and the termination of the joint venture partnership is set on Sept. 30, 2018.

Calbee established a 50:50 joint venture company with URC which has strong sales and brands in the Philippine market in 2014.

“The joint venture aimed to grow sales of Calbee products and expand market share in the Philippines. However, after three years passed from the start of production and sales of Curc products, based on the review of overseas business strategy of Calbee and by reviewing the profitability of the business, Calbee discussed with URC and mutually agreed that URC would take over the joint venture business,” Calbee said.

“As the snack market in the Philippines is still promising and expecting to grow continuously, even after closing the joint venture agreement, Calbee agreed with URC that Calbee continued the licensing to URC to produce and sell Calbee brand products,” it said.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

B1

Vehicle sales fell 14.1% to 30,313 units in August

By Othel V. Campos

GBPC, Robinsons renew power deal GLOBAL Business Power Corp. said retail energy arm Global Energy Supply Corp. renewed its power supply agreement with Robinsons Land Corp. under the retail competition and open access scheme.

The agreement renewed GBPC and RLC’s retail supply contract last year and expanded the supply agreement to 26 megawatts from the previous 22 MW. The contract covers Robinsons malls and Universal Robina Corp. factories in Bacolod, Tacloban, Roxas, Iloilo and Cebu.

RCOA is a provision under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act that allows “contestable customers”, or those whose peak demand fall within a set contestability, to freely choose their electricity supplier.

RCOA allows large power users with a capacity of one megawatt to choose their own supplier.

“This partnership harnesses various synergies and builds on our respective strengths to accelerate growth not just in the Visayas, but ultimately, the entire country,” said GBPC president Jaime Azurin.

Azurin said GBPC aimed to become a total sustainable energy solutions provider and offer more flexibility to customers.

Alena Mae S. Flores

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

JOLLIBEE’S FIRST UK STORE. Filipino Cabinet secretaries visit the first-ever Jollibee store in the United Kingdom, a month before its scheduled grand opening in October. The visit coincides with the Philippine Economic Briefing in London. Shown during the store visit are (from left) Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Vivencio Dizon, Rep. Wes Gatchalian, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Jollibee Foods Corp. chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong, Jollibee international business for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia head Dennis Flores, Philippine Ambassador to the UK Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Rep. Pia Cayetano.

ADB downgrades 2018 growth forecast to 6.4% T

By Julito G. Rada

HE Asian Development Bank downgraded its economic growth outlook for the Philippines this year and next, amid the slower agricultural output, higher inflation and global monetary tightening.

The ADB said in a report on Wednesday the Philippine economy would expand 6.4 percent this year, down from an earlier estimate of 6.8 percent. It also revised downward the 2019 growth

forecast to 6.7 percent from 6.9 percent.

The revision was contained in an update of its flagship annual economic publication Asian Development Outlook 2018.

“ADB’s revised outlook for the Philippines―from 6.8 percent in 2018 and 6.9 percent in 2019―reflects a moderation in agricultural output and exports, as well as higher inflation and continued global monetary tightening,” ADB country director for the Philippines Kelly Bird said.

The gross domestic product grew 6.3 percent in the first half, below the official target range of 7 percent to 8 percent this year, as the slower-than-expected growth of 6 percent in the second quarter offset the 6.6-percent expansion in the first quarter.

Bird said inflationary pressures were expected to taper off next year as tighter domestic monetary policy began to take effect.

“The Philippines’ growth outlook remains stable despite moderating slightly in the first half of the year, as the country’s economic fundamentals are strong… We’re expecting growth to slowly pick up as public investment in infrastructure and social sectors accelerate and key economic sectors continue to perform solidly,” he said.

The report noted that domestic investment in the Philippines rose 16.4 percent in the first half of 2018 on healthy construction growth, while spending on industrial machinery and equipment grew by 17.1 percent.

Growth in exports of goods and services in real terms slowed to 9.8 percent from 19.5 percent over the same period last year, with electronics exports― which account for half the country’s exports―easing.

Independent operator takes over electricity spot market

By Alena Mae S. Flores INDEPENDENT Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. took over Wednesday the operations of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, in place of Philippine Electricity Market Corp.

“The IEMOP fulfills the promise of Epira [Electric Power Industry Reform Act] to foster competition in the WESM through an independent market operator,” IEMOP president Francis Saturnino Juan said.

“Our existence and our service usher in the electricity market’s inevitable transformation to a more competitive state for the ultimate benefit of the electricity consumers,” Juan said.

IEMOP said this was in compliance with the mandate of Republic Act No. 9136, or the Epira law, for the WESM, the country’s trading floor of electricity, which should be run by an independent operator.

IEMOP is a non-stock, non-profit corporation governed by a professional board of directors composed of individuals not affiliated with any of the electric companies that trade in the WESM. The IEMOP carries out the mandate to pursue the WESM objective to have a transparent, fair, competitive and reliable market for the trading of electricity throughout the Philippines.

As market operator, IEMOP is bound to strictly comply with the Epira law,

its implementing rules and regulations, the WESM rules and other related issuances of the Department of Energy.

IEMOP facilitates the registration and participation of generating companies, distribution utilities, directlyconnected customers or bulk users, suppliers and contestable customers in the WESM. It also determines the hourly schedules of generating units that will supply electricity to the grid, as well as the corresponding spot market prices of electricity via its Market Management System. Moreover, it manages the metering, billing, settlement and collection of spot trading amounts for the benefit of the market participants.

VEHICLE sales fell 14.1 percent in August from a year ago, an improvement from the 24.1-percent slump in July, data from two industry groups show.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said their members sold 30,313 vehicles in August, down from 35,309 units in the same month last year.

Campi said that on a monthly basis, sales actually increased 8.1 percent from 28,038 units sold in July 2018, a welcome development for automotive stakeholders.

Both the passenger car and the commercial vehicle segments posted growth of 24.4 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.

Data showed that from 6,975 units sold in July, sales of passengers cars increased to 8,678 units in August, while commercial vehicles sales in August also grew to 21,635 units from 21,063 units in July.

Both groups noted that commercial vehicle sales was pushed by the light commercial vehicle category, which grew 10.2 percent to 17,354 units.

Asian utility vehicles and light commercial trucks posted sales decline of 25.4 percent to 2,981 units and 6.8 percent to 685 units, respectively.

Campi president Rommel Gutierrez said car sales were boosted by intensive promotional campaigns and new model launches.

“Coming from a double-digit decline in July, our August sales performance is an indication of improving consumer confidence,” he said.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. continued to dominate the automotive market with 42-percent share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 19.2 percent, Nissan Philippines Inc. with 9 percent, Ford Motor Company Philippines Inc. with 7.1 percent and Honda Cars Philippines Inc. with 6.7 percent.

Aggregate sales in the first eight months declined 14.3 percent to 229,941 units from 268,424 units delivered in the same period in 2017.

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

54.3220

Japan

Yen

0.008852

0.4809

UK

Pound

1.318500

71.6236

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128036

6.9552

Switzerland

Franc

1.036377

56.2981

Canada

Dollar

0.772141

41.9442

Singapore

Dollar

0.732172

39.7730

Australia

Dollar

0.725000

39.3835

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653998

144.1705

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

14.4855

Brunei

Dollar

0.729501

39.6280

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030840

1.6753

UAE

Dirham

0.272294

14.7916

Euro

Euro

1.177300

63.9533

Korea

Won

0.000895

0.0486

China

Yuan

0.145751

7.9175

India

Rupee

0.013759

0.7474

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241838

13.1371

New Zealand

Dollar

0.664500

36.0970

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032612

1.7715

Source: PDS Bridge

Trabaho bill to displace 700,000 workers THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority warned Wednesday that more than 50 percent of the existing workforce inside the economic zones will be jobless if the government will push for the approval of the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities, or Trabaho bill, in its current form.

Peza director general Charito Plaza said the ecozones might lose at least 700,000 full-time workers in the Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing and manufacturing sectors.

“In fact we fear that almost all jobs will be impacted. The biggest jobs are from IT-BPOs and manufacturing who can easily transfer to their other branches in other countries,” she said in a messaging correspondence while visiting Malaysia for a business roadshow Data showed that full-time/direct jobs at the ecozones totaled more than 1.49 million. Peza said with a multiplier effect of eight indirect jobs, ecozones were responsible for 9.88 million jobs

which would be at the mercy of Trabaho bill which represents the second package of the tax reform program.

“This will happen if the incentives, currently enjoyed by our locators are affected. IT industries can easily move out. Manufacturing can start transferring to their other branches in other countries. The only ones left with no choice but to stay are the ecozone developers who will also lose their industry, their clients and locators; the logistics hubs; brokers and the domestic suppliers; facility and utility enterprises serving the exporters including our farmers local suppliers,” Plaza said.

Senator Sonny Angara said the Senate committee would not proceed with its deliberation of the Trabaho bill unless the government could present definitive data on the impact on jobs.

The Finance Department insisted that more jobs would be created in the long run under the Trabaho bill or House Bill 8083 as passed by the House of Representatives. Othel V. Campos

RCBC PRODUCTS FAIR. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. holds Products Fair at the RCBC Plaza Courtyard in Makati City in line with its 58th anniversary celebration on Sept. 17. RCBC executive vice president and head of national corporate banking group Michael de Jesus (seventh from right) and RCBC first senior vice president and head of conglomerates and global corporate banking group Elizabeth Coronel (ninth from right) stand proudly alongside the client-vendors at the fair.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market down again; MPIC drops S TOCKS fell Wednesday ahead of the policy meeting today of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, where the market expects a rate increase of 50 basis points.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index lost 63.96 points, or 0.9 percent to 7,268.21 on a value turnover of P4.9 billion. Losers overwhelmed gainers, 121 to 66, with 54 issues unchanged.

Security Bank Corp., the sixth-biggest lender in terms of assets, tumbled 7.6 percent to P156, while Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution, power generation and hospitals, slumped 5.5 percent to P4.65.

GT Capital Holdings of tycoon George Ty dropped 5.3 percent to P805, while Globe Telecom Inc., the second-largest telecommunications firm, declined 5.2 percent to P2,066.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets rose on Wednesday, with energy firms surging along with oil prices, as traders await the conclusion of a key Federal Reserve policy meeting.

While worries about the China-US trade row continue to erode confidence, the strong US economy and healthy corporate outlook are providing some buoyancy for now.

The weekend decision by major producers from inside and outside the Opec to maintain output—despite Donald Trump’s call for lower prices—has sent both main contracts sharply higher this week.

Trump hit out at Opec in his United Nations General Assembly speech Tues-

day, accusing it of “ripping off the rest of the world.”

Brent is sitting around four-year highs and WTI is heading close to that mark, with a stronger dollar and an expected output cut from Iran caused by US sanctions adding some lift.

“Oil prices remain in the bulls’ domain amid concern that US sanctions on Iranian crude oil exports will result in much tighter physical market conditions once they take effect in November,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. And while prices were flat Wednesday following a surprise gain in US stockpiles, energy firms shot higher.

Hong Kong jumped 1.5 percent in the afternoon and Shanghai ended 0.9 percent higher.

Mainland Chinese traders were also cheered by news that global equities index compiler MSCI is considering qua-

drupling the weighting of Chinese largecap shares in its benchmark Emerging Markets Index over the next two years.

Tokyo closed 0.4 percent stronger, Sydney rose 0.1 percent and Singapore put on 0.7 percent, with Bangkok and Jakarta also up.

But Taipei and Wellington were flat while Mumbai fell.

CNOOC added 4.4 percent and PetroChina piled on almost five percent in Hong Kong, while Sinopec jumped 2.8 percent. Inpex of Japan put on two percent and Australia’s Woodside Petroleum added 1.5 percent.

The gains boosted broader markets.

With the Fed widely expected to raise interest rates Wednesday, governor Jerome Powell’s post-meeting statement will be closely watched for clues about its next move, with an eye on the increasingly bitter China-US trade dispute. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.3 40,040 81.05 1,836,540 2.54 15,000 114 1,958,880 1.47 10,000 29.5 84,700 7.79 100 16.2 2,700 12.64 686,400 4.5 1,354,000 1.65 5,000 845 50 0.55 7,000 67.45 2,348,930 0.94 324,000 11.5 42,600 43.2 52,900 190 360 84 310 25.35 144,700 156 1,077,270 1,864 10 67.6 6,750

2,360,401.50 151,858,200 37,980 225,805,819 14,700 2,506,950 779 43,740 8,700,628 6,278,680 8,240 42,250 3,700 157,639,701 303,760 489,920 2,298,385 68,454 26,040 3,759,170 172,193,785 18,645 456,549.50

2,229,604.50 -112,356,705.50 -64,220,470 14,700 -763,115 -43,740 -1,286,306 233,200 -49,996,625.50 -234,500 -3,065,995 -68,396,084 -42,562

35 17.76 1.04 1.27 0.225 2.3 13.96 194 33.45 17.36 38 67.45 1.74 7.35 9.9 15.1 8.45 7.01 7.06 16.76 63.3 27.8 6.88 11.9 1.88 265.4 4.9 11.52 23.7 11.7 15.5 348 6.39 1.84 4.09 8.8 5 8.6 1 10.28 53 4.8 2.67 3 1.51 11.9 95.3 5.6 0.124 1 146 2.06 2

INDUSTRIAL 35 2,108,800 17.9 424,700 1.04 8,950,000 1.27 160,000 0.225 10,000 2.4 5,386,000 13.96 247,000 194 70 33.5 468,500 18.48 8,800 38 9,100 67.45 100 1.74 1,000 7.35 10,100 10 1,291,800 15.56 489,800 8.5 717,800 7.04 7,180,500 7.06 848,500 16.88 570,200 64.5 35,720 27.8 41,200 6.9 92,300 12 1,306,000 1.88 908,000 266.2 132,640 4.91 42,000 13 500 24.05 243,000 11.74 38,500 15.5 1,115,100 348 254,510 6.39 3,600 1.88 68,000 4.12 402,000 8.8 913,900 5 265,000 8.7 24,300 1 173,000 10.5 414,300 53.25 72,440 4.84 3,187,000 2.78 3,281,000 3 9,000 1.58 87,000 11.92 278,200 95.75 335,540 5.6 98,100 0.124 260,000 1 135,000 147.2 1,085,780 2.06 6,530,000 2 36,503,000

75,345,650 7,608,706 9,458,140 206,730 2,250 13,382,370 3,448,120 13,580 15,753,090 157,914 348,080 6,747.50 1,740 74,257 12,878,445 7,564,104 6,081,105 50,732,644 5,993,411 9,594,046 2,288,914 1,149,615 638,614 15,685,434 1,722,160 35,366,650 206,380 6,352 5,788,305 453,764 17,403,546 89,337,372 23,004 127,420 1,685,000 8,210,597 1,328,953 210,865 173,210 4,328,828 3,855,560.50 15,297,880 9,053,950 27,000 131,680 3,322,026 32,136,873 551,796 32,320 135,060 160,374,620 13,709,750 76,419,370

42,425,930 897,844 206,740 -4,770,450.00 4,188 16,900 -348,080 -4,776,308 132,476 -5,336,380 -4,232,448 -8,472 -2,642,910 999,541.50 -158,488 9,043,584 -143,080 -15,705,402 4,600,275 -220,650 -7,462,100 -19,176,102 3,527,821 -506,981.50 -57,680 -8,340 -1,456,932 3,566,891 -490,206 5,951,119 -73,580 -702,290

0.44 51.15 12.7 0.94 6.11 29.45 1.21 1.22 940 5.9 12 7.2 0.205 856 55.8 5.55 0.58 4.72 15.46 0.61 4.97 0.039 1.23 2.52 169.7 873.5 1.42 281 0.29 0.2

0.41 48.6 12.44 0.9 6.11 26.6 1.06 1.06 917.5 5.8 11.8 7.13 0.201 800 53.65 5.53 0.53 4.53 15.1 0.58 4.62 0.038 1.21 2.48 167.5 852.5 1.38 275 0.27 0.187

HOLDING FIRMS 0.425 8,790,000 50 1,238,110 12.6 1,238,800 0.94 4,000 6.11 100 28.75 725,500 1.15 49,820,000 1.15 8,541,000 940 480,250 5.83 315,200 11.98 1,563,100 7.2 21,300 0.205 370,000 805 120,470 55.2 502,330 5.53 1,700 0.57 40,000 4.53 913,000 15.14 6,756,000 0.58 1,623,000 4.65 81,426,000 0.039 7,900,000 1.21 20,000 2.5 1,089,000 169 357,070 873.5 510,200 1.4 62,000 281 4,520 0.27 4,100,000 0.2 1,020,000

3,727,200 62,111,069.50 15,520,750 3,680 611 20,641,605 57,402,970 9,771,470 447,239,130 1,834,309 18,568,844 152,007 74,780 98,417,835 27,547,245 9,429 21,560 4,202,740 102,681,216 951,190 379,946,820 304,400 24,420 2,715,460 60,251,191 439,175,855 86,920 1,263,746 1,141,250 192,270

-18,905,407.50 -225,878 475,080 4,899,900.00 190,845,090 35,058 -7,402,248 -29,306,350 -4,905,543.50 -1,249,030 -1,127,976 -45,000 -160,033,880 -6,389,990 -97,411,860 -20,100.00 144,490

7.4 0.86 12 2.12 0.67 40.45 2.69 4.45 5.25 0.45 0.96 0.94 0.228 0.4 8.67 21.3 1.43 1.14 2.37 4.48 0.73 0.465 0.44 4.58 19.7 1.98 3.2 36.85 1.16

7.21 0.84 11.96 2.04 0.66 40 2.62 4.3 5.25 0.44 0.9 0.92 0.222 0.385 8.51 19.5 1.41 1.1 2.22 4.35 0.64 0.455 0.43 4 19.18 1.92 3.18 35.5 1.12

2,201,816 1,338,990 17,958 159,140 34,330 181,849,675 6,264,780 725,410 31,500 2,186,500 288,220 145,630 133,950 113,500 1,101,728 33,780,959 6,335,140 1,501,300 23,509,010 63,718,040 184,623,890 123,350 160,900 44,137,680 31,435,486 114,090 181,560 374,898,490 599,890

-346,982 2,628,270 126,630 -235,950 -7,536,437 -3,656,500 1,786,830.00 41,128,380 -1,722,140.00 1,293,580 -14,589,482 17,400 6,360 -9,771,695 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59.5 85 2.5 117.3 1.47 29.85 7.79 16.2 12.72 4.46 1.64 845 0.52 68.6 0.94 11.5 44.1 189.1 84 26.2 168.8 1,865 67.95

59.5 85.05 2.54 118 1.47 29.9 7.79 16.2 12.74 4.75 1.65 845 0.55 68.6 0.94 11.52 44.1 192.8 84 26.45 168.8 1,865 67.95

57.7 81.05 2.5 114 1.47 29.5 7.79 16.2 12.64 4.46 1.64 845 0.52 66 0.93 11.5 43.2 189.1 84 25.3 156 1,864 67.5

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A 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 MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VULCAN INDL

36.2 17.9 1.1 1.29 0.225 2.65 13.96 194 34 18.66 39.65 67.5 1.74 7.57 10 15.34 8.45 7.01 7.06 16.86 64.6 27.95 6.93 12.1 1.92 268.8 4.91 11.52 23.7 11.9 15.68 358 6.39 1.84 4.09 9.1 5.05 8.6 1 10.68 53.5 4.8 2.67 3 1.51 12.14 96.85 5.76 0.128 1.02 150.9 2.07 2.26

36.2 18.1 1.1 1.32 0.225 2.65 13.96 194 34.25 18.66 39.65 67.5 1.74 7.57 10.1 15.68 8.5 7.1 7.07 16.88 64.6 27.95 6.93 12.2 1.92 268.8 4.93 13 24.05 11.9 15.9 358 6.39 1.88 4.27 9.1 5.1 8.7 1.01 10.68 53.5 4.84 2.79 3 1.58 12.14 96.95 5.76 0.128 1.02 150.9 2.13 2.26

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 FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.435 51.15 12.7 0.9 6.11 26.95 1.13 1.13 920 5.9 11.98 7.13 0.203 856 55.8 5.55 0.57 4.72 15.2 0.61 4.95 0.039 1.23 2.52 169.7 866 1.42 280 0.285 0.195

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 FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND

7.21 0.85 11.98 2.04 0.67 40 2.69 4.36 5.25 0.45 0.9 0.94 0.223 0.4 8.53 21.3 1.43 1.14 2.36 4.4 0.72 0.465 0.44 4.44 19.42 1.94 3.19 36.4 1.16

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

6.55 0.75 6.17

6.55 0.78 6.17

6.39 0.75 5.97

6.4 0.75 6.05

211,600 197,000 3,760,500

1,363,403 147,780 22,660,337

-153,840 -9,025,167

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR INTL CONTAINER IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B MLA BRDCASTING 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

11.66 21.1 1.36 0.485 0.044 2.05 8.91 0.06 72 7.95 5.51 9 2.23 23.4 2,180 5.35 314 3 91 7.75 0.119 3.05 3.33 14.2 3.74 1.01 16.1 5.79 7 2.5 1.54 1.52 16.36 7.61 11 8.9 3.08 102 4.31 1,412 0.89 0.39 45 79.5 7.99 2.19 0.91 0.51 5.2 0.68 10.3

11.66 21.1 1.43 0.49 0.044 2.07 8.91 0.061 72.2 7.95 5.77 9 2.23 23.4 2,200 5.39 314 3 91.5 7.75 0.119 3.05 3.58 14.2 3.74 1.01 16.2 5.79 7.02 2.5 1.54 1.52 16.36 7.66 11.04 8.9 3.08 102 4.45 1,412 0.89 0.405 45.7 79.55 8 2.23 0.91 0.54 5.25 0.69 10.4

11.56 20.9 1.35 0.475 0.043 1.92 8.57 0.06 71.9 7.95 5.49 8.83 2.23 20.15 2,066 5.34 308 2.6 90.5 7.7 0.116 2.81 3.32 14.2 3.6 0.93 16 5.35 7 2.45 1.41 1.46 16.36 7.28 10.8 8.4 3.04 101.9 4.31 1,363 0.87 0.375 44.05 78.7 7.99 2.16 0.84 0.51 5.17 0.67 9.98

SERVICES 11.64 20.9 1.43 0.48 0.044 1.93 8.7 0.061 72.1 7.95 5.5 8.85 2.23 22.15 2,066 5.38 313.8 2.72 91.5 7.7 0.117 2.87 3.58 14.2 3.62 0.95 16.06 5.6 7 2.46 1.49 1.48 16.36 7.3 10.8 8.4 3.05 101.9 4.4 1,365 0.87 0.375 45.7 79.4 8 2.2 0.86 0.52 5.2 0.67 10.04

35,800 238,200 8,000 1,690,000 5,700,000 5,943,000 6,352,300 9,830,000 112,130 1,000 2,337,600 50,200 3,000 76,900 33,140 72,000 960 4,411,000 548,260 10,000 1,230,000 6,099,000 38,000 14,100 665,000 166,000 876,000 588,800 5,187,900 204,000 95,000 65,000 600 1,421,600 90,800 2,800 408,000 820 156,000 37,680 1,061,000 4,360,000 770,300 1,226,470 2,500 5,206,000 15,338,000 15,791,000 868,300 1,751,000 2,357,300

416,450 5,001,180 11,210 815,200 249,200 11,700,510 55,310,570 590,620 8,079,903 7,950 13,066,674 445,057 6,690 1,650,060 69,509,700 386,194 297,528 12,301,900 49,812,907.50 77,250 143,930 17,753,000 130,410 200,220 2,423,400 155,480 14,070,126 3,291,210 36,329,340 502,690 140,650 96,600 9,816 10,484,628 999,696 24,572 1,245,450 83,599 682,420 51,841,810 926,320 1,678,250 34,829,375 97,379,442.50 19,986 11,447,950 13,448,390 8,294,990 4,511,208 1,191,150 23,627,677

46,520 -23,160 -3,354,974 2,293,439 34,000 -12,579,460 -510,910 -607,105.50 328,510 -109,660 -261,490.00 -1,960,049 -23,246,817 -9,840 16,674 -17,800 488,000 -61,171 -37,168,415 -85,250 10,845,240 -19,181,820.50 3,545,530 2,842,780 -128,170 -519,620 -233,440 -4,967,274.00

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

0.0023 1.48 3.12 18 1 1.01 1.93 0.295 7.3 1.88 0.202 0.11 0.113 0.0073 0.0073 1.3 4.55 1.11 0.7 1.13 0.012 0.012 0.011 3.69 3.39 15.9 27.45 0.0065

0.0023 1.5 3.12 18.48 1 1.04 1.93 0.295 7.36 1.88 0.206 0.11 0.113 0.0073 0.0073 1.3 4.59 1.16 0.73 1.16 0.013 0.012 0.012 3.69 3.4 15.9 27.6 0.0065

0.0023 1.46 3.08 18 1 1.01 1.92 0.295 7.21 1.84 0.201 0.11 0.113 0.007 0.0073 1.2 4.41 1.11 0.63 1.09 0.012 0.012 0.011 3.5 3.36 15.38 26.75 0.0065

MINING & OIL 0.0023 5,000,000 1.48 929,000 3.08 96,000 18.3 14,300 1 9,000 1.04 27,000 1.92 183,000 0.295 110,000 7.21 13,100 1.85 2,868,000 0.203 470,000 0.11 100,000 0.113 10,000 0.007 69,000,000 0.0073 2,000,000 1.3 16,000 4.43 219,000 1.14 91,000 0.65 4,951,000 1.09 1,058,000 0.012 161,300,000 0.012 5,000,000 0.012 42,600,000 3.5 94,000 3.39 2,019,000 15.58 965,500 26.95 402,300 0.0065 7,000,000

11,500 1,375,590 296,840 261,468 9,000 27,480 351,950 32,450 95,322 5,321,900 95,140 11,000 1,130 484,300 14,600 20,700 975,410 103,410 3,228,470 1,171,150 1,935,900 60,000 480,000 342,920 6,844,390 15,048,214 10,852,610 45,500

-6,200 3,120 -3,081,090 4,020 -80,040 11,100 -60,000 -217,800 -143,910 -6,780 888,174 -5,978,860 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3B SFI PREF SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19.5 485 493 101.5 101.1 490 945 95 1.04 1,010 104 1.85 1,000 75.15 78.15 72.05 75 74.55 74.9

19.8 485 495 101.5 103 490 945 96 1.04 1,010 104 1.85 1,000 75.15 78.15 75 75 75 75

19.42 485 493 100.4 101 490 945 95 1.04 1,010 104 1.85 1,000 75.1 78.1 72.05 75 74.55 74.6

PREFERRED 19.7 29,600 485 4,130 495 440 100.5 15,160 103 3,800 490 280 945 10 96 820 1.04 3,000 1,010 20 104 16,910 1.85 2,000 1,000 5 75.1 6,540 78.15 8,190 75 1,090 75 1,000 75 31,950 75 35,430

579,752 2,003,050 217,280 1,525,393 385,777 137,200 9,450 78,220 3,120 20,200 1,758,640 3,700 5,000 491,156 639,973.50 81,632 75,000 2,395,822.50 2,650,350

-403,656 -3,700 -3,006 -

LR WARRANT

2.43

2.43

2.35

WARRANTS 2.43 241,000

577,010

-118,620

7,792,438 22,413,610

16,325 -1,064,030

919,502

-

218,164

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 7.4 0.84 11.96 2.09 0.66 40.45 2.64 4.33 5.25 0.45 0.96 0.92 0.223 0.39 8.51 19.62 1.42 1.11 2.22 4.4 0.64 0.46 0.44 4.01 19.62 1.94 3.2 36.85 1.15

300,500 1,586,000 1,500 76,000 52,000 4,521,200 2,381,000 166,000 6,000 4,910,000 314,000 158,000 600,000 290,000 128,500 1,672,800 4,453,000 1,354,000 10,338,000 14,443,000 275,350,000 270,000 370,000 10,075,000 1,609,500 59,000 57,000 10,380,100 527,000

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.55 2.28

5.64 2.55

5.35 2.28

FIRST METRO ETF

110

110.1

108.2

USD DMPL A1

10.4

10.5

10.12

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

10,394,341

INDUSTRIAL

87,273,443

HOLDING FIRMS

180,370,606

PROPERTY

350,670,410

SERVICES

103,907,404

MINING & OIL

306,612,623

GRAND TOTAL

1,049,938,981

5.35 2.42

SME

1,417,600 9,282,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 108.5 8,390 DDS 10.12

21,000

VALUE 1,590.40 (down) 59.41 762,253,522.17 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,844.93 (down) 183.78 733,911,958.44 HOLDING FIRMS 7,135.03 (down) 20.40 1,803,196,122.74 PROPERTY 3,660.22 (up) 60.41 1,480.87 (down) 23.21 987,548,282.41 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,043.50 (down) 118.76 569,050,760.40 PSEI 7,268.21 (down) 63.96 49,514,000.05 All Shares Index 4,460.47 (down) 34.43 4,936,605,655.83 Gainers: 66; Losers: 121; Unchanged: 54; Total: 241

SM Prime expanding office space business

By Jenniffer B. Austria SM PRIME Holdings, Inc. is aggressively expanding its office portfolio with the launching of ThreeE-Com Center and topping off of the FourECom Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday the two new office buildings would add 304,000 square meters of gross floor area to the group’s office building footprint.

“The launching of ThreeE-Com Center and the topping off of FourE-Com Center mark another milestone for SM Prime as the uniquely designed business centers add to the already captivating architectural landscape in the Mall of Asia Complex, as well as offering ample office space suitable for the growing needs of the outsourcing industry and other businesses,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said.

“We are happy to share that other than being Peza-accredited buildings, ThreeE-Com Center is a Gold LEED certified building as well, while FourECom Center is also in the process of joining the ranks of ‘green’ office buildings in the Philippines,” Lim said.

The ThreeE-com Center is a 15-story, semi-circular twin-tower commercial building offering 114,000 sqm of large office floor plates.

ThreeE-Com Center, which will open with 97 percent of the space leased out, also has a four-level parking podium while the ground floor level will be reserved for retail offerings.

Meanwhile, FourE-Com Center with 190,000 sqm of office space, will be the biggest office building of SM Prime so far.

It will be a 15-story, three-tower office building suited for various companies, most specially tech-based offices. FourECom is set to be launched in 2019.

ThreeE-Com Center and FourE-Com Center are both designed by globally renowned Arquitectonica.

SM Prime currently operates 10 office buildings in several key areas in the country, including Makati City, Pasay City, Quezon City, Taguig City, Clark in Pampanga, Taytay in Rizal and Sta. Rosa in Laguna.

Including ThreeE-Com Center, SM Prime’s office building portfolio has a total gross floor area of almost 595,000 sqm.

Share price of SM Prime on Wednesday gained 3.2 percent to P36.85.

GMA, ties up with Twitter to boost reach

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GMA Network Inc. on Wednesday said it teamed up with social networking microblogging platform Twitter to deliver premium video content in Asia Pacific in a bid to boost audience reach and engagement as well as revenues.

“Twitter has always been a valuable instrument in the distribution of GMANetwork.com’s content. The platform has since helped us give Serbisyong Totoo (“genuine service”) to our Kapuso readers and viewers around the world, as we have always been the first to break Philippine news to our global audience,” Dennis Caharian, senior vice president and general manager of GMA New Media Inc., said.

“We keep finding ways to better reach and engage with the fan base of our entertainment programs, and provide public service to Filipinos worldwide. We look forward to strengthen our partnership with Twitter to broaden our audience reach and provide Serbisyong Totoo while driving success to our business goals,” he added.

GMA’s partnership with Twitter will include content from GMA News and GMA’s top-rated TV programming, such as drama action-fantasy series.

Rafael San Agustin Jr., head of Digital Media for GMA, said Twitter had been instrumental in creating excitement for the entertainment programs of GMA through the conversations of its loyal viewers and fans.

He said Twitter did not only help drive interest but it also provided valuable customer insights.

“Content is happening now at Twitter, and we have proven through the efficacy of the partnerships we have crafted, that content programming and distribution on Twitter is an essential part of any media company’s audience engagement and content monetization strategies,” Global vice president Kay Madati of Content Partnerships Twitter said.

Standard

extrastory2000@gmail.com

TODAY

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Business/World

Manila

B3

Cosby sent to prison for 3 to 10 years

Solar franchise aims to cut electricity rates A PENDING bill aimed at lowering electricity rates in the Philippines is stirring up a hornet’s nest in the power sector.

Critics of House Bill 8179, which proposes to grant a company the non-exclusive right to build solar-battery mini-grids in off-grid areas nationwide at zero cost to the government argue, argue that the franchise will result in another monopoly and inefficient electricity service.

Supporters of the bill, however, say the new franchise is the county’s best shot at lowering electricity rates in the Philippines. Electricity rates in the Philippines are actually the highest in Asia due to lack of competition. New players, like Solar Para sa Bayan, will provide competition and force existing industry players to reduce their rates.

Consumer groups have expressed support for House Bill 8179. The National Association of Electric Consumers for Reforms, or Nasecore, says the bill offers Filipinos an alternative choice for electricity and will pave the way for more competition in the power industry.

“The fact electric service is still so poor and costly, 17 years after Epira (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), shows current measures have failed.

Solar Para Sa Bayan should be thanked for fulfilling the intent of Epira, which consumers have long waited for. We hope this wakes up the power industry, and leads to more reforms that will benefit the people, instead of institutionalizing the inefficiencies of electric utilities,” Nasecore executive director Rafael Acebedo said.

Solar Para Sa Bayan, or SPSB, is owned by businessman Leandro Leviste, who also owns Solar Philippines. The company supplies Manila Electric Co. the lowest cost of any power plant in the Philippines at P2.99 per kWh, or 50 percent below Meralco’s all-in cost of generation (inclusive of VAT) of P6 per kWh. Solar Philippines managed to reduce its generation costs after developing and constructing its solar projects in-house. It manufactures solar panels in its 800MW factory in Batangas, the first Filipino solar panel factory.

No monopoly Supporters of the bill dismissed concerns of another monopoly in the making, citing the non-exclusivity clause of HB 8179.

“The text of the bill speaks for itself: It is non-exclusive, encourages others to apply for the same, and aims to end the existing monopolies on electricity, because we believe consumers deserve new choices for better service at lower cost. It also incurs zero cost to government, and eliminates the need for billions in subsidies to existing utilities,” Leviste said.

“Solar Para Sa Bayan only targets areas where consumers complain about electricity. If, instead of trying to prevent competition, utilities focused on lowering costs and improving service, then Filipinos would be satisfied with their electric service, and there’d be no need for us at all,” he added.

The construction of solar-batter mini-grids incurs zero cost to the government and comes with no subsidies and no incentives, unlike existing renewable energy and rural electrification programs.

The National Electrification Administration has requested the government P25 billion for its sitio electrification. With the private sector, taxpayers can save this entire amount.

National Power Corp’s Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification is a fee amounting to P0.1561/kWh paid by all Filipinos, most of all in Metro Manila, with total Napocor subsidies amounting to around P20 billion yearly.

Electric cooperatives receive subsidies for their inefficiencies, such as the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative. The government recently announced it would condone P10 billion in debts because of its inability to pay over the years.

The so-called feed-in-tariff, meanwhile, amounts to P0.2563/kWh, or nearly P30 billion in yearly fund tht the renewable energy industry depends on, except for SPSB. While the government was subsidizing renewable energy from P8 to 9/kWh, SPSB and its affiliates signed power supply agreements with Meralco for as low as P2.99/kWh, proving that there was no need for any FIT. As a result, the government stopped granting more FIT, saving billions of pesos in subsidies.

A Pulse Asia survey results show overwhelming support for new options and public dissatisfaction with high electricity rates. Twenty municipalities have signed resolutions supporting SPSB projects, while over 100,000 people have also signed petitions supporting congressional passage of HB 8179.

WALKING IN THE RAIN. This picture taken on Sept. 24, 2018, shows a couple walking in the rain in downtown Guangzhou in China’s Guangdong province. AFP

Abe willing to meet with Kim Jong Un U

NITED NATIONS―Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader’s historic summit with US President Donald Trump.

NORRISTOWN-Disgraced television icon Bill Cosby was handcuffed and taken into custody Tuesday to begin a minimum three-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a woman at his Philadelphia mansion 14 years ago.

The 81-year-old, once beloved by millions as “America’s Dad,” is the first celebrity convicted and sentenced for a sex crime since the fall of Harvey Weinstein ushered in the #MeToo movement and America’s reckoning with sexual harassment.

Found guilty on April 26 of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former university basketball administrator, Cosby was impassive when Judge Steven O’Neill handed down the sentence in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

The judge rejected a defense request to release Cosby on bail pending an appeal. The now frail entertainer was slapped in handcuffs, and led out of court in his shirt and braces, his tie and jacket removed.

It makes him one of the famous Americans ever sent to prison in a country where fame, wealth and expensive lawyers have tended to help celebrities avoid the full arm of the law in the past.

“You were convicted of a very serious crime,” O’Neill told Cosby. “No one is above the law.”

His sentence means that Cosby can apply for parole after three years. His requests will be reviewed by a special committee and can be rejected up to a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars.

O’Neill also branded Cosby a “sexually violent predator,” a humiliating designation that will force him to register with police for the rest of his life and to submit to mandatory counseling. AFP

Abe, who one year ago warned at the United Nations that the window for diplomacy with North Korea was closing, took a more open but still cautious tone in his latest address to the world body.

But he said that any summit would be devoted to resolving a decades-old row over North Korea’s abductions of Japanese civilians―a deeply emotive issue for much of the Japanese public on which Abe built his political career.

“In order to resolve the abduction issue, I am also ready to break the shell of mutual distrust with North Korea, get off to a new start and meet face to face with Chairman Kim Jong Un,” Abe said in his UN address.

“But if we are to have one, then I am determined that it Republic of the Philippines must contribute to the resolution of the abduction issue.”

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF THE PHILIPPINES He stressed that no summit was yet in the works― and appealed to Kim to show his own readiness.

“North Korea is now at a crossroads at which it will either seize or fail to seize the historic opportunity it MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO.: 27- 18 was afforded,” Abe said.

TO : ALL CONCERNED North Korea kidnapped scores of Japanese citizens FROM : DIRECTOR GENERAL in the 1970s and 1980s to train the regime’s spies in SUBJECT : AMENDMENT TO PCAR PART 8.2.2 [AOC] AIRCRAFT Japanese language and culture.

TRACKING IN COMPLIANCE WITH ICAO ANNEX 6 PART 1.

Japan’s then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi traveled to Pyongyang in 2002 and 2004 to seek a new re- REFERENCES: lationship with the current leader’s father Kim Jong Il 1. Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations Part 8 and was told by North Korea that the remaining abduc2. ICAO Annex 6 Part I Chapter 3.5 Aircraft Tracking tion victims were dead―a stance adamantly rejected by 3. Philippine Airlines Petition for amendment ref. MV/0718/1144 dated 12 July 2018 Japanese family members and campaigners.

4. Regulations Amendment/Revision Procedure Speculation has been rising that Abe could meet with 5. Board Resolution No.: 2012-054 dated 28 September 2012 Kim, who reportedly told Trump during their summit to the powers vested on the Director General of the Civil Aviation in June in Singapore that he was willing to talk to arch- Pursuant Authority of the Philippines under Republic Act 9497, otherwise known enemy Japan. as the Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008 and in accordance with the With South Korea’s dovish President Moon Jae-in Regulations Amendment/Revision Procedure with Board Resolution No. dated 28 September 2012, I hereby approve the incorporation also courting Kim, fears have risen in Japan that it could 2012-054 of the following amendments to the Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations. be shut out of any ultimate resolution on North Korea if AMENDED REGULATION: it refuses dialogue. AFP

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@manilastandard.net or extrastory2000@gmail.com

PCAR PART 8 8.2.2[AOC] AIRCRAFT TRACKING xxx (b) An Operator shallshould track the position of an airplane through automated reporting at least every 15 minutes for the portion(s) of the inflight operation(s) under the following conditions:

Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives Quezon City, Metro Manila

Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives Quezon City, Metro Manila

InvItatIon to BId forThe ProcuremenT of The 2019 healThcare Program of The house of rePresenTaTives (hreP)

InvItatIon to BId forThe ProcuremenT of 2019 securiTy services of The house of rePresenTaTives (hreP)

The House of Representatives, through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) intends to apply the sum of – AMOUNT PHP 88,000,000.00

NAME OF CONTRACT Procurement of the 2019 Healthcare Program of the House of Representatives (HRep)

AMOUNT

JSR No. 18-08-0207

PHP 53,849,527.20

NAME OF CONTRACT Procurement of 2019 Security Services of the House of Representatives (HRep)

IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACT JSR No. 18-08-0192

being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The House of Representativesnow invites bids for the Procurement of the 2019 Healthcare Program of the House of Representatives (HRep).Contract coverage is from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.Bidders should have completed, within Five (5) 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. Instructions to Bidders.

The House of Representativesnow invites bids for the Procurement of 2019 Security Services of the House of Representatives.The provision of Security Services is required by 1 January 2019. Bidders should have completed, within Five (5) 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. Instructions to Bidders.

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 RA 5183.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the House of Representativesand inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 27 September 2018 until 18 October 2018from the address belowand upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Fifty Thousand (Php 50,000.00) Pesos.

(2) where an ATS unit obtains airplane position information at greater than 15 minute intervals.

The House of Representatives, through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) intends to apply the sum of –

IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

(1) the airplane has a maximum certificated take-off mass of over 45 500kg27,000kg and a seating capacity greater than 19; and

Note 1. Oceanic area for the purpose of aircraft tracking is the airspace which overlies waters outside the territory of the Philippines.

Note 2 - See CAR-ANS Part 11.2, for coordination between the operator and air traffic services provisions providers regarding position report messages. (c) An Operator shouldshall track the position of an airplane through automated reporting at least every 15 minutes for the portion(s) of the inflight operation(s) that is planned in an oceanic area(s) under the following conditions: (1) the airplane has a maximum certificated take-off mass of over 27 000 kg45,500 kg and a seating capacity greater than 19; and

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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 RA 5183.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the House of Representativesand inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 27 September 2018 until 18 October 2018from the address belowand upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Fifty Thousand (Php 50,000.00) Pesos.

(2) where an ATS unit obtains airplane position information at greater than 15 minutes intervals.

Note 1. - Oceanic area- for the purpose of aircraft tracking is the airspace which overlies waters outside the territory of the Philippines.

Note.2 - See CAR-ANS Part 11.2, for coordination between the operator and air traffic services provisionsproviders regarding position report messages. xxx

“End of Amendments”

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 applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

Separability Clause - If, for any reason, any provision of this Memorandum Circular is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other part or parts thereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

The House of Representativeswill hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 4 October 2018, at 10:00 a.m., at the 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Building, House of Representatives, BatasanPambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, Quezon City, which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

The House of Representatives will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 4 October 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at the 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Building, House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, Quezon City, which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

Repealing Clause - AIl orders, rules, regulations and issuances, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are hereby repealed, superseded or modified accordingly.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 18 October 2018, at 9:00 a.m. 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 must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 18 October 2018, at 9:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 18 October 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at the 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Building, House of Representatives, BatasanPambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, 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.

Bid opening shall be on 18 October 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at the 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Building, House of Representatives, BatasanPambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, 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.

Determination Of Changes - To highlight the amendments and/or revisions in the Memorandum Circular, the deleted text shall be shown with strike through and the new inserted text shall be highlighted with grey shading, as illustrated below:

The House of Representativesreserves the right toreject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

The House of Representativesreserves the right toreject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

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 applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

For further information, please refer to:

For further information, please refer to:

MR. ANTONIO M. CHAN, JR. Secretary, Bids and Awards Committee 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Bldg.

House of Representatives BatasanPambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, Quezon City Telefax (02) 952-4150; (02) 931-5001 loc. 3114 Website: www.congress.gov.ph

MR. ANTONIO M. CHAN, JR. Secretary, Bids and Awards Committee 2/F Executive Lounge, South Wing Annex Bldg.

House of Representatives BatasanPambansa Complex, IBP Road, Batasan, Quezon City Telefax (02) 952-4150; (02) 931-5001 loc. 3114 Website: www.congress.gov.ph

(Sgd.) DR. EDGARDO H. PANGILINAN Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee House of Representatives (MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

(MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

(Sgd.) DR. EDGARDO H. PANGILINAN Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee House of Representatives

1. Text deleted: Text to be deleted is shown with a line through it.

2. New text inserted: New text is highlighted with grey shading.

3. New text replacing existing text: Text to be deleted is Shown with a line through it followed by the replacement text which is highlighted with grey shading.

Effectivity - Fifteen (15) days after compliance with the requisite publication in a single newspaper of general circulation and a copy filed with the U.P. Law Center - Office of the National Administrative Register, these amendments shall be incorporated to the Philippine CAR, series of2018.

Signed this 25th day of September 2018, CAAP, Pasay City.

CAPTAIN JIM C. SYDIONGCO Director General (MS-SEPT. 27, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

B4

thursday, september 27, 2018

LGUs LocaL government units

PH lady solons in Singapore meet A delegAtion of lady lawmakers― deputy Speaker and Bulacan Rep. linabelle Villarica, nueva ecija Rep. Mikaela Violago, and MAtA Party-list Rep. tricia Velasco-Catera―recently attended the first-ever Women’s Forum Singapore.

With the theme “Bridging Worlds for inclusive innovation,” the forum was well-attended by various political, business and institutional women leaders from different countries.

As one of the guest speakers, Villarica proudly shared that the Philippines has been consistently among top 10 countries in the global gender gap, which shows how gender-equal the country is. in her discussion, she explained that in the Philippine legislative setting, there has been a steady rise of women representatives every term.

“Currently, the women legislators in the House of Representatives number 86 out of a total of 299 representatives, while in the Senate, 6 out of the

24 senators are women,” Villarica said.

She also proudly noted that the current Speaker of the House of Representatives―former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo―is the first woman to hold the post.

With the active participation of women legislators in the legislative arena, many bills that give women more rights and protections have been passed,” said Villarica.

“Women here in Asia are now more aware, more liberal and contributes a lot or sometimes greater than some men,” added Velasco-Catera, a co-author of House Bill no. 580 or the “100-day Maternity leave” Bill, which lengthens the maternity leave of female workers in the government and private sectors to 100 days.

Velasco-Catera is proof of women’s power, as she is known for helping a lot of senior citizens and persons with disabilities by distributing wheelchairs and FdA-approved medicines in every medical mission.

BIRD BREEDER. A vendor shows off his racing pigeons for sale, which go from P100 to P150 each, at a stall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Wednesday. PNA/Rico Borja

Makati gives SPED pupils P5k each in allowances CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

By Joel E. Zurbano

t

He city government of Makati has distributed P5,000 in allowances to each of the 780 Special education or SPed students enrolled in 10 public elementary and high schools in the city.

Mayor Abigail Binay led the distribution on tuesday coincided with the launching of “SPeed for SPed,” a work immersion program she initiated for SPed learners aged 18 years old and above.

At the ceremony held at Makati Science High School, Binay said even when she was still in Congress, she had recognized and sought to address the needs of children with special needs, as well as those of their parents and guardians.

Deputy Speaker Rep. Linabelle Villarica, Rep. Mikaela Violago and Rep. Tricia Velasco-Catera (from left) represented the Philippines in the first-ever Women’s Forum Singapore last week.

Rice subsidy for QC hall staff

By Rio N. Araja QUeZon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday backed district 1 Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr.’s initiative to grant higher rice subsidy and longevity pay for over 8,000 regular city hall employees to cushion the impact of inflation.

“We need to make sure our city employees have a decent living. in light of the rising prices of goods, we want to start by helping with the most basic commodity―rice,” she said. the 37-member city council passed ordinance no. 2727 increasing the quarterly rice subsidy from P1,500 to P2,000. the assistance is “in consonance with the city government’s desire to al-

leviate the economic plight of its own workers from the widespread crisis and prolonged high-cost of rice,” the measure read.

According to Ferrer, the subsidy will be given at the end of every quarter. ordinance no. 2728 also adjusted the longevity pay from P200 for every five years of service to P300 for the same period. Ferrer authored both measures.

According to Belmonte, career civil service employees “deserve to be rewarded financially by the virtue of their loyalty and dedication to public duty.” “incentives such as this help us reduce corruption by making sure that the public servants in Quezon City are well-compensated,” she said.

“i realized that parents or guardians of special children need all the support they can get in bringing them up, including financial assistance. this is why we started giving out P5,000 cash as educational assistance for SPed learners in 2017,” she said. the city chief executive is pushing for the immediate implementation of the SPeed for SPed program because she believed SPed learners have great potential to be productive workers.

“Aside from supporting the education of our children with special needs, we would like to help them become employable by equipping them with life skills that will enable them to be gainfully employed,” added Binay.

She also said that given the right opportunity, special Makatizens can join the labor force and contribute to the country’s socioeconomic growth.

“We would like to give them a fighting chance at becoming productive and self-reliant members of society,” the mayor said. during the launching, Binay also mentioned her plans to hire a group of occupational therapists and developmental pediatricians to look after the health and development of children with special needs in the city.

SM Foundation, in collaboration with SM Cauayan City, distributed 3,000 relief goods called Kalinga packs to Typhoon ‘Ompong’ affected residents who sought shelter at evacuation centers located in Ilagan City, Tumauini and Cabagan. Kalinga packs contain ready to eat food, rice, noodles and bottled water. Operation Tulong Express also provides medicine and other basic needs such as blankets, clothes and conducts medical missions, such as a recent one in Cauayan, Isabela, to dispense basic medical care and first aid treatment.

SM arm comes to Cauayan to assist ‘Ompong’ victims

By Brenda Jocson

FIRST INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION

FIRST INVITATION TO SUBMIT PRICE QUOTATION

BAC SB 18-005

BAC SB 18-004

(Pursuant to Section VI of NEA Memorandum 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperatives IRR-RA 10531 (2017))

(Pursuant to Section VI of NEA Memorandum 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperatives IRR-RA 10531 (2017))

1.

THE BUSUANGA ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will undertake Alternative Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to submit their Price Quotation for the Supply and Delivery of Distribution Line Hardwares.

1.

Description Quantity Lineman’s Climber Set 21 Safety Shoes : Slip resistant, Oil resistant, Composite toe cap 39 Hardhat 39 Lineman’s Pliers : Induction hardened cutting edges, diamond serrated jaws, with built-in insulation crusher 33 Skinning Knife 33 Telescopic Hotstick 35’ 3 Ladder, Fiberglass, 24’ 5 Shotgun, Stick, 12’ 3

BISELCO, intends to apply the sum of One million Five Hundred Ninety-Five Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Four pesos (1,595,154.00) pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess with the corresponding ABC shall be automatically be rejected.

2.

Any Interested entity may request list of materials through e-mail address: biselco79@yahoo.com. Bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope not later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, BISELCO Bids and Awards Committee, BISELCO Main Headquarters, Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan.

Include the following eligibility documents in a sealed envelope: a. Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) or TIN Card c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Certificate or Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration d. List of works done and respective clients.

Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) shall be rejected.

3.

BISELCO reserves the right to accept or reject any offer/quotation, reject all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude any item or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as determined by BISELCO and to award the contract to the Bidder with most advantageous offer, without thereby incurring any liability to the interested entities.

(Sgd) Engr. Selwin Y. Alili BAC Chairman

THE BUSUANGA ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (BISELCO), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will undertake Alternative Mode of Procurement and invites interested entities to submit their Price Quotation for the Purchase of the following items: Unit sets pieces pieces pieces pieces pieces pieces pieces

BISELCO, intends to apply the sum of ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED FIVE (PhP1,928,205.00) pesos being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess with the corresponding ABC shall be automatically be rejected.

2.

3.

Any Interested entity must submit their quotation in a sealed envelope not later than October 5, 2018 at the BAC SECRETARIAT, BISELCO Bids and Awards Committee, BISELCO Main Headquarters, Mabintangen Road, Brgy. 6, Coron, Palawan. Include the following eligibility documents in a sealed envelope: a. Certified True copy of Mayor’s Permit b. Certified True Copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN) or TIN Card c. Certified True Copy of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Certificate or Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration d. List of works done and respective clients.

Offer /Quotation exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) shall be rejected.

BISELCO reserves the right to accept or reject any offer/quotation, reject all offer/quotation at any time prior to contract award, to exclude any item or reduce the number of unit and the corresponding ABC as determined by BISELCO and to award the contract to the Bidder with most advantageous offer, without thereby incurring any liability to the interested entities.

Approved by:

(SGD) Engr. Selwin Y. Alili BAC Chairman

(SGD) RUTH L. GALANG General Manager

Approved by: (SGD) RUTH L. GALANG General Manager (MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

(MS-SEPT. 27 , 2018)

CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela ― Committed to help the families in calamity-stricken areas of the country, SM Foundation inc. once again extended a helping hand to families affected by typhoon “ompong” here through its operation tulong express Medical Mission on tuesday.

With the support of Cauayan City Health office, volunteer doctors and health workers, and Barangay district 3 officials, around 600 Cauayenos were served by the medical mission, which provided medical consultation and services such as X-ray, electrocardiograph, blood sugar testing, cholesterol test, uric acid test, blood pressure monitoring, and height and weight monitoring.

SM Foundation also distributed medicines and vitamins to the patients through its Gamot Para sa Kapwa medicine program.

Following the onslaught of ompong in isabela, at least 3,000 families from Cauayan, ilagan City, luna, Cabagan, and tumauini towns received relief goods from SM Foundation inc. thru its operation tulong express. operation tulong express, the calamity response program of SM Foundation, aims to provide immediate relief to victims of calamity. this is part of SM Foundation’s commitment to serve by supporting and empowering its host communities.

Son of Zambales vice gov is UCL cum laude grad AlFRedo Vicente Magsaysay Cheng, son of Zambales Vice governor Angel Magsaysay-Cheng, will be graduating with a Second Upper Class Honor, comparable to a magna cum laude, in Bachelor of Science in Bioprocessing of new Medicines (Science and engineering) from the Advanced Centre of Biochemical engineering at the University College london.

UCl is ranked 10th best university in the world and fourth in the United Kingdom, according to QS World Alfredo Magsaysay-Cheng University Rankings. the young Cheng, a grandson of former President Ramon Magsaysay, will be one of only six students graduating from the course―and the first Filipino to do so. the degree initially started with 15 students.

Life

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

household

@mstandardLIFe thursday, september 27, 2018

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Work from home Setting up a home office HOME PRODUCTIVE HOME. A dedicated workspace, adequate lighting, the right equipment, and reliable Internet connection are important elements of a home office that promotes comfort and productivity.

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HRISTIAn De Guzman lives 32 kilometers from his office in Makati. On a regular day, it takes him two hours and four different modes of transportation—tricycle, jeep, bus, and MRT—to get to his office; it’s another two hours going home.

When traffic jam is extremely horrendous, he spends five to six hours daily on the road.

“Those four hours could have been used to something more relaxing or productive. But no, I spend it commuting,” lamented De Guzman.

To make up for the time he spends on the road, he sometimes gets a few work done on his mobile gadgets, something that not every worker can easily do.

De Guzman is also one of the few lucky enough to be allowed to telecommute or work from home from time to time.

“Honestly, I get more work done when I’m at home. I have more time to finish tasks, and there’s less distractions,” he shared.

Working from home appears much more practical, especially considering the amount of time and money wasted due to traffic jam. According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the current traffic congestion is costing the Philippines P3.5 billion a day.

Meanwhile, architect and urban planner Felino A. Palafox, Jr. earlier said an average Metro Manila resident spends 1,000 hours on congested roads every year, or approximately 28,000 hours of his economic life.

With the stress brought by the exhausting morning rush and traffic in the country, working from home seems the easiest solution.

Although working from home may not be an option for everybody, those who are allowed should consider it be-

Various studies said that adequate lighting increases people’s work productivity. Eastern Communications suggests taking adequate light into consideration in setting up a home office to avoid headaches or strained eyes cause of the benefits such as not having due to poor lighting and long hours of to deal with long hours commuting and staring at a computer screen.

Although some might consider saving money on transportation costs. their home as a Telco firm Eastern happy place, work works w lo al ing from home g in Telecommut ork w e or can be as equally m t ge to employees commute. stressful as work workdone sans long ing in an office.

This is why it is also recommend recommended to put a little green plant on the work desk for added focus and decoration.

Several studies have that proven having a plant on desk can reduce stress, improve in indoor quality, and might pro also help a worker be proCommunications ductive throughout the day. shares a few tips how to set up a home Choose a reliable Internet office that is comfortable and promotes connection provider better productivity.

Having a good Internet connection is a Have a dedicated workspace key factor when telecommuting. A poor Having a dedicated spot to get work connection—such as one that is slow or done helps condition the mind that one goes down unexpectedly—can easily is on “work mode” even when at home. hamper productivity and affect ability to It also makes the day more organized respond to officemates and meet deadlines.

Eastern Communications offers an and reduces distractions, especially if enhanced Internet solution for home it’s in a closed or separate room.

Some items to consider for the work- offices which uses fiber optic technolspace: a work table with drawers or or- ogy that runs on redundant fiber optic ganizers for papers—think about creat- links, making the connection more staing a filing system, a portable printer, ble and reliable. This can help increase and an efficient laptop with the right productivity of any home-based worker programs installed. Other items and ac- as it has speed of up to 100 Mbps with cessories depend on the worker using lower maintenance cost. Go to www. eastern.com.ph for more information. the home office.

According to an architect and urban planner, an average Metro Manila resident spends 1,000 hours on congested roads every year.

How to reinvent leftovers

Get adequate light and add greenery

Spanish Chorizo Fried Rice

LAST night’s dinner can be difficult to feed to the family. While they are economical (less food waste) and practical (one less chore to do), eating the same food for two or three days in a row can be a drab.

But it is a problem that can be easily resolved with a bit of creativity.

Makati-based culinary school The Maya Kitchen, shares easy tips and quick recipes to reinvent the most common leftovers at home.

Cooked rice is easily the most common food every Filipino household has, at one time or another, cooked too much.

The Maya Kitchen suggests transforming leftover rice into a sumptuous dish by adding some bits of chorizo and spices.

The Spanish Chorizo Fried Rice is perfect for breakfast. To prepare: sauté onions, garlic, and chorizo cubes; throw in vegetables such as corn and bell pepper; and let them cook for another two to three minutes.

Got leftover roast or fried chicken?

Jazzed it up with green vegetables and oil-based dressing for a quick and healthy meal.

To create the Leftover Chicken Fruit and Green Salad, start by arranging salad greens in a dish bowl; toss in sliced chicken slices, choice of fruits (e.g. orange or apples), and walnuts and cheese; finally, drizzle any oil-based dressing of choice.

Adobo is great even the day after, but to spice it up the next day, The Maya Kitchen recommends transforming it into Loaded Adobo Flakes Quesadillas.

This recipe is a quick and easy addition to every household’s weekly menu.

Arrange the adobo flakes on top of a quesadilla and garnish it generously with onion, cucumber slices, salsa, and grated cheese. It’s great to eat at home or at school or work.

For more easy and impressive meals, check out The Maya Kitchen’s basic cooking and baking classes or log on to www.themayakitchen.com.

The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center is at 8/F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City. It is open Tuesday to Saturday.

Adobo Flakes Quesadillas

Leftover Chicken Fruit and Green Salad

Life

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thursday, september 27, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Factors to consider in choosing a home’s location Real estate experts constantly remind investors to consider the home’s location first and foremost..

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HeN it comes to real estate, experts constantly remind investors to consider location first and foremost.

Some aspiring homeowners, however, fail to take into account factors they need to consider in choosing their home location. Too often, many make the decision to purchase based on aesthetic value or design of the house, the size of the property, budget, or affordability.

PSBank shares some major considerations when choosing the location of a great dream home.

Transportation or easy commute

Whether one goes to work driving a car, biking, or taking public transportation, the commute time should be a major factor when choosing a home’s location. Real estate value is higher in areas with major transportation systems but then, time is the more expensive commodity. In addition, development of major transportation hubs also brings about local amenities such as retail stores and restaurants.

School

Families that have kids or planning to have kids, need to consider accessibility to good quality education. especially with young children, proximity

the property. Check the crime rate in the community and make an effort to meet future neighbors. Another major safety issue is whether the area of the to location of their daily activities such property is flood-prone. as schools can significantly impact their Bonus: Lender of choice growth and development.

Once location has been decided, PSBank says another crucial decision relates to the lender a homeowner chooses.

PSBank, the consumer banking arm of the Metrobank Group, now provides a one-day credit decision on home loan applications for the purchase of condominium and other properties from accredited developers that include Federal Land, Megaworld, Ayala Land Premier, Filinvest, Robinsons, and Rockwell, among others.

Choose a home that’s accessible to various Aside from a one-day credit deciservices and establishments. sion for condos, PSBank Home Loan with Prime Rebate allows customers to earn rebates or savings when they make Local amenities Proximity to what a homeowner con- advance or excess payments on their siders essential in their daily life should monthly due. In addition, it also feaalso be a major factor. Access to local tures flexible terms as well as convenigrocery stores, medical services, enter- ent payment channels through PSBank tainment, and service facilities as well mobile and online platforms, automatic as restaurants could make one’s life eas- debit arrangement from a PSBank deposit account, post-dated checks, overier and more comfortable. the-counter at any PSBank branch, and via PSBank, Metrobank and BancNet Safety and security Consider the safety and security of ATMs nationwide.

Rainy season household essentials:

Emergency equipment

THe rainy season brings with it hazards even to individuals at home.

To help households be emergencyready, lighting and technology brand Akari offers products made to keep families safe at home during heavy rains and typhoon.

Akari’s LeD emergency light provides temporary lighting of up to seven hours during a power outage. To ensure a longer battery lifespan, it features overcharge/over-discharge protection so users can keep it plugged in and ready-to-use in times of sudden blackouts.

To avoid mosquito-borne diseases common during the wet season, the brand offers a wide range of electric mosquito killers that can cover up to 100 square meters with a zapping voltage of up to 1400V. Akari also has an AC/DC 12-inch bluetooth music box fan that can keep families cool and entertained when there is a power interruption. This rechargeable fan-cum-bluetooth speaker can operate for up to six hours.

Go to www.akari.com.ph for more information.

Akari’s LED emergency light, 12-inch bluetooth music box fan, and electric mosquito killer.

Cough medicine, parenting group advocate healthy lifestyle for moms STReSS is an inevitable consequence of fast-paced work environments. For mothers and homemakers who juggle responsibilities at work and at home, stress levels are doubled.

The closing lecture in ASCOF for Kids and The Parenting emporium’s series of classes held recently sought to spark people’s awareness on natural alternatives for health remedies and on the total wellness of moms and their families.

ASCOF is the country’s leading natural cough remedy, while TPe, located in New Manila, is a store and social enterprise that provides a venue for learning and support in creating communities that foster better parenting.

The enlightening discussion was led by life coach and makeup artist Ning Tadena, who underscored the importance of changing one’s overall perspective and boosting one’s positive energy in order to avoid stress.

In her talk, entitled “How to Release Toxic Stress,” Tadena explained how stress is a cause of many illnesses and misunderstandings. “even your relationships suffer when you live in a toxic environment,” she said. “But in everything that we do, we have two ways to look at it—it can either stress us or stretch us.”

She continued, “For example, you can be stressed by traffic, but it can also stretch your imagination, your patience, your strategy, and time management. The perspective that I always want to impart to people is to have a growth mindset.”

Tadena also pointed out that stress can show up in the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social aspects of one’s life, and thus can be a cause of disease.

She also identified what she considers the three most toxic emotions—resentment, rejection, and regret. Then she countered these with the three “most nourishing” ones—forgiveness, acceptance, and gratitude.

Tadena believes that we can live stress-free and healthier lives by nour-

ishing our mind, body, and heart and getting rid of the toxins in them.

“And part of nourishing your body,” Tadena asserted, “is eating healthy and using natural and organic products like ASCOF for Kids.”

Known for its natural and organic properties, ASCOF for Kids is made from 100 percent organically grown lagundi leaves, and undergoes a stringent manufacturing process. Being the very first natural cough remedy launched in the market 22 years ago, ASCOF Lagundi is considered the pioneer in advocating alternative medicines for consumers.

ASCOF for Kids assistant brand manager Kaye Racaza said that with the help of its partners like TPe, “ASCOF ensures that moms will confidently take the first step in choosing the natural alternatives over the synthetic/chemical options in the market.”

Among the influential moms who attended the cap-off event were Tina Rodriguez, Riki Flo Reyes, Sheila De Asis, Gabrielle Janvier, Irina Otmakhova, Mafae Belasco, Jopay Zamora, Liz Aliwalas, Jane Cheng, and Jaya Crisostomo.

The Parenting Emporium and ASCOF Lagundi invite guests, mostly moms, to an interactive talk on stress management.

Life coach and makeup artist Ning Tadena talks about how to release toxic stress.

The Parenting Emporium founder Maricel Cua

Entertainment Noted playwright Henry Hwang to conduct master class NOTED American playwright, screenwriter, and librettist David Henry Hwang who wrote the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play M Butterfly, which is currently playing at Maybank Performing Arts Theater and will run until Sept.30, is coming to Manila to conduct a strictly by invitation only “Master Class” on Sept. 28 at 3:00 p.m..

Presented by Jhett Tolentino and Frontrow Entertainment, the David Henry Hwang Master Class will focus on playwrighting.

Tony and Grammy Award winner Jhett Tolentino will host the one-hour event to be attended by theater/drama students from select schools and universities; and noted personalities in Philippine theater industry.

Hwang’s parents were both Chineseborn, though his mother was reared in the Philippines. They immigrated separately to the United States, where they met, married, and raised their family.

David Henry Hwang

The only son and the oldest of three siblings, Hwang attended Stanford University (B.A., 1979), where his first play, FOB (an acronym for “fresh off the boat”), was first produced in 1979 (published 1983). The work, which examines the immigrant experience from an Asian American perspective, won an Obie Award in 1980–81 for Best New American Play.

Between graduating from college and winning the Obie, Hwang had enrolled in the Yale School of Drama to gain a better sense of theatre history. During his year in that program, he penned two short plays—The Dance and the Railroad (produced 1981), about two Chinese immigrant railroad workers and their expectations, and The House of Sleeping Beauties (produced 1983), adapted from a short story by Japanese writer Kawabata Yasunari—first performed in an omnibus production with The Sound of a Voice as Sound and Beauty. Hwang later adapted The Sound of a Voice into a libretto for an opera collaboration (2003) with American composer Philip Glass.

Some of Hwang’s projects involved music in some way. He cowrote the book for Aida (2000), which featured music by British rocker Sir Elton Johnand lyrics by British lyricist Sir Tim Riceand was based loosely on the Verdi opera of the same name; wrote a new book for the revival of the musical Flower Drum Song (2002); and wrote the book for an original musicalcomedy version of Tarzan (2006).

His stage comedy Yellow Face was first performed in 2007. It is both a reflection on Hwang’s activism regarding the use of non-Asian actors in Asian roles (which he compared to blackface minstrelsy) and an examination of the role of “face” (a Chinese concept embodying dignity, reputation, and respect) in American society.

In 2011 Chinglish appeared on Broadway. It was written in English and Mandarin (with supertitles) and examined the subject of cultural and linguistic misunderstandings.

By Darwin Pesco

“T

RIBUTE is ongoing.”

As part of the month-long celebration of the National Teacher’s Month, a grand gathering for thousands of teachers was held to celebrate their sacrifices for the betterment of the country.

Gabay Guro, the PLDT-Smart Foundation’s education advocacy and flagship program, celebrated its 11th year by bringing together teachers from different parts of the country for the muchawaited Grand Gathering 2018.

Thronged with laughs, grooves, and tunes, PLDT and Smart Communications brought the annual event that gave a special treat to everyone’s second mothers and fathers through a day filled with fun games and music.

The teachers as the Most Valuable Partners are the moulders of today’s generation, and Gabay Guro Chairman Chaye Cabal-Revilla gave a message to all the teachers who are the holder of the “future in their hands.”

Organized as the biggest tribute for Filipino teachers, the event was hosted

by Andrew Wolf, Pops Fernandez, and Edu Manzano.

“More!” The teachers kept on saying in chorus after every performance. The star-studded event featured celebrity performances that brought out hype and cheers from the teachers.

The highlight of the program was DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones’ duet with Martin Nievera for the song, “Ikaw”, which wowed the crowd.

Meanwhile, Gary Valenciano never loses his energy. He owned the stage again after a long hiatus and made everyone in the venue dance as he sang and danced with son, Gab and

DOWN 1 Travel guides 2 Uh-huh 3 Actual 4 Upgrade 5 Closing tight 6 Pecs’ partners 7 Wheels for nanny 8 Tea variety 9 Dusk 10 Half-frozen 11 — case scenario 12 Kind of cat 13 Freshwater catch 21 9-digit ID 23 Malaria symptom 25 Succinct 27 Harsh calls

nickie.standard@gmail.com

FDCP launches its Cinematheque in Compostela Valley The 100-seater Cinematheque alternative cinema hub in Compostela Valley

IT WAS in 2016 when then newly-appointed Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño attended the Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition (NABIFILMEX) and met with the community’s filmmakers which led to the planning and construction of the first Cinematheque in Compostela Valley.

Two years later, FDCP officially opened its doors as Cinematheque Centre Nabunturan just in time for the 2018 edition of NABIFILMEX. All screenings were jam-packed with students from the town up to its awarding night attended by Jeovy G. Mandin, Romeo B. Clarin Jr., Marietis T. Balatico and Vice Mayor Rodel G. Balili of the Municipality of Nabunturan.

The Cinematheque had its ground breaking in November 2017 and in less than a year, the 100-seater alternative cinema hub had its soft opening with the town’s excited audience with its first ever film screening graced by NCCA Commissioner for the Arts/Head Teddy Co, Paolo Paraiso, Max Eigenmann,

Ed Cabagnot, director Arbi Barbarona, NABIFILMEX Festival Director Atty. Karen Santiago-Malaki, Asst.

Festival Director Mindanao Film Festival Ivan Tadena with Distribution and FDCP Officials FDCP Executive Director Wilfredo Manalang, Distribution and Exhibition Lead Officer Popoy Guillermo and Cinematheque Centre Officer Jamir Mallari.

“This is one of the dreams that finally materialized for the town of Compostela Valley. We are bringing the films to the people, for creative development, for awareness and even just to share stories and we are hoping to inspire more future Nabunturan filmmakers through the many programs of FDCP and the Cinematheque Nabunturan,” said Liza Diño.

Cinematheque Centre Nabunturan is located at Layug Avenue, Purok 13 beside SPED, Central Elementary School. It will be in full operation in October. For more details, check out the Cinematheque Centre Nabunturan’s official facebook page.

Student film, lone PH entry at Asia’s 2nd biggest shorts fest

By Seymour Barros Sanchez

Christian Rae Villanueva's ‘Ang Mga Turo ng Gabi’ (The Lessons of the Night) is a short film about depression.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

once 52 Large banana 54 Handles dough 59 Kind of chop 60 Get better 62 Where Damascus is 63 Give the eye 64 People devourer 65 Easy-to-find constellation 66 Furtive whisper 67 Minority group 68 Parents

daughter, Kiana.

“Continue with what you’re doing,” the Mr. Pure Energy told the educators.

Before celebrating her 40th anniversary in show business, Sharon Cuneta performed her greatest hits and had a brief conversation with all the teachers whom she really respects. Aga Muhlach, who has the latest movie, First Love, showed up and helped to announce the winners of the raffle draw.

Additionally, Richard Yap and Gabby Concepcion drew “kilig” from the crowd with their singing while going to the waves of the crowd.

The teachers couldn’t stop dancing and singing along with their favorite actors and singers.

Singers Regine Velasquez, Jaya, Randy Santiago, Basil Valdez, and Ogie Alcasid startled everyone with their powerful vocals that elicited cheers and claps from the “Mams” and “Sirs.”

Serenaded and hugged the teachers were Ronnie Liang, Jovit Baldivino, and Christian Bautista. While, Jed Madela sang a medley and had a duet with Jona, who also sang the classic song, “Ngayon at Kailanman.”

The teachers couldn’t stop laughing with Boobay and Ate Gay’s exchanges of jokes and playing the lyrics of some songs.

Also, other performers were Marion Aunor, “Tawag ng Tanghalan” finalists, Eat Bulaga’s That’s my Bae, and Boy Band PH. Winners of the grand prizes were announced on the latter part. Winning the house and lot was Hanna Angela while for the Gratour Van was Ronalyn Quinio.

Newest pillar of the Gabay Guro called “Innovation” was also presented and the Gabay Guro app is its starter, which will come out soon on Google Play and App Store.

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Balladeer Christian Bautista and songbird Regine Velasquez entertained thousands of educators who attended the Gabay Guro Grand Gathering over the weekend.

It’s teachers’ break time

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Ancient tales 6 Date with a doc 10 Ear cleaner 14 Lofty abode 15 Develop, as a storm 16 Kinks’ 1970 tune 17 Singer — Abdul 18 H.H. Munro’s pen name 19 WWW addresses 20 Beach finds 22 Sugar cane product 24 Adherent 26 Balmy temperature 27 Hot pepper 31 Dude 32 Moving right — 33 Nouveau — 36 IRS form expert 39 Nurse’s beat 40 Cravat cousin 41 More 42 NNW opposite 43 Arduous journeys 44 Asimov genre (hyph.)

45 Mex. Mrs. 46 Warns (2 wds.)

48 Plunges 51 B’way posting,

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

28 Woe is me!

29 Good old days 30 Finish 34 Gross!

35 Overhead 36 Ad award 37 Wisp of smoke 38 Get real!

(2 wds.)

40 Wyoming tribe 41 Hackers’ machines 43 Easy gait 44 Supporter 45 14-line poem

47 Tick off 48 Plugs away 49 Keens 50 Attack on a castle 52 Drop heavily 53 Anti-drug cop 55 Bronte orphan 56 Verdi number 57 Prada rival 58 Without, to Pierre 61 Endorse

A SHORT film about a teacher battling depression, who convinces an infatuated student to retrieve her baby, will compete at the 8th Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film Competition in Taiwan from Oct. 19 to Nov. 4.

After a four-month selection period involving more than 3,200 submissions from 93 countries, Christian Rae Villanueva’s Ang Mga Turo ng Gabi (The Lessons of the Night) emerged as one of the 65 short films from 30 countries in the official selection.

Considered “the second largest short film festival in Asia and a unique plat-

form for creative short films in Taiwan,” KFF will be held at the Kaohsiung Film Archive with 24 short film programs and more than a hundred shorts in total.

“One of my dreams is to have an international premiere for my film,” said Villanueva, who recently graduated from the Digital Filmmaking program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts.

His capstone project will vie with 45 other films previously selected by prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Rotterdam, Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Tokyo Shorts and Busan, among others. “It is an honor

to be lined up to these films that won in Cannes, Busan and other major film festivals,” he added.

The short film will also contend for the Asian New Wave Award against entries from China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. KFF introduced the award to encourage films with unique viewpoints inspired by the Asian context.

Starring Sheenly Vee Gener and Dylan Ray Talon, the film previously won Best Editing and Best Performance at Pelikultura: The CALABARZON Film Festival. It was shown as part of the Diwa Filipino Film Showcase of Seattle in Washington.

Entertainment

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

C4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

VERY WANG NICKIE WANG Glaiza de Castro as a rebel and mother in 'Liway,' an independent film about the experiences of a young boy growing up in a prison as the son of anti-Marcos dissident.

Mobile phone flash lights were on as Gloc-9 covered the Francis M. classic “Kaleidoscope World” during the digital Freenet concert held last Thursday (Sept. 20) at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City.

YUGEL LOSORATA

Enjoying a digital concert

FOR a gen X-er accustomed to concerts delivered somewhat the old way, a spectacle described as a “digital concert” may sound quite intriguing.

Yes we are exposed to this kind of modern watch for years now. Yet being reminded we have reached this far is all positive takeaway.

Thus, last Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena, Voyager Innovations marked the third anniversary of its free internet and rewards platform Freenet with one dubbed FREENIVERSAYA: A FREEnet Concert. To set the tone, “freenetizens” were given free and exclusive access to an evening of illuminating backdrops and all-out millennial stars.

With its atmosphere and soundscape boldly showcasing today’s trends in concert staging and experience, the event was another in-your-face proof that current live entertainment and digital revolution could transport spectators to places in a blink of an eye. Once mobile phones flash in the dark, it was as if stars from the sky have fallen magically right to your eye level.

“This was a spectacular opportunity for us to give our users a truly unique digital experience whether they were with us at the venue or tuned in at home via Facebook Live. We hope they had fun listening to their favorite artists and getting all the free perks,” said Dindo Marzan, Voyager’s Managing Director for Marketing Technologies.

The good-mix of performers clearly helped draw the large crowd in: KZ Tandingan, Moira Dela Torre, Shanti Dope, Gloc-9, Ben&Ben, and Hashtags. And then there’s Bamboo, loved by millennials.

Some of them likely relished getting crowd attention with unfailing hugot spiels hastened by emotive performances. Personally it was touching to see teary-eyed faces from the crowd and on stage.

At one point millennials swayed brightly to a gen X anthem when Gloc 9 covered Francis M.’s “Kaleidoscope World.”

Talkin’ about a digital gathering with a lot of soul!

I fathomed that if those young souls chose that concert to take time off their personal troubles, they came to the right app, buddy.

Whereas emotions may have been running a bit difficult within, everything else is made digitally easy.

In fact, freenetizens got concert passes by simply redeeming desired tickets in the freenet shop using freenet points collected over the past months.

Paying for food and drinks was also digitized through quick and easy cashless transactions care off PayMaya QR. Heidi Garayblas, Voyager’s Associate Marketing Director, quipped, “I think it’s an understatement that we really went all out in giving exclusive perks and prizes to all freenetizens during our anniversary concert.”

With eight million users in the Philippines and counting, freenet is among the top free lifestyle apps and consistently trending in the same category on Google Play.

The Freeniversaya occasion was one way of driving in the point that a digital concert is not solely for millennials. It can be enjoyed by the not-so-young and the young at heart counting on state-of-the-art entertainment and embracing the idea that youth is identified by how it differs from past generations.

A WIDER AUDIENCE for Cinemalaya’s

highest-grossing film INTERNATIONAL

BTS urges world’s youth to ‘just speak yourself’ MEMBERS of the K-Pop sensation BTS brought their star power to the United Nations early this week, telling the world’s youth to listen to their inner voice and resist pressure to conform.

“No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin colour, your gender identity, just speak yourself,” group leader Kim Nam-jun told a packed hall at the launch of a UNICEF youth campaign.

Dubbed “Generation Unlimited,” the campaign to promote education, training and employment kicked off during the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Wearing business suits and ties, the septet joined UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for the event -- that was oddly devoid of screaming fans.

Kim Nam-jun, who also calls himself RM, spoke of growing up in Ilsan, South Korea, imagining he was a superhero and being “just a normal little boy” until self-doubt settled in at the age of nine or ten.

“I think that’s when I began to worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself though their eyes,” he said. “I tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made.”

The lead singer of the world’s most popular boy band said there were times when he wanted to quit music but he overcame his insecurities by listening to the “small voice that said, wake up man, and listen to yourself.”

“I have many faults and I have many more fears but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can and I am starting to

love myself,” he said.

Among South Korea’s best known and most lucrative musical exports, BTS made music history this year by becoming the first K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200 music charts.

“BTS has become artists performing in huge stadiums and selling millions of records right now, but I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy,” said Kim Nam-jun.

“We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to ‘speak yourself’.”

BTS is bringing its Love Yourself tour to New York for a series of concerts including its first-ever US stadium performance. AFP

BTS members have given a historic speech at the United Nations General Assembly, acting on their role as UN Goodwill Ambassadors.

DIGITAL MEDIA

Surveillance system controlled by a phone SOME people say that there is no place considered safe anymore because a lot of recorded crimes happen even at home. In order to prevent the skyrocketing number of crimes that could victimize any Filipino household, Green Energy introduces a new technology called MiGuard Security Alarm System, a security system focused on the security and safety of everyone.

The MiGuard Security Alarm System Premium Package consists of different devices designed to prevent crimes. Included in the package are a console, Pan & Tilt HD IP Camera, Motion Detector, Door Sensor, SOS Button, Medical Button, Gas Detector, Water Leak Detector, Smoke Detector, and Remote Controls, which all can be monitored using an app on your mobile phone.

“It is MiGuard’s mission to protect our countrymen. We stand firm by our tagline that ‘We Want You Safe,” MiGuard President Manuel Syquian Jr. said in a recent press event.

“It is not only your loved ones that we want to protect, we also want to take care of your homes. To safeguard your home from fire and even flood, a problem most of our people face in times of rainy season,” he added.

Also included in the MiGuard Security Alarm System Premium Package is a Medical Button designed for the elderly ones who are often left at home.

“We have a 24/7 command center in

Quezon City that would respond to the help needed by our subscriber. I am proud to say that we are in partnership with the PNP, Bureau of Fire and Protection and Public Hospitals in the city. We are looking forward to replicating this to other cities in the near future,” Syquian said.

For your inquiries and other questions concerning the product, you may call their hotline number at 717-9806 or visit their website at www.miguard.net

From left: MiGuard's Alex Craig Frencillo, Manuel S. Siquian Jr. and Raeyan Basa

D

IRECTOR Kip Oebanda couldn’t be any happier to announce that Liway, a film based on his personal experiences growing up inside the prison camp where his parents were detained, is finally going to be seen by more Filipinos.

“Although it’s a very personal film, the story is very relevant to our current situation and we wanted people to see it,” Oebanda said during a press conference held at the UP Film Institute last week where the film also had a special screening.

“There are people who are discrediting the history of our country and the personal history of people. I find that offensive so I decided to make a film not about the broader political discourse,a lot of filmmakers have already done that.

Liway focuses on the the personal histories of people who experienced Martial Law,” he added.

After a very successful premiere at the 2018 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, the film Liway begins its commercial run in cinemas across the country on Oct. 10. Quantum Films is the distributor of this stirring motion picture.

The story, which is set during Martial Law, is about a young mother who uses storytelling to protect her young son from the painful realities of prison life. It features rousing performances by Glaiza de Castro in the title role, Dominic Roco, Soliman Cruz, Joel Saracho, Nico Antonio, Sue Prado, Paolo O’hara, Ebong Joson, Gerry Cornejo, Diana Alferez, Julie Bautista, Pau Benitez, Liway Gabo, She Maala, Renante Bustamante, with Vance Larena, Upeng Galang-Fernandez, and Khalil Ramos in a very special role. Child actor Kenken Nuyad plays Inday Liway’s son, Dakip.

The screenplay is written by Kip Oebanda and Zig Dulay.

“My childhood memories were full of laughter and love coupled with the daily routines of prison life,” Oebanda writes in his director’s notes. “Within the barb wired walls and the cramped, small room, I learned to read, write and speak.”

Although the young Kip was thrown into a place that was certainly unfit for a child, he learned to cope.

Oebanda says, “My parents, to the best of their ability, tried to keep me healthy and happy. By all accounts and in the small flashes of my memory, it was a happy childhood.”

Liway presents through the poignant relationship of mother and child, the struggles of those who fought for freedom during Martial Law. “Beyond a deeply personal story of people who refuse to remain as victims, it brings the audience to the emotional journey and sacrifices that freedom requires,” Oebanda elaborates.

Lead actress Glaiza de Castro hopes that the film’s subject and message can motivate the youth to examine the Martial Law period. She says, “(Sana) magiging kahalo na ng mga gagawin natin sa hinaharap.

Magigiging inspirasyon… ugat ng diskusyon.”

Producer Alemberg Ang affirms, “To preserve the lessons of the past, we must tap both the hearts and minds, particularly of the younger generations who may not have lived through the era.”

The reaction so far has been nothing short of “electrifying.”

Thanks to good reviews and strong word-of-mouth, Liway is turning out to be the Martial Law movie of this generation. The story truly resonates with the people. Throughout the Cinemalaya 2018 festival, Liway played to SRO audiences wherever it was shown, eventually becoming the Audience Choice winner and the highest-grossing Cinemalaya film in the festival’s 14-year history.

At almost every screening, those who watched were stirred to tears, standing ovations, and even patriotic chanting.

The movie is produced by VY/AC Productions and Exquisite Aspect Ventures. Interested parties may organize block screenings; for more information, please visit the Liway Facebook page.